OT: 50 years

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OT: 50 years

John Harper AE5X
Wow, 50 years! 28 years ago, I ripped open the envelope containing a piece
of paper with "KA5BBL" written on it. Our Novice rigs were no doubt vastly
different but holding that first ham ticket produced identical feelings,
I'll bet.

Congrats and 73,

John Harper AE5X
Portable QRP: http://www.ae5x.com




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Re: OT: 50 years

W4ABW
Congrats to everybody who has achieved 50 years in Ham Radio. I am a bit  
short of that here.
 
In reading this thread I wondered if I could find out what source would  
contain the date a ham was first licensed ? I admit I do not know when I got my  
first ticket but it was 4 calls and 6 moves ago. HI ! Somewhere back in the  
early sixties, I believe.
 
Any help on this would be appreciated.
 
73
Al
W4ABW
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RE: OT: 50 years

n6wg
I've heard that the QCWA (Quarter Century Wireless Ass'n) has,
or at least had, a complete set of the old Call Books.  It would
at least localize one to a particular time period, if not an
exact date.
If you find a better answer, please post it for us.
Good luck and 73,
Bob N6WG

-----Original Message-----
From: [hidden email]
[mailto:[hidden email]]On Behalf Of [hidden email]
Sent: Tuesday, October 31, 2006 7:40 AM
To: [hidden email]; [hidden email]
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] OT: 50 years


Congrats to everybody who has achieved 50 years in Ham Radio. I am a bit
short of that here.

In reading this thread I wondered if I could find out what source would
contain the date a ham was first licensed ? I admit I do not know when I got
my
first ticket but it was 4 calls and 6 moves ago. HI ! Somewhere back in the
early sixties, I believe.

Any help on this would be appreciated.

73
Al
W4ABW
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Re: OT: 50 years

John Harper AE5X
This might be helpful:
http://www.geocities.com/w3hf/callbooks4.html

John Harper AE5X
Portable QRP: http://www.ae5x.com




----- Original Message -----
From: "Robert Tellefsen" <[hidden email]>
To: <[hidden email]>; <[hidden email]>; <[hidden email]>
Sent: Tuesday, October 31, 2006 10:59 AM
Subject: RE: [Elecraft] OT: 50 years


> I've heard that the QCWA (Quarter Century Wireless Ass'n) has,
> or at least had, a complete set of the old Call Books.  It would
> at least localize one to a particular time period, if not an
> exact date.
> If you find a better answer, please post it for us.
> Good luck and 73,
> Bob N6WG
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [hidden email]
> [mailto:[hidden email]]On Behalf Of [hidden email]
> Sent: Tuesday, October 31, 2006 7:40 AM
> To: [hidden email]; [hidden email]
> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] OT: 50 years
>
>
> Congrats to everybody who has achieved 50 years in Ham Radio. I am a bit
> short of that here.
>
> In reading this thread I wondered if I could find out what source would
> contain the date a ham was first licensed ? I admit I do not know when I
> got
> my
> first ticket but it was 4 calls and 6 moves ago. HI ! Somewhere back in
> the
> early sixties, I believe.
>
> Any help on this would be appreciated.
>
> 73
> Al
> W4ABW
> _______________________________________________
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>
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> Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
>
>
>

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RE: OT: 50 years

Ron D'Eau Claire-2
In reply to this post by John Harper AE5X
Yes, congratulations Vic!

That happened to me just a couple of years ago (it's amazing now many of us
became Hams during the great sunspot cycle of the 1950s). My reaction was
"already?" Suddenly I WAS one of those O.T.s I had always known on the
bands. It might take a little adjustment. Like the guy who was shaving one
morning at the bathroom sink and, as he scraped the lather off of his face
suddenly looked at his reflection in the mirror with great surprise and
exclaimed, "DAD!! What are YOU doing here?".

Ron AC7AC

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RE: OT: 50 years

Gary Harrison-2
In reply to this post by n6wg
Hi Al & group,

QCWA maintains a library of old Callbook dating back to about 1913 when the
Department of Commerce produced a complete list of stations.  Pretty small
book!  All member applications are verified by the two person HQ staff.  It
helps to have an approximate year to start the search since this is a
manual effort.  You just need the original call and best guess on the year.

