How many hams do we have on the Forum - Revisited?

[Charles L. Cotton]

I'm starting a new thread because for some unexplained reason, I put a cutoff date for the poll in the original thread and it cannot be reopened. I've moved all of the other posts to this thread later and deleted the original. I also enabled "revoting" so people can change their vote. Obviously, there's no reason for a "no" option.

Apparently, we have more Hams than I would have expected.

Chas.

[Mike1951]

Got the study material. No test imminent.

[MadMonkey]

I've had my license for about 12 years. Haven't been active, but lately I've been looking into getting a full setup (home, car, handheld). The rest of my immediate family except for one sister are all hams as well

[baldeagle]

I love hams. And bacon. Love, love, love. Yum.

[cheezit]

ive hadmine for 20 something years or so. one day ill dust off the old hf rig

[chasfm11]

Passed my Technician in December, 2011 and am working on my General

KF5NJY

[dpleban]

I hope to take my test when i get back from afghanistan.

[Reserve161]

I have my technician - kd5lbk
Not very active except in context of weather and our fire department, where
I volunteer as a "Reserve" and we man the EOC and also keep in touch with
the spotter network.

[troglodyte]

WX5MKE - Tech
I mainly only use it as a storm spotter in our multi-county CWA.

I tinker around with the idea of getting my general. Just haven't got up the gumption yet. Other priorities right now.

[Keith B]

30+ years for me

[jimlongley]

On and off since 1955, continuously since mid 70s.

[RPB]

Dad showed me where there was a Transistor some fellows at his company made, got me interested in electronics stuff
... 1960s- had 32 speakers in my room on the stereo, was in Explorer scouts at AT&T building in Houston Electronics group, mom was putting scotch tape on electrical outlets so electricity wouldn't leak out on the floor ( joke from article she wrote in the newspaper about it)

In 1970s I worked in Electronics repair shop- I devised an analogue data compression method for sending data at an accelerated rate over phone lines while being able to hold a conversation at the same time (sort of like what DSL does-different frequencies for voice/data)
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1980s -I Spent thousands on radios which receive/Icoms etc, had a CB license before they passed them out to anyone- back when you needed one and got the study materials, didn't want to learn code

Fellow Legal Asst was a Paramedic and a HAM, used his radio to make phone calls before Cell phones were a big deal, I got study materials agaion.

Later in 1980s got updated no code study materials and thousands of dollars more in receiver radios and antennas

I modified police scanners to add memory to get more channels and replaced clock crystals to go more MHz-modified radios, built antennas- used BBS in California to chat correspond with Bl;ll Cheek (authore of Scanner Modification Handbooks) I designed some circuits to do some stuff and had fun, but it evolved into more computer stuff than radio stuff.

Built a computer and computer to scanner interface to program the 2,500 channel scanner that started as a 300 channel scanner
--------------
1995/96 Got involved with MSN/Microsoft until 2007 - not much time for radios etc
2001 besides Microsoft/MSN Network Admin and Law Office Legal Assisting, I Started a computer design/MFG company that I had to close in 2007 when I retired
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2007 retired to take care of dad, 2008 dad passed away-took care of stuff
----
2009-2013
started remodeling house &, doing all the "when I get around to it list" I made up over 50 or so years of "never got around to it" items

got 6' C/KU Satellite dish put up last week, in process of setting it up, burying cables etc to it

Getting back into Kayak fishing and ... Getting a HAM license are on that list and I have cut out info from the Highland Lakes Ham club that does the class/test once a year or so (Will get a antenna/flagpole for kayak and waterproof radio)

One thing I noted, serial ports on many radios I have, and newer computers are USB .. I actually may need to rescue some old DOS computers ... I had an issue with an HD GeoSat MicroHD FTA Satellite receiver I needed to re-flash/program and oddly it had serial port on back, no USB, so I had to do some internal connections to make a USB cable and get software ...and it's brand new
===========================
2013, gonna be busy with Legislature watching and house stuff and spent over $10,000 on computers for relatives so they can call HP for in-home support instead of me ... should free up some more time

2014, Maybe I'll get around to it and have a license, probably no-code tech... if not, I'll try for 2025... or just wait till it goes the way of CB licenses like after TEOTWAWKI, no one will need one.

[The Annoyed Man]

My wife says I'm a ham, but I was born with it and didn't need to study or get a license.

[JALLEN]

W6OGC here, first licensed as KN5VET in 1959. I've built antennas, worked DX, edited a book, "DX IS!" with my brother, been an EC, Secretary/Trustee for a 1000 member repeater club, T-hunter, handled phone patches to VN in the '60's, met Barry Goldwater, been a VC of the ARRL, of which I am a life member.

I am antenna-less at the moment due to the hopefully impending sale of the house so I can come home. One vexing issue in buying our new home there is the pervasiveness of antenna restrictions.