Dad was a ham radio hobbyist
earning his first license at 14.
It was a happy time for me<\/p>\n\n\n\n
when Dad drove up
the winding dirt road
into the Oneonta Hills<\/p>\n\n\n\n
in his \u201951 Ford V8
where he did his radio checks
from the setup in the car:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Calling CQ, calling CQ.
This is W6ECM calling CQ.”
Two or three hams, always men,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
responded each time and Dad
and these voices in the night
compared notes about their gear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dad asked where they were calling from,
making notes in his log,
and there would be a sharing<\/p>\n\n\n\n
of new technical developments.
All the technical stuff
was over my head,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
but I was blown away
by my Dad’s radio voice,
so smooth and loud and confident<\/p>\n\n\n\n
unlike his voice at home
or in public settings.
This was the love of his life<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Oneonta Hills Dad was a ham radio hobbyistearning his first license at 14.It was a happy time for me when Dad drove upthe winding dirt roadinto the Oneonta Hills in his \u201951 Ford V8where he did his radio checksfrom the … Continue reading