Congratulations!  There is an award for members available from QCWA for 50
years.  You got me by 10 years.

73,
Gary K0BC (former QCWA President)


At 07:59 AM 10/31/2006 -0800, Robert Tellefsen wrote:

>I've heard that the QCWA (Quarter Century Wireless Ass'n) has,
>or at least had, a complete set of the old Call Books.  It would
>at least localize one to a particular time period, if not an
>exact date.
>If you find a better answer, please post it for us.
>Good luck and 73,
>Bob N6WG
>
>-----Original Message-----
>
>In reading this thread I wondered if I could find out what source would
>contain the date a ham was first licensed ? I admit I do not know when I got
>my
>first ticket but it was 4 calls and 6 moves ago. HI ! Somewhere back in the
>early sixties, I believe.
>
>Any help on this would be appreciated.
>
>73
>Al
>W4ABW

73,
Gary Harrison, K0BC
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Re: OT: 50 years

Bob W7AVK
In reply to this post by Ron D'Eau Claire-2
Morning Ron and Group - I too was an early 1950s young teen ager with a
new WN7VZX call not not long after the novice license was created.  In
those days the FCC was still going through the available W7 three letter
combinations in order the first time since starting in the late 1920s.  
A few years later they went back and reissued the old calls that had
been dropped and my dad received WN7AVK.   Which I asked for and
received after his passing.  :-)

Received a couple years ago a very nice wall hanging from the ARRL
saying I have been a LIFE MEMBER for 50 years.  In those days life
member ship was calculated as 20 times a single year dues.  Remember it
cost me $120.  A very big sum when receivers like the SX-71 were selling
for $250.

73  Bob  W7AVK
K2 s/n 1414


Ron D'Eau Claire wrote:

>Yes, congratulations Vic!
>
>That happened to me just a couple of years ago (it's amazing now many of us
>became Hams during the great sunspot cycle of the 1950s). My reaction was
>"already?" Suddenly I WAS one of those O.T.s I had always known on the
>bands. It might take a little adjustment. Like the guy who was shaving one
>morning at the bathroom sink and, as he scraped the lather off of his face
>suddenly looked at his reflection in the mirror with great surprise and
>exclaimed, "DAD!! What are YOU doing here?".
>
>Ron AC7AC
>
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>
>  
>
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RE: OT: 50 years

Darwin, Keith
In reply to this post by Ron D'Eau Claire-2
A year ago a friend of mine was going into local store.  She looked up
as the approached the door and saw her mother coming out of the store.
Only it wasn't her mother, it was her own reflection.

I wrote a song a few years ago about becoming "my dad".  The chorus
said:

  When I look in the mirror I see
  The eyes of my father staring back at me, saying
  Watcha gonna do when you grow up.
  Son, who ya gonna be
  Will you live your life like we're strangers
  Or will you be a reflection of me?

- Keith KD1E -

-----Original Message-----
From: Ron D'Eau Claire

Like the guy who was shaving one morning at the bathroom sink and, as he
scraped the lather off of his face suddenly looked at his reflection in
the mirror with great surprise and exclaimed, "DAD!! What are YOU doing
here?".
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Re: OT: 50 years

Thom LaCosta
In reply to this post by John Harper AE5X
On Tue, 31 Oct 2006, John Harper wrote:

> This might be helpful:
> http://www.geocities.com/w3hf/callbooks4.html

Steve(w3hf) was kind enough to look me up in the 1959 callbook....so I guess I
have a few years before I can join the ranks of the OTs.

73,Thom-k3hrn
www.zerobeat.net Home of QRP Web Ring, Drakelist home page,Drake Web Ring,
QRP IRC channel, Drake IRC Channel, Elecraft Owners Database
www.tlchost.net/hosting/  ***  Web Hosting as low as 3.49/month
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Re: OT: 50 years

Phil Kane-2
In reply to this post by Bob W7AVK
On Tue, 31 Oct 2006 09:54:16 -0800, Bob W7AVK wrote:

>I too was an early 1950s young teen ager with a new WN7VZX call
>not not long after the novice license was created.  In those days
>the FCC was still going through the available W7 three letter
>combinations in order the first time since starting in the late
>1920s. A few years later they went back and reissued the old
>calls that had been dropped and my dad received WN7AVK.   Which I
>asked for and received after his passing.  :-)

  I too received my first call (this one) in 1952 while I was in
  high school.  My buddies got the last of the W2s and I had to
  settle for one from the first batch of the K2s.  Boy, was I
  steamed !!

