In 2012 I decided it was time to get back into a hobby which fascinated me since I was 16 or so. My entry into HAM radio was fairly typical I guess. I was visiting a friend in my hometown of Cumberland, MD when I eyed his dad's Knight-Kit Span Master shortwave. He let me turn it on and I was hooked! Loved hearing all the stations coming in and the prospect of hearing stations from all over the globe. I immediately acquired the Knight-Kit catalog and the next Christmas my oldest brother (an electrical engineer) and I spent several nights til 2 or 3 in the morning building my Star Roamer. What a nice experience that was! When the Star Roamer was operational, I acquired "SWL" QSL cards and started collecting cards from commercial and amateur stations all over the world. I usually manually typed out a letter (no word processors in those days!) to each station when I was requesting their QSL. I sent one Ham in Virginia a 2-page letter explaining among other things my fascination with radio. He immediately fired back a 2-page letter to me and I was energized when he said "why aren't you a HAM"? So I took on the challenge. Although my first foray was into CB radio. In those days you could talk a good distance on CB and we all used call signs. :) Then I discovered one of my CB friend's dad was a HAM and that gave me more insight into the hobby - and thanks to him I quickly joined the Mountain Amateur Radio Club and next thing you know I was a novice. My call in those days was WN3TMO (loved sendingthe cw suffix!) and after a year or so enjoying the hobby my CW speed was up so I upgraded to General in the early 70's - about the time I was mid-way through college. When I joined the military in '73, I took my trusty homebuilt DX-60B and HR-10B with me, eventually upgrading to a Tempo One HF rig. Moving around so much with the military posed the usual antenna problems and I ended up selling my rigs prior to one of our more challenging moves (in hindsight - wish I hadn't).

So here I am in 2012, nearing retirement and living in the Florida panhandle. Now, after being out of HAM radio since the mid-70s, I am elated to see how the innovations in hardware have improved our hobby (particularly QRP). My first rig after all these years? A used YouKits HB-1A QRP radio. Early in January I built a homebrew Buddistick and a couple weeks later, for the first time in 30+ years I had my trusty old CW key clicking out QSOs from my back deck! I worked (and believe me it was WORK due to my CW being rusty!) stations in MA, PA, NJ, NC, SC, TN, IN, IL, FL, TX, CO, and MI! Needless to say I was elated and had a ball!  Since then I have acquired a used Icom IC-703 (great rig) and have managed SSB contacts with several overseas countries as well as numerous stateside contacts.  I am preparing a "go bag" with a gel cell battery and look forward to taking my station out on field trips!

The excitement will continue I am sure as I look forward to gaining more experience on CW and SSB. Since I now reside in FL, I recently changed my call to a vanity call (N4SAX) - yes, I am an active sax player too. I am planning to take (and pass hopefully!) my Extra Class exam during the next local HamFest (March 23-24 2012). UPDATE!!!! I am now an EXTRA!!! 

I'm very excited about being back into Ham Radio! And finally, internet sites like QRZ.com are a wonderful resource that an old Ham like me never imagined back in the days when all I had was ARRL books and magazines!