I am 65 years old, and my wife Linda and I have been married for 44 years now. We have 5 grandchildren, and they are all "GREAT" in our eyes.

My first Amateur radio license was back in Mooresville, North Carolina about 1975. My first novice callsign was WN4BHO. I remember making about 15 or 20 contacts using "cw" and then realizing that my one year license had been expired for about a month. That was embarrasing to me.

Shortly after that incident, and after renewing the license, the "fcc" changed the call to WB4BHO. That license expired too.

After retaking the novice test, I was issued KB4BAW, which I kept for almost 20 years.

Some people referred to me as a "PROFESSIONAL TEST TAKER" as I was not doing so well on passing the exams. The only test I passed the first time was the General class written.

After getting the advanced class license, I started "working" on the extra class continuous wave requirements. (20 words per minute) I had a pillow speaker, and a continuous play tape player, and would listen to nothing less than 24 words per minute. (all night long) I also would play a cw tape going and coming home from work.

One day, on the way to work, I was listening as I usually did, and all of a sudden, I copied about 5 words in a row at 24 words per minute. That got me going, and I didn't stop until finally, after several years of trying, I got the 20 words per minute test completed. That was 9 or 10 days before the credit for the written test was to expire. My wife was happier than anyone that I finally passed the 20 wpm test. Now, she could get some sleep.

Now, I have been off the air for way too long. One of my new 2007 resolutions is going to be to get back on the air, even if it is only for a few minutes per day.