Biography

Hello friends !
How's everything going ?

Let me introduce myself.
My name is Shoichi Kimitsuka, I was born in 1948. ( Time really flies, doesn't it?! )
I still remember vividly how excited I was, when I made a ore radio and listening to it with a crystal earphone.
That was when I had just turned 10, in elementary school. I wondered how great the radio and radio waves are.

I'd like to look back fondly on those days.
In junior high school, I was what is called a radio-boy, liked making radios out of used vacuum tubes.
I obtained a license for beginner's amateur radio in 1964 when I was a 1st year high school student.
The call sign given was JA1SYC, I got hooked on Ham radio while in high school.

I, of course, made my own transmitter, receiver using some vacuum tubes and several transistors and so on.
It's an unforgettable memory that coming home, I took many hours late at night and finally completing them.
Even now, I've the feeling that it's very nostalgic and happy when I remember those days.


However, I didn't have time to work on Ham radio afterwards.

⇒ Fast forward to the 2010s ⇒


As the years went by after retirement, I really came to feel like doing Ham radio with all my heart.
You may be surprised to know that, by my count, I had indeed been away from Ham radio for almost half a century.
So I studied hard trying to get an advanced qualification if I was going to recommence Ham radio.
Studying in my older age was a little bit of a challenge, but I managed to pass the exam in 2017. The call sign given was JI1KEH.
I'm so happy to finally come back in this Ham radio world.

First and foremost, I decided look at what equipment(and their performance) are on the market right now.
I was blown away by how great the current products are. They've more features and performance than expected.
It's no longer possible to try to make such a high-performance transceiver by myself.
I liked making my own, so I decided to put up my own antenna no matter what.
I considered a lot where and how to build the antenna because my house and site are too small.

Furthermore, my wife said, " It's dangerous, don't go up onto the roof. "


" What am I gonna do ?!! "


After an uphill struggle, I managed to put up a hand-made dipole antenna using the laundry pole on my balcony.
I made my own antenna with a single feed in dual band ( 14MHz & 21MHz ).
You can think of it as just an antenna, but for me it's home-brew, which makes me happy.


It was over my budget, but I decided to bite the bullet and purchase a brand new Yaesu FT-991 transceiver.
And I'd like to add that was luckily to find out that I can switch to my original call sign( JA1SYC ).
The original call sign feels nostalgia and reminds me of my happy old days, so I've been using it since April 2020.

It's been several years since I restarted Ham radio, and it's as exciting as I expected to be. I'm really glad that I did.
Most impressive of all, I'm fascinated by the charm of the radio waves that sometimes reach tremendously far.
And it's wonderful to be able to talk to someone I have never met. Exactly I am thrilled to do Ham radio.


I keep the following in mind.

I'm almost a beginner and I'm humbled by Ham operators who have been in the hobby for so long.


I've loved summer since I was little and I used to swim in pools, rivers and oceans every summer in youth.
This picture shows hibiscus blooming on my balcony in summer. I've raised them with great care.
I truly like hibiscus especially because they bloom soaking up lots of sunshine during my favorite summer season.
They begin to bloom early in the morning and wilt in the evening. The flowering time is so short.(Beauty is fleeting.)
I'm entirely fascinated by the hibiscus flowers spreading their flowers to their fullest on a midsummer day.


As I get older I'm fairly surprised to find new little beauty in the small scenery around me. It's new touching, I suppose.
I'm really impressed when I see a tiny flower I don't even know the name of ,blooming hard braving the winds and rain.
I got into Ham radio again later in life, but I enjoy it a great deal.
I'd like to stay young at heart and have a little curiosity!

I would love to continue to enjoy my life and my hobby, Ham radio.


If you have read this far thank you so much.
I'm looking forward to maybe having a QSO with you sometime in the not too distant future.
I wish you all the best!

Equipment

Transceiver ; Yaesu FT-991 (100W )
Antenna 1 ; Inverted V Dipole / hand-made ( 14MHz & 21MHz ) 10mH ( at the feed point )
Antenna 2 ; Inverted U Dipole / hand-made ( 7MHz & 50MHz ) 10mH ( at the feed point )