What a great hobby! The hobby of kings, senators, and astronauts... of doctors and lawyers... of office and factory workers... of people from all walks of life be they man, woman, or child. I've been a "ham" since 1965 and I've lost count of the people, places, and events I've enjoyed as a result of amateur radio. It's been quite a ride! Take a walk through those years as you read through...

My interest in radio began as a little boy in the early 1950s. Dad was an electronics buff and was always tinkering with something... radios, TVs, even some home brew equipment. My fondest memory of his experimenting was the 10 Meter regenerative receiver he constructed on a used aluminum chassis. With a piece of wire strung across the bedroom, he listened to the world. Sunspots were high then and the band was hopping. Dad never got his ticket but continued to "play" with radio until life got too busy.

He had many stories, too. Dad had a friend whose own dad had been a ham for nearly twenty years previous. I was told numerous times of how lights dimmed whenever W1CAE went on CW with his kilowatt transmitter. Each tap of the key caused the neighborhood lights to blink in unison as he talked to the world. I didn't know it then, but I was hooked.