I was a teenage motorhead but was getting tired of waiting for the magical age of 16. While I was building my Soapbox Derby car in my dad's friend's basement I would fiddle with a portable sw radio down there. I told my dad about it, and he gave me an early birthday present: my very own 6 band portable! The ball rolled from there...

My first Elmer was Rudy W3CXX, known world over for his gruff voice and 4CX1000 amp on 20m. Jim, K3OV, gave me my first Novice test in December '72 when we formed a high school radio club. I tested at the Fed Bldg in Pittsburgh in 1976, and WB3HET was a General! I learned to enjoy cw because it was all I had for 15 years. It was also very musical for me, being a budding rock star...

In 1988 I was pretty much out of radio, being involved in rock bands, recording, and trying to impress unaccessible women, hi. I won an Icom HT at the last Breezeshooters' at White Swamp, and it changed my life. I became an Advanced in '90, acquired my TS440 in '91, Extra in '92. I've met the love of my life at the 2003 Two Rivers' hamfest, and landed the job of my dreams with the help of Andy, WA3PBD, one of the first people I met with that Icom HT.

I'm not a rock star in my mind anymore, but I still annoy people as much as I can at hamfests with my accordion! I still enjoy cw; favorite bands are 40, 17, and 2m; we have a club station at work, K3ITS, and I often end my workday with a cw qso.

This is not a hobby, it's a way of life.