My ham radio story ...
Back in 1995 I met some radio amateurs. It was the first time I had heard about amateur radio. SV1CIF, SV1SN, SV1CQG, SV1UK were among others the first radio amateurs I had ever met. I felt that hamradio would be the right hobby for me. Other favorites hobbies until then, were taking pictures, collecting stamps, music, etc.
In winter of 1995 I took some courses in RAAWG while I had many obligations with my job and it was really tough to have time for this. I studied radio amateur regulations and Morse for about 6 months. My teachers were SV1SN and SV1UK. Finally I passed the examinations and I got my radio amateur license in March of 1996.
My first VHF rig was loaned to me by SV1DPN. I was active in local repeaters and simplex frequencies chatting with friends almost immediately. I made new friends and I learned a lot of things. I liked the hobby more and more every day but I hadn't a lot of money and I couldn't afford the bought of an HF transceiver back in 1996. I had married just 2 years ago, in 1994 and my first daughter was born in 1995. I was happy with my new family and it was really difficult to have a lot of time for hamradio.
At the end of 1998, SV1CIF decided to sell his old rig, a YAESU FT-890. He is a good friend and I could give some money every month to him. It was my real chance and I got it. My first antenna was a vertical Diamond CP5 for 10, 15, 20, 40, 80 m. I bought it used also from SV1DHX. I had my first dx qso with OD5NH at 30 of December 1998 on ssb. I was so excited! I started to study harder to learn as much as I could for amateur radio. My studies like an Electrical Engineer helped me a lot.
At 26 of May 1999, my friend SV1CQN invited me to his shack to try and use his antenna: a 2 element Quad for 10-20m. Wow! I have my first pileup of my life. The propagation was in the very best and I was on 15m late in night (about 3 am local) working USA in a crazy rythm for me. I couldn't believe that there are so many radio amateurs in USA. I felt in love with this antenna and after some months I buy one from Lightning Bolt Antennas.
I put the antenna in a small 9m tower on the roof of my house. The funny thing is that my house wasn't finished before the end of 2000. So the first resident of the house was the antenna.
My closed friend Dimitris SV1CIB introduced me in RTTY mode, back in September of 2000. We run the cqww rtty contest with my ft890, without filters, in my semi-finished house and with the antenna without rotator. Power used was about 60w. We are first in Greece (almost without competition) and I am in love with RTTY contests.
Among all these I start to play cw. I was calling on 20m band QRS and one of the first stations replied to me was KP2Z. I was amazing and I couldn't believe what I was decoded. Later cw became a favorite mode for me sitting beside RTTY.
At 20 July of 2001 I got my first DXCC in ssb mode.
In September of 2003 I got the DXCC Challenge. I was the first Greek amateur who got this award.
In September of 2004 I got my 5 band DXCC. I have the 12, 17, 30 and 160m stickers also.
In 2005 I got my 5 band WAZ and I became checker for the CQ Magazine in Greece.
In 2015 I was part of the Dxpedition to Iran after long time as EP6T mainly as CW and RTTY operator.
I try every day to write as more articles as I can for radio amateur magazines to help new amateurs.
I participate in many contests and I have got many times the first place in Greece. You can see my contest awards here.
After 2010, I maintain the SZ1A contest station and my operating activities are mostly from there .
I have 340 (all) of active entities for DXCC Mixed,