K3WWP's CW Stories

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Bill - AA0RQ

In 1985 I divorced my wife and she took the three kids out of state to Florida. My son Ben was eight years old. He came to visit me the next summer. I had a computer in my office that had a CW learning program on it. Ben studied the code and passed his novice license when in Colorado visiting me. I sent him home with an HW-9 QRP rig.

I remember hearing my son say "I love you dad" via Morse code, the tears fell down my face. That was the most important QSO of my life. Ben is a grown man today and is a certified electrician. His call is KC4MJB and a CW lover just like his dad.

CW was our main method of communicating while Ben was young. He could say anything to me he wanted and the other people in his room could not tell what he was saying to his dad. He enjoyed that freedom and of course so did I.

Years later Ben said to me, "Dad I don't know what life would have been like, without CW and ham radio". I responded, "Son, a lot different, a lot different". I quietly thought to myself, I don't know if I could of gotten through all those years without ham radio myself. For me, ham radio was not just a hobby, it was a passion and I was darn lucky to have a passion during those lonely years without my kids. On second thought, ham radio was a way of life.

When you are through reading this page, close this window to return to the Stories index - or - click here to go to my home page if you came here from elsewhere.