TenTec
[Top] [All Lists]

Re: [TenTec] Cheap cw rig

To: "Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment" <tentec@contesting.com>
Subject: Re: [TenTec] Cheap cw rig
From: "John Cox" <jecox@tri-lakes.net>
Reply-to: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment <tentec@contesting.com>
Date: Sun, 20 Apr 2008 03:32:09 -0500
List-post: <tentec@contesting.com">mailto:tentec@contesting.com>
Kirk
I was an AT2 in VS-37 stationed at Los Alamitos.  I flew as air crew off of 
the Yorktown, Hornet, and Philippine Sea.  I was in for 2 years 11 months 
from 1957 to 1960.  I never did get used to the night Cat shots.  When you 
lowered the nose my inner ear told me that we were going in the water.  We 
lost three crewman off of Japan during night operations.  I can remember 
going back to the electronics compartment and changing frequency's on the 
ART-13 while in flight.  I don't recall why but I think that on the same 
flight I had to go up front and read code sent by flashing light from a 
destroyer.  I would like to find a nice ART-13 and have seen some junk on 
ebay but they seem to bring more than I want to pay.  You are right when you 
are 18 years old you think that you are going to live forever.  I have had 
bad eyes since the 7th grade or would have gone into the Navcad program.  I 
got my private flying license in 1962 and have flown lots of old airplanes 
over the years.  I currently have a flying Piper J-3 Cub and a 1929 Fleet 
Model 2 biplane in pieces in my barn.
Spent most of my life in Riverside, California and had a hangar at Flabob 
airport for 25 years.  My brother has a hangar at Ryan field in Tucson 
Arizona and one of the guys there is restoring a Mig 19.  I just discovered 
talking to my brother that he was a S2F pilot so I will have to talk to him 
next time I am out.
 I live on a farm Here in Missouri so I have lots of antenna space.  I 
bought an old 80 foot tower That I will be putting up next to my garage and 
a bunch of none working Collins S line Radios.  While in the Navy I worked 
on the APS-38 radar and want to see if I can still repair the old vacuum 
tube stuff.  After the Navy I worked for IBM for 31 years as a Customer 
Engineer and Systems Engineer But It was all solid state stuff running on 
plus and minus 1.5 volts.
I have a Ten-Tec Omni VI that I use when I am on the air.
73, John KC0YAI


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Kirk.Harding" <Kirk.harding@cox.net>
To: "'Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment'" <tentec@contesting.com>
Sent: Saturday, April 19, 2008 8:02 PM
Subject: Re: [TenTec] Cheap cw rig


