Forty Years is a Long Time

Arnie, congradulations and welcome back to the fun and excitement of CW. Reading your story, brought back many fine memories of when I was a novice. I first got my novice ticket in the middle of 1969 as WN1LJD, many and many of cw contacts. Really fell in love with morse since i started working my ole straight key. I joined the navy in 1970 and kept up with the hobby till this day, i do 90 percent cw, and you can find me on 30 meters hitting the key. i generally get on after midnight, since i work 3-11. Since my novice days i have kept in touch with another operator i have met on cw in 69. to this day we qso back and forth.. take care. and enjoy the cw mode. Augie Wa1ljd..

 

Thanks Arnie,
Now that's  what ham radio is all about. So many aspiring and new hams miss the whole point of why we have this and why we have that. They seem too immersed in what they hate or don't hate about the hobby that they miss the joy of being a part of one of the greatest fraternities in the world.
I surpassed the code tests. It took many years to do it and I hated every last minute of it. But looking back, I wouldn't trade the experience for anything.
Five years ago if you had told me by the year 2002 that 80% of my on air activity would be CW I would have laughed at you.
I don't care who you are,  no-code Tech or an Extra...to me your still a part of the greatest family every assembled.
Again, thanks for the story.
73
de Durell

 

Great story Arnie!

I have been licensed for 40 years, too!  I took a 15 year break and returned to the airwaves in Feb. of 2001.  The ICOM 718 I purchased is the first rig I've ever had that can put me on any mode but CW...and, to this day, it is still my "mode of choice".  I gave a program on ham radio to the local Kiwanis Club and the question came back, "Why code when you can use SSB??".  Ya know, I really can't explain it...once you have it in your blood it just won't go away.  I'm glad to be part of that brotherhood of believers and I feel a little sad for those who will never know the thrill of CW.  Oh, I enjoy chatting on SSB once in a while but it just doesn't send that chill up the spine you get when you hear the sound of that DX CW signal coming back at you with your call from thousands of miles away.

73,  "Ray"  WAØKNP

 

I am learning cw so I can go to tech plus and maybe to general - I hope to past the test this coming weekend (I've been studying for the last few weeks) - actually while studying I find cw rather enjoyable. Its actually plesant. I'm not sure if its the sound or its just me, but I think once I get onto hf I will learn to love cw . What at first was ah no cw, became something that actually has a certian geek factor to it.

 

1959.. in the attick with an S-40B and a Viking Challenger (first Challenger kit sold by Electronic Wholesalers in DC, my Dad was told..).  All KN3HVG had was CW so there was no question of choice nor of decision.  I don't seem to recall the struggle with cw that some relate; I think I was enthralled enough with the idea that I could talk around the world that any qualification hoop was not a problem.  And besides, pounding brass was "neat".  I now lope along at about 10wpm... enough to get by yet still have a good time.  Welcome back OM!

 

Just thought that I would put my two cents in, Welcome back and I hope to work you on CW. I have been a ham for 28 years and during that time I let my code slow down. Last year I got back into HF and 10 Ghz now my code's coming back and I find it alot of fun, theirs nothing like a CW contact in the middle of the winter while watching the snow come down. I'l be looking for you.

73
Al
NS1O

 

great story and great comments;;;
so glad to read a story like this and all the aimable comments. really wonderful. maybe when i get over discovering what else there is on ham radio; i'll get into code, but are you sure that "GET OFF MY FREQUENCY" doesn't exist on the code frequencies?
fellows; there is so doggone much to experience on ham radio that one could be classed as the proverable,"one eyed dog in a meat house" hey that's me thanks, Arnie for the great story..
mumble, mumble, where did i put that old brass key?
73 and have a good day
willie ag4hy

 

Glad you seem to be enjoying yourself on CW, afterall that is what amateur radio is suppose to be for, fun. Pardon me though if I still think CW stinks. I was always told that I didn't like CW because I couldn't do it. To prove them wrong, I got my Extra expressly for the purpose of hushing up the people who said that.

The courteousness of CW operators also must be put into question. I use to work a lot of RTTY. It would never fail that a CW op would come right into the middle of my QSO calling CQ.

I guess what I am really trying to say is don't let these guys intimidate you period. Whether working QRO or QRP, CW or SSB, RTTY or Packet. It should be what you want to do, not what you are pressured into doing. I personally wish the CW diehards would give it up and go away.

 

Thats a good story congrats--I got my licence April 11th 1947 in grade 11 high school going to a technical school for radio twice a week--when they found out i was a day student the day school would not give me permission to attend night school--so I changed my name and signed in as one of my pals Colin MacDougal--changing back to my real name the day of the exam--and bieng so rude as to go to my high school principal and telling him--"see I maintained the same marks and I got my licence!!
Ted sparrow

 

Hi Arnie,

Like you, I was first licensed in 1960 as a novice. I was not fortunate enough to have understanding or encouraging parents and they would not allow me to spend my money on such "foolishness". After a year, I let me novice ticket expire (it was un-renewable anyway) and didn't upgrade to the next step, Technician.

