💡 Ham Radio Was Just a Hobby… Now I Own 3 Companies (+1 Coming) 📡

I Turned My Hobby Into 3 Ham Radio Business Ventures — And I’m Working on My 4th

Let me start with this: I don’t have a college degree. Not because I couldn’t handle the academics, but because we couldn’t afford it. My parents did the best they could, working hard to keep the lights on. Back in 1983, “college debt” wasn’t even a thing — you either had the money or you didn’t.

Truth is, growing up poor teaches you things no classroom ever could. You learn what it’s like to go without while your friends seem to have everything. That contrast lit a fire under me. I knew early on: if I wanted a different life, I’d have to hustle like my future depended on it.

Right out of high school, at just 17, I jumped in as a helper on a Coca-Cola route. My cousin owned it — and back then, it was a solid business to be in. I worked hard until I turned 18 and got my CDL license.

Then, in 1985, I got hired by Pepsi-Cola in Mt. Vernon, NY. It was a union shop and every route was bid on. The one I went after? No one else wanted it. The sales volume was low, and it was commission-based — too risky for most.

But that’s where it all began. That one risk sparked my journey into entrepreneurship. I didn’t know it at the time, but that “unwanted route” taught me more about business than any MBA could. I learned how to build something from the ground up — how to find opportunity where others saw failure.

Fast forward: I've now turned my hobby and love for ham radio into three growing businesses, with a fourth in the works. None of this came overnight. There was no blueprint. Just a lot of learning, failing, listening, and keeping at it.

This isn’t a post about success. It’s about possibility — for anyone who’s ever felt like the odds were stacked against them.

If you’ve got passion, grit, and a little faith in yourself, you don’t need perfect conditions — you just need to start.

The Route Nobody Wanted — Where My Story Begins

Back in 1985, at just 19 years old, I took over a Pepsi route in Westchester County — not just any route, but the worst-performing one out of 25. Nobody wanted it. Sales were flat, commissions were low, and most guys passed it up.

But I saw something different: opportunity.

With hustle, sweat, and straight-up street sales, I turned that route around — and fast. In just 6 months, it went from the bottom to the top 3 in the entire region. I was on commission, earning 40 cents per case plus a base salary. That first full year, I pulled in over $65,000 — in 1985. At 19, I was making more than some doctors and lawyers… with no college degree.

That’s when I knew: hustle wasn’t just a word — it was a mindset.

But I didn’t stop there. That same year, I took another big swing. I bought a house. Not to live in — to rent it out. Becoming a landlord at 19 was bold, sure. But it taught me about real estate, passive income, and managing risk — lessons that would become invaluable down the road.

In the span of one year, I went from a poor kid with no degree, to a top-tier Pepsi route owner, to a landlord. But believe it or not — that’s not where the most important lessons came from.

That part... comes later.

Stay tuned. This story is just getting started.

Glass 16oz Bottle of Pepsi in 1985

Glass Bottles, Heavy Cases & Real Work

Back in the 1980s, soda didn’t come in plastic — it came in glass bottles, packed in heavy wooden cases. If you worked a soda route back then, you earned every dollar with your back and your hands. It was tough, physical work.

And I loved it.

That grind is probably why I’m still strong heading toward 60 years old. Physical labor never scared me — it shaped me. To this day, I don’t mind getting my hands dirty. In fact, I still enjoy it. There's something real about doing hard work and seeing the results.

I learned early on that strength isn't just physical — it's mental, too. And sometimes, the heaviest thing you carry is your ambition.

Hard work built my body — and my mindset.

From Pepsi to Ham Radio: One Last Lesson That Shaped Everything

I could sit here and write a whole book about my 30 years working at Pepsi — the routes, the people, the grind, the growth. But this post isn’t about that. It’s about Ham Radio, and how I turned something I love into a business. Still, before I close this chapter, I want to share two lessons — ones you can’t learn from a textbook or a YouTube video.

Around 1995, at just 29 years old, I was nominated as Shop Steward for our 100-man union shop. Overnight, I became the negotiator, the problem solver, the middleman, and sometimes the target. Management didn’t love me, some coworkers didn’t either. But I stuck with it for the next 20 years.

