When I was a kid, my grandfather was a HAM, or Amateur Radio operator. I
remember the work bench full of radio equipment that he was always
fiddling with, and how he would call to far away people, sometimes in
Morse code, more often with voice.
A few years later, as a teenager, I had an opportunity to study for the
Novice HAM. The only problem was that I just couldn't manage to code
sufficiently fast to pass the test.
Fast forward forty years. I noticed an ad for the first level HAM class
right up the street from my work. It turns out that in 2007, all
requirements for Morse code were dropped by the FCC. I decided to take
it, took it, and passed the test. Welcome to me as a HAM operator, call
sign KK4ETS. Technician license.
No, don't try calling me on the radio just yet. Those things are
expensive, and I probably won't be able to scrounge the money for one
before Christmas (and probably not until spring). Meanwhile, I'm
studying for the next level, the General license. I can take that in
the spring at the local HAMfest. I am also planning on joining at least
one local Amateur Radio Club (ARC) to get the feel of things.
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