DX Engineering Welcomes 14 New Hams to the Hobby

After several weeks of study, plenty of practice tests, and a six-hour teaching session led by longtime operators, 14 employees of DX Engineering and Summit Racing earned their FCC Technician licenses on March 17—indeed a lucky day for Amateur Radio.

DX Engineering holds “Ham in a Day” events as an opportunity for new employees who work behind the scenes to become licensed like the DX Engineering team, who have logged many decades as active Hams.

“As DX Engineering continues to grow to meet the needs of our customers, we believe it’s important for everyone here, regardless of their position, to be licensed and understand why Amateur Radio is so important to the people we serve,” says Tim Duffy K3LR, DX Engineering Chief Operating Officer.

DX Engineering Operations Manager Cory Gibson, W3CDG, who coordinated the event, says Ham Radio provides the new licensees, such as DX Engineering’s Joe Wolfe, KE8JFP, and Paige Peachey, KE8JFT, with valuable technical knowledge, as well as endless possibilities for fun, community service and exploration.

“Ham radio has so many different facets that there is something for just about everyone,” he says. “I originally got into Ham radio for the emergency communications aspect, but have found an outlet for trying new technical things, such as designing antennas, programming and data analysis of radio propagation. Not to mention making a lot of new friends from around the world!”

Gibson led the first teaching session on electrical components, Ohm’s Law and testing equipment. Other sessions were conducted by members of the Portage County (Ohio) Amateur Radio Service (PCARS). The club, which includes many DX Engineering employees, was named the 2018 Dayton Hamvention Club of the Year. The PCARS volunteer examiners administered the official test for participants.

The new Hams expressed an eagerness to dive headfirst into the hobby.

“I decided to get my Ham license out of my admiration of the hobby and the enthusiasts who made me get excited about it,” says Katie Rockman, KE8JGA. “I love the camaraderie, fellowship and willingness to help and share knowledge with others. This has been a huge learning experience, and I hope to continue to learn and get my General license with the help of PCARS!” 

For Steve Swisher, KE8JFQ, obtaining an Amateur Radio license was something he had thought about since receiving a multi-band shortwave radio from his globetrotting uncle as a youth.

“My neighbor and I were really into our walkie talkies growing up,” Swisher says. “My dad bought me the old large two-channel Midlands. I soon installed the crystals to add the second channel to carry out our covert neighborhood missions. That kind of put the Ham Radio license on my bucket list to do someday and I just never got to it. Well, the ‘Ham in a Day’ event dropped the perfect opportunity in my lap to check off one more item on my list.”

He plans on getting a small radio to hone his on-air skills and has his sights set on loftier objectives: “My goal is to one day contact the International Space Station and speak to one of the crew.”

Ultimately, Ham in a Day events show DX Engineering’s unwavering commitment to the hobby and our customers, Duffy explains:

“Efforts like this also go a long way toward building excitement about Amateur Radio and ensuring that it will remain vital and alive well into the future. And we remain dedicated to providing our customers with a true team of Hams looking out for their needs.”