This is my ham radio story. I was first licensed as an amateur radio operator in 1976. Back then, there were at least four classes of licensing, and all classes required the ability to send and receive morse code. "wpm" is "words per minute".

Class	Speed
Novice	5 wpm
General	13 wpm
Advanced	13 wpm
Extra	20 wpm

I studied and practiced morse code and was able to get to 13 wpm. but lost interest before getting to 20 wpm. I had no trouble with the written exam, and received an advanced license with the call sign WB5RIX. I had a handheld transceiver with which I talked with a few of my ham buddies. Unfortunately, I also lost interest in amateur radio about that time. However, I kept my license up-to-date, renewing every 10 years.

In 2024, I was watching "Only Murders in the Building", and one of the subplots included residents of a New York apartment building using ham radios to communicate with each other. It got me to thinking about getting back into ham radio. By this date, morse code was no longer required, so I took the "extra" test on March 1, 2025 and passed. With an extra license, I was eligible for a 4-character call sign. They are all in use, but some become available occasionally. The have to be requested on the day they become available, and a lot of people apply for each one. After applying three times, I was given the call sign "N5BK".

By the way, there are only three classes of license now: Techician, General, and Extra.

I set up a ham radio station in my home and also got a portable radio to use while traveling. I've been able to contact people from all over the world, including Canada, Mexico, quite a few countries in South America, Japan, Austrailia, New Zealand, Africa, many countries in Europe, and Russia.