Originally licensed in 2007 as KD0CJM, I quickly realized a general class license would benefit me greatly! I studied, passed and figured “I’ll never need one of THOSE vanity callsigns. Those guys are pretentious!”
Then, one fateful day, I saw it… And it was available… and I knew it had to be mine. I filed the appropriate paperwork, waited a bit and voila! K0WTF was re-born.
My early Amateur Radio career involved some volunteer work with the local ARES chapter (Pikes Peak ARES) providing mission support for the Salvation Army, Pikes Peak Ascent, and others.
I “put the hobby away” for a while as I admittedly grew increasingly frustrated with the lack of younger people in the hobby (I was commonly the youngest person in the room by a few decades.) Luckily, a friend of mine drug me kicking and screaming into a discord server where there’s a group of younger, like minded hams.
More recently, I serve as the secretary of the Pikes Peak Radio Amateur Association.
Aspects of the hobby I’m in to:
Emergency Communications, Skywarn, APRS, FT8 (and other digital modes), Radio Direction Finding, Kit Building, Alternative Power Solutions, Repeater Maintenance, and a few others I’m sure I’m neglecting to mention.