NSØO Chester P. 'Chet' Morris Kingman, AZ QCWA # 36823 Chapter 16

I got into Amateur Radio through Verle (Moe) Francis WØSZF, whom I was continually pestering about radios and antennas, as I was an avid SWL.WØSZF was retired from BNSF RR, having been a station agent, taking down BNSF train orders and Western Union telegrams, sometimes simultaneously. In addition, Moe was fluent in American Morse, and a First Class Radiotelephone License holder, having transferred to signals, and setting up the BNSF microwave backbone system.

In 1983, Moe persuaded me to take Novice classes, after which I passed 5wpm code, and the Novice exam, given to me by Cliff Murray WBØWVE, and was issued KAØPVY, which I held through upgrading to Advanced, later that year, with 20wpm code endorsement. In 1986, I upgraded to Amateur Extra.

Having learned Morse code from an experienced master, I continued cw, starting with straight keys, then keyer/paddles, then semiautomatic bugs. I didn't have a rig that would put out a phone signal until I made Extra, and even after I did, and owned a microphone, didn't use it very much.

I did have vhf/uhf, operating mobile off repeaters generally. While in Kansas, I managed to make a few Field Day ops, once when I was a new Novice, then later with the Trojan Amateur Radio Club of Colby, KS, where I mainly ran cw.

November 27, 2015