Excellent story, Mike!

Tom Behler: KB8TYJ

-----Original Message-----
From: For blind ham radio operators [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
On Behalf Of Mike Duke, K5XU
Sent: Sunday, September 28, 2014 4:58 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: What our spouses put up with First Story

Long time participants on this list may have heard this story before, but
here goes again just in case.

While growing up, I was blessed to have a blind adult role model. When I
became interested in ham radio, my parents took me to his house one day to
see his station, and to talk with him about the hobby.

One thing he showed me during that visit was a Heath kit DX60 transmitter.
He told me that his wife built it for him not long after it went on the
market in 1962.

Through the years, that transmitter put several Novice operators on the air,
and while it was not my first transmitter, I used it a few times when my
equipment was off somewhere being repaired.

After he died in 2005 at the age of 82, his wife gave me the DX60, and it is
a prized possession.

When I picked it up from her, I asked her about building it, and
specifically how she learned to solder.

"Well," she said, "I had never touched a soldering iron before I built that
kit. So I didn't know any better than to read the instructions, and just do
what they said do."

The transmitter worked the first time it was powered up, and never had to go
back to the company for repairs.

Later, my friend who checked it out to be sure the electrolytic in the power
supply were okay told me that she didn't do a bad job putting it together.

--
Mike Duke, K5XU