Good for another ten years-Evolution of KC2GIK
Today marked another milestone in my radio career. Every ten years hams have to folk over ten dollars to the FCC to renew their license. Something very significant but overall ve ry uneventful except posting a status update on Facebook band little else. Today was the first day I could renew my ham radio license for the second time.
When 2010 rolled along I could hardly believe it was time to renew my license! I had been through so much radiowise in just a quick ten years I first got licensed in 2000, Y2K, I did it kind of as a dare. One of my police scanner buddies, David, K2DBK, studied and passed his Technician test. He and I e-mail]ed each other back and forth exchanging scanner frequencies. He encouraged me to listen to the hams. ne of he co-workers was a member of the Ramsey NJ Office of Emergency Management and convinced David to go to a meeting. I also began exchanging emails with the Ramsey OEM coor dinator Mike Adams, WA2 MWT . He encouraged me to study for thre Technician test, the entry test for amateur radioI got the book in late winter and by spring he felt comfortable with the materiel to go down to the local ham radio club to take the exam.
The Volunteer Examiners, led by Joyce KA2ANF were amazing. David and Mike explained to her I have CP and couldn't write the answers on my own, She gathered other VE's, namely Howie, WB2AWQ and Frank, N2ZNF to give me the exam. It was established Howie would read the questions and then I would tell Frank the answers. All the other hams watched in awe as I dictated a fifty question multiple choice exam. The test came in two parts combined, the Novice exam and the Technician exam. I had to actually take the Novice part twice.... However I walked out of there a licensed Technician....
I didn't get on the air right away, it took months to get an antenna setup on the roof. The 2-meter Repeater my friends were talking on was a good 25 miles to the northwest of my location. They all welcomed me with open arms!!! If the wind blew right I could get in clear as day. If the wind blew wrong, I could barely break the squelch of the repeater, but I kept on trying. The antenna was barely attached to a PVC pipe. ,However it did the trick for many years. I forged friendships@
As I got more comfortable on the air I checked into different radio nets. On e of the more enjo\yable nets was actually a net of scanner listeners. Every Wednesday the gathered on a repeater based talked about the different frequencies, equipment and other hot topcs on the airwaves! The net leaders, Charlie, N2NOV and Bob, WA2SQQ and I perfected a method. They would casually repeat what I said so others could get what I was trying to say. It was often said the police departments would never need encryption if they hired me as a dispatcher!
I got more interested in emergency communications and wound up being my town's representative on a bi-monthly radio net to communicate with mother towns in Bergen County. I gained a lot of confidence and earned the respect of my peers. Thanks to the guidance of hams like Dennis, KB2TLG I was able to stay on the air@
\My fondest memories of ham radio were always the last full weekend in June when I participated in the ARRL Field Day events with the 10-70 club for many years. The last full weekend in June I would trek up to Campgaw Mountain to setup stations to make contacts all over the United States and Canada! That was when I wasn't busy taking my morse code and General radio exams two years back to back! I couldn't have done any of this without my friends encouraging me every step
One of my major highlights of my ham radio career was getting on the low bands using what's called PSK -31. It's a digital mode that sends signals through the airwaves via the computer. People setup what are called macros that are used to make the transmissions quicker. Using mainly the 20 and 40 meter bands I{made contacts throughout the country and around the world. I joined a special club called the 070 club (most PSK frequencies end with .070) and worked contests and tried to get all states on the different bands.
I am sorry to say since moving to Cape May my ham activities have ceased. I can barely get on 2 meters thanks to a home indoor antenna.. I hope to get back on the [r one of these days but I'm not holding my hopes up too high. It will be another long process but I am ready!! I need to convince my folks to drill a hole in the side of the house, but that shouldn't be too big a deal.
