Paul, Congratulations,
My heartfelt congratulations! 73, Franco - PY1EPU -------------------------------------------------- -----Mensagem original----- De: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] Em nome de Wes Stewart Enviada em: quinta-feira, 19 de janeiro de 2017 16:19 Para: topband@contesting.com Assunto: Re: Topband: Made it! 80 Years a Ham Paul, Congratulations, well done! I'm "just" 75 years of age and 59 years a ham and became interested in topband only in the last year or so. I hope to do as well as you. All the best, Wes N7WS On 1/19/2017 8:34 AM, PAUL M ELLIOTT wrote: > Made it! 19 January 2017, is the 80th anniversary of my first ham > license, Class C operating privileges with W5GGV as my call. Was 14 > years old at the time. A little over a year later I upgraded to Class > A. Many years later the Extra Class (with no added privileges) came > along. Upgraded. Some years later the FCC announced that hams with an > Extra Class license who had been licensed 25 years could apply for a > two -letter call, no place on the application to request of a specific call. Was assigned W5DM. > > First rig made from junked Atwater Kent radio parts. First antenna was > a wire going out a hole in the window screen to a tree. First DX was > VK2SS on > 40 m CW, September 1937. (An aside. There were no phone privileges on > 40 m for USA hams). The VK2SS QSL card is hung on my wall. My card to > him was written on a postcard (Great Depression=no money to buy QSL cards). > > Been fairly active over the years, except, of course, for WW II. If > interested in WW II, you can do a web search on DD 792 for a small > part of my history. > > The first 20 or 30 years I built my transmitters (all low powered) and > receivers. Operated CW only until SSB came along. Then I built a low > powered phasing rig. A BC-348H receiver was made dual conversion using 85 kcs (kcs > then= kHz now) IF transformers from a BC 453 receiver. Had a blast working > the world with a homebuilt "cubical quad" on 20 meters. Since then > mostly CW. > > I may have made one small contribution to ham radio. In the April > 1958 issue of QST, in Technical Correspondence there was a letter from > me that, I think, was the first mention in a ham publication that the > formula for determining the length of a "cubical quad" antenna was not > correct. Since my measurements were made using a BC 348, a grid dip > oscillator, and a 100 kcs crystal oscillator. I don't know whether I > was just lucky to get as close as I did or did a fairly good job with what I had. > > In the early 1990s started out to get 160 m WAS from a 120 x 120 foot > electrically noisy city lot (SE NM) with a long ( ~3/8 wavelength) > but low semi-inverted L antenna. Ground radials of varying length in one 90 degree > segment. Made 160 m WAS. Then started chasing DX. Now have 189 countries > confirmed on 160 m, 324 on all bands. > > Age, not surprisingly, has taken its toll. CW now down to 20-25 > wpm-at one time it was 35-40 wpm. Finger dexterity way down-has taken > me over 3 hours to type this email. Physical realities remain physical > realities--I am now a disabled, crippled old man. But--- > > No complaints-many people are worse off than I am. > > Thanks to all who have had the knowledge and the kindness to help me > over the years. > > 73 Paul W5DM > > > > > > > > > > _________________ > Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband > _________________ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband --- Este email foi escaneado pelo Avast antivĂrus. https://www.avast.com/antivirus _________________ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband