My Journey In Amateur Radio
2026-02-16 11:14:35
My Amateur Radio Journey
I began my journey in amateur radio during high school, where several friends and I joined the school’s Amateur Radio Club. Our mentor was Andy Washy, K2ISN, a speech therapist at the school who generously shared his time and knowledge with us. We met a few nights each week, both at school and at his home ham shack. Under his guidance, we all earned our Technician Class licenses.
In those early days, we each bought old police and railroad radios, which we converted for use on the 2-meter band. Those projects and late-night sessions with Andy gave us a strong foundation in radio theory and hands-on experience. It was an exciting time of learning and experimentation. Although most of my friends eventually moved on to other interests, I remained deeply connected to the hobby.
During college and the busy years that followed—balancing work and raising a family—my involvement in amateur radio faded into the background. But once the kids were grown and on their own, I found myself drawn back to the hobby that had inspired me as a teenager. I joined the Rochester Amateur Radio Club, where dedicated volunteer instructors helped me advance through the licensing ranks to earn my Amateur Extra Class license.
One of those instructors, Tim Magee (WB2KAO), taught my Morse code classes, and we’ve remained close friends ever since. Today, Tim and I co-host the WB2KAO 85 Ragchew Net, which operates weekly on his Rochester repeater as well as on AllStar, EchoLink, and DMR.
In retirement, I’ve had the time and freedom to explore even more aspects of amateur radio. I’ve built several AllStar nodes, created analog-to-DMR bridges, and even set up my own HBLink server. My interest in coding has led me to develop custom DMR hotspots, a dedicated logging system for the Ragchew Net, and websites for both the Net and related projects.
My point is this: amateur radio is always there for you. It’s a hobby with endless opportunities for learning, creativity, and connection. You never have to stop exploring—and you’ll never run out of things to discover.