Dave,

You've sure been through all the gear over the years but that bootleg story 
was very funny.

Phil.
K0NX






----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dave Basden" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, April 30, 2014 1:13 PM
Subject: Re: My view and memories about ham radio: was RE: Amateur Radio 
Licensees in U.S.


> Well, I guess I'll pass along my recollections as well.  I was
> interested in electricity and short wave radio from my childhood.  I
> was an Air Force brat and, when my dad was stationed in Alaska, we
> lived next door to the FCC engineer for a few months.  He took me to
> the FCC monitoring station for a day along with his wife and
> daughter.  He encouraged me to get a novice license.
>
> When on base quarters became available, we moved to them on Eielson
> AFB and happened to live across the street from a ham.  I discovered
> this when i and a friend traced the feedline from an antenna in a
> nearby field back to his apartment.  He gave me the novice test and
> lent me a National NC120, which was the military version of the
> NC100.  He helped me put up an 80-meter dipole with a 40-meter  diple
> draped below it and fed with 70-ohm twinlead.  My mother put together
> a Heathkit DX-35.  It ook six months for my novice ticket to arrive
> and I was ready to go long before that.  When my friend from across
> the street was away one weekend, I bootlegged his call and ended up
> in a QSO with a sergeant who worked at the MARS station on base.  At
> the next radio club meeting which he, my friend from across the
> street, and I attended, the sergeant commented on his nice QSO with
> my friend from across the street.  When my friend said he was gone
> that day, all eyes turned to me.  Needless to say I remained patient
> till my ticket finally arrived on December 26, 1956.  My first call
> was WL7CAJ.  Since then I have been KL7CAJ (when I passed my
> general), K7BNA when my dad was transferred to a base in southern
> Idaho, WA6QND and later AF6Y when I lived and worked in Fresno
> California, and finally W7OQ when I retired to Oregon.  Over the
> years I owned a Globe Scout 66, a Centeral Electronics 20A with Globe
> Linear LA-1, A Hallicrafters SX-100, a Hammarlund HQ-170, and a
> succession of transceivers including the TS-520, Tentec Omni, TS-440,
> TS-480, and now the TS-590.  I played around with SSB when it became
> popular, but have always preferred CW and now am about 99% pure CW.
>
> 73,
>
> Dave
>