Twenty years is quite a long time! It hasn't been easy but it always has been fun. The friends I have mad along the way are irreplaceable! I look at my license as something that will always be there when I need it. I have had more than my share of obstacles, but I Being a ham has given me a real ,,sense of accomplishment!! Here's to hopefully many more years of getting on the air
When 2010 rolled along I could hardly believe it was time to renew my license! I had been through so much radiowise in just a quick ten years I first got licensed in 2000, Y2K, I did it kind of as a dare. One of my police scanner buddies, David, K2DBK, studied and passed his Technician test. He and I e-mail]ed each other back and forth exchanging scanner frequencies. He encouraged me to listen to the hams. ne of he co-workers was a member of the Ramsey NJ Office of Emergency Management and convinced David to go to a meeting. I also began exchanging emails with the Ramsey OEM coor dinator Mike Adams, WA2 MWT . He encouraged me to study for thre Technician test, the entry test for amateur radioI got the book in late winter and by spring he felt comfortable with the materiel to go down to the local ham radio club to take the exam.
The Volunteer Examiners, led by Joyce KA2ANF were amazing. David and Mike explained to her I have CP and couldn't write the answers on my own, She gathered other VE's, namely Howie, WB2AWQ and Frank, N2ZNF to give me the exam. It was established Howie would read the questions and then I would tell Frank the answers. All the other hams watched in awe as I dictated a fifty question multiple choice exam. The test came in two parts combined, the Novice exam and the Technician exam. I had to actually take the Novice part twice.... However I walked out of there a licensed Technician....
I didn't get on the air right away, it took months to get an antenna setup on the roof. The 2-meter Repeater my friends were talking on was a good 25 miles to the northwest of my location. They all welcomed me with open arms!!! If the wind blew right I could get in clear as day. If the wind blew wrong, I could barely break the squelch of the repeater, but I kept on trying. The antenna was barely attached to a PVC pipe. ,However it did the trick for many years. I forged friendships@
As I got more comfortable on the air I checked into different radio nets. On e of the more enjo\yable nets was actually a net of scanner listeners. Every Wednesday the gathered on a repeater based talked about the different frequencies, equipment and other hot topcs on the airwaves! The net leaders, Charlie, N2NOV and Bob, WA2SQQ and I perfected a method. They would casually repeat what I said so others could get what I was trying to say. It was often said the police departments would never need encryption if they hired me as a dispatcher!
I got more interested in emergency communications and wound up being my town's representative on a bi-monthly radio net to communicate with mother towns in Bergen County. I gained a lot of confidence and earned the respect of my peers. Thanks to the guidance of hams like Dennis, KB2TLG I was able to stay on the air@
\My fondest memories of ham radio were always the last full weekend in June when I participated in the ARRL Field Day events with the 10-70 club for many years. The last full weekend in June I would trek up to Campgaw Mountain to setup stations to make contacts all over the United States and Canada! That was when I wasn't busy taking my morse code and General radio exams two years back to back! I couldn't have done any of this without my friends encouraging me every step
One of my major highlights of my ham radio career was getting on the low bands using what's called PSK -31. It's a digital mode that sends signals through the airwaves via the computer. People setup what are called macros that are used to make the transmissions quicker. Using mainly the 20 and 40 meter bands I{made contacts throughout the country and around the world. I joined a special club called the 070 club (most PSK frequencies end with .070) and worked contests and tried to get all states on the different bands.
I am sorry to say since moving to Cape May my ham activities have ceased. I can barely get on 2 meters thanks to a home indoor antenna.. I hope to get back on the [r one of these days but I'm not holding my hopes up too high. It will be another long process but I am ready!! I need to convince my folks to drill a hole in the side of the house, but that shouldn't be too big a deal.
Twenty years is quite a long time! It hasn't been easy but it always has been fun. The friends I have mad along the way are irreplaceable! I look at my license as something that will always be there when I need it. I have had more than my share of obstacles, but I Being a ham has given me a real ,,sense of accomplishment!! Here's to hopefully many more years of getting on the air
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