People think being a Shop Steward is about arguing — it’s not. It’s about carrying the weight of other people’s lives and livelihoods. When someone was about to lose their job or we were negotiating contracts that affected families — I was the one in the room. I had to take the heat, the name-calling, the lies, the pressure. And not just from one side — trust me, management and the union both had their share of dysfunction.

They say being a Shop Steward is the most thankless job in the world. But to me, it was the most valuable training I could’ve asked for. It taught me how to lead under pressure, how to stay calm in chaos, and how to fight for people when it really matters.

And now, years later, I carry those lessons into every business I run — including my ventures in ham radio.

Because success doesn’t just come from smarts or strategy. It comes from experience. From standing up when it’s hard. From getting your hands dirty and doing what others won’t.

That’s where real business sense is born.

In My shack around 2009.

How a Hobby Became a Calling – My Ham Radio Journey

In 1988, I got my ham license. My original call sign was N2IWE, and like most hams, I dove headfirst into the world of DXing and contesting. I was hooked. The thrill of chasing rare stations, the late nights tuning the bands, and the friendships formed across the airwaves — it was everything.

In 1996, when the FCC opened up vanity call signs, I made the switch to W2RE — a call that many would come to know in the contesting world.

But for those first couple of decades, from 1988 to around 2008, I was just enjoying the hobby. Logging QSOs, building friendships, learning the ropes — doing what we all love to do.

Everything changed in 1995, when I decided to build my first competitive ham station — right here in Poughquag, NY, where I still live today.

The Hilltop Home That Started It All

This is the home we built in 1995, perched on a quiet hilltop in Dutchess County, NY. Back then, the towers behind the house were hard to miss — tall steel structures reaching above the treetops, visible from almost anywhere around.

Fast forward to today?
You’d never know they were there.

The trees behind the house now stand over 90 feet tall, completely hiding the towers from view. But here’s a fun fact: those two towers? They’re still operational. Fully loaded, fully functioning — and yet, I haven’t personally used them in nearly 12 years.

Why?

Because hams around the world are using them every single day.

More on how that’s possible a little later in this article…

I didn’t have any experience putting up towers. But I bought a gin-pole, rolled up my sleeves, and just got to work. I erected three Rohn 25 towers — on a hilltop, no less — and loaded them up with antennas. It was a huge undertaking, but it was driven by pure passion.

That station changed everything.

My call sign, W2RE, started showing up more and more on the contesting scene. Not because I was the best — but because I showed up, stayed consistent, and built something from scratch that could compete with the best.

That’s when I realized… this was more than a hobby. It was the seed of something bigger.

“Ray W2RE Works for Free!” – How It All Changed in 2008

For a while, my weekends had a pattern: grab the gin-pole, load up the truck, and head out to help another ham get a tower in the air. Word spread fast and furious in the local ham community — “Ray W2RE works for free!”

And let’s be real: hams are notorious for stretching a dollar (you know it’s true). I didn’t mind helping — I loved it, honestly. I was passionate, skilled, and just wanted to give back to the community.

But my wife wasn’t having it.
She was at home with three young kids, juggling everything, while I was off lifting steel and hanging antennas for people who, let’s face it, probably wouldn’t give me two minutes of their time if I ever needed help.

I was the “nice guy.” Maybe too nice.

That all changed in 2008, when I had a moment of clarity — and a serious talk with my wife. It was time to stop giving it all away and start treating it like the business it already was.

That’s when Hudson Valley Towers was born.

From that moment on, I took the skills, the hustle, and the reputation I’d built and turned it into something sustainable. Something real. Something that would provide for my family and still serve the ham community — the right way.

That shift? It was the start of everything.

And, Hudson Valley Towers was born! With my partner WW2DX in 2008

This Is Where the Journey Begins...

Above is me and Lee, WW2DX — the guy crazy enough to join me on this ride. The first bold move I made wasn’t building a tower or buying gear. It was finding someone willing to give up weekends, just like me, to chase a vision and build a business from scratch.

But let me paint the picture…

At the time, I was still working full-time at Pepsi. Saturdays? Time-and-a-half. That’s not small money, especially when you’ve got a family to support. So the real question was: Would I give up guaranteed overtime to chase something uncertain?

I had to.

Because deep down, I knew — if I didn’t make a move, I’d be stuck working for someone else for the rest of my life. It wasn’t just about money. It was about freedom. About building something ours.

