Member Bio

If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve heard me on the airwaves. I’m glad you stopped by…

When I was a young boy, I would often listen to a small, red RadioShack transistor AM radio. I’d dial around trying to pickup anything “out of the ordinary”, however it was always just some local stuff. Occasionally, I’d pick up a distant station and then it would fade away. When I was older, yet still a teenager, I had my first “real” radio, a RadioShack CB. It wasn’t even SSB, just a regular CB radio. I still have it, although I haven’t connected an antenna to it in a very, very long time.

Fast forward a few years and I while I was in the Army, I frequently had access to a radio. When there were moments of downtime, I would spin the dial and see what I could find. Generally, not much. I was a “non-electrical popup target” (Infantryman) not in the signal corps, so I went back to humping rucks and shooting rifles. After leaving the military, I earned a couple of degrees, worked, and raised a daughter. Now that I’m getting older and have my eye on retirement, I thought that I should find a hobby that I can do year round as a couple of my other hobbies are best enjoyed in the summer months.

I decided to, on a whim, pick up a couple of CCRs (Cheap, Chinese, Radios) to listen and see if it was something that I would enjoy. The hook was set, I HAD to get licensed. I spent the next few weeks studying the material and reading as much about theory, application, and others experiences. Being a curious person, I asked a TON of questions and took even more notes. All of the hard work paid off as I passed the Technician exam and I could finally press the magic PTT button! And what magic it was! I felt like I was a kid again. Learning new things every day and asking more and more questions. Then I thought, what about earning my General license? I took the advice of some local Elmers who told me, “Set a date not too far in the future and study, study, study.” So I did. I learned more about antennnas and how they work than I thought was possible. I took the advice or some other wise folks so kept strumming the chord, “Antenna, antenna, antenna”. So I studied, and studied some more. I learned exponentially more than I did the first time around studying for the Tech exam. Again, all of the hard work and dedication paid off: I earned my General ticket!

After passing the exam I asked the VE team how much I’ll need to pay the FCC for the upgrade and they laughed and told me, “Oh, there isn’t an upgrade fee to them and it’ll cost you a lot more than $35!” I knew what they meant and I then applied the same principle that I do to a couple of my other hobbies, “Buy once, cry once”. I’ve been absolutely thrilled with the hobby and the folks that I’ve met on the air.

Up the ladder and down the rabbit hole I go!