[RSM] Memories, prompted by K2TNO

[Art Boyars]

Bill remarked on the PVRC Reflector that he graduated from high school in
1960.  I tweaked him about his seniority, saying that I had CK 60, and
graduated from high school in 1962.  He replied with some memories about
his days with the JHU ham club (K3GJD, President).  And I responded...

In the Summer of 1960 I was a counselor at Boy Scout camp for three weeks.
One of my assignments was teaching -- in five days! -- Morse Code to
candidates for the First Class rank.  I stayed one lesson ahead of the
class --  E I S H   T M O     A W J   N D B U V     G Z  R L  K Y     C F
Q   P X     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
So, I learned to send pretty good... but I never had to copy!

At the end of those three weeks  my family began a multi-week vacation by
rail across the USA.  Well, to California, anyhow.  In Los Angeles we
visited family friends from my parents' childhood in Brooklyn, and a family
from our former home in Southern Maryland. Of the latter, the two teenage
boys had gotten Novice licenses.  (One was WV6NVR; I forget the other.)
Amazing! You could actually use Morse Code to talk to people!  People far
away!

So, I had the one brother copy while I sent, and in August 1960, on the 40M
Novice band, I made my first QSO, with another guy in Los Angeles.  Of
course, I was hooked.

Back home in Silver Spring I buddied up with a fellow high school band
clarinetist who already had his Novice ticket, and I discovered a wonderful
Elmer -- K3ENP ( SK) --  just down the street from my house.  K3ENP Elmered
me up, giving me a surplus BC-459 and letting me use his workbench tools
and and more surplus parts to convert that BC-459 to crystal control and to
build a HUGE power supply.  And late in 1960 he administered my Novice Test.

Do you remember those days of waiting and waiting for the envelope from
the FCC?  Mine arrived early in 1961.  Do you remember the excitement of
opening the FCC envelope?  I sure do -- KN3OAE, dated December 30, 1960.

CQ CQ CQ...

73, Art K3KU

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