The fascinating hobby of amateur radio

Amateur radio was a hobby of mine in high school and in college, and it had a big influence on me. I got my license in February 1997 after passing a theory exam and a 5 WPM Morse code test. My callsign was KB0ZPQ. Right away I took to the airwaves and enjoyed contacting other "hams" using Morse code. It was also fun to exchange postcards confirming the contact (known as QSL cards), and I accumulated quite a collection of these. Some of them can be seen here. My setup was relatively simple. I had the radio in my bedroom with a long wire antenna stretched out in the attic.

When I entered college at the University of Iowa, I decided to major in electrical engineering. My experience with ham radio helped me a lot with topics such as amplitude modulation and radio wave propagation. I joined the school's amateur radio club, W0IO, which at the time was very small. At one of the meetings I met someone from the Iowa City club who offered me a part-time job as a student technician with the Physics and Astronomy Department. This job gave me hands on experience with all kinds of electrical components, including resistors, capacitors, inductors, and diodes.

Amateur radio operators have a long history of assisting during emergencies. During many crises, such as natural disasters, amateur radio is the only surviving form of communication. Hams provided crucial aid during the terrorist attacks on 9/11, the blackout in August 2003, and Hurricane Katrina just recently. Every year in late June, radio amateurs across the US participate in Field Day, a 24-hour contest to make as many contacts as possible. It is an excellent way for hams to prepare for emergency communications. I helped out the ICARC at Field Day in 2000 in Iowa City, making hundreds of CW contacts all night long.

Hams also assist in a wide variety of public events. Last year I ran the JFK 50-mile ultramarathon, and hams were at many of the aid stations along the way.

When I moved away from Iowa a couple of years ago, I left the hobby behind. I'd like to get back into it when I have more time to devote to it.