Ham Radio

I am a US licensed amateur radio operator - callsign W9GTH. My ham journey began in 1997 when I got my “no-code tech” license. At the time, the no-code option was relatively new and still a bit controversial. I bought an HT, and got talking on the local repeater. I got involved in Field Day and other activities. Five years later, I got tired of working HF under the club call and passed my General exam (including the 5WPM morse code test). Then, I took a long break from the hobby. A combination of club politics, life getting busy, the rise of the internet, and other things led me to put it aside. Another factor was that it seemed like the hobby was just people using radios to talk to each other about radios, which got old after a while. I didn’t let my license lapse, but I didn’t use it.