Ward Silver NØAX is a long-time contester and DXer, enjoying high-rate operating from HC8N, KH6RS, NH6T, K3LR, W7RM, NK7U, and others. His specialty is CW, with the occasional limerick and lyrical parody thrown in as a bon mot from time to time. He was first licensed in 1972 as WNØGQP, but overcame the burden of that call by enrolling in the WØEEE Radio Club at the University of Missouri-Rolla.

Professionally, he is an electrical and systems engineer, teacher, and writer. Readers of QST and DX Magazine will recognize his by-line from the "Contest Corral," "Hands-On Radio," and "DX Puzzler" columns that appear in each issue. He is also the editor of the ARRL email newsletter "Contester's Rate Sheet" delivered to more than 12,000 ARRL members every other week and shared by many more. Ward's book, Ham Radio for Dummies was published by Wiley Press in 2004, is now in its second printing, and he is hard at work on Two-Way Radios and Scanners for Dummies scheduled for release in August 2005. On the air, he is on the DXCC CW Honor Roll, needing only four more entities to have worked 'em all, and is in the rarified air of QRP DX-ers with 307 countries in the log.