Thank-you Rob Brownstein K6RB for nominating me for membership. Your class was really inspiring. Thank-you Van N5TOO, John N0TA, Eric KK0ECT. I really appreciate you taking the time to sponsor me!
I was first licensed at age 13 in 1967 as a novice in Illinois. I moved up to Advanced class the next year operating only CW with a Heathkit DX-60B, Drake 2C and an 80m doublet. I was thrilled to work England and France on 15 meters from Chicago but stopped operating soon after that about 1970.
I am back on the air as of May 2020 after 50 years away. My initial motivation was emergency communication for the city of San Francisco for a future earthquake.
Listening to the International DX CW contest on a WebSDR confirmed that CW was alive and well. Technology has changed a bit since the 1960s! Studied for the Extra exam and got a 20-watt rig to get started. RFI is strong here in the city of San Francisco so my focus is POTA and SOTA where I can hear.
The CWops Advanced Class was fantastic. I am amazed that in just a few months I have gone from 7 wpm to much higher speeds to participate in CWTs. I could copy on paper at 18 to 20 wpm before joining the class but headcopy was entirely new.
I was the CW op for the San Francisco Radio Club special event, call sign W6P, on Mount Livermore on Angel Island in San Francisco Bay on November 7th. They drafted me as I was the only CW operator and I had recently had experience activating Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks. Worked Finland and New Zealand from San Francisco Bay with 20 watts and a wire.
That was great fun and a thrill for a new ham that has little DX and is just getting back into CW.
I am very happy to be a new member of CWOps and look forward to improving my skills and helping other Hams learn CW.
This biography is what appeared in Solid Copy when the member joined CWops.