BIO: What radio means to me...

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 I got my interest in radio early in life.  I was never in the Boy Scouts, but used to play in an old radio station in Muscatine, Iowa when I grew up.  That station was the infamous KTNT Radio that was owned by Norman Baker.  After that the building became the Knights of Columbus.  And, after they left the facility it was a mess. In the mess I found an old trunk.  When opened it was full of old Boy Scout stuff like plaques, banners, and even some Boy Scout manuals.  In looking through the the manuals I stumbled across the directions of "How to Build a Crystal Radio".  And build it I did. Carboard tube, copper wire, copper strap to sweep the coil and all.  AND IT WORKED!  I was amazed and hooked all at once.  After that came a commercially made crystal radio kit that my parents got me for Christmas.  

  Then came CB radio and back in the day you could talk "Skip" and have a conversation with people far away, so the interest kept growing.  

  Years later I moved to Kansas.... Land of Tornados" (not Toto).  I became involved in amateur radio to help with weather spotting.  I didn't have my Novice ticket long (KBØHQV), and I got my code and Technician license. They called it a Tech Plus in the day.  I went on to be very involved in emergency communications and was the regional director of the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) for 3-1/2 years. I became the drive announcer for a 100,000 watt FM radio station and did that for a number of years while building a professional recording studio from the ground up.

  After moving back to my hometown of Muscatine, Iowa I didn't get a station setup, and didn't see much interest in ham radio. I was off-the-air for 17-18 years.  Then my son moved from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts and they had asked if we knew anyone that could help the boys get their Radio Merit Badge.  It all came back to me, I remembered how important that Boy Scout Manual was to me that I had found in the old trunk.  I remembered how radio found me, and how much it had influenced my whole life.  Soon after that I started building a station, got involved with the local amateur radio club.  Yesterday (1/14/2017), I went to a VE session and got my General ticket.  

 There is so much to do in amateur radio, but getting the younger generation involved is getting harder and harder every day.  Just like hunting, fishing, and a number of other great activities.  It's hard to compete with a couch and a controller.  We have to find a way!  Keep up the good fight my friends!

73 de Scott / NØMRZ