My Interest in transceiver/receiver radios started in the early 1980's. I received my first CB 
radio when I was about 10 years old. I used different nicknames during my CB's years, but I was 
best known as Maranatha. It was in1990 that KP4EB introduced me to the wonderful world of
Amateur radio (HAM). That same year I obtained my Novice License (WP4KTB). I immediately 
started producing QSOs in the 10 meter band. My first HAM radio was a UNIDEN PRESIDENT
2510. In 1992 I decided that it was time for a license upgrade. 

    Now with my new Technician Class License I decided to try the 2 meter band. I was so excited 
with my new license that I bought a multi band radio (Kenwood TS-820)....oops! what a mistake. 
I was only authorized to use the 10 meter band and getting another license upgrade was going to be
really hard; I hated the morse code. I really wanted that upgrade, not only because of the amount of 
$$$$$ I had spent on the radio, but ,even more so, because I wanted to be a "KP4". 

    One night while "Scanning" the 10 meter band I found a group of local HAMs and decided to join
them. They started talking about the Morse code and how many contacts they made that evening. 
Then KP4SY volunteered to teach me and WP4J?? the Morse code, he was going to send Morse
code every night at 08:00 PM. I was truly scared but I knew that I had to learn the Morse code. 
WP4J?? thought he was ready and took the test, but he failed. I decided to wait a few more months. 
After 5 months I decided to try. That day I woke up early in the morning jumped into my car and
.....I got lost, I could not find the test site. 

    The next month, with better directions, I found the test site. I took the written parts for both General 
& Advanced. I knew that if I passed the Morse code I was going to jump from Technician to Advanced
Class. It was time...I put on the headphone. I was saying to myself that it was OK to fail the first time. 
The test began and I was so nervous that I didn't copy the beginning callsign. At that moment I felt that 
I was going to fail. So I relaxed and decided to copy as much as possible. Then, when I finished, I took 
the headphone off and told the VE that I was sure I had failed, I started to answer the questions and -to 
my surprise- I was able to answer correctly 8 of the 10 question. At that point I felt very proud of myself
....I had pass the 13WPM Morse code on the first try. On Nov 9, 1993 I received my License. Finally I
was a "KP4". My new callsign was KP4VZ. 

    In 1993 I met one of the most knowledgeable person in HAM Radio, now one of my best friends, 
KP4ANG. He introduced me to packet and other HAM computer programs. Currently I work the 
Internet "band". Like many HAM Radio operators I decided to experiment with new communications 
methods. We, KP4ANG and I , have created Web pages with conference rooms where HAM radio 
operators can communicate among themselves. As I stated before I hated the Morse code -It's a nice
thing to know- but just as it was necessary for me to learned it , it's necessary for HAM Radio operators
to learned about the new Communications modes (Satellite, Internet, etc.)....