After graduating from High School and spending 3 years in the army, I joined the work force in 1965 and sometime in 1966, I got the bug again. I got busy and studied for my Technician license including, of course, 5WPM for the code exam. I was pretty sure back in those days that 5WPM was the upper limit for me and I really was only interested in talking on 6 meters to some of the guys I had met around town (We didn't have our first 2 meter repeater until around 1970). Unfortunately, I soon tired of talking with the same 4 or 5 guys all of the time and once again became inactive.

In 1976, I hooked up with another group of guys and they encouraged me to get my code speed up and go down to the FCC office in town. seems that they had grandfathered the "Mail-Order" Technicians and all I had to do was pass the 13 WPM exam to upgrade to General.

With the Tech now having novice priviledges as well as 50mhz up, I got busy on the novice bands and built up my code speed went down and passed the exam, took the advanced test, passed it, bought me a new rig, big amp, tower and Tri-bander and was on the air 100% SSB chasing DX. Well, you might have guessed, I soon tired of this as well and intrest slowly slipped away. Yep, inactive again.

Now comes 1990. A friend of mine, an accomplished brass pounder, got me involved in the local ham club, got me back on the air at the club station. Moast everyone in the club held extra class tickets so they all started giving me gaffe wanting to know when I was going to upgrade. Once again, I got busy, got on the air on CW, built up my speed and passed the 20WPM exam.

However, this time, I caught the CW bug and began to spend more and more time at the key/keyer. Pretty soon, I realized that I had not been on SSB for quite a while and discovered that I was having more fun than I had ever had since I had "re-discovered" Morse code.

I've been CW only for the last ten years. In fact, I don't even know where the microphone for my rig is.

Well, I made a short story long, so I'll finish now. Welcome back to Ham Radio and to the ranks of the "Brass Pounders"

73 & gud DX

NC5S
Ed

 

The story could have been about Me 45 years ago. Now I am an Extra class and can't get enough of it'.
Jack K4RTN

 

ditto for me too. i was licensed in 1962 and am back having so much fun!!!!!!!!!!! best wishes and good dx. 73 bob

 

Arnie, I read your acticle and I was elatted at your continues's love for CW. I took the test for 5WPM twice for the Technician+, and for the General 7 times until I passed the 13 WPM. I didn't get into CW but SSB, now I tring to practice my skills at CW so I can make some contacts, I haven't a antenna up as yet until my new house gets finished and I can put up my Cushcraft MA5B so I can get back on the air. I wished I had gotten into Amateur Radio years ago, it's a great Hobby and a great way to meet so many nice Ham's all over the World. Cheers/73/Nick/KQ6RU

 

Arnie, thanks for the great read. I've only been a ham for a few years now, but I can remember sitting on my grandmothers porch in the 50's trying to tune in the mysterious "dits" and "dahs" on the old floor model multiband radio. I spent hours late at night tuning in far off shortwave and broadcast stations and always wondered what the cw stations were saying and where they were at. Now, years later, I know. To me ham radio is cw. All the rest, ssb, rtty, psk31 etc, are just more things to have fun with. You can teach an old dog "new tricks". Sometimes it can be difficult teaching a "young pup" to step over his poop! Ham radio is fun! 73, mike

 

Hey there!

I first obtained my basic license in 1990, back when Canada just had
come out with a no-code license. I played around on 2m, 6m and a
month later, got my 5 WPM CW qualification. Oh what FUN I had on
80 metres! One time, I can remember having a 4 hour long QSO with
some very tolerant and patient ham at a very tedious 4 WPM, we both
had a lot of things to say and never did this ham say, "Sorry, you are
too slow for me. Please QRQ to 15 WPM or I'll call it QRT"

I have to admire any ham that could put up with that. That's one
thing that makes me really proud about this hobby. The fact that people
are willing to let others learn and to become part of that so-called
"Elite" group of CW'ers that hang around on the bands.

I've found that most other hobbies can end up being hostile to newbies.
I like it when I can ask someone about antenna theory, rig problems,
shack wiring or other stuff and they are very willing to give a hand to
help.

About 1995 I decided to get out of the hobby in order to pay for my
tuition so I could take Computer Engineering. I regret selling off my
equipment.. So I've been QRT for the last 6 years.

In December of 2001, I finally got back on the air with a beat up old
Icom IC-2AT... It's not HF but it's a start. I can't wait to get back on
HF again. I've told my girlfriend that I'm looking at buying a house soon
just so I can put up a tower in the backyard. (Working HF in a condo
complex really sucks.. especially when the condo board comes after you
for attempting to mount a 5-element Quad on a balcony railing! )

Anyway, Thanks for sharing your memories. I guess I"m still a newbie
in a lot of ways, I'm quite young in comparison to a lot of hams that I've
met. I was born in 1974, what can I say.

73