My US radio license (NØWUD)

That was my uncle's farm near Spooner (WI) in the 80s
When I visited my relatives there, I usually had amateur radio equipment with me. Fortunately, there had never been any problems when entering the country. Because my hand luggage consisted of various devices and lots of cables, there were sometimes questions at customs ;-)

My packet radio equipment
Packet radio (PR) is a radio data network used by radio amateurs to exchange data worldwide. You need a radio with an antenna, a modem and a computer with the appropriate software. On the picture you can see my radio equipment. The radio network is by the way free of charge for the user and works with transmission rates between 1200bps and 19200bps. However there are also restrictions. For example, no messages with commercial content may be be distributed. Advertising is therefore prohibited.

The shack of my friend Ted
Ted had the callsign W9AEA (ex KE6WF) and has sadly passed away. I first met him through packet radio. He operated the local user access to the PR net and a repeater station for VHF voice radio (2m band).

Front view

Back view

My QSL card
Radio amateurs send each other cards to confirm their radio contacts. On the back side of these QSL cards all relevant data are noted, like callsign, name, location of the amateur radio station and date of the radio contact. The front side is usually decorated with a picture and the callsign. At radio competitions the QSL cards are scored and depending on the distance covered, points are awarded.

My American amateur radio license
The license examinations for the American amateur radio license also take place outside the territory of the USA. In general, anyone with English language skills and appropriate exam preparation can obtain the license, if he has a postal address in the USA.

For the thirtieth anniversary of my American amateur radio license I decided to study for an upgrade. After three weeks of intensive training, the time had come and I was able to pass the general license exam successfully. The picture shows me in the middle with the certificate and three of the examiners.
In March 2025, the time had come. I registered for the exam for the highest license class “Amateur Extra” and passed!

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