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Speak Out: Your Funniest Ham Story?

A contributor asks, “What is the funniest thing that has happened to you (or someone that you know), on or off the air involving Amateur Radio?”

26 opinions on this subject. Enter your opinion at the bottom of this page.
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Opinions...

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KB3HWQ on 2005-11-24
After getting flustered in the middle of the first time I took my code test I started to "guess" and "fill in the blanks" of what was being sent. I went back and tried to remember what I thought I heard and what was sent and decided to give up and hand it in. In the middle of two what would have been passing runs of code, I had left a letter that I "wished in" so both runs were one letter short. Ultimately I passed this somewhere else later but had to go back to this place to sit for my Extra. As I walked in the VECs remembered me and welcomed me back as "the guy who hears things".

KX8N on 2005-11-24
"Capt Al * KF4CJG* started calling Rick
* FAT MAMAS BOY *over the Repeaters ,where ever he heard him."

You know, although that's a really sad situation, it's a little humorous thinking of a guy in his late 80's calling another ham "fat mamas boy". I guess you can push anyone too far.

K0RFD on 2005-11-23
I don't know whether this story is funny or just "small world".

I was testing out a newly homebrewed hexbeam one evening on 20M, and my first contact was a KL7, also on a hexbeam, in North Pole, Alaska.

Since North Pole isn't one of those places you encounter very often, I felt compelled to tell the guy that I actually KNEW another guy in North Pole, a former tenor sax player in an oldies band I played in about 15 yrs ago. I told the other Ham that the guy I knew was an octane technician in the chemistry lab of an oil refinery in North Pole. Well, it turned out that the Ham not only knew my friend, he worked in the same lab, at the same refinery, next bench over.

Small world, for sure. Funny? Well, maybe only to me. But I sent them both cards. My old friend said to the other Ham, "Yeah, I could see Ralph being involved in something like Ham radio."

If he only knew...

N3EG on 2005-11-23
I was a new Tech back in 1975, and I had been recalled to take the test in person. In those days, that meant sitting at the FCC office and passing 5 words per minute and the theory in front of the head local FCC guy. I was in the waiting room, and the secretary yells out my callsign and says "You have a phone call."

Wondering who would call me at an FCC office, I picked up the phone and answered.

"Earl, you're going to fail your test!" said the disguised voice. "HA HA HA HA HA!!!"

It was the local repeater jammer.

Not only did I pass, but I came 5 characters short of upgrading to Advanced that day...

N2HBX on 2005-11-23
Each year, the Orange County ARES/RACES group handles the Tailgate Operations at the Orlando HAMCATION.

A bunch of us were manning the entrance gate last year on Saturday morning when an attendee, obviously in a hurry, passed through the gate, waved his ticket at Steve, N4OFL, our AEC of Operations, and said, "Here's my ticket". Steve replied, "Looks OK to me!" and the fellow went on his way.

Steve is blind.

Needless to say, every time someone spoke the phrase, "Looks OK to me!" for the rest of the event, we were hysterical.

K4EQ on 2005-11-23
We were missionaries in Honduras in the 70s and 80s back before the Internet. While living in Costa Rica for language study, a missionary couple from Canada who lived in the apartment above us asked me to phone patch them to their parents in Alberta. That evening I explained how it was one way at a time and when they were done talking they would have to say "over."

Both were very nervous about this, since it was the first time they had talked on the radio. We contacted Becky's parents first. She talked for a bit, but when it was time to say "over" she got frustrated and couldn't remember what to say. She went, "Um...ah...ah...um." Then, in near tears, she blurted out a fine missionary, "AMEN!" Hey, you end prayer that way, why not a phone patch transmission?

My wife and I nearly rolled on the floor with laughter.

--Dale, K4EQ

RobertKoernerExAE7G on 2005-11-22
I used to hang out on 10 meters with WB1AUL, WB1AUV, and my call was WB1AUW. We all took the same ham class, and upgraded at the FCC field office at the same time.

In order to reduce the confusion other stations would have, AUV signed as Alpha United Victor, AUL was Americaï¿½s Ugliest Lover, and I was Awful Uncle Wily.

What was funny was American hams telling us to use standard phonetics. Weï¿½d politely inform them that this was a WB1AU net. Only WB1AU stations could make net decisions.

Bob

KG4YJR on 2005-11-22
One day I heard a guy get yelled at (or dumped) by his girlfriend on the local repeater using autopatch. He sounded like he was trying to impress her at first saying "Guess what?...I'm calling you with my radio", she said, "Your such an idiot!" and hung up on him.
He even verified it on the air by saying, "I can't believe she just hung up on me" to anyone and everyone who was listening and probably laughing their rears off.

73
Dave

N6YE on 2005-11-22
When I upgraded to General Class back in 1961, I went to the FCC Office in NYC. As any of the old timers in the NYC area know, you had to deal with Mr. Finklestein at 641 Washington Street. He was a real piece of work!
When my name was called he told me to get the form 610 Notarized! Not knowing what that meant, I asked him if my mother could do that. He said, "I don't know kid, is your mother a notary public? My brilliant answer was "NO, SHE'S A DEMOCRAT!!!!

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