What can I say about ham radio? It's been a lot of things for me, such as --
When I was in the Navy in the late '50s I lost most of my hair in patches to a nervous malady called "alapicea aereota" (your spelling may differ). That's Greek for "bald spots," and that's about all the doctors knew about the problem. The unofficial military term for the problem was "nervous in the service." At age 22, this was an emotional disaster, and I did the only thing I knew: I hid out.
But this didn't help my need to socialize. I got my ham license so I could talk to people without letting them see me. Is that sick, or what? I got the license for the wrong reason, but I found it was a great hobby, even after my hair came back. (Yes, it came back, soon after I left the service and got married.) My wife told me that the cure had nothing to do with the service -- that SHE cured it with her sweet and loving nature. How can I argue with that?
Ham radio has been a love of mine for over 40 years now. With it I talk with people all over the world who share a fascination with radio communication. I would have thought that the internet would have put an end to it, as it has made communication so easy. But instead, interest in it is growing.
My commute to work takes more than an hour, but talking with other hams from the car makes it seem like only a few minutes. We give each other "heads up" on traffic conditions, and discuss whatever we feel like in the meantime.
The above drivel is merely a placeholder; this page will change dramatically when I have a chance to take some time with it. In the meantime, 73 (ham talk for "best regards.")
Dave Goodfellow
K7BKX