> John,
>
> I hate to say this but for the most part it has all passed.  Like you I
> started in 1954 but even with all the girls I still kept my interest in
> amateur radio.  My Dad K6TMX sk got his license about a year after I did. 
> A
> six year stint in the Navy got in the way a little but as a S2 pilot, I
> figured how to get the HF in the S2 working on 40M CW.  I'm sure it would
> have been brig time had I been caught.  I think I was about 12 when I had 
> my
> very first CW contact.  I was so excited that when the fellow on the other
> end (San Diego, I think) said solid copy I thought he said so lid and I
> couldn't figure out what I had done wrong.  Funny now but boy was I upset 
> at
> that!! My Mom and Dad looked on and my Mom cried because she know how
> thrilled I was.  Ham radio focused my attention on my love and interest in
> electronics and communications.  I don't know how I made it through school
> with some of the dumb decisions I made.  But I did and finally ended up 
> with
> a BSEE and then later an MSEE and MBA. I still laugh at a comment my Dad
> made.  He was a WWII Chief Warrant Officer.  He said that he figured that 
> I
> had to set the Navy back at 6 of the 6 years I was in and he was amazed 
> that
> I didn't kill myself along the way.  I didn't consider being a carrier 
> pilot
> dangerous. But even now 40 years later, I still have dreams about some of
> those hair raising misadventures.  At 67, I refuse to be old.  Retired 
> (for
> the last time) last year and am now able to enjoy my hobby of all these
> years. It has been and continues to be a wonderful rewarding hobby.  I'm 
> now
> working on finalizing my 4CX5000 amp a true California kilowatt. Is it my
> first?  No way.  Is it my last? Probably.  Parts have become so damned
> expensive and of course I'm not a collector so I don't have the parts
> available that were once easily available.  Nonetheless, it is a great
> hobby.  Guess if I had a wish, I'd wish my kids would have taken an
> interest.  I know it sure kept my Dad and I close.  I don't remember what
> the first transmitter was that I built but I do remember the second and 
> that
> was the Heathkit AT-1.  I still have it and it's in new condition. 
> Anyway,
> rambling on!  Isn't that what old men do.  Not me!!!
>
> Regards,
>
> Kirk, K6KAR
> Niceville, FL
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: tentec-bounces@contesting.com [mailto:tentec-bounces@contesting.com]
> On Behalf Of John Cox
> Sent: Saturday, April 19, 2008 6:51 PM
> To: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment
> Subject: Re: [TenTec] Cheap cw rig
>
> I am an old man now and probably don't have a clue when it comes to what 
> the
>
> youth of today would be interested in.
> In 1954 I spent a week with a friend that had moved to another city and we
> went to an amateur radio meeting where we played with 2 Gonset 
> communicators
>
> a block away from each other.  I was enthralled.  My friend had his 
> General
> and we spent a few days getting me up to 5 wpm on the code.  I took the
> novice test and went home with my novice license.  KN6HSG!!  Was I 
> excited.
> I bought the current ARRL hand book and built a 40/80 meter 5 watt 6ag7 cw
> transmitter.  My old boy scout master gave me a Hallicrafters S-53A 
> receiver
>
> and I was off and running.  I couldn't seem to raise anyone on 80 meters
> until I contacted a Ham in Colton, California which was 20 miles away.  I
> guess that I was very weak because he finally asked me to send over my 
> phone
>
> number.  I few minuets later my mother came out to my bed room shack and
> said that there was someone on the phone for me.  He came over and fixed 
> my
> antenna for me and I later contacted a ham in Minnesota.
> These were exciting times for me.  I later dropped Amatuer Radio for girls
> and only came back after I had forgotten what it was that I did with the
> girls.
> I now do a little SSB but spend most of my time listening to cw trying to
> get my receive speed and nerve  up to the point that I can go on line.
> Are kids like me still out there or has it all passed?
> 73, John kc0yai
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Jim Brown K9YC" <k9yc@audiosystemsgroup.com>
> To: "Bob McGraw - K4TAX" <RMcGraw@Blomand.net>; "Discussion of Ten-Tec
> Equipment" <tentec@contesting.com>
> Sent: Saturday, April 19, 2008 11:14 AM
> Subject: Re: [TenTec] Cheap cw rig
>
>
>> On Fri, 18 Apr 2008 17:54:09 -0500, Bob McGraw - K4TAX wrote:
>>
>>>Do we really think newcomers to ham radio will be interested in
>>>a CW rig?  I doubt it.
>>
>> I guess Elecraft doesn't count? They've sold thousands of K1s and
>> KX1s, both of which are CW only. Haven't looked at serial numbers
>> for K2s lately, but a year ago it was more than 6,000. The base
>> radio is CW only -- you have to add a SSB board to work phone. And
>> if you go to the QRP program at Dayton next month, you'll see a lot
>> of CW-only rigs. Some of those are built and used by new hams. If
>> you listen sorta high in the CW bands, especially on 40 and 30,
>> you'll hear them (when they're not getting stepped on by RTTY
>> contesters who don't listen before they transmit).
>>
>> And perhaps you haven't done much contesting or DX chasing lately,
>> where there is still plenty of interest in CW by new hams.
>>
>> 73,
>>
>> Jim K9YC
>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> TenTec mailing list
>> TenTec@contesting.com
>> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/tentec
>
> _______________________________________________
> TenTec mailing list
> TenTec@contesting.com
> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/tentec
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> TenTec mailing list
> TenTec@contesting.com
> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/tentec 

_______________________________________________
TenTec mailing list
TenTec@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/tentec

<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>