Five Watts and a Dipole: My Return to Ham Radio

In December 2020, I became an active ham again — after a 40-year absence from the hobby. And I am enjoying it more than I could ever have imagined.

My “ham history” dates back to the late 1960s, when I received my two-year, nonrenewable Novice Class license. My Novice call was WN9ZVL. When that license expired, I was off the air.

But in April 1971 — when I was a senior in high school — I took the General Class license exams (code and theory) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. At that time, you had to take the General Class exams in