I was licensed as a Novice in 1968 (WL7GRL) and after the required 1 year operating as a Novice, I upgraded to General Class (KL7GRL). The Novice license required 5 wpm code proficiency and I was restricted to CW operation, 75 watts, and crystal control for the 1-year period. I qualified for the General license with 13 wpm code proficiency as witnessed by the local FCC office in Anchorage, Alaska. My Sponsor and Proctor for the Novice Test was Al Bianco, KL7FKO (SK) (if anyone is old enough to have him in your log!). Naturally I embraced the new band privileges as well as SSB operation but continued to use CW for several years. I reckon that I was fairly proficient at 20 wpm at the time.
As life happened, I was in and out of the hobby several times through the years; setting up a station whenever I could. I was active in AMSAT, Packet, and Amtor in the late 70s and early 80s. My career took me all over the world including Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. During my stay in China for 4 years, my KL7GRL license expired and I was unable to renew it in time. Once I returned to the USA for a position in headquarters in Houston, TX, I took all the tests and passed the Amateur Extra to obtain my AG5XQ call.
During my stay in Asia, I met my wife who has traveled with me from Indonesia to China, Singapore, Australia, and the USA. We have always planned to retire in Indonesia so that explains why I am here now. Indonesia was good enough to award me with their Amateur Extra license as YE1GXQ acknowledging my USA license.
I love DXing and contesting so I was compelled to brush up my CW skills. Amazing how the cobwebs grow over time so I hit the code hard for a couple of months. When I got here to Indonesia I amassed over 200 DXCC entities with my new YE1GXQ call. I was very impressed by the quality of many of the CW operators I encountered during that effort and when I looked them up on QRZ I noticed many of them were members of CWops. This is what led me to apply for the CWA Advanced Class. Having knocked most of the cobwebs out and become fairly proficient at 20+ wpm for the DXing and contesting, I was able to pass the entrance test on the CWA website for 20 wpm.
Not expecting word so soon, I received a notice from Buzz Tarlow saying I was invited to enroll in his Advanced class. Naturally I accepted. I was hopeful of getting a boost to reach 30 to 35 wpm.
Here I will interject my praise of Buzz Tarlow as well as his entourage of co- advisors, notably Rich Giardin and Shirley Park. A well-organized class even via the limitations of Zoom, Buzz has skillfully structured around the CWA curriculum a very effective learning environment that I am very fortunate to have benefited from. I have met my goals of proficiency for DXing and contesting but have come away with an additional goal. I will continue to work on my ragchewing proficiency with CW now that I have been duly influenced by Buzz! I heartily recommend CWA and Buzz’s classes. He genuinely has your individual needs in mind with his classes and his co-advisors share his enthusiasm.
Currently, I have been nominated, sponsored, and accepted as a member of CWops (#3560). My sincere thanks to Buzz (AC6AC), Rich (N4DPM), Shirley (M0WXG), and Bud (AA3B) for this. My thanks also to Alan (N5NA), Hank (W6SX), and Kevin (VK6LW/VK6T) who attempted to sponsor but I had already been approved.
And to all my classmates (members #3547 – #3565) who made my time so enjoyable, I also thank heartily. I look forward to meeting all the CWops club members and will see you on the CWTs!
This biography is what appeared in Solid Copy when the member joined CWops.