Ham Radio's Greatest Reward

Of all the events that have shaped my ham radio hobby, perhaps the most rewarding is my Volunteer Examiner (VE) role. For those who are not familar with ham radio, to become licensed, you must pass an FCC license exam. These tests are given by volunteers authorized by the FCC to perform these tests.

Since I started in the hobby, I met some wonderful people and made some great friendships. I really felt that it was important that I give back to the hobby. In 1993, I became a VE. Since that time, I've had the honor and privilege to be part of a team to test and pass new and upgrading hams. It's been such a reward to see the thrill in the eyes of a new ham, hams from 8 to 88 years old.

But, the most special part in my VE'ing life was an event in 1994-1995. Late in 1994, I was approached by a fellow club member and was told about a gentleman whose dream since childhood was to become a ham. Unfortunately, the thing was this man, Dick DelBridge, had been diagnosed with terminal cancer, and was unable to leave his home. Because of his medical condition, we were permitted to use a FCC rule to accomodate his situation. Myself and 2 others set up a time to go to his house to give him the test.

Dick was obviously excited about the prospect of becoming a ham. His wife lead us to this room, where Dick was sitting listening intently to his new HF (shortwave) ham radio, all wired up and ready to go. Dick had been listening with such awe for weeks. We set up to give Dick the exam. And he went to it. He ended up passing his codeless technician and being assigned callsign, KB2TRL. Dick was hoping to try to pass his code test that day, which would allow him to use that shortwave radio, but didn't have the strength.

A month later, we returned and this time Dick was ready. This time, we gave him a morse code sending test, which is not typical, but again, a FCC permitted rule for health reasons. And Dick passed. And a few weeks later, Dick found himself with a general class license in his possession.

The sad thing is that Dick passed away a few short months later. But, I found out that his new found hobby gave him a real thrill and gave his last days some real meaning. I am so happy that I could become a part of that, and that I had such an impact on the life of a fellow human being. Dick DelBridge, KB2TRL S.K., rest in peace.

To learn more about becoming a volunteer examiner, see ARRLWeb: ARRL/Volunteer Examiner Coordinator.