First Blog Post: about myself and about what I do

Hello All,

My name is Christopher Durgan, and my amateur radio callsign is N2ASD.It stands for Norway Two Autism Spectrum Disorder. Suffering from that does not let my problems define who I am, and I live for the moment. I am glad to enjoy the company of my girlfriend, her blog is here. I am a college student with a unique talent for computers and my hobby, amateur radio.

Many people ask me what amateur radio is or do not understand it: I will give a short explanation about what it is. 
Quoted from the ARRL.org page about what amateur radio,

Ham Radio, also known as Amateur Radio is a popular hobby and a service in which licensed participants operate communications equipment with a deep appreciation of the radio art.  The unique hobby of Amateur Radio is a mix of fun, public service, and convenience. Although hams get involved for many reasons, they all have in common a basic knowledge of radio technology and operating principles, and pass an examination for the FCC license to operate on radio frequencies known as the "Amateur Bands." These bands are radio frequencies reserved by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for use by hams at intervals from just above the AM broadcast band all the way up into extremely high microwave frequencies.

It has a very rich history going back to the late 1900s with the works of Hiram Percy Maxim. I am interested  in the history of the hobby itself, as well as the equipment used in years past, as well as my personal thoughts that happen to occur relating to the hobby. I have been licensed since April 2010 with my original callsign, KC2YDY, but changed it a few months after obtaining my general class licence in June 2010. I have recently passed my amateur extra examination last December, but I am awaiting the FCC to grant me the license upgrade.

When I blog, I will usually talk about some of the recent contacts that I made, as well as my personal thoughts on things pertaining to the amateur radio hobby today, as well as the upcoming ARRL contests as they draw closer. I may also showcase and talk about equipment from the years past, as I do research on them.

Below is a picture of my setup that I am currently using; my HF radio is an Icom IC-725 Transciever that covers 160M-10M (1.8-30Mhz.) (Which was gladly donated by Chris (KB2ZAW), my Astron 25A Switching Power Supply, and my LDG IT-100 Autotuner. It transmitts out anywhere between 10 to 100W.

I use a G5RV Jr. antenna that was made by W8AMZ, which I have it raised up to about 24' above my house. It Covers 10M-40M, which is a letdown, but for the space I have, it works.

and lastly, when I am away from my parent's house I bring a 2M (144-148 Mhz.) portable handheld tranciever with me, and my Icom ICV82 fits the bill as a powerful 7.5W on the 2M band, which can hit quite a few of the local repeaters with a Smiley Super Stick II antenna.

Today, I made contact with about a 65 year veteran of the hobby, Richard (W2EZB), from New Hartford, NY on 40M, about 90 miles away from where I live. It was nice being able to talk to an operator who has had so much experience from it.

Thank you for reading!
This is N2ASD. Clear for the night.