Ham radio has been a long time hobby and love. I was first licensed in 1969 as Novice station, WN8BES and later WB8BES, in Bay City, Michigan. After high school, I joined the U.S.Navy (Submarine Service)and served as a Reactor Operator, ET1(SS) on both the USS Robert E. Lee, SSBN601 Gold Crew and the USS Cavalla SSN684, between 1972-1980. During my off duty time in the Navy, I operated Navy Amateur Radio Stations: K1SSN(Groton,CT), KG6ALV(Guam) and KH6SP(Pearl Harbor, Hawaii). At this time I passed FCC commercial license exams for First Class Radiotelephone (1974) and 2nd Class Radiotelegraph (1979) and Amateur Extra (1979) with a real "FCC Extra Class", Certificate # AE-14-338-E. This latter FCC form was something the applicant could request at the time of testing at the FCC office. Many forgot to check the box off for this obscure little certificate that resembled the "bigger" FCC commercial certificates at the time. One of my friends, regrets he didn't notice the check box for it.

After the Navy I lived in Washington State and finished college degrees in electrical engineering and physics. My Ham radio call changed to NR7G then later to the now W7DO. Then in 2002 we moved to South Carolina, "Land of Smiling Faces and Beautiful Places." Now, I'm a director of R&D for a well known company in Columbia, SC, that makes antennas and great fishing gear. I'll always love CW, mobile CW and lately have been enjoying BPSK31 & MFSK on 40 and 20 Meter Bands. Life is good, even better with our wonderful ham radio hobby and our ham radio friends and pals.