My interest in radio started in 1962 in my school-boy years in Northern-Germany when I got hold of a portable radio with SW. I was listening in on ship-to-shore radio and hams and the radio-bug bit me.

I got in touch with local hams DL2CX, DL2CY, DJ8CG, who became my elmers and are close friends until today. In 1965 I joined the nearest radioclub, mastered CW in a few months thanks to Horst, DJ8CG and got licensed as DK1FW in 1966.

I first got on the air with an AR88D receiver and a borrowed Geloso 222 (CW/AM) TX and dipoles for 80m and 20m. After a few weeks I changed to a homebrew SSB transmitter, which covered 80m and 20m. Working my 1st ZL on 80m SSB sold me to 80m DXing. In 1967 I won the CQWW Phone Contest for DL on 80m (did not take much in those days) and that was the bite of the contesting bug. Unfortunately I put CW aside for the fascination of SSB and only forced myself to start CW again in 2007.

In 1969 I joined the ranks of the Rhein-Ruhr DX Association (RRDXA) and did my 1st multi-op contest with my friend John, ON4UN. With just 3 OPs we established a new Multi-Single World Record in the CQWW DX Phone Contest. For the following years I was the 20m Phone OP at the RRDXA DL0PG Multi-Multi station.

Also in 1969 I could afford a 2nd-hand Galaxy V Mk2 (replaced by a Drake TR4C in 1973) and added an MP-33 tri-bander at 35ft a year later. In 1971 a homebrew amp was added and I managed to get 5BDXCC #253 all on SSB in 1973.

At the end of my university time in 1974 with an MS in Electrical Engineering my friend Dieter, DL8OH and myself added up all our money and went to the States for almost two months, meeting many of the friends from DXing and Contesting all over the country. I will never forget this experience and the wonderful hospitality.

In 1975 I moved to Hamburg for my 1st real job and ham-radio had to take the back-seat for some years although I did run some Contests from a friends station, even setting a new EU record in the 1976 WAE DX SSB Contest.

In 1980 (meanwhile married to my wife Sigrid) I had an unresistable offer by AEG-Telefunken as a program manager for international projects and so we moved to southern Germany with our two kids. Until recently I have been spending more time in-the-air than on-the-air.

In 1983 I was finally in ham-radio again with a tower and yagi at our new house.

Being too far away from my RRDXA friends, I changed camps when the BavarianContest Club (BCC) was founded in 1983.

Due to my poor contest location at the home QTH I have been taking part in Multi-Single and Multi-Multi efforts like C30AAN, LX7A, HB0CZS, OT3T, OT4T, DF3CB, DL0CS and DR1A or just handed out a few qsos from home as a little pistol.

I retired in June 2009, so there is now sufficient time for my wife, our 3 grand-children, leisure-traveling and ham-radio.