Radio Operator

Wow! Yesterday was the first day of my new blog, and I have been having so much fun writing in my blog. Anyway, I realized that I forgot to mention that I am a radio operator. It all started when I was a young girl. I started listening to the Shortwave radios, as my dad got me a Grundig, and it was wonderful. I began to exchange QSL cards from all over the world, and had a collection of over 200 in a year's time. I listened to music and news shows from all over the world, and learned so much! Later, when I was living in Texas, I decided to get my license as a radio operator. There are many levels of licenses. The first one is the novice license and that required that I pass Morse Code, and boy was that hard to learn. I remember the day that I was tested. I was sitting in a room with three instructors...that was making me nervous. I had to put on head phones and translate onto paper all of the Morse Code that I was hearing. Well, needless to say I passed and my call sign became KD5TMN. I then went back to get my Technician's license...I had to learn a huge manual, and then finally I got my General Class License which gave me the capability to contact people from all over the world with my transceiver. That was back in 2002. Then when I came to Ireland after marrying Joe, we lived in Fintown, which was a lovely village located on Lough Finn. Our home was idyllic. I set up a radio station there. The wire was hooked up from the radio and led all the way to a pole on the property, and boy could I get great reception with that antenna. My Irish call sign was EI5JU, and that was exciting when I got that one. There is nothing as wonderful as talking to someone who lives in another country and making friends from all over the world. There is a whole radio language to learn and it is so much fun using all the terminology.I decided when we came back to Ireland to retire that I would not continue my radio hobby. There are so many storms and high winds in Donegal County, and of course that causes problems with the antenna. I will never forget my times on the radio though, and I am very proud that I became a General Class radio operator.