I was first licensed in 1982 in Detroit. Back then, there were no VEs and we had to run downtown and take the test in the same building where I had earned my FCC Commercial Radiotelephone sheepskin back in 1970. The theory was the easy stuff. The code was harder.

I got a Technician ticket and had a trusty Kenwood 7200, complete with LED display and the switched repeater offsets. My home machine was the DART, 146.64/04 and I hung out with the guys at the Oak Park Amateur Radio Club, serving as president in 1983.

After about 6 months, the allure of the low bands beckoned and I sharpened my code speed enough to upgrade to General. My first low band rig was a TenTec Omni and I still remember talking with NL7V, my first DX contact in Fairbanks, AK.

Ham radio is a hobby that ebbs and flows and by the time I moved to Florida, I had a Yaesu FT-5200 dual band FM rig and a Kenwood TS430 with trusty Heathkit 2080A antenna tuner. But my interests turned to other things and I drifted away from the hobby for more than a decade.

My interest was re-awakened in 2006 during a stint in Des Moines, Iowa. N0BKB and the crowd made feel right at home and I was soon driving around town with my APRS Kenwood D-700, Yaesu VX5R and Kenwood D7 HT.

Des Moines turned out to be a brief encounter and in February, 2007, I found myself in “the land of enchantment”, Albuquerque, New Mexico.

ABQ has one of the most vibrant ham communities on earth, with a plethora of repeaters across the state and enthusiasts in every corner of the hobby. Just the ticket for a guy with adult ADD and a yen for technology.

Now, three years later, I find myself back in Michigan, where it all began. The removal of the Morse requirement has rejuvenated the hobby and I’m hearing new 8 calls every week. The digipeaters hum with APRS packets and the event calendars brim with club meetings, community service opportunities and hamfests at every turn.

Despite being at the bottom of the sunspot cycle, DX openings are happening on every band and I can’t wait to get into a house and start stringing antenna wire.

I’ve been a blogger, too, almost as long as there have been weblogs, and enjoy sharing resources and ideas about my interests. Hence W9WSW.com. It’s a living, breathing site, so feel free to share event information, links, opinions and any other content you think the ham community may enjoy.

73!

Scott Westerman
W9WSW (at) arrl (dot) net