My Entry Into The World Of Ham Radio

It was about 1965, I was going on thirteen.  Our neighbor invited my dad and me over to see his secret back bedroom of ham radio equipment.  He led the way and sat down at a desk area filled with magical looking boxes with dials, buttons, and lights.  My eyes about popped out of my head as a huge grin came upon my face.  My dad was slightly unimpressed but showed a sincere politeness.  My neighbor fired things up and dialed in some static and finally some distant voices.  We didn’t stay long but that short visit lasted a lifelong memory.

 My dad was a New York City detective.  Once in a while he could take me in to the old precinct on his day off for something he had to do.  He brought me to one corner of the room bustling with personnel, ringing phones, and prisoners being processed.  In the corner was a gigantic machine standing on the floor he introduced me to calling it a teletype.  To me a massive, noisy black box spitting out a stream of paper with messages of police information, while it shook the floor.  He explained this was how they received information from the F.B.I..  Wow.  The good old days of communication was a far cry from where it is now.  However, it made another impression on me I would never forget.

 Fast forward to 2021.  My family spent many days avoiding most contact from people we would normally visit.  I suspended my hot rod cruising club activity as well.  It was called the covid days.  What was I to do?   I hated idle time, so I had to find something productive to do.   I remembered a conversation my brother and I had about future days becoming uncertain in regards to communication and possible corrupt interferences from the big tech. companies.  We all witnessed how they cut people off from their accounts because of different political biases.  We decided to seek a way to be more in control of our own communication.  Thus, the subject of ham radios came to mind.

 I got in touch with a local radio club.  Asked about requirements and testing.  I signed up with a bit of fear and hesitation.  My brother in Albany was to do the same.  I crammed and prepared myself for my first test.  Hark!  I passed.  The examiners encouraged me to take the next level of testing right on the spot.  How could I?  I knew nothing much more than what I had just passed.  I failed of course.  Electronics was not my back ground.  Nothing even close.  So, I went home facing the next challenge to pass another test for a General level.  I would give myself two months for this one, I thought.  My brother didn’t make his exam because of emergency surgery.  Oh, well.

 During this time, I became acquainted with John, KC2RMD.  He encouraged me, answered a hundred weekly questions, and wished me well.  I crammed again, realizing I am getting deeper over my head in extremely uncharted territory.  I crammed some more.  With even bigger anticipation I walked in to the testing room wondering what am I getting into?  Again, I was encouraged by John, KC2RMD to take the EXTRA exam if I passed.  What?  Is he kidding?   What do I have to lose, he queried?  I passed the General exam and, yes, failed the Extra. 

 Elated for this accomplishment I signed up for the next EXTRA exam at three months out.  I had to set a date upon myself in order to see a goal in sight.  This is some hard stuff I thought.  Basically, I memorized over six hundred question and answers for material I had little understanding for.  Isn’t this the way it is supposed to be done?  I didn’t know.  With even greater anxiety I proceeded into the testing room.  Calmly as possible I answered all of the questions.  I watched the team of examiners review my test.  One man turned to me and raised a thumbs up.  I passed!!  Then I heard a different reaction.  A gentleman came up to me and said, “I am sorry, John, I thought you passed by one question.  But you failed by one question”.  He looked very apologetic for his error with his thumbs up sign.  I replied, “Here’s my fee, I am retaking it”.  He smiled and said, “now that’s real determination.”  I watched again as they marked my exam.  The same gentleman came up to me and said with a smile, “there is no doubt that you passed this exam with a score of only four wrong.”   I was shocked and elated.  The pressure exploded off my chest.  I called my friend John, KC2RMD and told him.  He was so encouraging and shared in my happiness.  WOW!!

 Now, here is the pitfall I hear from some of the experienced hams murmuring.  “It was much harder in the old days”.  “They make it too easy now”.   “And, no Morse Code tests any more”.    Yes, that is true.   And, I am the first to admit I hardly know the real backbone of ham radio technology or communications.  But I didn’t set the rules and guidelines.  However, my attitude is to keep on pressing into this field I wandered into.  I hope to glean whatever I can from the more experienced good folks I have met in The Schoharie Club and elsewhere.  I am not ashamed I have to learn a lot and ask many questions.  My High School didn’t have a radio club for me to join.  My neighbor moved away shortly.  My dad retired from that old teletype machine.  And now my son helps me navigate my personal computer.  I will be seventy next year.  I am proud to wear the Schoharie Club patch and show up to the events I can make, and even help out wherever I can.  I have been able to assemble a good rig and with club help erect a fantastic antenna system.  I don’t believe I accomplished this in vain as long as I can stay connected to decent folks like you.  I am a good listener and pay attention to the advice you have offered me.  It is a bit of a struggle.  But, had I been given the choice many years ago I would have ventured in along with many of you, and now I could have been an Elmer myself to another newbie.  And, I believe that is the spirit of being a ham.  Am I calling that right?  As far as Morse Code, my dad told me as a Boy Scout how important it was to learn.  Now, it is a matter of converting that to radio.  I hope I can be competent enough for that.  But the journey so far has been fun.  And, I thank everyone of you who have helped me along this road.  And, yes, I still shoot John questions every week.   Hope to catch you on the air!!!

73’s to you all!