Elmers make a difference

One evening, about 6 months ago, my wife and I had dinner at a
friend's home in Idaho. I knew he was active in the radio club at work
but hadn't really thought too much about it but was curious to see his
operating position.

At one point in the evening he was showing us his home and he briefly
showed me his modest station. I don't know what happened but from that
point I knew I wanted to become active in ham radio again after about
a 20 year break.

I thought my license had expired so I bought study guides to prepare
for the technician and general class exams. I studied hard for weeks.
Then, a few days before the exam I decided, on a whim, to check the
FCC database to see if I was still listed.

To my shock I discovered my license had not expired! So, I turned my
efforts toward upgrading to Extra Class. I passed on the first try and
couldn't wait to get on the air. Unfortunately I lost all my radio
gear somewhere between New England and the Pacific Northwest. My HW-9,
SWR meter, signal strength meter, multimeter, etc. were history.

That's where my Elmer came. He graciously loaned me his Icom
IC706MKII, 50 feet of coax and a balun to get me started.

The icing on the cake was changing my call from KG8DH to N7RCS in
honor of my Dad.

I've since joined the radio clubs at work and in town and am really
enjoying being back on the air again running QRP CW.

Elmers do make a difference. Thanks!