[SCCC] A small 50th anniversary observance

[Wayne Overbeck]

This Tuesday (March 6) is my 50th 
anniversary as a radio amateur.  
I made my very first QSO on March 
6, 1957--the day my license came 
in the mail.

If you have a chance, please get on 
the air Tuesday evening and say hello.
I'll be on 144200 (+/- if needed) at 
0330 UTC (7:30 p.m. PST) and will 
try 15 (21207) and 75 (3731) at 0500 
and 0515 (9 and 9:15 p.m.), respectively.

I will be operating from the SAME  
ROOM in the same house in Manhattan 
Beach where I made my first QSO.  I 
inherited that house about 15 years ago 
and my longtime tenant moved out last 
month, making possible this sentimental 
journey back to where I started.  

When I was putting up antennas there, a 
neighbor who was the kid next door 50 
years ago came over and demanded to 
know what I was doing.  His family 
didn't like living next door to a 
ham radio operator then, and he 
certainly doesn't want to live next 
to one now!  I assured him that my 
antennas would soon be gone and the 
house would again be a rental.  He'd 
much rather live next door to a renter 
than to a ham radio operator!

I know a lot of people who got into 
amateur radio as teen-agers are marking 
their 50th anniversaries as radio 
amateurs these days.  Others are making 
it a point to ignore these milestones.
But who can forget their first QSO?  My 
"first time" was about 6:30 p.m. on 
that day 50 years ago, when KN9DDQ in 
Batchtown, IL answered my call on 21207 
kc--the only crystal frequency I had on 
15 meters.  (Later I saved up for another 
crystal so I could be lower in the band, 
where more of the activity was.)  When I 
sent KN9DDQ his RST, my name and QTH, my 
JT-38 key was soaked from perspiration.
So was I.  Isn't everyone nervous the 
first time?

Tuesday night I'll get on 21207 again, 
and also 3731 (my 80-meter novice 
frequency --I still have that crystal).  
Now those onetime novice frequencies 
are in the phone band.  Ironically, I 
never made a contact on VHF as a novice, 
but I've spent most of my operating time 
on the VHF+ bands since the 1960s.

I hope to see you on two, 15 or 75 Tuesday 
night.  I'm sorry to say I won't be running 
my Heathkit DX-35.  I sold it 49 years ago.

73,
Wayne Overbeck, N6NB
Ex-KN6YNB, K6YNB



 
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