At age 10, my 1st hobby was electronics. My father, the late Major Albin W. Erickson, was with the 555th. Army Signal Corps batalion on Iwo-Jima, as a radar operator & radio technician for all "Army Air Corps" equipment. He, along with the late Mr. L. T. Edgar is responsible for my life's interest in electronics, SWL, then later "HAM" radio.

By age 17, I bought the 1963 Amateur Handbook, and my life has never been the same! Starting out as a "SWL" on old, 2nd. hand RCA "cathredral" style tandup SW radios with the cats eye tuning indicator, I logged foreign stations, obtaining many QSL cards from around the world. By sheer luck, the only SWL QSL I still have from those days are from "RADIO MOSCO".

Liberal arts college, marrige, & DOD/Aerospace work "got in the way" of me becoming a "Ham".

Fast forward to 2003, with a fellow Ham, KB0QZW, who gave me the ARRL "King Schools" Technician's learning package. Passed with a 94% grade, and bought me an I-Com W32-A HT for 2 Meters/70 Centimeters. Last month I bought an I-Com 740 HF rig (with AC PRW supply)for when I pass my General exam.

I became a "General Class" operator in Feb.,2005 with the "WAS' award my 1st. goal on the HF bands. I am an ARRL member. In Oct. 2006, members became part of Homeland Security.

73 KC0QIT "General AL"