Who are we

Who are we Who are we?

W4MJT - Furman

In early 2001, I was introduced to the International Fist CW Club by a fellow amateur. Yes, I had worked a couple Fists and had been impressed by their quality of CW, friendliness and love of Morse. This particular ham, whose name and call I don’t remember, urged me to join the club. Shortly thereafter I took a look at their web site and was very impressed. Well, I thought, it is only $15.00 per year and in all my 66 years I had wasted that much with little consideration. Shortly after submitting my application I received my Fists number. Having a number of 8647. I thought soon there will be 10,000 members and that many hams must know something.

I had always loved CW, as it was a highly acceptable mode back in 1974 when I first received my novice call of WN4HRD. I only had that call for two months and received my General license with the call of WA4HRD. In all those years most all my contacts have been by CW. Later I received the Advanced ticket in 1989 and the Extra in 2000, and obtained my Elmer’s call of W4MJT.

My first year as a Fists member has been the most enjoyable of my entire amateur experience. I have found that working towards the awards to be a lot of fun, and most of all I have found that meeting Fists operators that are the best CW ops around. The motto of courtesy, respect, and friendliness certainly describes the folks that make up the organization.

If you live in the Old North State and love CW, we would love to have you as a member. Just print and mail the Membership Application on this website to me.

Furman Doty, w4mjt

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N4RE - Rick

I was introduced to the International Fist CW Club by a long time friend and fellow amateur, W4MJT in 2001. He was so enthusiastic that I also decided to join.

I’ve really enjoyed the CW ragchews with other Fists members. Contacts are no longer just RST, QTH, NAME, WX, XCVR, and ANT but friendly conversation about all kinds of hobbies and interests. The awards programs are first class. And the contests are short and friendly but competitive without being fanatical.

I was first licensed in 1963 as a novice with callsign WN4QJL. One of my first projects was a keyer built from two 12AU7’s and a handmade brass paddle. I kept burning out keyer relay contacts because of the high voltage required to key the homebrew 6146 transmitter. Before my novice ticket expired, I upgraded to General and the callsign WA4QJL. In 1972, I upgraded to Extra. When the vanity callsign program came along, I changed my call to N4RE to get my initials AND it’s a whole lot shorter on CW.

To me, CW has always seemed to be a form of music. I sort of miss the days of the old timers using bugs with a “banana boat swing”. You could recognize a ham by the rhythm and style of sending before you even copied his call – almost like recognizing a familiar voice. I operate different modes, but none have the spirit, simplicity, or enjoyment of CW.

If you hear me on, please give me a call. Together, we can keep CW alive and well.

Rick Eller, N4RE