Amateur Radio ...a Beginning....

        In my earliest recollection, I've pondered the notion of what is out there in the radio world.....would spend hours with the cats-whisker crystal radio set my dad bought, trying to find those stations 30 miles away....as I grew older, there was an increasing awareness of radio signals that were all around us.....built my first transmitter at age 12.....all my friends had pencils in their pockets ( not titled as nerds yet ) my friend Robert Larson ( from S.L.C.) had a tower with a 3-element beam, a Heath DX-100 transmitter, and a Hallicrafters SX-99 receiver....what a joy it was to watch him work DX in a pileup.....later got my own novice license...(KN7DTC) At that time this was a 1 year non-renewable term..not until much later in life did I pick up the urge to proceed on and really learn morse code..(CW)....when I upgraded from technician to general (also passed my 20 wpm at the same time) and finally upgraded to extra class....

What I Have Learned

     Amateur Radio is there for everyone who is willing to spend some time and learn the fundamentals and basic communication skills...I still find it a privledge to use the air waves, which reminds me of using that frequency and making sure that it is not in use by others...and moving to another frequency under crowded  conditions, even when I was there first. Being aware of others is what it is all about...discovering that that person in japan with a completely different culture is very much the same with so many similiar interests....being an American, Apple pie, and having my radio gear...is this just ideaology..No I think not...I'm still proud to be an american and salute the flag and so on..this is our heritage, fellow hams, be proud of it, and respectful of what we have....