Well I was first licensed back in the early 70's. My first call sign was WN6OSU. Back then the novice call license was good for just two years and not renewable. I didn't upgrade before it expired back then. Then in about 1976 I went to visit my old electronics instructor Stu Langs AA6SL was still the instructor of the Fremont Newark's ROP electronics course that I went thru in high school. He talked me into retaking the code test out of the blue. he sent in to the ham shack that he had set up in the class to copy code before he would give me the test. Back then you needed to copy and send 5 words per minute. well as you have it after listing to cw on the class station for about a hour I passed the test. He then ordered the written test. So when it came in I went back down the the class and I took the test. I passed the and was able to get relicensed. the call that I got then was KA6BOI. Novice class licenses at that time we now renewable. then in 1980 I went to upgrade to General class. Back then you still had to go to the FCC's office to test for anything tech and up. I took the 13 wpm code test but as I knew my code speed I did not pass it. but they did allowed me to take the written. that I did pass. I left the FCC office with then a technician class license in hand. as time went on the FCC changed things around again. they created a no code class of tech license and because I had code from the old tech I was now classified as a tech+. Then in the June of 2000 the FCC again changed things around and dropped the code requirement for all licenses to 5 wpm. I did a paper upgrade to general at that time. next came September of 2009. I had been studying for my Extra class license for a while at that point. I took the test and failed the first attempt. A month later I took the test again and passed it this time.I must say that over the years I have had lots of fun with the call sign KA6BOI (Kahlua after six beer on ice), but I had been looking up old ham friends from years gone by and I found out that a friend of mine Lou Potter had become a silent key. I then found out that his call had gone to a DX club out in Modesto. upon closer inspection they had let their call expire. I began to watch it to see if they renewed the call in the two year waiting period. well again as luck would have it didn't, so I thought that I would go after it. The call was K6VT. on July 15th 2011 the FCC assigned that call to me. I do hope that old crusty fart Lou is happy dx'ing and rag chewing with the ham radio clubs in the sky, and that I got his old call and brought it back to Contra Costa County.

Now for the HI-Q Antenna that I use on my Honda,

I had the HI-Q-4/80 antenna on the back of my 2005 Honda Civic until I was rear ended on the freeway. I use to have
ham sticks or the fake ham sticks and yes they worked ok, but when I got
the HI-Q-4/80 MC-1 what a differeance it made. I was making contacts with stations
that I heard before and not able to get back to, but with this antenna they heard me. I use
to call CQ for most of my 90 minute drive home with maybe a response or two, but with the HI-Q it was not
long till they called me back.
I would make 4 or more contacts and or did some rag chewing too. I hope to get it replaced real soon. I do so miss HF mobile.

Cal Vasquez
K6VT formerly KA6BOI

Cal Vasquez

K6VT

KA6BOI

WN6OSU