KG4JBJ's Minimalist Page

How I started in the hobby

It happened in 2000 . . .

I had already had some very basic information about it, in 1993, from an amateur who had stopped to help me out with car trouble. I asked him about his amateur radio license plate and Skywarn decal and he explained it all to me. I found it interesting, but figured I didn't have the aptitude to pass the FCC exam, much less learn Morse code. It seemed pretty technical.

In late spring of 2000, I was messing around with an emergency CB radio. I couldn't hear much, so was trying to figure out how to improve that. I had purchased a 10/11 meter antenna from a well-known chain store (rhymes with "shadio rack"), and a handheld CB that ran on AA batteries. During one of my trips to the store, I noticed some smaller handheld radios of some kind. They didn't look like the FRS radios that seem to be everywhere. I asked and was told that one was for 2-meters and the other for 70-cm. At the time, that meant nothing to me. I purchased the 70-cm one, and would listen to it. The quality of the conversation was much better than CB radio which, in my area, seemed to be populated by people who liked to press a button and make noise. A few days later, I purchased its 2-meter sibling.

I heard some police and fire, but mostly people just having conversations--a rarity on CB radio. I also started listening to a "traffic net" on one of the local repeaters, at 7:30 p.m. each evening--a group of hams who chatted and gave their callsigns. I would be exercising at the time, so the signals would be scratchy and I mostly couldn't follow what they were trying to accomplish. It seemed like a good group, though. Someone mentioned Field Day at the Red Cross. I wasn't sure what that was all about, but it sounded like fun. I didn't know where the Red Cross was located, but I didn't want to show up at one, asking for Field Day and get funny looks.

A Skywarn picnic was mentioned. I dropped in on it on the way to go skating, figuring that I could meet up with the guy who had helped me with my car 7 years earlier. He wasn't there, so I met some hams and meteorologists, got a quick tour, and ate a hamburger. Feeling like an interloper, I didn't stay there very long. Someone handed me an AutoCall, and from there, I started attending Vienna Wireless Society (VWS) meetings.

I was getting more interested in this hobby. The VWS folks, as well as those down at the candy store, were happy to answer whatever questions I had, and encouraged me to take the test. I started to practice the phonetic alphabet in my head while skating and biking, and learning what I needed to know to get my first license.

In August, I drove out to Berryville, VA, to take the Technician exam. I wasn't sure where I was headed with this, but figured, what the heck, take the test and see how it goes from there. I ended up locking my keys in the car as soon as I arrived, so I had just enough time to enjoy some lunch before heading over the VE session, where I passed the Technician exam amid a nasty thunderstorm.

Since then, I have had many wonderful QSOs and met a lot of nice hams. This hobby never ceases to amaze me--the people and what they do with the technology.