Updated, as of Jan. 12, 2025
I was licensed JE1BQE in 1971, and JA9QZH in 1976, respectively. There were many HAM Radio Operators to enjoy 50MHz Band in the 1970's, who were mostly junior high school or high school students. I used to enjoy talking with them when I was a boy, too.
In my Amateur 2nd-Class Radio Operator license in the 1970s, the maximum output power allowed in the 50MHz Band was 50 watts. If I had a Amateur 1st-Class Radio Operator license, the maximum output power allowed in the 50MHz Band was 50 watts at that time.
I upgraded my license to Amateur 1st-Class Radio Operator in 1983. Currently, the maximum output power allowed in the 50MHz Band is 1000 watts with Amateur 1st-Class Radio Operator license, and 200 watts with Amateur 2nd-Class Radio Operator license.
I am an active member of SMIRK (Six Meter International Radio Klub).
[6m Band is very Mysterious !] I have been enjoying HAM Radio from Overseas. I received JE1BQE/DL licence in West Germany in 1976, but 6m Band could not use 6m Band in Europe in 1970's. I activated HAM Radio from Saipan (KK6RT/KH0, KH0/JE1BQE) in 1992 for 4 days. I could not hear any signals on 6m Band during the first 3 days, but 6m Band opened between Japan and Saipan on the 4th day, and I could have QSOs with more than 200 stations. 6m Band was very mysterious.
I am looking forward to having a QSO with you from my other HAM Radio Stations, which are JD1BOO station on Ogasawara Island and HL3ZCG in Daejeon (Korea).
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In my hobby of "amateur radio", I like to communicate by telegraphic communication using the most basic modulation, the dah-di Morse code, which communicates by interrupting the transmitted carrier wave. This is similar to communication by wolfsbane (wolf smoke). When you are communicating by voice into a microphone and suddenly the propagation of the radio wave becomes poor and it becomes difficult to hear the other party's voice, you can switch your voice to Morse code and continue communicating with the other party as if a light had just gone on in the dark night.
When I visited West Germany in 1976, Sigi (DK9FN), Bernhard (DF5FJ), and Holger (DF2FQ) took me to the Seligenstadt Amateur Radio Club (DOK F38, DK0RA). This was my first visiting the foreign amateur radio club. When I arrived at the DK0RA club house, Hans (DJ3QT) talked to me "Welcome to our club." by the Morse code stricken with the key connected to the audio monitor there.
Usually, when I communicate in Morse code, I use my home made Electronics Key by combining logic ICs to produce accurately 1:3 ratio of short to long dots, but sometimes I use a "Straight Key," which is used by a person called a "grasshopper with rice" to hit short and long dots. It is a Morse code with only "dah" and "di", but strangely enough, it still conveys emotion.
The left straight key was presented me by Dr. Karl-Heinz Ilg (DK2WV), who is one of my best friends, and is a famous DX Peditioner in the world. Vielen Dank, lieber Karl !
There are some community groups (clubs) for the person who loves Morse code communication. I am a member of "JARL A1 Club" (#1682), "Straight Key Century Club" (SKCC #3086), and "Quarter Century Wireless Association" (QCWA #28339) that consists of members who hold a current amateur radio license and held an amateur radio license 25 years ago or more.