At about 3:15 PM central time 44 years ago today, I received my novice call 
sign of WN0ORO and running as fast as I could go to the ham shack we had at 
the Nebraska school for the blind, I burst through the door and told a 
friend of mine, and a couple of other guys sitting around the receiver, to 
move over because I was getting on the air.  They didn't believe me at first 
but it didn't take them long.  I called my first, on the air CQ, as WN0ORO/0 
because we did not have a station club call sign at the school at that time. 
I was on 37 15 KHz and the guy who answered me was WN0OHO in York Nebraska. 
We became close friends over the years and worked each other as novices, and 
later as generals, for many years on 80 and 75 meters.  The transmitter I 
used was an AT1 running 30 watts input with a dipole on the roof of the 
school up about 30 feet.  Our DX60 was in the shop for repair.  My receiver 
I used that day was the SX99 and I spent, from then on, every minute of my 
lunch breaks, after school hours, and after supper hours, in the ham shack 
and on the air.  I had my novice for 7 months before my general ticket came 
in the mail.  At home, I first started out with a DX20 which ran 10 watts 
output to a 100 foot long wire with no tuner up 30 feet.  I had a BC 345 
receiver at home.  Eventually I got a Viking Ranger 1 for my transmitter but 
for Christmas in 1966, after passing my general, my mother generously 
purchased me a Drake TR4 receiver which I ran for about the next 5 years. 
Those were some of the most enjoyable ham radio years I ever experienced, 44 
years ago today.

Phil.
K0NX
AF0H
WA0ORO
WN0ORO