As a child, way back in the days, I started to listen to medium wave broadcasts on a handheld receiver which I got as a gift from my father. I remember I was lying under the blanket (late in the evening/night) with a flashlight, listening to music and strange languages.

Years went by and I kept listening and eventually bought a new radio when I was 16 years old. This radio (a Panasonic) was more advanced than the handheld and I could even listen to amateur radio traffic on SSB. When I was in the early twenties, I invested my money in a brand new Icom IC-R71, which was a total game changer. Now I was able to hear stations from South America on the 60-meter band with just a long-wire antenna. Such a thrill!

Now I'm 60+ years old and I still like to listen to radio and nowadays I'm also transmitting. I got my license in 1999 and have since then been into digital traffic, like APRS, PSK31, WSPR and lately also FT-8.