Dah-di-dah-dit dah-dah-di-dah!
Apr. 9th, 2002 09:08 pmA little over a month remained before the expiration date when I logged into the FCC's Web site last week to request a modification and renewal of my ham license. I had originally acquired my amateur ticket while living in California and working among a bunch of other hams at Borland. Since then, the extent of my amateur activity has been to talk a lot on my 2-m handheld, do a little packet radio, and engage in a couple of futile attempts to set up radio communications that go beyond the next hilltop.
Perhaps the highlight of my ham career to date was the weekend in 1991 (?) when Andrew and I hung out at the annual "field day" run by a club near Scotts Valley. I remember the club members setting up "camp" at a school near the top of the "hill" between Santa Cruz and San Jose, and how everyone went about frantically trying to contact as many other hams as possible in the course of the event.
It was my first "live" foray with Morse code, and I did manage to make one contact, but only briefly. (Since then, I've forgotten virtually all of my Morse, I'm afraid...) It was my first experience with amateur radio via satellite.
Anyway, it turns out that it takes the FCC less than 24 hours to process applications such as mine. Along with my renewal and change of address, I asked to have my call sign revised, since I no longer live in the "6" zone (Colorado is in the "0" zone), and that was taken care of, as well.
Goodbye, KD6JJA. Hello, KC0MWF. I'm good to go until 2012.
Cheers...
Perhaps the highlight of my ham career to date was the weekend in 1991 (?) when Andrew and I hung out at the annual "field day" run by a club near Scotts Valley. I remember the club members setting up "camp" at a school near the top of the "hill" between Santa Cruz and San Jose, and how everyone went about frantically trying to contact as many other hams as possible in the course of the event.
It was my first "live" foray with Morse code, and I did manage to make one contact, but only briefly. (Since then, I've forgotten virtually all of my Morse, I'm afraid...) It was my first experience with amateur radio via satellite.
Anyway, it turns out that it takes the FCC less than 24 hours to process applications such as mine. Along with my renewal and change of address, I asked to have my call sign revised, since I no longer live in the "6" zone (Colorado is in the "0" zone), and that was taken care of, as well.
Goodbye, KD6JJA. Hello, KC0MWF. I'm good to go until 2012.
Cheers...