During my college years, I went on a mission trip to Brazil. I worked with a missionary who was a ham radio operator. He lived in a remote town that had only one local phone operator. When I called to finalize our plans, I spoke to the town’s operator, who had to find him and relay the message.  Since she spoke limited English, she had to locate him to have him call me back.  The cost of phone calls was prohibitive.

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Thus, during my time in Brazil instead of calling my parents via phone, we communicated through ham radio instead. The missionary would connect with a special net that linked people worldwide to the U.S., coordinating with another ham radio operator to establish a connection. Once they agreed on a frequency, the U.S. operator would call my parents through a phone operator, allowing us to stay in touch.

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My return to college aligned perfectly with the launch of a college ham radio club, and I eagerly joined. Back then, passing the Morse Code section of the licensing test was mandatory, but despite my efforts, I struggled to decode the dots and dashes into letters and words. Years later, I was thrilled to learn that this requirement had been removed, allowing me to study and obtain my license. Unfortunately, my activities have been limited due to HOA restrictions, but I've recently discovered a group of Masons who host an annual competition called Masons on the Air each September. I’m excited about the possibility of arranging for my lodge to host one of the event sites next year.