Brief History
My name is Chuck Williams and I have enjoyed being a "ham" since the late thirties. My many experiences have been continuously changing.
In the thirties most of the hams used homebrew equipment for transmitting and receiving. Building radio equipment in those days was a large part of the hobby. Hams would build their equipment and then test it on the air.
In the forties, after World War II, the 'big deal" was to convert surplus equipment into usable ham gear and many 'hams' did just that.
In the fifties and sixties the conversion to ssb began and there was much to do about whether ssb would win over the longstanding am mode of transmission. It wasn't long before ssb won the battle.
In the seventies, transistorized equipment began to appear and there was the conversion to miniturized equipment. Most hams could not build the small equipment so they began to buy it ready made. In the eighties, world wide manufactures began building ham gear. The rigs were digital readout, all mode, and rock stable.
Now in the nineties, once licensed, a 'ham' can buy his equipment ready made and pursue the hobby from any location. Also, in the nineties, amateur satellites make the hobby even more interesting. I hope that the year 2000 will bring new life to the hobby and that it will continue to grow and prosper.