Then came the next risk: buying a trailer. Not for camping — for building ham stations. I dropped serious money into it, and honestly? I had no idea if it would even work. No guarantees, no roadmap — just faith, sweat, and stubborn belief.

That’s the moment everything shifted.

This is where the journey really begins...

Home Land Security

From Hams to Homeland Security — Our First Big Break

Between 2008 and 2012, we were deep in the trenches — building stations, installing towers, and serving the ham radio community one project at a time. Every weekend, every spare hour, we were out there making it happen.

Then in 2009, the phone rang.
On the other end? A fellow ham who worked for Homeland Security in Albany.

He asked, “Can you bid on a 100-foot Rohn 45 tower for a site in Watertown, NY?”

We said yes — without hesitation.

That moment was different. This wasn’t just another job. This was our first shot at a government contract. A real one. And it came not through flashy ads or cold calls, but through the ham radio community — proof that staying true to your passion can open doors you never saw coming.

We bid the job.
We landed the contract.
Just like that, we went from local tower work to building for Homeland Security.

That was the first big break. The moment we realized:
This isn’t just a hustle anymore. This is a business.

What’s next?

Well… let’s just say, that 100-foot tower was only the beginning.

Yep… We Landed a Job with NASA

It was around 2009 or 2010, and things were starting to move fast for us. We’d already landed our first government job with Homeland Security — but then came the call we never expected:

NASA.
Yep, that NASA.

We were asked to help with a project testing highly sophisticated antennas designed to collect atmospheric and wind data. The goal? To find ways to speed up airline traffic and improve aviation safety.

We set up in an open field in Summit, ran experiments, gathered data, and watched technology most people never get close to. It was surreal — a couple of ham guys from the Hudson Valley, out in the middle of a field, running tests for NASA.

And it was fun. Wildly fun.
We learned a ton — not just about antennas and data collection, but about working with high-level government agencies. Contracts, precision, deadlines… this was the real deal.

We thought this was it — the start of a long-term role supporting cutting-edge government tech.

But then, the unexpected happened.
Funding to NASA was slashed, and just like that, the project ended.

It was a tough break — but we didn’t walk away empty-handed. That project brought in serious money and, more importantly, the confidence that we could compete at the top level.

We took those funds and rolled them straight into our next bold move.

What came next?
Let’s just say... we were about to take things to the stratosphere.

DX from Kitchen Table! We phrased this saying! Its now used all the time by those who remote!

The Turning Point: From Towers to RemoteHamRadio

While the NASA project came to a close, it quietly opened the door to something even bigger — something that would change everything.

We started tinkering with remote operations. I could write a whole book on how it all began, but here’s the short and sweet version:

We kicked things off with an Icom 706 and RRC boxes, just experimenting. Then came Elecraft rigs, followed by our own custom software — the foundation of what would soon become RemoteHamRadio (RHR).

At first, it was just curiosity — a side experiment. But we saw the future unfolding right in front of us: the ability to operate powerful stations from anywhere in the world. It wasn’t just cool… it was revolutionary.

While Hudson Valley Towers was our first real taste of a ham radio business, RemoteHamRadio became the breadwinner almost immediately.

But let me be clear — it wasn’t easy.
To make it happen, we made huge sacrifices — financial, personal, and time-wise. The kind of sacrifices most people wouldn’t take unless they had to. This was the turning point in my life.

We weren’t just building antennas anymore —
We were changing the way ham radio could be experienced.

And that changed everything.

W2/Summit in 2010 - This was the turning point

The Dream QTH — Where It All Truly Began

After years of grinding, experimenting, and chasing opportunities, I finally had the chance to chase one of my biggest dreams: building a real contest station in the mountains — my own QTH, high above the noise, far from the distractions.

This wasn’t just a shack with a few antennas. This was the station I had always envisioned.

By then, Lee (WW2DX) and I had already sharpened our skills running Hudson Valley Towers. We knew how to build a station from the ground up — and with Lee’s technical genius and my ability to just make things happen, we made the perfect team.

So we built it — a fully remote contest station, right here on the mountain. And when we officially launched RemoteHamRadio in 2012, this QTH became the flagship station of the network. It was our proof of concept — our launchpad.

And just like that, Business #1 in ham radio was born.

