At the encouragement of my dad (KE4PT), I studied and received my amateur radio license at the rip old age of 11. I have worked Emergency Operations Centers in South Florida (as part of the Southeast Florida Traffic Net and the Motorola Amateur Radio Club) through several natural diasters (aka - hurricanes). I'm not on the air too much any more, since I'm a perpetual student, currently having finished two masters degrees and about to start my doctoral degree.