A while back I made the decision to enter the world of amateur radio.
I began studying for my license and even set up a station and began listening. However, one day I decided to give it up. I cited a number of reasons in a thread entitled “Reversing Course”.
I know how foolish I must have looked, but truth is the real reasons I abandoned my pursuit were not disclosed in the thread. They are twofold. First, while I was passing the practice Technician tests with ease, I was having great difficulty with the General tests. And then, my sister’s husband died. He was much more than just a brother-in-law to me. He was a father, uncle, brother and my best friend. My desire and concentration gone, I felt the need to put the ham thing behind me so as to have one less thing on my cluttered mind. Hence, I quit and sold my equipment.
But life moves on. Months later my interest rekindled and I began studying for my Technician ticket again. Yesterday I took the test and passed.
This time around I went with an old school radio, the Icom 7200. It is a snap to use and performs beautifully. I love it. And yes, I have once again begun studying for my General ticket and one day will take the test. In the meantime, I’ll hang out on 6 and 10 Meters. They’re slow right now but still fun.
And now you know the rest of the story.
Here’s a pic of my modest ham station in my garage. Hey, it beats setting up on the kitchen table and taking it down each evening. Time to build a ham shack in the backyard!
73,
Jim
I began studying for my license and even set up a station and began listening. However, one day I decided to give it up. I cited a number of reasons in a thread entitled “Reversing Course”.
I know how foolish I must have looked, but truth is the real reasons I abandoned my pursuit were not disclosed in the thread. They are twofold. First, while I was passing the practice Technician tests with ease, I was having great difficulty with the General tests. And then, my sister’s husband died. He was much more than just a brother-in-law to me. He was a father, uncle, brother and my best friend. My desire and concentration gone, I felt the need to put the ham thing behind me so as to have one less thing on my cluttered mind. Hence, I quit and sold my equipment.
But life moves on. Months later my interest rekindled and I began studying for my Technician ticket again. Yesterday I took the test and passed.
This time around I went with an old school radio, the Icom 7200. It is a snap to use and performs beautifully. I love it. And yes, I have once again begun studying for my General ticket and one day will take the test. In the meantime, I’ll hang out on 6 and 10 Meters. They’re slow right now but still fun.
And now you know the rest of the story.
Here’s a pic of my modest ham station in my garage. Hey, it beats setting up on the kitchen table and taking it down each evening. Time to build a ham shack in the backyard!
73,
Jim
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