This was the beginning of the snowball effect — when everything started to click. But what most people don’t see is what came before that momentum.

To make this leap, I had to make the biggest sacrifice of my life.
It was the kind of risk almost no one would take.
And I knew deep down — if I didn’t do it then, I’d regret it forever.

I took the leap.
And that leap... changed everything.

My last day Aug 23, 2013. I knew it was but Pepsi didnt!

From Zero to 22: The Bold Move That Changed Everything

By 2013, RemoteHamRadio was gaining serious momentum. We had over 50 clients, revenue coming in, and a vision that was starting to come to life. But success comes with its own challenges — and ours was clear:

We needed more sites. More stations. More infrastructure.
And that meant a bold decision.

Lee and I made the call to shut down Hudson Valley Towers and go all-in on RHR. The ham community? They lit up. The forums exploded. People laughed, mocked us, even hated us for it.

I was enemy #1.

But here’s the thing — this wasn’t new to me. My time as shop steward taught me how to handle the noise. I’d dealt with angry managers, union politics, name-calling, and twisted narratives for 20 years. The louder the screams, the calmer I got.

So I tuned it out.

Yes, occasionally I clapped back — and it never ended well. Because let’s be honest, people love to twist your words when you’re doing something they don’t understand. I realized quickly: it wasn’t hate — it was fear. Fear of change. Fear of what we were building.

That fear was my fuel.

Then came the biggest decision of my life:
I left Pepsi.

I gave up everything —
6 weeks vacation, pension, top seniority, medical, unlimited OT — all for uncertainty.

No safety net.
No income.
No going back.

From 2013 to 2015, I had zero income. Not a single dollar reported. No Social Security benefits. Our only income came from my wife — and God bless her for believing in the dream when no one else did.

People thought I was crazy.
But I knew — if I didn’t take this risk, I’d regret it the rest of my life.

Fast forward to today...
We have 22 separate income sources — all built from scratch.

But I’ll talk more about that later.
Because to get here, I had to make the move very few would dare to make.

And I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

Sporting the Radio Echo Communications logo in 2017 in Lubec, Maine Bobby KC2UPN

Back in the Tower Game — and Building Bigger Than Ever

With RemoteHamRadio growing fast with Rockwell WW1X full-time developing and stations lighting up the map, we made a game-changing move: we acquired a 63-acre oceanside site in Eastport, Maine — a true mega site right on the edge of the Atlantic. This was a big project spanning most of 2016.

While RHR was firing on all cylinders, I felt that itch again — the tower business. It was in my blood. So I turned to Lee and asked, “You want in?”

His answer: a fast and solid NO — and I don’t blame him.
With RHR soaring, why go back to getting your hands dirty?

So I teamed up with my son Bobby KC2UPN, and in 2017, we launched www.RadioEchoComm.com
Starting completely from scratch, we brought the tower game back to life.

It didn’t take long to build momentum. Within a few short years, we were back to the pace and success we had with Hudson Valley Towers — but this time, even smarter. While we were building towers for new customers, we were also cranking out site after site for RemoteHamRadio.

If you haven’t yet, take a look for yourself at www.remotehamradio.com. These stations? They’re in a league of their own.

And that right there — that’s what had some corners of the ham community shaking. Especially in the DX and contest world. We were breaking their model, leveling the field, and giving anyone, anywhere, the ability to run world-class stations.

They wanted to keep it uneven.
We had other plans.

RadioEchoComm.com — Ham Radio Business #2 and Still Climbing

What started as a leap back into the tower game has now become something far bigger. As of 2025, RadioEchoComm.com is officially my second major ham radio business — and we’re proud to say we’ve built some of the largest, most powerful amateur radio stations in the USA.

We’re not just building towers — we’re building legacies.

The top DXers and contesters in the game are coming to us when it’s time to get serious. When performance matters, they know who to call.

To handle the massive growth, we’ve teamed up with Nik from VCTowers — one of the hungriest in the business — to help us manage the demand and keep delivering elite-level service and builds. Nik is new to the tower business, but you wouldn’t know it by the way he works. He’s hungry, driven, and reminds me a lot of myself in my early 20s — full of fire and ready to take on the world.

I see something special in him.
He’s not just a worker — he’s like family, like a son. And I’m going to do everything in my power to help him succeed.

