I am a long-time resident of Japan and a relatively new ham. In 2016 I discovered that the FCC has VE teams in Japan and that I could test locally to get licensed. Under a reciprocity deal between the US and Japan, I could use that FCC license to get an equivalent license in Japan. I thought that I would give it a try. I had no idea what that would lead to.
After studying for a bit, I passed Tech and General in one sitting, and missed Extra by one question. I received my license in February 2017, and my reciprocal Japan ticket in March. I was hooked. By 2019 I had gone back and taken the Extra exam which I found useful when traveling internationally.
I was using mostly SSB and digital modes but I had always wanted to try CW. After almost 2 years on the CW Academy waiting list I finally got a class in June 2022 . Thanks to the pandemic and my newfound ability to work at home I was able to put a lot of time into my CW studies. After passing Beginner and Fundamental with WJØC, I took Intermediate and Advanced with K5GQ.
The CW Academy classes took me from zero to being able to get online without too much difficulty. I’m still quite early in my CW journey but I was honored to have been nominated to CWops. Learning and using CW has become my new passion.
I work for a large Japanese manufacturing company in the IT department, where I do a little bit of everything from maintaining servers, running e-mail systems, creating websites, controlling DNS, maintaining a global domain portfolio, and heavy involvement with security. I enjoy technology and was even encouraged by one of the directors to get my ham license.
Although not an engineer, I enjoy the technical aspects of connecting my radio gear to my PCs (only Linux). I have also found interest in experimenting with antennas. Given the lack of space in Japan I have to be a bit creative.
When asking around about how I might get on 80m with limited space, A1CLUB/CWops member JJ1FXF told me about a popular antenna in Japan that uses a carbon fiber fishing pole as a driven element. This fishing rod is hooked to a tuner at the base, and with a few radials in place I have a working vertical that allowed me to work from England in the west to Delaware in the east in the recent All Asian DX contest. I was pleasantly surprised of this antenna’s performance. I plan to experiment more.
I am still studying CW and trying to get involved with as many online activities as my schedule will allow. I would like to thank Mark K5GQ for the nomination, and to those who sponsored me for CWops
This biography is what appeared in Solid Copy when the member joined CWops.