Thank you for accepting me as a member of this esteemed club! I am very grateful to Sven DJ4MX for sponsoring me initially, and to W6SX, DJ2MX and DK6SP who added their endorsement to Sven’s.
My family moved to Europe from Rochester, NY, in the 1970s. As a consequence, I have lived abroad in various European countries since then (the UK, France and Italy, among others). As an expatriate, my dad was always listening to shortwave radio, and this eventually got me interested in ham radio.
Initially, I didn’t operate any CW (my Elmer did not really do CW and I liked phone too much!) but I am glad that CW was mandatory for full access to HF, because despite not practicing, I never forgot the code. Having been on and off the air over the years depending on locations and life, a couple of years ago I got back to being more regularly active, not least thanks to the possibility of remote operation, and in particular my old friend Richard 9A1TT, who owns a more than decent (and remotable!) station.
Whilst living in France in the 1990s I got the call F5SNJ, which I still hold. There, I was often a participant in serious multi-single contest efforts from various stations, particularly F6CTT and F6BEE, often with F6ARC who has been a long-standing friend and influence on my radio activities.
Getting more proficient at CW has been a big part of my activity in recent years, and I think I’ve reached the point that I actually prefer it to SSB (although I am still quite active on phone too). I try to participate, more or less casually (depending), in CW contests as time permits, and in this regard, I find the weekly CWT events both challenging and fun.
Thank again to all for welcoming me, especially to the those who have called me many times already in the CWT contests!
This biography is what appeared in Solid Copy when the member joined CWops.