AN INTERESTING CONTACT

LONG BEFORE I BECAME A HAM, LONG BEFORE I REACHED TEENAGE STATUS, I WAS FASCINATED WITH RADIO. WHETHER IT WAS MY CHILDHOOD RADIO HERO, HOP HARRIGAN, OR MOVING UP THE BROADCAST BAND TO THE POLICE CALLS WHICH ONCE INHABITED THE SPECTRUM JUST ABOVE 1600 KC'S, THE MYSTERY OF THE ETHER CAPUTED MY IMAGINATION. I FONDLY REMEMBER THE THRILL OF POKING THE HILLS AND VALLEYS OF THE GALENA STUFF WITH THE "CAT'S WHISKERS" RADIO I PURCHASED FOR 50 CENTS FROM JOHNSON SMITH COMPANY, RACINE WISCONSIN. I WAS AN "SWL," (SHORT WAVE LISTENER. ) THAT OLD GLOVER FAMILY MOTOROLA SHORT WAVE RADIO NEARLY HAD THE SERRATIONS WORN OFF THE TUNING KNOB AS I EXCITEDLY SEARCHED FOR BERLIN, TOKYO, ITALY, BRAZIL, AND OTHER MYSTERIOUS AND FAR OFF LANDS. AS I GREW, THE INTEREST DIDN'T SUBSIDE. BY AN UNUSUAL COINCIDENCE, MY LOVE OF RADIO BROUGHT ME TO SERVICE WITH UNCLE SAM'S ARMY AS A MEMBER OF THE OH-SO-SECRET ARMY SECURITY AGENCY (ASA). I DIDN'T CHOOSE A MILITARY COMMUNICATIONS CAREER; THE ARMY CHOSE ME. I ENDED UP WITH AN MOS OF 1717 WHICH WAS CHANGED TO 058. PASSING 35 WORDS PER MINUTE AT MY STATION IN FORT DEVENS, MASSACHUSETS. I CREDIT THE ARMY FOR TEACHING ME HOW TO TYPE ON A U.S. ARMY "MILL." I CAME OUT SECOND IN MY FORT DEVENS MORSE CODE CLASS WITH A SPEED OF 34 WPM. MY BUDDY ERIC WILKINSON FROM PHILADELPHIA BEAT ME OUT BY ONE WORD PER MINUTE, ATTRIBUTING IT TO TAKING THE TEST THE MORNING HE WAS SUFFERING FROM A HANGOVER. UPON MY DISCHARGE IN 1958, THE RADIO BUG REMAINED. ONE OF MY FIRST REAL RADIOS WAS A LAFAYETTE HE 80 COMMUNICATIONS RECEIVER. HOW PROUD I WAS OF THAT RADIO! I WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER THOSE COLD WINTER NIGHTS WHEN QRN WAS AT A MINIMUM AND THE SUN SPOTS WERE IN A FAVORABLE CYCLE. I LOVED TO SEARCH FOR BROADCAST SIGNALS AND HAPPILY LOGGED THE NUMEROUS CLEAR CHANNEL STATIONS AND A NUMBER OF STATIONS NOT HEARD BY NORMAL RADIOS. HEY....THIS IS GETTING MUCH TOO VERBOSE. MORE TO COME IN A FUTURE POST.