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I became interested in ham radio while I was in high
school. After failing the Novice code test on my first try
(scary old FCC examiners), I finally made it and became WN4DMS in
January 1954. Later that year I upgraded to General and dropped
the "N" from my call.
My rig for the first several years that I was on
the air was an old Eldico TR75 transmitter (6AG7-1625) and an
S-38C receiver--definitely a "poor boy" rig, even for those days.
The transmitter was not band switching - to change bands I had to
change the tank coils in the driver and final plate circuits. Since
I only had one set of coil forms, I had to rewind both of them to
change bands--a very slow process. The S-38C had no RF gain control,
so I overloaded it when I was sending and monitored my sending as
clicks and hums rather than a side tone.
I loved it! It was far and away the best part of
my 52 years in this wonderful hobby. The bands were filled with
enthusiastic young hams, not yet jaded by the internet. The bands
were also filled with sharp old timers willing to either lend a
helping hand or straighten you out in no uncertain terms if you
messed up. You came out of the Novice bands with decent operating
skills and a respect for the license. I was extremely proud to a
ham radio operator.
In 1959 I went into the Army and became a Morse
Intercept Operator in the Army Security Agency. I served in Eritrea
and had the privilege of operating our club station ET2US. Being DX
is a whole other story!
After my Army years I returned to Kingsport,
went to work for IBM and married my XYL, Joan. Later we had a son,
Andy, who now holds my old callsign W4DMS.
I have spent many years feverishly chasing DX and
participating in contests. My competitive fires have been cooled
with age, but I still enjoy jumping into a pileup or making a few
dozen contest contacts--just to see if I "still have it" (there
is some pretty good evidence that I do NOT!).
I am now 68 years old, retired since 1992
and, like many hams, spend more time on the computer than I do on
the air. |
