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 Previous: Connecticut State Convention Logs a Good Turnout |  Next: Amateur Radio Reports Tell of Hurricane Iris' Damage |
By Charles B. Wilber, N1AOK
October 9, 2001
A new ham makes an Amateur Radio connection with his past, and the ham who had inspired his interest in the hobby years earlier.
On March 13, 2001, at 4:30 PM EST I answered a scheduled call on 14.310 MHz. USB. The calling ham's QTH was approximately 500 miles away, in Stow, Ohio. I received the signal 5x9 in Hanover, New Hampshire on my recently purchased, used Yaesu FT-840. Running 50 watts into my homebrew indoor dipole, designed with the help of Dave Decelles, KA1UAG, I enjoyed a 30-minute QSO with the ham who first introduced me to Amateur Radio more than 40 years ago.
 N1AOK in the press booth at Memorial Stadium, Dartmouth College. |
I spent my teen years growing up in Stow, Ohio and was something of a techno-nerd at the time. I still am but I have found more flattering monikers for the disorder. I recall a youth spent taking things apart to see how they worked, then reassembling them to see if they still would. On those rare occasions when they did (and didn't blow any fuses or cause any fires) my pride was boundless. I fancied myself a budding electronic engineer and attributed my frequent failures to impatience and defective natural laws--physics, mechanics and similar bothersome conventions.
As an engineer-in-training I naturally immersed myself in all the usual training texts and professional journals. These included the entire Hardy Boys mystery series, the Boy Scout Handbook and every copy of QST I could get my hands on. I missed many meals after spending my lunch money on the latest issue. After years of intensive study I developed a strong interest in ham radio and learned all I could about the hobby. Lunch money no longer went to purchase QST magazines but was saved up to buy an AMECO code practice oscillator. No longer were stray tape recorders and broken TV sets sacrificed for my education. Instead, paper route proceeds went toward the purchase of the very latest in portable communications technology, a Magnavox transistor radio!
Field trials of this amazing new tubeless wonder gave me a real appreciation of the finer points of radio wave propagation. The same electronic marvel that would receive only one or two nearby AM stations during the day could hear the Grand Old Opry all the way from Nashville, after dark. That was all it took for radio fever to take hold of me. The following summer I purchased my very first real radio, a Hallicrafters SX-99 short-wave receiver. I found it in the classified section of QST and paid $99 for it.
Shortly after the purchase of my first real radio I learned of a large ham event that was to be held near my home. I now recognize this event as the annual Dayton Hamvention. At the time, however, it was just an opportunity to see some real live hams and drool over their equipment. I convinced (begged actually) my father to drive me to Dayton, drop me off and pick me up at the end of the day. He caved in to my groveling and I spent a thoroughly exciting day meeting some local hams, seeing their equipment in use and enjoying the camaraderie of the colorful characters I met there.
The next few years were interrupted by frequent moves to new homes, not unusual for a military family. One thing after another prevented me from getting my Novice license. High school brought other interests and challenges, college left little time for it and military service never afforded me the opportunity to take the next step and earn my license. For many years ham radio was merely a vague memory, a symbol of something I had never achieved. It was a mildly sad memory of unfulfilled aspirations.
In the 1970s--during the peak of CB radio popularity--I became a near-ham. I got my CB license, bought a nice single-sideband mobile CB rig, mounted a 108-inch stainless-steel whip on my car and spent hours CB DXing in the Rocky Mountains. I fancied myself quite the operator. For some reason, though, I never forgot the kind, patient ham who spent much of the Hamvention explaining and demonstrating his equipment to me. For decades I would remember his call sign any time I heard or read about Amateur Radio.
A couple of years ago I was shopping for some replacement electronic parts in a local store when a book entitled Now You're Talking! caught my eye. I was in a hurry at the time and thought no more of it. The next day, though, I returned to the store and bought the book. I realized I had put off, for many years, doing something that was important to me. In retrospect, I realized that I would never run out of excuses for not following through. It was clear that just a few more excuses would see me through my entire life without ever having to face the challenge.
I made short work of this first book, then found the ARRLWeb site and ordered a few more books. Years of interest in electronics and communications served me well and I was soon able to pass the Novice and Technician license written exams. I heard many local hams on my scanner and learned that the Twin State Radio Club was going to participate in Field Day on the athletic field of nearby Kimball Union Academy. I made the short trip to KUA and was surprised to meet some hams I already knew. I made some new friends, looked around a bit and left Field Day resolved to complete the code requirement for a General Class license.
I have the unselfish patience of many local hams to thank for encouraging me to follow through with my goal of getting my General ticket. A few stand out but I will not embarrass them by naming them. The camaraderie I have seen among local hams, though, is exactly what I remember from many years ago in Dayton, Ohio. I believe that is what sets hams and Amateur Radio apart from many other groups and I am proud to be a part of it.
On March 13, at 4:30 PM EST I had my very first HF QSO. I spent 30 minutes rag-chewing with the ham that first introduced me to ham radio more than 40 years ago. He planted a seed that lay dormant for decades but never died. It was a thrill to hear that ham again, calling for me on 20 meters. It was a privilege to have my first HF contact with him.
I never forgot his call sign--K8EIO [James Miller, an ARRL Life Member--Ed.]. I never forgot his patience and his obvious love for ham radio. I never forgot the old tube-type mobile rig sitting on the fender of his sedan (was it a Chevy?) parked in a grassy field at the Dayton Hamvention many years ago. Thanks for everything, Jim.
Editor's note: Charles Wilber, N1AOK, an ARRL member, is Telephone System Manager at Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire. He has written his own QSO logging program--for Windows and Macintosh--that also prints, completes and addresses QSL cards. He operates HF--SSB and CW--on 20 and 40 meters and can also be found on the local 2 meter and 70 cm repeaters. Wilber has a small collection of old straight keys and plans to acquire some old bugs to enhance his key museum. The author can be reached at charlie.wilber@dartmouth.edu .
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