My Radio Story

I am always interested in hearing other folks stories of how they got started and progressed in the radio hobby. so, I thought I would tell my story.

When I was 13, way back in 1974, I worked at a local consumer produce farm picking sweet corn. My job was to walk between the rows carrying a basket. On either side, the sons of the farmer I worked for selected the ripe ears of corn and tossed them in the basket. When a basket was full I took it to the trailer and got a new basket. It was a tough work for the skinny, 130 pound kid I was back then. With the money I earned that summer I bought a Heathkit SW-717 kit, assembled it, and started my lifelong hobby of playing with radios. My family lived in the woods so I had plenty of trees to string up antennas.

I listened a lot while in high school. It was a blast. In the mid 70s the international broadcast bands were awash in stations. Some of the QSL cards from that era are below.

Radio got sidelined when I went to college. After I graduated from Ohio State I got married and moved to Macedonia, Ohio, a small town southeast of Cleveland, Ohio. My interest in radio was rekindled. Around 1988 my wife bought me a Kenwood R-5000 for Christmas. That's the definition of a great wife! Once again I was listening.

During my time in Macedonia, I studied for my novice license, learned 5 wpm Morse, and got my novice license. Never used it and let it lapse.

Like most radio hobbyists, radio got set aside when my kids were born. Once the kids moved out, the radio bug bit again. I got a few wide band USB dongles. How cool are those? Then I got an SDRPLAY RSP-1, then an RSP2. Even cooler.

I was always interested in once again getting my ham license but never got around to it. Early in 2019, I decided it was time. I passed my Technician, General, and Extra Class exams in March, 2019. My call is KD2RSF.

I did some programming work for a friend's outside of work real estate ventures. I did it for fun and to help a friend. Turns out he is a retired ham. After completing the work he asked me "Hey Chuck, what can we do to pay you for your work?" I said "How 'bout giving me that transceiver you said is taking up room in your basement?" That's how I got my hands on a Kenwood TS-820S.