N9lem is located in the city of
West Chicago, in DuPage County Illinois.
My interest in radio began with the purchase of a low power cb walkie talkie in the late 6o's and progressed from there into base station operation. I started listening to fire and police dispatchers on tuneable radios until scanners came on the market. I became a ham radio operator immediately after the morse code requirements were dropped. Once my interests were peaked I learned the code and upgraded to technician plus. My next goal is to upgrade to my general class license. My interests are mainly 2 meter, packet radio
, and Vhf Uhf Scanning. I became a police and fire dispatcher for the Village of Winfield , in 1972 where I was certified in Emergency Police and Fire Communications by Illinois Local Government Law Enforcement Officers Training Board. I later dispatched and assisted in training new dispatchers for DU-COMM, a regional 9-1-1 center in DuPage County. The 9-1-1 center handles 9-1-1 service for approximately 600,000 persons in DuPage County. Its one of the largest 9-1-1 centers in Illinois. My basic training for police and fire dispatching was learned from ham radio operators working with Office of Emergency Management, which at the time was known as the DuPage County Civil Defense. I was trained as a certified Advanced Severe Weather Spotter by the National Weather Service - Chicago, Illinois.
Over the years I have worked as an Auxiliary Police Officer for the Glen Ellyn Police Department. I was also trained by the West Chicago Fire Department as a firefighter.
I just finished working as the Airport Security Supervisor at The DuPage Airport in West Chicago, Illinois. Currently I have the privilege of working in the security department at Beacon Hill Retirement Community in Lombard Illinois.
IT'S OFFICIAL! MORSE CODE REQUIREMENT ENDS FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23
Circle Friday, February 23, on your calendar. That's when the current 5 WPM
Morse code requirement will officially disappear from the Amateur Radio
Service Part 97 rules. Effective that date, applicants for a General or
Amateur Extra class Amateur Radio license no longer will have to demonstrate
proficiency in Morse code. They'll just have to pass the applicable written
examination. Federal Register publication January 24 of the FCC's Report and
Order (R&O) in the "Morse code proceeding," WT Docket 05-235, started a
30-day countdown for the new rules to become effective.
