Hi!  My name is Mike Miller, and my call is KA9RQW.  I'm a Jefferson City, Missouri amateur that has been operating since 1984. 

Welcome to my website !

I got my license in Schaumburg, Illinois in 1984, when I was 13 years old.  My father and brother have both been licensed since before I was born, so I grew up in the hobby.  I suppose that this made me a "natural."  I was originally licensed as a Novice class, then upgraded to Technician in 1986.  I've seen several changes in the licensing structure and regulations since my original license was issued, but the overall priniciple behind amateur radio has stayed the same.

Amateur radio has served me well in the past, though, and has saved me problems on several occasions:

  It has kept me in contact with my family.  When I've been out travelling or running errands, I've always had a way to get in contact with my parents if I've needed anything.

  It has given me a way to contact other non-hams.  When I lived in the Kansas City area, I had phone-patch access which allowed me to access the phone line and make a phone call from the car without using a cellular phone.  I could use my ordinary amateur radio (as long as it had a numeric keypad) to dial the phone and make short, local, non-business calls.

 It's allowed me to get directions when necessary.  There are usually hams available on local repeaters that can (and usually will) give directions if you ask. 

  It's allowed me to contact other when I was in need of assistance.  I could use my ham radio to contact my parents or other hams when I've had car problems and needed assistance to get it taken care of.

  It's allowed me to meet several great people whom I never would have had the pleasure of meeting otherwise.

  It's allowed me to contact people who were able to assist me in getting a job while I was in college.    I ended up working for a ham friend while I was going through college.

Amateur radio has proven to be probably the single most influential hobby I could have gotten interested in.  There are more things available to me that I haven't even explored...yet.  Give me time, and if I can afford to, I'll most likely try even more new things, as my interests broaden.

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