Back in the summer of 2002, the summer Cassie and I got married, I picked up a book on ham radio at Radio Shack while we were on vacation in St. Louis. I read the book and could have easily passed the first exam. However, I wanted to wait until I had learned Morse code so I could get the Morse code test (5 wpm) and the first written test out of the way at the same test session. That would have given me the Technician Plus license. I never learned Morse code well enough, so I never took the test.
Fast forward to the fall of 2007. In the mean time the FCC has completely done away with the Morse code requirement for all three licenses (Technician, General, and Extra class). I passed my Technician exam in October, my General in March, and finally my Extra in June. My original call sign was KE5RDQ, but after I upgraded to Extra class I applied for and received WF5N. (Only Extra class hams can hold four “digit” call signs.)
My main interest in becoming a ham was to learn more about electrical engineering and that sort of thing. Ham radio is a pretty broad hobby, and I haven’t been able to investigate even a portion of it yet. Some of the areas I’d like to explore are: Morse code, satellites, digital modes, VHF+ SSB and CW, and homebrewing equipment.
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