I've been in the Ham world for about 10 years now and just renewed my license. You meet the nicest people and create lifelong friendships. Ham world and create lifelong friends.

For me it is about community, connection, and purpose. I struggled for a real long time to find my why. I believe everyone has or is still looking for their why and HAM radio is that vessel for me. My job is talking to Veterans everyday and as a Veteran myself we had community,

Licensed for less than a year, this new GSARA member has already jumped into breakfasts, meetings, POTA, Field Day, and the Jefferson campout—with goals of learning more about antennas, scratch-building equipment, and helping the club wherever needed.

I’m a strong believer that we are all students and always learning. I have been studying CW for the better part of the past year and still consider myself a novice. It’s an easy mode to learn and a hard one to master.

I'd have to offer a few pieces of advice to the new ham: First, DON'T BE SHY - "Be Brave!" (WM1H) Second, in this hobby, you are limited only by your imagination; finally, listen more than you talk. So much more can be learned from listening and observing what other club members offer.

Pete learned about GSARA after meeting Barry Whittemore N1FO at work and Billy Wagner WB1ADF (SK) who lived down the street from him in Manchester. Barry let Pete borrow a wire dipole and an Icom radio and strung it up in his backyard and kitchen where the radio speaker and calling Pete's old callsign KB1THU quickly rose to the top most hated electronic device by Pete's wife Yvonne.

I joined GSARA when covid was coming to an end. I had been joining in on the nightly net that had started. When I got to meet other members at a breakfast, it was like I new them for years. This has become a weekly thing for me, I look forward to going every week.

I have been a Ham for a little over a year and a half. It was February and I saw an add on Facebook for a home study to get a license. I don't do too much in the winter, and since I'm always looking to learn something new, I figured I'd give a it a try. My first radio was the ever popular Baofeng HT.

Amateur Radio can add a dimension to your life as very few vocations can. It can be shared with family, add career skills, build friendships, and provide leadership opportunities. Welcome aboard to new hams and smooth sailing for all!

If you are interested in this hobby, it has a lot to offer. There are many different activities and the learning is endless. I would also recommend that if you are a female, this hobby can be fun for you too.

My favorite part of ham radio is the community. You all are a wonderful group of people—some of you are casual operators, while others are more intense. Each person is interesting in their own way. I find all modes of communication fascinating, but my favorite is voice communication; I really enjoy the rag chews.

These days, I mostly enjoy SSB portable operation while participating in Parks On The Air (POTA). I enjoy building antennas based on designs created by other hams and taking them into the field. There’s still something fascinating about grabbing a radio, a battery, and an antenna I built myself,

heading out to a beach, forest, or mountaintop, setting up, and making contact with someone across the globe..

I joined GSARA shortly after obtaining my license, as well as another large ham club in the area. I usually attend meetings via Zoom, but occasionally pop in on the meetings in person. I also usually show up for the summer/winter field days.

In an earlier career, I was a liaison between the Nashua PD and the Bush (senior VP then) security detail. I met an FBI special agent in charge, and he saw I was drooling at the Communications van. I told him my interest in getting more into public safety radio and doing consulting.

I was originally licensed in Canada in 1991. After moving back to the USA, I earned my Technician license inI was originally licensed in Canada in 1991. After moving back to the USA, I earned my Technician license around 1997, upgraded to General in 2018, and then obtained my Amateur Extra license in December 2020.

I got started in Ham Radio as a teenage Boy Scout. My very first issue of Boy’s Life magazine had a cover picturing a ham operating a radio patch and an article about ham radio. [I still have that January 1959 issue]. I was hooked. I soon earned both the Radio and Electronics merit badges and was on my way to becoming an Eagle Scout. One of the scout leaders mentored me and I remember scavenging parts from old TV’s and radios to home-brew some rigs. After saving some money, we were off to Canal Street in New York City where I purchased a Gonset G33 general communications receiver, and a surplus ARC-5 transmitter.

You do not need a lot of fancy equipment to get on the air. Thanks to the HOA at our Texas house, I started with a very old, used Yaesu radio that I bought off of eBay and a reasonably inexpensive MFJ dipole that I had to hide.

Second, experimentation is key. I lost count of how many antennas and setups I tried while trying to “hide” mine or set up temporarily at a rental after first moving to New England.

I enjoy the technician portion of the 10-meter band and trying to contact people in as many different countries as possible. Mobile radio also appeals to me, and I look forward to experimenting with more portable setups, which will prove helpful in emergency communication situations.