[2024] Free Radio for Your Friend

- From Larry to Marlene

"Marlene Bryant is my sister and lives in the hurricane belt of southern GA. While one has not hit her place directly, she often loses power. When the power goes out it may be for a few hours or a few days. She married Tim Bryant this past June (6/22/24) and now they are both experiencing blackouts quite often with the hurricanes and wild storms that have been occurring this fall. An emergency radio would be perfect for her. I have been urging her to purchase one since she moved down there some 20 years ago."

- From Harry to Ann

"Ann takes part in Emergency Preparedness and this radio will help her in her quest to be there for others."

- From Robert to Jackson

"My nephew is a very nice young man. He goes to school online at home but is very much interested in connecting with the world. Getting into the ham radio hobby or gmrs hobby would be a great way for him to connect with those outside his home. Also he has a scientific mind and I could see him using a radio in conjunction with his love of geology when he's out hunting or hounding for rocks and gems. It would be a good way to exercise both body and mind and when he became proficient enough he could communicate with his grandfather and uncle (me) through repeaters or Sunday they became a ham through HF radio. I think an FRS or gmrs radio would be a great first step so that he can learn how to access repeaters and what is possible through ham radio. It also would be a good emergency tool for him in case he ran into trouble while he's out rockhounding. Have a great day and thank you for this raffle."

- From Adam to Owen

"I would love to get my son, Owen, involved with ham radio. I know that it will take him awhile to learn all the material, but I am hoping to get him started into the hobby by sharing the love of wireless communications through a mode such as FRS or GMRS."

- From Stacey to Michael

"This is my husband who found an interest in Ham radios. I was a single mother when we met and Mike took on the role of being my son’s father and helping out with expenses, which meant his hobby was put on hold for many years. Here we are almost 12 years later, Mike is now on disability, my son has moved out and started his own family and we still can’t afford the radios for him to get back into his hobby. I have purchased one radio for him from Radioddity on a payment plan that took me almost a full year to pay off. I just cannot afford to do that again at this time. We have to borrow others radios and he has to make his own antennas. Mike has joined the local ham radio club and has taken on the vice president role. I do feel that if he is going to promote Ham radios that he should have one of his own and not borrowing from others. "

- From Jordan to Yvonna

"Me and my wife go hiking, fishing, offroading, and just flat out exploring. Alot of the time we don't have service in these areas in the mountains of Kentucky. I carry a GM-30 Plus with me to connect to our local 75 mile repeater for emergency comms and i like having the gps positioning. I think it would be great if my wife/best friend had a GM-30 Plus as well!"

(Feedback from Jordan)

- From Glen to Rachel

"This is my daughter, who lives a short distance away in Pearl River County, Mississippi. Our local radio club is getting ready to install a GMRS repeater in the City of Picayune, MS, so members of the community can have a way to reach out to emergency services through other local radio operators active during hurricanes and other weather disasters. I hold ham and GMRS licenses, but I am with the local ARES group that works with the local EOCs to provide emergency comms when cell and internet services are down. Since I hold a GMRS license, I can share the callsign with other family members. I want her to have a way to reach out as there are also her husband and four children involved. She is also a schoolbus driver for the local community. There are sections of her route that have no cellphone coverage. Having a GMRS radio available to her could be valuable if something were to happen to her and a bus load of children where she could not make a phone call."

(Feedback from Glen)

- From Luke to Mike

"You can always find Mike in the community helping out. Sometimes he's a Watch DOG at a school, sometimes he's making events happen, and he's often even been the mascot! He does radio for the good of his family and community and I'd love to see him surprised!"

(Feedback from Luke)

- From Scott to Kelley

"I'd like to submit my daughter Kelley as a potential recipient of a Radioddity GMRS radio. Kel has never been 'bitten by the radio bug' like her dear old Dad here, but always been lovingly tolerant of my hobby in ham and GMRS radio. When Hurricane Helene recently ravaged our area at the end of September, Kelley and her family (including my granddaughter) and I lost communications for a few days--very long days without being able to check in on each other! Once Kelley heard that I was able to stay in touch with others via ham and GMRS she became very interested in GMRS since no testing is required and the radios are very easy to operate--and because she lives close enough that GMRS would have given us that vital communications link during the days we were waiting for power, internet, and cell service to be restored. While I sincerely hope Kelley is chosen as the recipient of a Radioddity GMRS radio, I must say that I also appreciate Radioddity hosting this event and allowing all of us to have some fun as we share our stories!"

