I had my first experience with radio at the age of 19 and I had to do my service in the army in the years 1972-73. I was a jeep driver for one of the staff officers in my regiment. In my jeep I had 2 sets of radios for regimental communication. I was always fascinated about the way we could communicate without wires. When I left the army the fascination stayed but I didn't know of the existence of radio amateurs.
In 1980 CB got legalised in Belgium and I got myself a small CB station. Some radio amateurs in Belgium wanted to help us newbies and tried to explain us that there was more to radio than just talking to guy behind the corner. That is how I met the first radio amateurs.
At the end of 1980 I bought myself my first short-wave receiver and I became member of the UBA, the Belgium branch of the IARU. My SWL registration was and still is ONL6945. The small CB station soon disappeared from my home. Just listening on short wave was much more fascinating. I did followed lessons in that time, but didn't succeed in getting a licence. I did got quit deep involved in the organisation of the UBA and became SWL manager, a function I held for 13 years. I still have a weak spot for the Short Wave Listeners that are still around.
In 1991, after I met my present wife we started together a course in our local radio club (OSA-Antwerpen) and together we passed our radio-exam in April 1993. My first call (only VHF) was ON1AKP. In October 1993 I passed my CW test and received the call ON7SS. A few years ago the possibility came up to apply for second call, some kind of 2x1 vanity call whit more prefix possibilities than ON. I applied for OO9O. In the beginning I used that call only during contests, but now I use practically all the time on HF.
From the start I did kept up with my knowledge of CW, but in time I used more and more phone. However, one day, during the CQ WW Phone contest some years ago I didn't succeeded in making a single good QSO and I got so frustrated about it that I moved down to the CW portion and started to call CQ. That afternoon I made so many nice QSO's on CW that it got me hooked on CW in a way I couldn't imagined it could ever happen. Since then more then 90% of my QSO's is on CW.
Lately I got hooked up again on digital modes like RTTY and PSK.  PSK63 is really a good mode and I am quit often qrv on that mode.

Radio: FT897 (picture)
Antennas HF:Diamond CP6. 40m LW with SG-230 tuner
Antennas VHF/UHF: vertical
MK1 Micro keyer to connect the rig to the computer, wich is a Acer laptop with Windows 7. (using 2 screens)
Logprogramms: Main log is in Logger32 and for contesting I use N1MM.

All my QSO's are uploaded on LoTW and eQSL.  Every paper QSL card is replied the way I receive them.  Bureau via Bureau, direct via direct (1$ appriciated for return postage, although that doesn't cover the cost of the stamp)
My logbook for OO9O is now on Hamlog.eu