Well, congratulations Paul. That is one heck of an accomplishment, and one I certainly aspire to. Not the getting sunk part... ;-)
73, geo - n4ua On Mon, Jan 19, 2015 at 8:41 PM, Paul Elliott <p...@valornet.com> wrote: > Today I have the extremely good fortune to celebrate 78 years of being a > licensed ham. On a day late in January 1937, in Kingsville TX, I came home > from school and found a small envelope waiting for me. Inside was my > license, dated January 19, 1937: operating privileges Class C, station > call > sign W5GGV. I was 14 years old at the time. > > > > My first rig, operating only on 40 m CW, consisted of a type 45 tube in a > TNT circuit and a 2 tube receiver (regenerative detector and one stage of > audio). Both were built from parts scavenged from junked Atwater Kent > receivers. My key was a piece of hacksaw blade. > > > > I did not start operating on 160 m until about 20 years ago. On a 120' x > 120' lot (very noisy electrically), in Hobbs, NM, I have been able to > confirm 187 countries on 160 m. I am still trying to come up with some way > to improve my receiving antenna situation. > > > > Age, not surprisingly, has taken its toll but has not stopped me > completely. > Both sending and receiving speed have decreased to about 25 wpm-can still > have fun with what I have left. > > > > My thanks to all those on this reflector who have provided help and > instruction to me over the years. There are some very good people on this > reflector. > > > > One small historical note: I still have my original license although > somewhat the worse for wear. It got thoroughly soaked in the Pacific Ocean > and stained when the ship I was on in WW II was sunk by a kamikaze. > > > > 73 Paul W5DM > > _________________ > Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband > _________________ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband