BBeM: Close, But No Cigar Item

Close, But No Cigar

Amateur (ham) radio
Knowledge of Morse Code is no longer required, but interest in radio technology
appears to have been supplanted by computers and the Internet, and the ranks of
amateur radio operators have been dwindling for several years.

There are 4 comments for this item.

Posted by Duff at 10:16 pm (PST) on Tue November 24, 2009
That's me in the photo, operating Novice-class station WN2ZPD/1 at Granite Lake Camp, Munsonville, NH in the summer of 1967. The main equipment (left to right): a Heathkit GR-91 shortwave receiver owned, I think, by the camp; my Hallicrafters HT-40 AM/CW transmitter, and my Lafayette Radio Electronics HE-30 receiver. I took the test for a General-class license three times, but never managed to pass the Morse Code portion of the test. (After the third try, I realized that the receiving exam used the same text each time: "receiver used for monitoring 9600 kilohertz and frequency range of...," but I never made a fourth attempt.)
Posted by billk at 10:11 pm (PDT) on Sat October 23, 2010
I still remember my trek down to the FCC office at 701 varick street in New York to take my test in 1977. I only took the technician, and have never upgraded. I was more interested in VHF than HF anyway. I later returned there to take my 1st class radiotelephone license exam. My most fun in ham radio was competing in the June and September VHF contests as part of the W2SZ multioperator team on the summit of Mt. Greylock in western Massachusetts.
Posted by packratjohn at 4:50 pm (PST) on Sat February 25, 2012
We had a Ham Club in high school in the late 60s. I still hear from the instructor from time to time. Learned code, but didn't take the test til much later, about 78 if I remember. Took it at the FCC office in Chicago. Like the above post, I, too, didn't go for Novice, instead getting the technician. Didn't think I'd like HF. Turns out I did, though. I won first place in Indiana for Technician Class in the Novice Roundup in 81, and TRIPLED my code speed! That same week I test for General, and have been happy with that ever since.
Posted by packratjohn at 4:52 pm (PST) on Sat February 25, 2012
1968 - listened every night to Radio Prague's English language broadcast on a Heath Mohican receiver. One night I got distracted doing other things, and missed the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, including the takeover of all media. History, and I missed it.

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