Duke 497

Duke 497 is the callsign of a high power Citizen Band or 11-Meter station operating out of Southern Iowa in the late 1980s and early 1990s. DX reported contacts from this station include Alaska, Hawaii, Great Britain, South Africa, and Australia. The station typically operated on SSB at frequencies on are near 27.385Mhz.

Equipment used by the operator included a Cobra 142GTL, and a President HR2510. Antenna systems used were mainly a Hy-Gain SPT-500 Super Penetrator and the Avanti Moonraker 4. Duke 497 was known for being outspokenly opposed to the Antron 99 stating it was significantly inferior to the SPT-500. A number of amplifiers were used during the duration of his operation, many of which were Hy-Gain products or homebrew, however, he was also known for attempting to achieve DX contacts using stock radio power, otherwise known as running "barefoot."