I’ve handed him the blueprint — the exact path I used to build, fail, rebuild, and grow. And I believe, without a doubt, he’s going to follow it and make it his own.

If you follow us on social media, you’ve seen the work.
If not — go check it out.
This is what modern ham radio looks like.

RadioEchoComm isn’t just back — we’re at the top.
And we’re just getting started.

Image of W2/Summit - HamRadio247.com

The $3,000 Hunch That Changed Everything

It was the winter of 2024, and my son and I were making our way back from Maine after doing some repair work at one of our RemoteHamRadio sites. We were driving through the snowy backroads, half-zoned out, listening to a Joe Rogan podcast, when all of a sudden — boom — he drops a line that hit me like a lightning bolt:

“I get white knuckles watching those tower climbing videos...”

LIGHT BULB.

I turned to Bobby (my son) and said, “Did you hear that?!”
He shrugged it off like it was no big deal.

But to me? It was a massive clue. I was already quietly monetized on Meta, making a couple hundred bucks here and there — nothing serious, just testing the waters. But in the back of my mind, I knew there was something there.

So for the next two hours on that snowy drive back to New York, I debated it with him nonstop. Finally, I convinced him: “We’re doing this.”

The next day we dropped $3,000 on an Insta360, GoPro, a drone, and new cameras for the studio — all on a hunch.

The moment that gear showed up, I started filming.
One of my very first videos? An iPhone falling off a 70-foot tower — and crashing to the ground caught by the Insta360

Total blooper.
But guess what?
That video hit over a million views. A complete fluke… but a clear sign.

And the best part?
The iPhone survived.

It felt like a metaphor — things falling fast, crashing hard, and still coming out strong on the other side. Maybe it was luck.
Or maybe it was the beginning of something really big.

And trust me — it was only the beginning.

Lights, Camera, HAM! — Enter HamRadio 24/7

Not long after we got the new cameras, it was time to go all-in. We’d filmed some tower work, had one video crack a million views, and the momentum was real. The next step? Obvious.

We had to hit YouTube — and do it right. When we launched our YouTube channel, we were monetized within just 6 months — a huge milestone and proof that people were hungry for the kind of raw, real ham radio content we were putting out.

That’s when we launched HamRadio 24/7 — because the name says it all.
This isn’t a side hobby. This is what we live and breathe.
Tower climbs. Station builds. Field repairs. Remote site installs.
It’s ham radio, non-stop

Business #3: Media?! Who Would’ve Thought the Tower Guy Goes Viral?

Fast Forward to 2025 — 10 Million Views a Month and Climbing 🚀

Here we are — 2025 — and our content is pulling in over 10 MILLION views a month across platforms. That’s right, from tower climbs to behind-the-scenes station builds, the world is watching what we do in ham radio like never before.

Yeah, the monetization is real — and it’s become a serious stream of income. But here’s the truth that most people don’t see:

We don’t just do media for media.

We do it to fuel the tower business — and we use the tower business to feed the media machine.

It’s a full-circle ecosystem:
🔁 The content brings in eyeballs, trust, and new clients.
🔁 The tower work gives us real stories, real footage, real credibility.

I literally need both to survive.
Without the media, we’re just another tower crew.
Without the tower business, we’re just another YouTube channel.

Together?
We’re building an empire — one video, one tower, one install at a time.

And trust me, this is only the beginning.

Still in the Dirt, Still Building — Jonesport, Maine

Between launching businesses, running media, and managing operations, one thing hasn’t changed:
We’re still out here building sites.

In 2019, I bought 22 acres right on the ocean in Jonesport, Maine — a dream location with saltwater takeoff, incredible path to Europe, and the kind of quiet you only get this far out.

Even with everything going on — I’m still in the trenches. Still climbing. Still building.

Want to see what it looks like?
📸 Here’s a full album of the build:
👉 Jonesport Build – Photo Album

This is what passion looks like — and trust me, we’re just getting started.

Business #4: The Boldest Move Yet in Ham Radio

So… what’s Business #4 in ham radio?
Well — it’s already happening.

With over 10 million views a month on our content, we knew we had to do more than just entertain. We needed a way to keep our audience coming back and create real value — for us, our partners, and the entire ham community.

So, we made our boldest move yet:
We’ve officially teamed up with the biggest names in ham radio.

