Currently Ham operations are sparse on HF 80 – 10 meters, 2 meters, 1.25 meters and 70 cm fm.
Going “back to the future”, when I got my “Novice” ticket out of a cereal box (Spring of 1955) making my first contact, August 1, 1955 with *KN4CMH… …it was in the middle of the AM vs SSB wars. “CQ AM – no Donald Ducks, no Quackity Quacks” “Back in the day”, code was learned using a phonograph… …my Novice rig was a BC-454 receiver and a Heathkit AT-1 transmitter on 3735 kHz .
Went to my first hamfest at Roanoke, Virginia (Sponsored by W4CA, Roanoke, VA) – and was fortunate enough to visit their ‘ham shack.’ On site that evening, my friend KN4GWO and I saw sparks off the tips of mobile whips when W4CA lit off its >1KW AM powerhouse… we lit flourescent lights by holding them into the air… it was W O N D E R F U L! The air actually smelled of Ozone.
When I got my “Conditional” ticket, I added a pair of 6L6’s driven by a carbon mike and plate modulated the AT-1 (mounted on a cigar box – my grandpa smoked “Rum Crooks”). A crystal for 3.835 MHz was added and had a ball @ 20 watts on 75 meter phone (AM). Many years later — grandfathered from Conditional to General. (Recently my dearest friend, Paul ~ WB9HGZ, gave me a AT-1. I cried… It sits on my bench next to my iCom IC-725.
At that time the QTH was the highest point in my hometown (Victoria, VA located in SOUTHSIDE Virginia – 65 miles SSW of Richmond and approx 20 miles North of NC). When I earned my “Conditional license” my half-wave 80 meter wire dipole worked like gangbusters on 75 meter phone. 1955-57 was a great sunspot period and worked a whole bunch of other hams on that one little old 3.835 MHz crystal. It was the same frequency as the 75 meter Virginia Fone Net. BTW I still have my Novice crystal.
The Ham who was my “Amateur” mentor and mentored me into this entire wonderful hobby is now a SK – W4YWF… …passed away May 30th (2014). Thank you Johnny Massie for bringing me into the wonderful world of Ham Radio. I will “SEEK YOU” in Heaven… 73, OM
August 3, 2015 I finally became Extra Class… thanks to the Berryville Hamfest and the Laurel VEC.
73,
John