The History of my Adventure
Hello and welcome to my little web page of ham radio.- I also like to hunt and fish. Ya,I really like to fish!
I've been a ham since the mid 80's. I went with my brother and we took our Novice test in Tupelo, Ms.
I did not think I would ever learn the code, but I finally was fast enough to copy 5wpm. Eventually there came to be about 25 hams in my family. Even my 80 year old mother is a ham. How did we all get started? CB radio. I grew up talking to a bunch of locals in my community. We were like one big family. I had a lot of good times on my old CB. I still have a station and from time to time talk to the fellas around about.
But then one day my brother says, "You ever thought of being a ham?" "What in the world is that?", I asked.- I soon obtained a copy of "5 to a 1,000 Watts" from Radio Shack, and the rest is history. I Started learning, and I've been learning ever since.
There is always something new coming out. RTTY-APRS-PSK31-Digital Audio- Flex-HRD; and it goes on. Back then the only computer I had ever seen was on Star Trek or Star Wars. It was a scifi fancy. Then I got a CoCo II a TRS80 Radio Shack computer, a cheap version of the Comadore 64. Man I was something with my tape drive! It was amazing what you could do with 32 kb and 1.7 mhz cpu . They are making a new C64 again, except it's juiced up a bit now. At the time of this writing I am listening to 40 meters via remote. I am using Google Talk in conjunction with logmein.com's interface to run the rig. The rig is out there in that cold, dark shack, and I am in the kitchen of my cozy house, just haming it up! Thanks to a modern PC and some great FREE software. We have come a long way in a short time. New stuff is great, but so is the old- Not too long ago a handy mobile rig weighed an easy 50 pounds! I remember listening to an old "Super Sky Rider" radio in the deep wee hours of the night, trying to learn the code. From time to time I would take a break from DAH DAH world and take a listen around. The old receiver I had borrowed was an old tube type Halicrafters Super Skyrider and it had great audio, and pretty good heat on a cold night. I remember the shadows it cast on the wall through the grill vents. And the smell of those tubes cooking RF as I listened to Voice of America . I listened a lot to 3.853 lsb. Back then "they" called it, "Americas Frequency". There was "Dallas Carl", "Tony Bologna" and "Dan the Train Man" I can only remember Dan's call. - N5JR. I am pretty sure he is gone now though I can still hear him say his call the WAY he said it . I miss listening to them fellas, but there are still good conversations to be found. If you like listening to a good QSO, remember that the next time you are the one running the mic. We are the future, and the past. Take care of your radio edicate and it will take care of you, and others.
Man,..... It was all magic back then. I think it still is.
73 OM
Here is one that did not get away.