My name is Rulon Swensen, call sign K7BTU.  
I am a life long resident of Taylorsville, Utah.  I grew up on a farm and my early years were filled with farmwork, good friends and fun exploring the mountains and deserts of northern Utah.
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At the age of 16, I became interested in radio communication that began with CB radio and shortwave listening.  I had a friend who was into CB and I would  go over to his home for hours to "listen in".  I purchased my first CB radio from Radio Shack and even though we lived across the street from each other, I had a lot of fun talking to him on the CB.   An uncle of mine was a TV repairman and he gave me an old shortwave radio.  It needed some "fixin" according to him so I took it into my elecronics class in high school and got it working better.  I really enjoyed listening to transmissions from other parts of the world.  
After graduating high school, I entered the military serving 6 years in the Utah National Guard with the US Army 19th Special Forces group as a supply sergeant.   It was an honor and privileage to serve my country.   Yes, I willingly jumped out of airplanes, with a total of 30 jumps under my belt.  I always tell people that I took off in a lot more airplanes than I landed in and being a paratrooper was a great experience.   As part of my supply sergeant duties, I was responsible for the radio equipment used for training so I had some limited opportunity to communicate with those radios.   The training and opportunities to learn new skills have been a big factor in my life experiences. 
Soon after getting married, we moved into our first home.  As fate would have it, a neighbor across the street was a ham radio operator and in short order, I found myself interested in what he was doing.  He tried to convince me to get my license but I never did.  I struggled with learning Morse Code so I gave up.  I remember him doing message handling at the time of the Teton Dam failure.  
Some 35 years later, (and with no Morse Code requirement) I finally took the plunge.  I had started a new job, and found myself the only one in the department that did not have a ham radio license.   The pressure was on, so I studied for and passed my technician license in 2007.  My original call sign was KE7OJX.  Now, I wonder how much I missed during my teenage years.  I purchased my first 2 meter radio, listened in for a few hours and then made my first contact.  
When I passed my technician test, I decided that if I was going to do this then I needed to do something with it.  I feel that it is important to use the equipment as much as possible. and keep it in operating condition and ready to go at a moments notice.  I have been active for the past 19 years with emergency preparedness and communications for the City of Taylorsville.  
I passed my General exam in June of 2014 and always looking for ways to expanding my radio skills and experiences.   I used my original call sign of KE7OJX until I obtained the vanity license of K7BTU.    I had worked in the refrigeration industry for over 35 years and I mentioned "in jest" to some of my co-workers that I should have been issued BTU as my suffix.    A few weeks later, that thought turned into action and I decided to see if the suffix of BTU was available.   Well, it was and so I applied for the vanity call sign and was granted it as my current call sign.  It has been exciting to learn and grow in the ham radio hobby.   I am in the process of learning to use some of the many aspects of HF.  ​