Photo of Gianna Pratten Hi, I'm Gianna Pratten /JAN-Nha Prat-ten/
Calling all Ham Radio operators!
Photo of the cover of the ninth edition of the Canadian Ham Radio study guide. Photo of the cover of the ninth edition of the Canadian Ham Radio study guide.

CQ CQ CQ ...

I recently began studying for my Ham Radio license, with a goal of having my license by the end of 2025. My son, Evan, obtained his Basics with Honours license in 2020. I have often thought that it would be nice to also have a license so that I could communicate with him, regardless of what was happening in the world. Power outage? No problem! Connect via radio.

The The London Amateur Radio Club is full of kind and welcoming members and I am pleased to count myself as a member since March 2025. I have been occassionally joining them for their weekly "Hams and Eggs" breakfast on Saturday mornings.

Calling CQ at the London Amateur Radio station for the first time.
My first time on air occured on May 18, 2025. One week each May is dedicated as EMS week in North America and our local club annually holds the callsign VC3EMS for this week. Mike (VE3ACW) gave me a short primer on how to operate in this particular EMS special event, and I made some contacts. It was lots of fun to participate and have that first on-air experience.