I have been an active licensed Amateur Radio (Ham) operator since 1964, and I am currently most active using CW (Morse code) to communicate around the world. I just find that using CW has been more relaxing and also has the benefit of getting through under poor propagation conditions. I also operate on a number of digital modes for both weak signal transmission, along with old fashioned radio teletype.
Over the past five years I have become active using my 2 meter VHF station to bounce my signal off the moon and communicate with other moon bounce EME (Earth Moon Earth) enthusiasts around the world. My EME station is very modest my most standards, and I benefit from the much larger antenna arrays and more efficient equipment that the other stations are using.
This has all become possible over the past decade by the development of very specialized software which has the ability to extract and decode very weak signals over the 500,000 mile return path from the moon with signals far below the audible threshold of human hearing.
This software was developed by another ham, Dr. Joseph Taylor who is a well known astro physicist and holder of a Nobel prize in physics. Through his continuing work, the effectiveness of weak signal communications for meteor scatter, moon bounce, and propagation study has been greatly enhanced.
On the short wave bands, I have contacted stations in 361 countries, and continue to be active in chasing the rare ones on various parts of the radio spectrum.
I have been active in the public service aspect of Amateur Radio, holding the position of assistant radio officer for a county where I used to reside. We were active during local and national emergencies attending to the needs of Civil Defense, The American Red Cross, hospitals, and police departments.
