Amateur Radio And Me

I received my original license in 1983 thanks to Dan Ransom, K7MM.   So, I've been licensed for fifteen years now.

My original interrest was in VHF/UHF and repeaters.  I was involved in packet radio early on, but I got out of that when it got to, well, productized.

I enjoy contest operations with a large team station such as N0MA, The Radio Farm.  It's an opportunity to be part of something bigger than you are.  There's a synergy in teamwork.  When the participants are all good, the result can be better even than the sum of the parts.   Unfortunately, lately when I come to the farm, I've traveled thousands of miles and I'm not the greatest producer. 

Lately, I'm rather inactive in Amateur Radio, I'm sorry to say.   The VHF/UHF activities in the Portland area are, I'm sorry to report, really bad.   It's mostly just people shouting obscenities at each other.  It's really degraded to CB levels.  I'd blame it on codeless technicians, but I know some of the participants and they're extras.  I'm renting right now, so there's not much opportunity to put up a station of my own.  I don't, honestly, know where I want to go in Amateur Radio next.  I'm excited about Amsat's new activities, and I think I might explore that.