HELLO!

I am located 35 miles northeast of Disney World in the center of the State of Florida.

My introduction to amateur radio:

When I was about twelve years old I sent away for a small code practice oscillator that had a small flashlight bulb on it and the Morse code letters and numbers printed on the top. I think it was powered by two C or D cell batteries. You connected the two units together with bell wire. The attached keyer was very simple and the unit made a buzzer sound or you could use the light to send Morse code. Where did I get the oscillators? You know the tiny comics that were in the Bazooka bubble gum? Well, for about fifty cents and 300 comics sent to them you could get the oscillator. I would go over to my Grandmother's house in Brooklyn, place the oscillator on the dining room table, run the wires into the kitchen and place the other oscillator on the kitchen table. My uncle who had cerebral palsy would be in the kitchen.

I remember going down into the basement room of a neighbor who lived a few blocks from me in Queens Village (Bellaire), New York. He was with the emergency unit of the New York City Police Department. He had a mobile HF radio (AM in those days) and a two-element beam antenna. The mast was a pipe attached to the side of his house. The houses were close together and when he turned his beam antenna half of it rotated over his neighbor's house. I can remember being so excited when we spoke to stations in Martha's Vineyard, Guantanamo Bay Naval Station, and Panama. His name was Ed and I think his callsign was W4DMJ. He was a terrific guy!

I can remember my Dad buying me my first amateur radio receiver, a Hammarlund HQ-110. He bought it used from another ham. One year before my father died he took an amateur radio course from the local amateur radio club and got his Novice license, WN2UCY. I was so proud of him making contacts on cw. I still have his QSL card.

When I first got on the air on 6 meters, my next door neighbor was pounding on the side door of my house. He was really mad. After I sent away to some television manufacturers for free high-pass filters and installed them on a few neighbors' televisions, things calmed down. I did have a low-pass filter on my transmitter.

While in New York City I was active in ARES and RACES.

I originally lived in Queens Village, New York (old callsigns were WA2YEH and WA4HSF) and moved to Orlando in 1972. My wife is from West Virginia. I have been a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine since 1969.

I am the trustee for school club station K4HDS ( http://www.qrz.com/callsign/k4hds ) located at The Hebrew Day School of Central Florida ( http://www.hds-orlando.org ). I am also active in the Rotary Club of DeBary-Deltona ( http://www.DebaryDeltonaRotary.org ), having been President in 1980-81. I am presently the Club Service Director. In 2007, Governor Charlie Crist appointed me to the Florida Board of Podiatric Medicine.

My goal is to stimulate interest in amateur radio by allowing each student to develop his (her) communication skills!

"73"

Sher