Holy crap! I'm a ham! Again!

[Glenn Dixon]

I can't believe it. I first got my ham license back in the mid-70's when I was in junior high school (i think) - I can't remember if I ever upgraded from novice or just let it expire. I did, however, build my own heathkit transceiver and manage to get several QSO cards exchanged around the country. But that was long, long ago.

I started chasing in 1997 and eventually bought a mobile rig but it turned into an expensive scanner as I never finished studying and getting my license.

So, after a few years without quite as much chasing as 1999 I finally brushed up on the basics. I highly recommend anyone studying for Technician or even General license testing to check out http://hamclass.podshow.com or http://hamradioclass.org. After just a few days of listening to their excellent coverage of the Technician class license questions I woke up this morning and started doing random practice tests over at QRZ.com - I passed a few and then I thought "Hey, I can DO this!" So I looked up a local class and, shazam! I had time to shower and make the test session in Melissa, TX by 10:00am. I did so, paid the fee, and somehow managed to pass. I will be a ham, again, by this next weekend.

But this time is going to be different. No morse code, no soldering all over a circuit board, just roaming the plains and helping out my local county spotters when possible. I'm also helping some fellow county employees with various emergency management projects. I'm damn psyched!

So don't be surprised when you see me popping up with all kinds of mounting and antenna questions......

 

[Jim Hunt]

Congratulations! I was similar with a novice in the mid 70's and in Junior High but I know I let mine expire. I was not into CW and my mother got her license just before me and was addicted. (She received a WAS award and was featured in QST magazine.)

My dad was also a ham and I took his call sign when I passed my tech last October. Tonight I am studying for my General test tomorrow. I am pretty sure I will pass it. Too bad I didn't know of those links. I am just using a Gordon West book and QRZ practice tests.

Edit to add: I passed my general test today and now need to pick up a new HF rig!

 

[cedwards]

Congrats!
I got my novice in '84 let it expire, but renewed it with about 1 week left in the grace period in '96 It wasn't until '05 that I finally upgraded to Tech (Then tech+ since I still had credit for the code taken in '84)

 

[Cris Schroeder]

Way to go!

I got my Novice in '85 or '86 while in high school, made one QSO, then got sidetracked on some other hobby. My elmer talked me into upgrading to Tech in '88 or so, but once again I never used it. I finally got involved with Skywarn about three years ago and that motivated me to upgrade to General. I was hoping to get started in HF, but am having a hard time finding it as interesting as I hoped. Anyway, I applied for my old callsign under the vanity system, so my old elmer would be proud!

Look forward to hearing you.

 

[James Banham]

Well done, and don't forget you can play with APRS too

 

[Doug Lee]

Congrats, Glenn!
I got into ham radio because of my interest in storm spotting and chasing. That was back in 1997. I just renewed my license last month.
I am intersted in other aspects of ham radio, because I became interested in electronics soon after I first developed an interest in weather. I have designed and built a couple of antennas.
I am also very interested in the public service side of ham radio. I was the Activities Chair (and therefore, public service officer) of the Tulsa Repeater Organization back in 2005. After Hurrican Katrina hit, my job was to recruit and schedule HF operators to work at the Red Cross headquarters in Tulsa for a week. Then when they decided to open the evaucee shelter at Camp Gruber, I had to find more operators to go down there. Pretty soon that job became too big for me and the resources I had at that time. I wrote an article about it that appeared in the March 2006 issue of QST.
Truth be told, I should have gotten into ham radio back in the last half of the 1970's when I was in the National Guard and my job was communications.
The best way to get your feet wet in HF is to participate in a Field Day operation the last full weekend in June. This year it's June 23 & 24. Find a local club near you and find out where and when their Field Day operation starts.

 

[Glenn Dixon]

Well done, and don't forget you can play with APRS too

oh, absolutely! I'm also intrigued by the very portable QRP low-power experimentation going on, as well as software-based radios. Fun fun fun.

 

[Glenn Dixon]

Finally......FINALLY........I thought it would NEVER happen, but it did.

KE5NYJ

New call sign and new radio received in the same day!