- From Keith to Marie

"My mother-in-law Marie is in bad health with dementia but my sister-in-law lives with her and takes care of her the best she can but she is also in bad health with breast cancer so she has times she is very weak. Her son lives in an RV behind their house and many times when my mother-in-law falls she needs to be able to reach her son out in the RV as quick as possible and a good pair of GMRS radios would really help their situation beings the RV is in the very back of the yard from the brick home my mother-in-law lives in. Having a pair of radios would cut down time when seconds matter when my mother-in-law falls and my sister-in-law needs immediate help without the wait of a phone ringing and him answering to then come render aid. If I win I will pay for the needed GMRS license that they'll need there at their residence."

- From Keegan to Paul

"The reason I picked my good friend Paul Koeck, is because he has always been super interested in radio communications, but just never had the time to look into it and the money to start out. I've lent him before a cheap walkie talkie so that he could talk to me and my other friend while in cars going places, and the distance is pretty bad. I recently got my friend a gmrs ht radio for his birthday and I feel that Paul had been left out. I believe that he would absolutely enjoy getting a gmrs radio, and talking with me and my other friend, to stay connected and to have fun."

- From Jenny to Luca

"My son has career aspirations of joining the police force in the future. He would absolutely love a radio as it would fulfil a childhood dream of having the equipment similar to those in the police force. He also time at the weekend doing jobs for extended family and he’d use the radios to communicate with them. The radio would truly make his Christmas!!!"

- From Daniel to Gerardo

"When I was a young adult in the early 2000s my family and I I took a trip up in the mountains one Christmas evening for some sledding and tobagon and as the day when on having fun, we were getting ready to leave except we couldn't find my girl cousin, and it turned out she whent sledding last and with light fading fast when she go to the bottom of the mountain she crashed face first into a pine tree at about 40-50mph she suffered head trauma and we had to go down the mountain to rescue her, but when we got to the top where the visitor center was and road there was NO HELP and we had NO CELLPHONE service ZERO, luckily an older man with CB mobile radio on his truck that was passing by we flagged down for help was able to send a signal down the mountain to a town to call in a medavc to save my cousins life, and I will NEVER FORGET how a radio would be soo important to have and as such I am a self thought amateur radio operator mostly on 10M-11M & GMRS, DATA but want to learn more. but I have been slowly trying to teach my brother on how to use radios and the gateway to the radio world I feel is CB and learning how to antenna match, cophaseing, SWR and of course DX aka E Skip! And this radio would be the perfect gift for him to bring in NEW YOUNG BLOOD that is desperately needed into this hobby so it too CAN SURVIVE as us older HAMs well we are NOT getting any younger and I feel it's our job to paved the way for the future so we can keep this dying hobby ALIVE!"

- From Sebastien to Elisa

"She is my daughter. i am proud that she is able to live by herself without my help, with her ( short) money . But , one more thing, she have inherited my liking of DIY, hunting and radios communication. She loved the PMR QSO between us, and i wish she could have radio shack for contact but ...... resilience too. "

(Feedback from Sebastien)

- From Nick to Matt

"I would like to nominate my best friend, Matt, for this incredible opportunity to receive HAM radio equipment. I have known Matt for over 30 years, and during this time, I have witnessed his unwavering commitment to our community and his passion for sharing knowledge. Matt is not just a HAM operator; he is a mentor and a friend to many in his neighborhood. He frequently opens his home to teach others about amateur radio, and his enthusiasm is infectious. Several local kids have expressed great interest in his projects, often gathering around to watch him work and ask questions. Matt has a unique ability to inspire curiosity and foster a sense of community among them. Winning this equipment would empower Matt to take his teaching to the next level. He could provide one of these kids with their very own radio, offering them the chance to explore the world of HAM radio hands-on. This opportunity would not only teach them valuable technical skills but also instill a sense of responsibility and teamwork as they learn to communicate and connect with others."

- To Tabitha

"She has a will to learn and desperately wants to which fits an enthusiastic Amateur Radio. This is my best friend who tries her heart out on everything, even when she fails. Love you, Mom!"

- From Brad to Christian

"14 years old,Christian, KQ4WQM. Young man exceptional knowledge of RF. 25th of October 2024 Technician class. General class testing in December he'll ace it. I was his first contact. QSO's He sounds like seasoned HF operator. Very interesting stories talk tech as well as other subjects. No mic freight here. Using his HT only: static but readable. Next day he had built a ground plane antenna, utilizing among other things " a Red Bull can". Next morning, Wow what a difference- crystal clear even dropping to lower power. Had to meet this young man. A couple days later, drove 30 miles to gift him a used "QB-25" + a borrowed, mag mount antenna. Met with him and his Mom. Showed me the antenna of course-good work. plans for his HF wire. Explained his situation to me. He's planing to study RF Engineering. Great to see his enthusiasm, this hobby must carry on. I think we should help along young operators, he's got a natural talent for this hobby. I've monitored other QSO's not scared to talk to any & everybody. Thanks for your consideration."

