I am so happy to be a new CWop. Thank you all. I know there is much for me to learn and am hoping that my membership will help me in my journey and help many others as well. When I was asked to write an intro, I first hesitated as Tim K9WX will confirm. In fact this submission is being made at the last minute. My sincere apologies to the editors.
The first place we look for info on a fellow ham is the QRZ page. Mine, as you can see, includes basic information and background with a few photos. Truth be told, many hams are private and prefer not to share and I respect that. At the same time, when I took a look at the bios for the new CWops, I was amazed at the details being shared. So I will try to complement my QRZ page as well. English is not my first language (actually my third…) so I hope you take that into account as you read this.
My first dive into HF was in my teens, but not in the terms of a novice getting his first rig and key. Today I am discovering that many hams started as novices. In fact as an immigrant to Canada in the 60s this was foreign to me. I had no clue about ham radio.
As a young child in Israel in the 50s I remember listening to the Wizard of Oz on a big radio. Growing up in Montreal in the 60s I missed my country of birth and somehow stumbled into shortwave radio, specifically the Kol Israel broadcasts on 9 MHz. It was then that a spark occurred and I started reading about ham radio. In fact I put together multiple dipoles, or so I thought, on our roof in Montreal so I can better receive the signal from Israel. Having no Elmers and no YouTube times were different for me then. So you can imagine the contraption that I put together. Dr. Emmett Brown from Back to the Future would be proud. LOL
Moving forward to 1985 I decided to become a ham. By that time I had graduated with a physics degree so I had some technological background which must have prompted me get serious with the hobby and take the classes. One of my CW teachers was Tony VE2KM. I passed the Regular and Advanced code and theory and the rest is history. As VE2LRB I filled my paper logbook with DX and was active with CW but never got to head copy. Tony and I lost touch after I moved to the States in 2001 but we recently met on an SKCC Sked page. At the same time I was in the Advanced CWops class and Tony helped me again to move forward with this hobby. Thank you Tony for the nomination and thanks as well to my sponsors.
As I said, my station details, etc are on QRZ and you can find me often on the SKCC Sked page pursuing Marathons and chasing C, T and S. I am also slowly getting involved with CWT so you might hear me there from time to time. Oh yes, I applied to take the CWops advanced class again as I feel I have more to learn.
I hope you know me better now and please say hello on the air when you hear me.
This biography is what appeared in Solid Copy when the member joined CWops.