Almost 30 years since I was a radio operator in the Marines. That's a long time to be away from something you loved.
My youngest son got his Technician license recently and it gave me the bug again. Watching him get into it brought back memories I hadn't thought about in years. The challenge of making contact with distant sites. The satisfaction of getting through when conditions were shit. The magic of bouncing a signal off the ionosphere and talking to someone on the other side of the world.
Back in the day I ran HF ops from unnamed jungle and desert locations. Even established phone patches so guys could call home. That was the good stuff. Some Marine stuck in the muck or sand getting to hear his wife's voice for a few minutes because you made the connection work. That meant something.
Now I'm setting up my own shack. Finished room in the basement doubling as an office and ham station. Got a Kenwood TS-570D for HF and a Baofeng 5RM Plus handheld for local stuff. Even have my son's TYT TH-9800 Quad Band Transceiver for the local stuff but more distance. Running a sloper antenna for HF and a vertical on the roof for the TYT. Just purchased another vertical tuned for HF that I am looking to place either on the roof or somewhere on a fence post maybe.
Already had the electrical and grounding done professionally. My handyman buddy is going to help me get the antennas up and run the coax through the basement window with pass through connections.
I'm licensed at Technician level right now. Planning to get my General by the end of the year if not sooner. That opens up the HF bands where the real fun is. DX contacts, Field days, Parks on the Air. Working stations halfway around the world. Maybe getting into emergency services too.
There's something about radio that never really leaves you. The fundamentals are still there even after three decades. It's like riding a bike except the bike requires power and a permit to operate permit.
Looking forward to getting on the air and seeing what's out there. Maybe my son and I can work some contacts together. That would be something.
Anyone else into ham radio? What's your setup?
Thanks for reading,
Joe
Notes:
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