Meet Virgil Stamps of HF Projects in North Houston

Today we’d like to introduce you to Virgil Stamps.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Virgil. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I am an inventor-entrepreneur working as a freelance product developer for about 20 years creating products for many various industries including medical, petrochemical, transportation, automation and instrumentation. A neighborhood radio amateur mentored me to study and get my radio amateur license which spans 61 years. My training did not formally go beyond technical high school where I received training in radio and TV repair. I served four years in the US Navy and took advantage of great military training in electronics and the first computers. After my military time, I returned to Houston and worked for a company creating machines for oil exploration. I advanced from technician to engineer and helped design some of the first machines using integrated circuits. My exposure to analog circuitry allowed me to bridge the gap between analog and digital worlds. My fascination with computers exploded with the advent of the commercially available microprocessor. I became proficient and began a consulting company providing my learned technology to companies. As a consultant, I created products including circuit boards and electronic packaging, the whole gambit of product development.

Bringing this more up to date, I was working for a company in Kingwood that convinced me to join them doing product development. Their company bought a company down in Angleton Texas and I was convinced to work there. This meant a long daily commute behind the wheel about 6 hours each day. I needed to fill this time with something meaningful so I decided to create a radio amateur booster amplifier to improve my chance of contacts. My design was a low-cost solution that other radio amateurs around the country and the world heard about and asked me to produce as a kit. The name is HF PackerAmp where the HF means High-Frequency. Packer denotes something that can be packed or fit in a backpack for an off-road adventure, the picnic table or anywhere radio amateurs go. I have supplied this kit for the last 17 years and the design has evolved over time to make it easier to build and offer improved features. At the current time, the design is called a miniHFPA (HF Packer Amp). Many improvements to reduce the requirement of tools to assemble the kit have been made. Fifty of these projects have been built worldwide and another run is now starting. The unique part of the business is that it is all internet based word of mouth with no paid advertising. We operate on a shoestring budget bringing maximum value for minimum dollars. Our project requires a signup and then an upfront payment to self-finance the production. It is truly a group project build. My website, hfprojects.com, is member based and documentation is freely shared.

My latest creation is in the design phase. It is called the AUTO mini HFPA and as the name implies, there are many automated features including an antenna tuner and an auto-selection low-pass filter module with serial communications to other devices. This design is the most ambitious project yet offered to the HF Project followers. I already am receiving commitments for this new design. It is a very tiny package to have so much technical prowess and will be used in a special field called “Mountain Topping” where radio amateurs operating from mountain tops around the world. At a young age of 77, I still work as a programmer for an instrument manufacturer by day and an entrepreneur at night. I think it keeps you young.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There has never been enough money and radio amateurs really know the value of a dollar and how to conserve it. I have never been organized enough to figure out how to make it a business plan and be able to enjoy the fruits of my labors.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about HF Projects – what should we know?
Do a Google search on HFProjects or Radio Amateur K5OOR (that is me). Read the comments from those I have been in contact. You will read unsolicited comments about what I do and how I do it.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Letting my Christian values shine through to those I come into contact with and the customer is always right. I try to deliver value on a personal level.

Pricing:

• My current kit, the miniHFPA is priced at $379.00 plus available options

Contact Info:

• Address: HF Projects (a home business)
  Virgil Stamps, Radio Amateur K5OOR
  5802 Miller Valley Drive
  Houston Texas 77066
• Website: www.hfprojects.com
• Phone: 281-467-9424
• Email: [email protected]

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