✅ RemoteHamRadio
✅ DX Engineering
✅ FlexRadio
✅ Ham Radio Prep

These aren’t small-time sponsorships — these are strategic partnerships. We’ve created exclusive affiliation deals, special discount codes, and custom offers — all built for our growing audience. And this is just the beginning. More brands are joining, and yes, even international players are taking notice.

We’re not just dipping our toes in eCommerce —
We’re bringing ham radio to a place it’s never been before.

On top of that, we’ve launched our own merch shop — hats and shirts flying off the shelves, with over 100 units sold in the first week. If you were at Dayton Hamvention, you probably saw them.

But we’re not stopping there.
We’ve got a 3D Ham Printing Shop in motion.
And soon, we’re launching the DX Launcher — and let’s just say, it’s going to be a game-changer.

So is Business #4 “official” yet? Maybe not on paper. But when you look at what we’re doing — especially with what we’re already earning through Amazon Affiliates — you'd better believe it’s a business.

And it’s growing fast.

I’m beyond proud of where we are. We’re doing things no one else thought of — moving faster, thinking bigger, and building smarter.

I’m never afraid of competition. Why?
Because no one can outwork us.

We surround ourselves with people who move fast, think forward, and live by one rule:
Do it right — or don’t do it at all.

The Four Businesses We've Built in Ham Radio

What started as a passion turned into a purpose — and now it’s a full-blown ham radio empire. Here are the four businesses we’ve proudly built in this space:

🔹 #1 – RemoteHamRadio
The industry’s leading remote station platform, giving operators worldwide access to world-class stations — no matter where they are.

🔹 #2 – Radio Echo Communications
From towers to turnkey installations, we’ve built some of the biggest and most powerful ham stations in the USA. Trusted by the top DXers and contesters in the world.

🔹 #3 – HamRadio 24/7
Our media engine, pulling in over 10 million views per month across platforms. From tower climbs to epic fails — we show ham radio like no one else. The monetzed income is real.

🔹 #4 – E-commerce under the HamRadio 24/7 Brand
Affiliations with the biggest names in ham radio: RHR, DX Engineering, FlexRadio, Ham Radio Prep, and more — plus our own merch, 3D printing, and game-changing new launches like DX Launcher.

Together, they fuel each other.
📡 Remote access.
🏗️ Real builds.
🎥 Nonstop content.
🛒 Next-level commerce.

We’re not following trends — we’re setting them.

From Zero to 22 Income Streams — And We're Just Getting Started

There’s so much more to this story — and honestly, it’s just beginning.

As of May 2025, I’ve gone from zero to 22 separate income sources.
Most of them are rooted in ham radio — the hobby I’ve loved since 1988.

Every real estate holding I’ve developed and leased back to RemoteHamRadio is its own stream.
Every affiliate deal — is its own lane.
Every platform I’ve monetized (YouTube, Meta, Amazon, you name it) adds to the engine.

TikTok: 1 Million Views in 28 Days — And We’re Just Getting Started

We joined TikTok in April 2025, and in just 28 days, we racked up over 1 million views. That’s right — one million. The content is flying, the momentum is real, and the algorithm loves tower climbs, gear drops, and raw behind-the-scenes action.

And I’ve never stopped reinvesting — in builds, in media, in the next bold idea.
I also own short-term rentals and continue to build for the long game.

It all started with one bold move — giving up my day job at Pepsi.
And just as important: holding onto every piece of real estate I’ve ever bought.
I haven’t sold a single property in 30 years — except for that very first house I bought at 19… and even that one I held onto for a while.

This post isn’t about bragging. It’s about possibility.

Because I went from a poor kid with no college degree, to launching four businesses in a hobby I love — and building an entire ecosystem that works together like clockwork.

If there's a message here, it’s this:
One bold move can change your life — but only if you’re ready to commit, sacrifice, and never stop pushing.

And yes — I wrote this article myself. Every word. I do all my own writing.
You’d be amazed what you can learn just by watching a few YouTube videos and reading the right books. I’m still learning every day.

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog. If you enjoyed it, I invite you to check out the others I’ve written — I share these stories not to boast, but to inspire, educate, and maybe help someone else chasing their own big idea.

Thanks again for being part of the journey.

— Ray, W2RE