  But I got even with the FCC....I worked for them for 30 years,
  retiring 11+ years ago. Neither they nor I emerged the same
  from that experience <g> !!

  Vic -- congrats on getting to 50 years.  It didn't happen by
  accident.

--
   73 de K2ASP - Phil Kane
   Elecraft K2/100   s/n 5402



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RE: OT: 50 years

Ron D'Eau Claire-2
In reply to this post by John Harper AE5X
Phil, K2ASP, wrote:
  I too received my first call (this one) in 1952 while I was in
  high school.  My buddies got the last of the W2s and I had to
  settle for one from the first batch of the K2s.  Boy, was I
  steamed !!


When, in '52 I got W6QAS... That is Wn6QAS... After an interminable wait of
about 8 weeks after passing the Novice code and written test at the FCC
offices, a buddy about a mile away got an unwelcome surprise. The FCC issued
him a "K" call: Kn6ABD. Everyone knew that the "K" prefix was used *only*
for Ham stations in the military. For example K6USA was the 6th ARMY Hq
station at Fort Ord that I operated about ten years later.

Anyway, he was crushed and waited until the next day to call the FCC to see
what he should do. They explained that there was no mistake. The "6" region
(California) had run out of W calls an the FCC was now issuing "K" prefixes
to non-military licensees.

All the guys I met who got their calls about the same time I did had
assignments scattered all over the sequence, so it was pretty obvious they
were reassigning old calls that were unused. But with the huge rush of
Novice licensees in the early 50's they didn't last long in the more
populated areas like 6-land and 2-land. Very soon only K calls were being
issued. Of course there were no two-letter prefixes in use then. It was
either a W or a K and a number.

I looked forward to getting W6QA one day when I qualified. It used to be one
had to be a Ham for a number of years before one could even apply for an
Extra class license or a 1x2 call. By the time I qualified, they were no
more. And then in the 1970s, it was a matter of taking deep breath and
jumping in with an application for a new 2X1 calls the first day they were
accepted in the 70's and I got AC6Y. Very nice CW call. The 76th 2X1 issued
in California.

Then, when I moved to Oregon in '98 I was faced with another issue. I had
argued long and hard against allowing Hams to move out of a call district
and keep their old call. How in the world will anyone know where the station
is by their call if they do that, I asked. But expediency won over tradition
and the requirement to have a call that matched the QTH was dropped. But,
after spouting off so much about it, I just couldn't hang on to AC6Y while
living in Oregon. It wasn't right. So when I submitted my change of address
I checked "give me a new call" and waited to see what the FCC computer might
spit out. It came back with AC7AC. Guess I was just fated to have some AC on
my signal.

Shoot, Phil lives only a few miles from me here and I every time I see his
call I think he must be back east <G>.

Ron AC7AC

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Re: OT: 50 years

Ian Stirling, G4ICV, AB2GR
  I became interested in Amateur Radio, 1975 when a friend
showed me his single transistor, FM 'transmitter'. Later
I learned it was just an unbuffered Colpitts oscillator,
about five turns of copper in the coil and a something
picofarad capacitor and the 300 ohm twin aerial as part of
the tuned circuit, modulated by a tape deck line output on
the base of the BD235 transistor.

  When I discovered Amateur Radio, the literature of the day
said that KA+3 callsigns were American military stationed in
Japan.  Earning my G4ICV in 1979, I learned quickly that
those KA callsigns, most of them, were novices in the
21.1 to 21.2 MHz band.

  I have 'Worked All States' CW as G4ICV, and probably half
of my QSL cards are from novices in that segment - a few of
them joyously declaring in CW and on the cards that I was
their first DX.
 What a forlorn band that is now.

Ian, G4ICV (1979), AB2GR (1999), K2 #4962 (2005)
relative rookie at just 27 years as a Radio Amateur.
--
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