A Code Convert

The following was submitted to the ARRL magazine - QST - for publication in their "Celebrating our Legacy" column.

The Morse Code requirement to be a ham had kept me away from the hobby until the early 90’s when they added the Technician No-Code license.  When I heard the code requirement was dropped, I quickly started studying for the test.  I was very content with being a “no-code tech” and I enjoyed the benefits of 2-meter FM and a little segment of 10-meter phone.  I had never been interested in learning code.

 It was only a few months after receiving my amateur radio license, when I was invited to my Uncle Al’s house where a bunch of hams crowded around equipment in the lower level.  The smell of warm electronics and the sharp tones of Morse code filled the room. Yes, it was a CW contest – the first I ever experienced. 

 I didn’t know how to decipher the dits and dahs jumping out of the speaker and was intrigued by the fact that these folks were communicating and using a whole other language to do so! After watching the intensity of the operation, the pile up of stations trying to call, and the fast pace of contacts, I was suddenly motivated and wanted to join in on the action!  In the next 20 months, I eventually passed my 5, 13 and then 20 WPM test and have been enjoying CW ever since.  I owe it all to K9XR for exposing me to this aspect of the hobby and have had some of the most enjoyable experiences with CW.