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Welcome to my Ham Shack.

My interest in Ham Radio started when my father bought us a boom box with short wave tuning. I was so amazed when I turn the dial and hear transmissions from far away places. Imagining that this person can be on the other side of the globe was exciting. If riding a bicycle gave me a chance to see more places, having this SWL radio gave me the access to hear the world!
Later after a couple of months my father came back after picking up my mother from work a book regarding Ham Radio. He purchased it from the US base commissary.
The cover had this Drake transceiver on someone�s ham shack. I saw radio transmitters the first time in my life! Radios with a microphone. Pieces of metal boxes with numerous knobs and switches. I imagined that people that I heard from my radio might be using the same pieces of equipment pictured in my book.
My quest started. I needed to be on air too. Not only that I want to hear more; I also wanted to be heard. Heard by the radio operators I listen to. Bought my first transmitter from a flea market. It was a CB radio. With that piece of box I was heard for miles. Gained lots of new friends. Lost a lot of sleep. Wow! Learned a lot about radios. Started making my own antennas from wires I gathered from my fathers �Bodega�. Warehouse that holds equipment from my fathers construction business.

Eventually my brother and I were able afford a VHF handheld talkie. Since I was studying electronics back in school, I already had an idea how these things work. I had an easy time passing the technicians class license. But I knew that Global is what I had in mind. VHF is just local. I pushed myself to learn Morse code. Night and day I kept on listening to code I made using a tone generator. It seems that learning code is no easy task. After days of practicing, I got hold of a PC program that converts letters or words into code. Same thing but there was a technique! You don�t just start memorizing from letter A up to Z. There is a set of letters you have to recognize. Set of characters that should be listened to together. With that technique, I learned to decode at 15 words per minute. Took the test after 3 days and got my General Class License. I am now given the privilege to be heard around the world.
Made a lot of contacts and now trying to integrate new technology with amateur radio. Just a few days ago I heard a local repeater here in California linked with a repeater in Sydney Australia via Internet. Wow!