Surfing the Airwaves
Iβve been fascinated with radio since I was a kid. When the first satellite, Sputnik 1, was launched in 1957, I sat in front of a big old console radio that had shortwave bands trying to figure out how I could hear the signal. I never found Sputnikβs βbeep-beepβ but I did hear a lot of other interesting things.
I was fascinated with stations coming in over the airwaves, and spent hours listening to the BBC, Voice of America, Radio Moscow and even the Voice of Cuba. I would send reception reports to these stations and get unique postcards back, which we called QSL cards. Β
My first QSL cards were from CHU Canada and WWV in Boulder, both time signal stations that transmit 24 hours a day. I still have those cards and it gives me a kick every time I see them.
I was fortunate to attend a high school that had a very active ham club. Back then, you had to pass the Morse code test and a very easy multiple-choice exam to receive a one-year nonrenewable Morse Code only Novice license. Our classes were held in the Language Lab after school. I quickly got my license.
The FCC rules were a little bizarre back then. Within a year, you had to pass a test to upgrade to a higher-class license. I upgraded in my tenth month to become a Technician class licensee, and quickly put together a Heathkit ham transceiver that allowed me to plug in a microphone and talk on the radio. And Iβve been doing that ever since.
I upgraded my license to General Class in 1976, which gave me access to many worldwide radio bands. Then, in 2014, I finally passed the highest-level license, Extra Class, in my fiftieth year as a ham.
This summer, Iβll have had a license for 60 years and Iβm still just as fascinated with all things radio. Nowadays a lot of it is digital, with computers, the Internet and radios all connected in unique and interesting ways. I feel lucky to have found a hobby that has kept me interested my whole life!