How I Became a Ham Radio Operator

I grew up during WW2 in South London.  Back then, warm shrapnel quickly replaced "conkers" as treasured currency among small boys.   Radio transmitters were associated with Spies:  "Achtung, achtung! dis ist 'funf' schpeaking!"--  and motorbikes were infinitely more desirable than radios.  

 As I grew older it became more than ever important to graduate from a push-bike to a motorbike.  Girls liked men with motorbikes, and girls were of ever increasing interest (remember those days?  C'mon Man, you know you do).

 So I came up with a Plan.  Be an Author, get something published.   I bombarded editors of Motorcycle and Radio Magazines with articles and proposals.  Luckily my dad helped with some of the radio articles, he was in the local ham club, and I finally got something published.  A check!!!  Five Pounds.  The next one was more ambitious with photos and netted ten pounds.  And the one after that was turned down flat by every rag I sent it to!  End of my literary career,  but I could now buy an ancient 250 BSA.

 A busy life meant no time for distractions, and I came to the USA in 1963.   Although my kid sister had been a Royal Navy telegraphist, a "Jennie Wren", I had never learned Morse until I was staring down the barrel of retirement.   What to do with all that spare time?  Better get a serious hobby!  

 So I buckled down and sweated code for an entire summer, three times a day.  My wife did me a deal:  if I passed one of the license exams I could buy one bottle of champagne; this was 1999 and back then there were 5 technical exams and three cw exams.  Well, I must have got lucky because I brought 3 bottles of champagne home that day.

 I started off life as a barefoot lad (obviously- we all do!) and I was always poor, consequently like all good hams I am a great scrounger, and it's quite immoral to use anything that I didn't build or adapt myself.   The result is a garage with no cars but dozens of neatly labeled boxes with transistors and capacitors and Valuable Stuff.  The XYL thinks I'm nuts, and she's probably right- the hell with a dignified old age, say I!

 So now go have a look at the "Builders Corner" section.  Who knows, maybe I can persuade you to build a  $10 antenna or a $30 radio kit.

October 24, 2021