I became a Technician in 2021 as I had decided to make ham radio my “COVID hobby.” At first I was interested in the prepper/EMCOMM angle but quickly became hooked by the technical complexities of antennas, propagation and so on. I heard that there used to be a code requirement and I asked myself, how hard could Morse code be?
I discovered the Long Island CW Club and then Morse Code Ninja and found that I really enjoyed learning and practicing CW. Listening to Kurt Zoglmann’s sentences on my daily commute, I found it to be a pleasant mental challenge, like an aural Sudoku or Wheel of Fortune puzzle.
I met Dallas Ward K1DW #326 at the Sachse (TX) Amateur Radio Association and he urged me to invest in a paddle and strongly urged me to enroll in his CW Academy Fundamentals class. I recently completed the CWA Advanced class and I’m grateful for the work of Dallas and my other advisors: Frank Collins K1EBY #1593, Jason Poplaski KB3SAR #2875, Mark Tyler K5GQ #672 and Phil Schecter NE0S #2723.
I set a personal goal of CWops membership because it would be objective evidence that I had become a capable CW operator. Becoming a member is very gratifying. My primary station is an IC-7300 with an MFJ automatic tuner feeding 100 watts to a RadioWavz 40 m off-center fed dipole stealthily draped across the roof. My Bencher paddle works perfectly but I am susceptible to Begali envy. I’m dreaming about buying a piece of land in the Texas countryside where I can start putting some real hardware up in the air. I’m also studying for my Extra ticket because contesting on General is like boxing with one arm tied behind my back. Also I hope to get a pithy vanity call so others don’t struggle to copy the horrible dit string of “i5.”
In 2024, I decided to apply myself to contesting, using the weekly CWT, in particular, to benchmark my improvement. I believe that HF/CW communication and contesting is going to be a lifelong hobby and I look forward to continually improving my skills and my station.
I work as a systems administrator at Murata Electronics, a manufacturer of components such as capacitors and filters for a wide range of applications. My wife and I have a 16-year-old daughter who is working towards her Tech ticket and a 10-year-old son. I also enjoy cycling, reading and being active in our Lutheran church.
Thank you to everyone who has helped me on this journey so far! If I’m not in your logbook, I hope to be soon.
This biography is what appeared in Solid Copy when the member joined CWops.