- From Paul to Diane

"Diane is my mother. She is a veteran of the US Army and was a WAC (Women's Army Core). At one point in her youth she had built and operated a Heathkit radio. She is retired and has been studying diligently for her ham technician license, but is struggling with all of the content. I'm hopeful that having a radio to hold and listen to while she studies will help to encourage her not to give up. My goal is to get my kids certified as well so that she can use the radio to communicate with them from her local home. Sharing in this hobby and having it cross generations would be a wonderful gift."

- From John T to John A

"My dad John A Woods 3rd is a navy veteran and my hero. As far as I know his crew were the only crew in history to crash land in the ocean with only one engine running and pull back out under their own power after they were able to get the second engine to fire up. He is a veteran of 3 wars and flew in E2C Hawkeye radar planes. His work has saved lives and the cost was giving up years of time with his family. He's a great dad and a great grandpa to my baby girl. He lost his wife and my mom a few years ago and I really feel he deserves a win. Thank you for your consideration."

- From Stephen to George

"At 47, I recently got my tech ticket. My friend George is 17 years older and had been interested years ago in getting his amateur license. Since getting mine, he's been very excited and wants to finally go ahead and get his. He's been studying on HamStudy.org, which is how I learned. I'm studying for my general now too! I know he'll get a lot of enjoyment out of amateur radio once he passes his exam, I can't wait!"

- From Lisa to Joeseph

"Joe has been a very dear friend of mine for years. He is constantly giving of himself to help other radio amateurs. Many times per year he travels the country usually at his own expense to club meetings and ham-fests to present forums on topics such as kit building or 3-D printing. For many years he was the kit building editor for the now defunct CQ magazine, and he is the current construction chapter editor for the ARRL annual handbook. He participates in our local storm watch program when tornadoes are around the Lincoln/Omaha Nebraska area (usually manning the network from a local television station) to provide meteorologists with up to the minute severe weather information from remote spotters. Joe is a tireless dynamo of energy and seemingly lives to help others. I simply can't say enough good things about him. If anyone deserves a free radio it's Joe. His call sign is K0NEB."

- From HIMANGSHU to MUGDHA

"When she is age 5..she is very much attract with my only small radio..time yo time when I active at radio.she come listen,but her family don't allow to what she doing.now she is 15..but still she same..my have some financial issue,many more reason to give him a radio as a gift.but if from u ,she is win.then she confess to her family that,her own capabilities to win a. Radio..actually no relationship now with her.but this is my best moments still I carry.from last 10 years..she is nearby ."

- From Doug to Dennis

"I am writing to submit an entry for your "Win a Radio for a Friend" program on behalf of my friend, Dennis. Dennis is a retired 911 dispatcher who dedicated over 32 years to public safety, assisting people in need and keeping his community safe. He’s an avid listener of AM broadcast radio, but he’s often frustrated with the poor reception quality of modern radios, especially when looking for a compact, pocket-sized option to enjoy outdoors.

From what I’ve read, your RF760 shortwave radio has excellent AM reception, which would make it the perfect gift for Dennis. This radio would give him the clarity he's been seeking, allowing him to enjoy his favorite stations on his deck, without the constant frustration of interference. Additionally, the RF760 would enable Dennis to monitor NOAA radio and explore the shortwave bands, adding a new dimension to his listening experience.

I would love to win this radio for Dennis as a small token of appreciation for his decades of service and dedication. Thank you for considering him in your generous program, and thank you for the opportunity to bring a bit of joy to someone so deserving."

- From Larry to Bill

"Bill is an exceptional individual who has consistently demonstrated remarkable qualities as a friend and a valuable member of the amateur radio community. Throughout our eight-year association, he has generously shared his expertise and provided unwavering support, particularly during my pursuit of the Amateur Extra license. Despite health challenges that necessitated his withdrawal from HF operations, Bill remains actively engaged in various nets and serves as a Volunteer Examiner. His unwavering passion for radio, coupled with his extensive knowledge and willingness to assist others, makes him an ideal candidate for the shortwave radio."

(Feedback from Larry)

- From Danny to John

"John has been a great friend of mine for many years. last year he has been diagnosed with lung cancer, and had to sell many of his things to pay off the medical bills. Since a lot of the time he is alone. I think that a shortwave radio receiver would be a great gift for him to spend time doing in the hospital. "

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