For radio buff Klin, life is dots, dashes

The American Radio Relay League Inc.

has recognized Rick Klin, owner of Tech Appliance & TV Repair

in Libby, for his excellence in Morse code communication.

For more than 55 years, Klin has been

using Morse code, American and International versions, to

communicate by the use of signals transmitted by sound.

One afternoon while playing at a

friend’s house as a young boy, Klin heard his first telegraph.

“First time I heard the “dits” and

“dahs” I was 6-years old,” Klin said. “I was fascinated because you

can communicate with people anywhere with these sounds.”

Klin’s interest in Morse code

escalated, driving him to find a book at his local library to

memorize the code, despite he had no telegraph of his own.

“My grandma tested me on the code after

I had it memorized,” Klin said. “I would answer her by saying how

many dots or dashes, short and long for letters.”

Klin failed his first Morse code test

at a local radio club. He learned the code visually and not by

sound, the test was impossible for him to complete.

The American Legion in his hometown of

Vincennes, Ind., offered Morse code classes. Klin signed up for the

class, not realizing the difficulty in unlearning the code he

already had memorized.

“It hindered my ability to learn the

code by sound after I had spent the time memorizing the code by

sight,” Klin said.

However, Klin passed his test and was

licensed as an amateur radio operator. Perfecting his skills in

Morse code, Klin began engineering his own instruments for the

purpose of communication.

Local residents are familiar with

Klin’s car, installed on the back bumper is a large antenna,

allowing him to use an electronic keyer in his vehicle. Klin has

the ability to communicate with people without taking his eyes off

the road.

“If my foot is on the pedal, my finger

is on the paddle,” Klin said.

Klin admits he keyes at work, in the

car and at home.

Challenging his skills, Klin has

mastered keying with two paddles simultaneously. He creates short

signals with one and long signals with the other. He attributes his

ability to communicate with two keyers because he uses the artistic

side of his brain.

Two members of the American Radio Relay

League Inc. have nominated Klin as a member. Since 1933,

approximately 6,000 people have been recognized as members, Klin

received his recognition Dec. 23.

For fellow amateur radio operators

interested in communicating with Klin, his operator number is

N7HRK, it is also imprinted on his automobile license plate.