Yep, I do remember all that stuff, and the conditional class license, when
TVI was more of a problem, when solid state transmitters meant distortion as
their middle name, when we used tube rigs to warm the room instead of the
heaters, when a transmitter weighed more than your wife, and the combination
weighed more than the both of you, when OSCAR was brand new in 1961, :) and
so forth!
----- Original Message -----
From: "Martin McCormick" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, September 13, 2011 9:16 AM
Subject: Re: For the other certifiable Old Timers Among Us
I got a Novice ticket in 1966 but never used it. The bug
bit again in 1969 and I have been WB5AGZ ever since. I held
every class of license except Conditional and upgraded to Extra
in 1988.
For me, the world is right when ten meters is full of
strong signals from all over the world from well before dawn
until hours after dark.
I experienced the Solar maximum of 1968 as my first Sun
spot cycle and have been hooked on propagation study ever since.
Hopefully, this Solar cycle will get going this Fall,
but don't hold your breath. All the experts say it won't amount
to much. We'll only know after the fact so get out there and
heat up the ionosphere.
As for things to remember, think of the rumors that used
to pop up every so often that ten meters was about to be given
over to CB. Until about 1977 or so, there were only 23 CB
channels. Someone in a magazine described it as 23 party lines
with 200,000 conversations going on at once. When there is skip
in the band as it usually is during Solar peaks in Winter, you
can think you can hear every one of those conversations plus the
wack jobs who play music and jam everybody else. We just
imagined the chaos that would result if ten meters had been
grabbed for umpteen more CB channels.
Then, Six meters was the topic of ugly rumors that it
might be taken over for CB.
If you remember all that stuff, you're an old-timer.
Eric Clegg writes:
> Hi Howard,
> I got my novice license in 1981 after obtaining American citizenship.
>
> My first call sign was KA3EEL.
>
> I've been licensed for 30 years now.
>
> I upgraded to Extra in around 1985 and got the call sign KU3I.
>
> I moved to Sacramento in 1990.
>
> I then got the call sign AA6XG which I hated!
>
> When the vanity call signs came out I was reissued KU3I again.
>
> Guess I can now join the quarter century club!
>
> I well remember BTP and the newer SKTF magazine.
>
> I rememgber Bob Gunderson read the White's Radio Log for am stations in
> the
> 1970s before the magazine finally ceased publication.
> It spanned a whole bunch of talking records.
>
> Thanks to all for the good memories.
>
> 73,
>
> Eric
> KU3I
>
>
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