[ILHam] Amateur radio is exec's first love - Chicago Tribune, Dec. 14, 2002

[Mike D.]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-0212140233dec14,1,4953969.story?c
oll=chi%2Dbusiness%2Dhed

MY TECH

Amateur radio is exec's first love
Alex L. Goldfayn. Alex L. Goldfayn is a Buffalo Grove-based writer

December 14, 2002

Buzz Patterson's life is full of high-tech tools typical for an executive on
the go: desktop and laptop computers, a Handspring PDA and six e-mail
addresses that correspond to the various interests in his life.

One of those addresses is designated for the communication hobby he has
invested time and money into for nearly 40 years: amateur radio.

"I started when I was 14 with equipment that was older than me," he said.

Patterson's car, a Buick Park Avenue, is outfitted with several thousand
dollars' worth of ham radio equipment, and he has a half-dozen radios at
home.

"There's a certain amount of thrill in communicating with somebody you don't
know. It's all unplanned."

Like Internet chat rooms?

"Not exactly," Patterson said. "It takes a lot of commitment to get into
amateur radio."

In order to receive a government-issued call sign (Patterson's is K9LT), one
has to pass a test that covers radio theory and practice and, for many
license classes, Morse code.

And unlike cell phones--where voice transmissions are connected via cellular
towers--many ham radios bounce their signals off the atmosphere. That means
a variety of factors affect reception, including the time of day, the time
of year and the sunspot cycle.

"A lot of times I just listen. You listen more than you talk," Patterson
said.

And what does his wife, Carol, think about his hobby?

"I knew my hobby first," he answered, laughing. "She had to accept me with
it. It keeps me out of bars."

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Contact alex@tekTOUR.com.


Copyright � 2002, Chicago Tribune


73 de Mike, N9BOR
A-1 FISTS MAC SMC ZUT
http://www.qsl.net/n9bor

di dah dit - The only Roger Beep you'll ever need.
Let your fingers do the talking -- Morse code.
My designated driver is a 12BY7A.