[Jeffhs]

Congratulations, and welcome to a very fine hobby!

I was first licensed in 1972 as WN8NHV. Got my Technician ticket three years later, and the General a decade after that. Been on the air ever since. My first station was a Heathkit DX40/Hallicrafters SX101 with the transmitter crystal-controlled (we hams used to say "rockbound") on 3750 kHz (3.75 MHz, which was the top of the 80-meter Novice band). My antenna at the time was a 25-foot loaded vertical. I'll never forget my first contact, with a ham in South Bend, Indiana. I got as far as giving him my location and signal report, but after that my mind just went blank.

My Technician license arrived in mid-1975. Started out on six meters (again, rockbound on 50.35 MHz with a Heathkit "Sixer" six-meter transceiver). I won't forget my first QSO (well, half of one) I had on six. I had just set up my little Heathkit rig on a shelf in my bedroom and was using, believe it or not, a hank of wire for an antenna...but the darn thing worked. Boy, did it ever: The first thing I heard in response to my first CQ was station WA0SDK in South Dakota! Don't know if he heard me answer him or not, but no matter. That first 6-meter contact (sorta, kinda, as again I have a feeling it was only half of one; the other station may not have heard me at all) is something I will not soon forget, even though it's been well over three decades ago.

The summer of 1985 was when I upgraded to General. I had already passed the 13-wpm code test from the first time I almost passed the written exam. "Almost" is right: by now the FCC had switched to multiple-choice tests based on a 5-minute code message; answer seven of ten of the questions correctly and you pass. Well, the first time I wound up failing by just one question, but the second time I went in, a month later, I had been studying code diligently by listening to nightly code-practice sessions from ARRL's headquarters station W1AW, and I was ready. I'll say: The second time I took that test I passed, missing only one question out of ten for ninety percent. That did it. Several weeks later I looked in my mailbox, found my new General ticket, WB8NHV, and have been having a ball with this hobby ever since. Been though three or four HF transceivers, a couple of 2-meter rigs, two of which, both portable handhelds or HTs, I still have and still use. One of the HTs, a Yaesu FT-207R synthesized rig, is now over 25 years old [bought it new in 1980] and still works great; the other is an Icom IC-T22A synthesized handheld, several years old, which I purchased from an old-time amateur in North Carolina several years ago. My HF rig is an Icom IC-725, 100 watts, nine bands, which I won as a hamfest prize in 1991. (Got rid of the tube-type rigs when I moved in late 1999--no room in this apartment for so many rigs, especially since I have a small collection of antique/vintage radios in the bedroom.)

Since I live in an apartment, I have antenna restrictions (nothing allowed outside the building), but that hasn't stopped me from enjoying the heck out of this hobby every bit as I've been since I was first licensed. I bought a Barker and Williamson AP-10A apartment portable antenna several years ago, set it up in my bedroom, and it worked. I am a member of a local radio club that has a weekly 10-meter net on 28.450 MHz, so I fired up the rig into the portable antenna one evening and decided to try to check in. It took me a while (the net control station had a rotating beam antenna that was pointed exactly 180 degrees away from me [!]), but eventually I was able to check in with a decent signal once the net control swung his beam around to me.

Again, welcome to a wonderful hobby, one I'm sure you'll enjoy once you get your station equipment set up. I've been in it over 35 years and have no intention of giving it up any time soon--or at all.

BTW: I feel the same as you about my callsign. Wouldn't dream of changing it now.


73 (best of regards),