That was all I needed.  My best friend, Ted Dawson and I went to classes at the Cranston, Rhode Island Red Cross building that were hosted by the Cranston Amateur Radio Club.  Joe Ritchie, W1YKQ  was our instructor.  We started the classes in late 1957.  Ted and I had our novice licenses in early 1958.  He was K1EGD, I was K1EGH.  There were about 15 folks in our class all became licensed and most are active.

An interesting thing about the novice class was that Joe was a traffic handler.  He was on 80 meters every evening passing messages using code.  When I retured to Rhode Island about 20 years later and was talking with Joe I asked him why most of us in the class were still using the code.  He told me that he never sent the characters at a speed less than 10 words per minute.  Our Novice test was at 10 words per minute! 

In late January or early February 1958 some of us took a train ride up to the FCC examiners in Boston.  Very imposing situation.  The FCC was on one of the upper floors of a very official building.  Just the right situation to make everyone very nervous.  We certainly were.  We all passed the code test.  Then we waited in the outer hallway while were were called in one at a time for the sending part of the test.  We all passed that also.  Then we went back in for the written test.

After completing the written test we were made to wait in the hallway again.  It took ages.  They then called us in one at at time to tell us our fate.  I specifically remember standing before three of the oldest people on earth and one of them telling me that I should not be granted my license because if I had missed one more question I would have failed the examination.  Good grief!

I walked out into the hall and said, "I passed."  I was the only one.  I had not friends for the next few month until they all finally passed and we started talking again.  This time on 15 AM instead of 15 CW as we were used to.

I made WAC on 15 AM the first day my license arrived.  Using a Viking Ranger and a three element monobander on 15 was great.  75 watts was really working great in the late 50's.  WAS and other awards followed.  Added was the fact that I was in Rhode Island and very active.  Guess Rhode Island is a rare state for some folks. 

I added a monobander for 10 meters and things really began to happen.  All my friends in the Cranston Amateur Radio Club were mobile on 10.  Our club frequency was 29.510.  Everyone was there.  Except me.  I never got to be active on 10 meter mobile until after I left the University of Rhode Island and joined the Air Force.  I was stationed in many places but I found 10 meter mobile in Roswell, New Mexico along with the aliens.  I used a Heathkit Tener mobile with an eight foot whip on the bumper of a 1965 VW Beetle.  Worked Rhode Island with ease!  Had a blast!  It seems that hearing a K1 station in five land was not heard of and I was "special" to all the locals.

I met many fine folks in Roswell, joined the Pecos Valley Amateur Radio Society.  I remember Ken, W5YFN especially since he said he had a repeater on a mountain top that you could see west of Roswell.  It was 65 miles away!  You could key it up and it would transmit!  Strong signal for two meters, too.  This was 1965.  I had only worked two meter AM prior to that in Rhode Island and with horizontal antennas.  He did all this with verticals!  Really learned a lot about FM and repeaters there.

Returned to RI on leave and met Dick Bromley, K1ABR at his home.  He was running a KW on two meters CW.  We had a blast working states in the Missippi Delta region from RI.  Seems he had the 146.70 repeater at his house on the same tower as his long john beam.  We just turned the repeater off when we wanted to listen to the DX on CW.

The Air Force transferred me to California and sent me to Omaha for special training.  Later was sent to Okinawa for three years.  My wife, Sharon was able to join me there with our oldest daughter.  Our youngest daughter was born during that time.

I was very busy with my job for the first year in Okinawa.  I was in guidance and flight control systems and was working with the Litton LN-16A Stellar Inertial Navigation System installed on RC-135 aircraft.  Very interesting work.  The aircraft had great HF radios and I was able to work the states from the ramp on Okinawa on 15 meters.

Then I was asked to run the KR6US station.  I ran phone patches from 8 am to noon each day after work.  I worked from midnight to 8 because the darkness would cover our launches of the aircraft.

Had a blast at KR6US.  W5RLI, Woody in Fort Worth, Texas was one of my best contacts.  Also Cy Upson of Albuquerque and Joe Knight, W5PDY,  his neighbor there on Snow Heights Drive.  Those guys spent many hours helping others talk to their families in really trying times.  I used to get Marines who would hitch a ride up to Okinawa just to get a phone patch that they could talk on for more than five minutes.  It was a humbling experience to say the least.

Of course, I worked some DX from KR6US.  We had a classic 33 about 120 feet in the air and a 6 element monobander on 10 meters at 100 feet.  I ran only 100 watts on ten meters, never called CQ, just gave my call.  Usually an hour later and 80 or so contacts I'd take a coffee break.

Came back to the states and became K1EGH again.  Joined the 10-10 club member 7757.  I'd heard of it when I first got back in 1971 but didn't join right away.  Had fun with the ten meter contest again with a 4 element monobander.  Guess I really like ten meters.

Left Rhode Island when Texas Instruments recruited me to Texas.  Lubbock, Texas was the place.  Best location I've ever been at for ham radio.  The people are great also.  The location is 3300 feet above sea level.  It is the correct angle to work DX from anywhere in the world.  I've always been able to hear a DX station on some band at any time.  Really amazing.

I am still in Lubbock where I give VE exams on the third Saturday of every month.  I am in the process of putting up a tower and a Classic 36 antenna to get back into the ten meter contest again.

I own a 220 repeater.