Joey Surls, KI5DDO

CWops# 2950, from Cedar Park , TX , USA.---->View on Google maps

I am humbled and honored to have been nominated and accepted in CWops. I have many to thank for helping me get here, starting with my wife Jackie Surls (KI5EID). Her constant encouragement helped keep me remain grounded the whole way. She is my rock.

My Elmer Bill Spulveda (K5LN) was instrumental in helping me get to where I am. His tips and wisdom helped me avoid forming bad habits and to start off on the right foot. After getting me past the basics, he pointed me towards CW Academy and through that journey I’ve met many more good ops who’ve helped along the way.

I also met Scott Campbell (AB5M) in one of our courses and we hit it off. We started to have on air skeds and his patience with me to get up to speed helped me get to the next level.

Finally, all instructors, classmates, and hams that I had QSOs with. Thank You! You too helped me get to the next step.

I’m a new ham (about 2 years in). For the longest time I had been interested in ham radio but never actively pursued it. It was not until I was on a ski trip in 2019 where we had little to no cell signal did I realize the true value and fun nature of being a ham. We used FRS while on the mountains but we had to be close to communicate. Someone in our group who had his technician license said “If you guys only had your ham radio license we’d be able to talk all across this resort..” .. and the rest is history. Over the next few months I went and passed each exam. I even convinced my wife to come get her technician’s license!

My professional background is in software development. I work in high tech every day. My other hobbies include music (guitar, bass, piano) and overlanding in my Jeep. I’m a husband and father. My 6 year old daughter asks regularly to come listen to me on ham radio. I do question how much fun she is having when she mostly hears dits and dahs but I cherish every moment she wants to spend together.

Though I love technology, I find myself drawn to CW. Nothing is more fascinating to me than saying I was able to communicate halfway across the world on not much more than a wire and a radio the size of a deck of cards. The magic for me is that someone else on the other side of the radio put in the time to learn CW and get on the air. Each QSO I have excites me along with the surprise of finding out if I’m talking to a neighbor down the street or a DX contact.

This biography is what appeared in Solid Copy when the member joined CWops.

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