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How I Got into Amateur Radio (for the real curious ones)

Citizen Band

I started fooling around with a CB-radio in quite young age, thanks to my friends back then. I made some relatively distant ground wave QSO's between "rag chewing". Then came along the "DX" on FM reaching only European countries and sometimes Lapland and Scandinavia. All I could put in the game was AM/FM (SSB was not allowed) and a maximum of 5W driven into a 1/4-GP. That was all I had and that had to be enough for the QSO's even with up to 7 S-units QRN/M during late 80's and early 90's sun spot peak. Some short term experiments with different type of antennas (quad-antennas too) were done back then just to see the theories in action. The CB-hobby was very fun but mostly bitten by a DX-bug I was introduced to the amateur radio.

First License 1992

At the age of 16 in the year of 1992, I got my first ham-license for Telecommunications Class which was a restricted class to be used only in VHF and UHF with limited output power. I took the training and the exam at Kerava. Only ham-QSO I had back then was a single contact through a 70cm repeater from a club station OH2AP in Järvenpää. Since I was more interested in HF working the Citizen Band kept me in rag chewing business just fine.

W00t??

One day in early summer of 2002 I got an idea to put my old CB-gear back in business, (22Ch AM/FM-radio and a mobile antenna). Soon I heard the whole Europe and some Russian stations and that was all I needed to get into Amateur Radio hobby once again.

So, here I am writing this (meaningless) semi-biography to my website dedicated for this hobby. Upgrading from old license took a bit less CW than it would have before. I trained to receive only some 40/50 letters per minute in two weeks with PC-software but it was more than enough for the CW-test in 25 characters per minute. I got the new license in July 2002 for General Class with full privileges (CEPT A). The radio permit required for amateur radio station along with my new callsign came few weeks later.

8-September-2002

I am still in process of getting an approval for a HF-vertical to 4 stories high apartment house. You'll be hearing me most likely on 10m mobile until I get the money flow to a multiband HF rig and a real home-QTH. Occasional /P-operation or a friends summer cottage is sometimes in use. /M-operation on 10 meters has given me some real surprises. Among few other countries, I have worked South-Africa and Japan with 20W SSB using a mobile antenna on the roof of my car. Not a bad start to DX IMHO. Still waiting that Mario guy from Uruguay to answer who I hear almost every time the band is open. :)

26-September-2002

I got the approval to put my antenna on the roof last week. Many thanks will go to the Finnish Amateur Radio League for this, since they have very good examples how to apply and a nice recommendation to give away with the application form. Also participation to the meeting where the matter was ruled helped a bit. I could straighten out few misbelieves about interference right on the spot. Also convincing the success of the installation was easier while attending the meeting. Just waiting the D-day to put the antenna up.

July-2003

Well, the vertical is up and running...and the 10m mobile rig is sold.

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