JIM, WY3W, GOT
INTERESTED IN RADIO VERY YOUNG. (THERE WAS NOTHING BUT RADIO IN MY YOUNGER YEARS AT OUR HOUSE… NO TV, ETC.) AS CHILDREN
IN JESSUP, MARYLAND, WHERE I GREW UP, WE USE TO SIT IN FRONT OF THE AM RADIO AND LISTEN TO THE STRONG STATIONS AND
ON SUNDAY MORNINGS A BALTIMORE STATION THAT ACTUALLY READ THE SUNDAY FUNNY PAPERS OVER THE AIR AND THE KIDS WOULD FOLLOW ALONG
THE ANNOUNCER WITH THE CARTOONS IN THE NEWSPAPER. AT 12 YEARS OLD A FRIEND OF THE FAMILY GAVE ME A PHILCO FLOOR MODEL AM RADIO.
I HAD THE MOST FUN LISTENING TO THE WORLD WITH THAT OLD TUBE SET. I’VE BEEN LISTENING TO THE WORLD OFF AND ON EVER SINCE
THEN.
WHEN THE FIRST GULF WAR BROKE OUT, I WANTED TO GET INFORMATION FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD ABOUT WHAT WAS GOING ON, SO I TOOK
OUT MY OLD YAESU FRG-7 FROM MOTH BALLS AND HOOKED UP A DIPOLE ABOUT 100 FEET LONG. I LISTENED ALL OVER THE BANDS AND FOUND
THE FOLKS ON 3.938 . I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE MORE FUN TO TALK ALSO, SO I PRACTICED MY CW SKILLS AND READ
UP ON THE AMATEUR LICENSE MANUALS AND PASSED THE TECH, CODE AND GENERAL TEST AT TIMONIUM IN ONE SITTING.
LATER
I UPGRADED TO EXTRA.
I’VE BEEN AN ENTREPRENEUR SINCE THE MID 1960’S AND AM
NOW SEMI-RETIRED. I DO REMODELING, AND COMMERCIAL
CONSTRUCTION SUPERVISION.
I HAVE A COUPLE OF HF RIGS AT THE SHACK,
A KENWOOD TS 2000 AND A TEN TEC ORION . I
HAVE A HOME BREW 160 METER WINDOM AND A GAP VERTICAL FOR THE HF FREQUENCIES.
I DO A LITTLE ATV, SLOW SCAN, DIGITAL
SLOW SCAN, AND OF COURSE A LITTLE RAG
CHEWING.
MY MOBILE RIG IS AN KENWOOD 480HX WITH
TARHEEL ANTENNA.
10/10/2015