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I'm starting a new thread because for some unexplained reason, I put a cutoff date for the poll in the original thread and it cannot be reopened. I've moved all of the other posts to this thread later and deleted the original. I also enabled "revoting" so people can change their vote. Obviously, there's no reason for a "no" option.

Apparently, we have more Hams than I would have expected.

Chas.

Got the study material. No test imminent.

I've had my license for about 12 years. Haven't been active, but lately I've been looking into getting a full setup (home, car, handheld). The rest of my immediate family except for one sister are all hams as well

I love hams. And bacon. Love, love, love. Yum.

ive hadmine for 20 something years or so. one day ill dust off the old hf rig

Passed my Technician in December, 2011 and am working on my General

KF5NJY

I hope to take my test when i get back from afghanistan.

I have my technician - kd5lbk
Not very active except in context of weather and our fire department, where
I volunteer as a "Reserve" and we man the EOC and also keep in touch with
the spotter network.

WX5MKE - Tech
I mainly only use it as a storm spotter in our multi-county CWA.

I tinker around with the idea of getting my general. Just haven't got up the gumption yet. Other priorities right now.

30+ years for me

On and off since 1955, continuously since mid 70s.

Dad showed me where there was a Transistor some fellows at his company made, got me interested in electronics stuff
... 1960s- had 32 speakers in my room on the stereo, was in Explorer scouts at AT&T building in Houston Electronics group, mom was putting scotch tape on electrical outlets so electricity wouldn't leak out on the floor ( joke from article she wrote in the newspaper about it)

In 1970s I worked in Electronics repair shop- I devised an analogue data compression method for sending data at an accelerated rate over phone lines while being able to hold a conversation at the same time (sort of like what DSL does-different frequencies for voice/data)
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1980s -I Spent thousands on radios which receive/Icoms etc, had a CB license before they passed them out to anyone- back when you needed one and got the study materials, didn't want to learn code

Fellow Legal Asst was a Paramedic and a HAM, used his radio to make phone calls before Cell phones were a big deal, I got study materials agaion.

Later in 1980s got updated no code study materials and thousands of dollars more in receiver radios and antennas

I modified police scanners to add memory to get more channels and replaced clock crystals to go more MHz-modified radios, built antennas- used BBS in California to chat correspond with Bl;ll Cheek (authore of Scanner Modification Handbooks) I designed some circuits to do some stuff and had fun, but it evolved into more computer stuff than radio stuff.

Built a computer and computer to scanner interface to program the 2,500 channel scanner that started as a 300 channel scanner
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1995/96 Got involved with MSN/Microsoft until 2007 - not much time for radios etc
2001 besides Microsoft/MSN Network Admin and Law Office Legal Assisting, I Started a computer design/MFG company that I had to close in 2007 when I retired
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2007 retired to take care of dad, 2008 dad passed away-took care of stuff
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2009-2013
started remodeling house &, doing all the "when I get around to it list" I made up over 50 or so years of "never got around to it" items

got 6' C/KU Satellite dish put up last week, in process of setting it up, burying cables etc to it

Getting back into Kayak fishing and ... Getting a HAM license are on that list and I have cut out info from the Highland Lakes Ham club that does the class/test once a year or so (Will get a antenna/flagpole for kayak and waterproof radio)

One thing I noted, serial ports on many radios I have, and newer computers are USB .. I actually may need to rescue some old DOS computers ... I had an issue with an HD GeoSat MicroHD FTA Satellite receiver I needed to re-flash/program and oddly it had serial port on back, no USB, so I had to do some internal connections to make a USB cable and get software ...and it's brand new
===========================
2013, gonna be busy with Legislature watching and house stuff and spent over $10,000 on computers for relatives so they can call HP for in-home support instead of me ... should free up some more time

2014, Maybe I'll get around to it and have a license, probably no-code tech... if not, I'll try for 2025... or just wait till it goes the way of CB licenses like after TEOTWAWKI, no one will need one.

My wife says I'm a ham, but I was born with it and didn't need to study or get a license.

W6OGC here, first licensed as KN5VET in 1959. I've built antennas, worked DX, edited a book, "DX IS!" with my brother, been an EC, Secretary/Trustee for a 1000 member repeater club, T-hunter, handled phone patches to VN in the '60's, met Barry Goldwater, been a VC of the ARRL, of which I am a life member.

I am antenna-less at the moment due to the hopefully impending sale of the house so I can come home. One vexing issue in buying our new home there is the pervasiveness of antenna restrictions.