KB7HFS has been interested in amateur radio since he was a kid living a 1/2 mile down a farm road from a ham. His tower could be seen from a long way away, and he had a beautiful shack set off the farmhouse. He would let me sit next to him while he tuned in the world. I still remember the heat the AM gear and the big amp radiated. It was nice and warm in there on a cold Eastern Washington night.

Even though I had built several things from kits by Heath or Harmon Kardon, I never got around to getting my ticket until I was flying with a great fellow that had been ham since the '30's. After one month, he got me hooked.

Back in the bad old days you had to upgrade your novice within year or loose it. Remember? I took the Novice test and set up my station while the XYL was out of town. But, when the XYL got back from visiting family in Europe, she took one look at the antenna system I'd built on top of our house and in the back yard in Puerto Rico and put a stop to it. The antenna came down, the Novice expired and I was banished to be a SWL for several years. I tried to blame the Captain I was flying with (Mike Enciso-AA4CM-sk) but she knew better! I kept my Heathkit code oscillator and key and would hammer on that often to keep my fist and listen to incoming signals on the SW.

By 1989, I was now flying with PSA /US Air and happened to be paired for a month with ham that was a VE. He talked me into hitting the books. On a 3 day break I went down to LAX and took the new Novice test with his group. Still under the XYL "No Ugly Radios" ban I held off getting any gear until 1994 when I picked up a Tech + and bought a 2M hand held. Here was something small, and I could use it on our boat. By1995 I had passed the XYL test and set up a HF station at home with a Yeasu FT101ZD.

Now retired from the airlines, I still do flight instruction and am working ongetting my Extra soon. Major radio interests are WAS and DXCC. In the last seven months we've moved to a few acres in Tulalip, WA. Now we're talking on an IC-756 feeding a 10-80 dipole hung between two trees, going to erect a tower in the spring of '08

If you connect with me as a marine mobile, my QTH might be anywhere from Olympia, WA to Sitka, AK. Onboard is an IC-706MKIIG connected to an SGC 237 antenna coupler feeding 30' of wire hung between the forward flag mast to the after flag mast on FREYA (built 1940)*. We spend most of July and August and some of September exploring the Northwest waters. It is such a kick to practice this wonderful hobby. There is nothing so exciting as making contact with 73's to you!

G. M. (Mike) Oswald

Picture: Himself in summer attire. Taken about half way up the Bute Inlet in British Columbia, Canada. I now use an iBook for navigation, it is integrated with a WASS GPS using GPSNavX and BBS & Canadian charts.

For a view of Freya and other interesting Classic Yachts Please visit: http://www.nwclassicyacht.org/