Amateur Radio in the "good ol' days," one young ham's accomplishments in his school science fair and much more.

Ham Radio Yesterday

Being a young person involved in Amateur Radio today is different than it used to be. So, let's scan to the past and hear from some veteran hams who also became licensees at a young age.

Dave Thompson, K4JRB, recalls the days before the Internet (yes, we know that's hard to imagine), when teens and even pre-teen hams at least seemed to be more numerous. Since most started out as Novice class licensees, they had to operate CW on often-crowded HF subbands. He recalls that in the late 1950s and early 1960s, many of the young hams he knew were involved in traffic handling.

"They viewed DXing [making long-distance contacts] and contesting as an extension of traffic handling and learning or improving their on-air skills," says Thompson. A few Novices even managed to earn membership in the DX Century Club (DXCC) by working and collecting QSL cards for contacts with stations in 100 countries (now called "entities") around the world. A lot of hams licensed and active in that era remain active today [including this column's editor--Ed].

Stan Edwards, WA4DYD, was first licensed in 1961as a Novice, WN4DYD, at age 15. For a few decades, Novices had distinctive "N" (or later, in the second and sixth call districts, "WV") call signs. A classmate, George Weatherly, ex-WA4AFF, encouraged Edwards to get his license. At an Amateur Radio club meeting, he met another Elmer, C.W. "Shorty" Brock, W4MTS, who helped him study the Morse code.

"We only had CW privileges, and the transmitter had to be crystal-controlled with no more than 75 watts dc input," recalls Edwards. Thinking back, he remembers the station of Bill Jacoway, who gave him his license test: "a Collins transmitter contained in a rack taller than I, standing beside a desk that held the many-tubed Collins receiver. He told me it was his dream rig. Those tubes glowing were really beautiful," he recounts.

Edward's first station--a Knight Kit T-60 transmitter and Knight Kit R-55 receiver (from Allied Radio), which he assembled himself--was an early Christmas gift from his parents. "I still remember how nervous I was when I made my first contact," he said. "It was very brief, exchanging basic information, but really exciting." Shortly after, he earned his Technician ticket (which, in those days, meant taking a 5-WPM code exam and the General class theory test). While still in high school, he was vice president of the Dekalb County (Alabama) Amateur Radio Club and published its monthly newsletter.

Another mentor, Collier Green, W4GBR, helped WA4DYD build his own power amplifier. "We could go to a local hardware store that rewound motors and weigh out a spool of copper wire of the gauge needed, take it home and wind off to the transformer core what we needed, then take it back and let them weigh the spool again, charging us by the pound for the amount of wire we used."

"Bet you can't do that anymore!" he says. "Building things still gives me the same excitement it did 42 years ago."

Bob Antoniuk, N2SU (ex-WA2BSU), got his Novice in 1971 when he was 13. He recalls that, in those days, it was not uncommon for the 15-meter Novice band to come alive when all of the young hams got home from school.

"With crystal control, you had to tune at least plus or minus 10 kHz (still called kilocycles or 'kcs' in those days) after calling CQ to see if you got a call," recalls Antoniuk. "It's a lost art, but it did teach you to listen." While the Novice and Technician tests were "mail-order" exams that a licensed volunteer could administer, hams upgrading to General--unless they lived too far away--had to show up at an FCC office or testing point.

"I went from Novice to Extra in three and a half years, which was pretty good for that era," he says. He remembers, too, how odd it sounded to hear teenagers sporting 1x2 call signs when they became available to Extra licensees in the 1976-78 period.

The fellow who edits this column after I write it, ARRL Senior News Editor Rick Lindquist, N1RL, tells me he's been licensed 46 years as of this month. "I still remember the excitement of seeing my Novice ticket show up in the mailbox," he said. "I almost tore the envelope in two trying to find out what my new call sign was. At age 12, I was KN2RHJ and on top of the world."

Lindquist's Elmer, Frank Adriance, W2MMT, had encouraged him to build his own transmitter--a one-tube crystal-controlled oscillator. Although it worked okay during tests, it failed when he tried to make his first contact. With help from Adriance and other neighborhood hams, he reworked the transmitter and was up and running in about a week. "At maybe 10 W output into a mediocre antenna, it didn't get out very far," he recalls. "I'll never forget working a station in Washington, DC, and thinking I'd spanned the globe." His receiver was a Hallicrafters S-20R Sky Champion with a Heath QF-1 Q multiplier.

After getting his General (which was like having an Extra ticket today), Lindquist couldn't wait to get on phone--still mostly full-carrier AM back in those days. "SSB wasn't all that common yet," he said, "and CW still was a struggle for me." But when his homebrew modulator died, he went back to CW and discovered it not only got out better but was a lot of fun! He remains primarily a CW operator today, "and I even got pretty good at it after 15 or 20 years of practice," he adds.

Lindquist says he still keeps in touch with several ham radio friend from his high school days on a weekly SSB schedule. (I even checked in once!) "If it weren't for ham radio, I would have lost touch with those folks decades ago," he said.

Although not licensed in his youth, Gordon Anderson, N8CCC, got interested in Amateur Radio at a young age. When he was in grade school, he would occasionally listen to AM radio, and during his pre-teen years, he and his friends played with Citizens Band "walkie-talkies."

In junior high school, he got his first multiband shortwave radio and enjoyed listening to police and fire calls. As a high school junior, he discovered shortwave listening (SWLing) and enjoyed tuning in German-language broadcasts because he was taking German in school. At about the same time, he met his first Amateur Radio operator--a senior who had his Novice license--and visited his shack a couple of times. But Anderson had not yet been bitten by the bug.

After college in 1978, however, he went to work for the R.L. Drake Company--then a well-known manufacturer of ham gear--where he learned more about Amateur Radio and got licensed as a Novice, KA8ECD, the following year. When he upgraded to Technician, he became N8CCC.

Anderson points out that some young people who once seemed interested in Amateur Radio, are no longer active. "Here in the Dayton area it is hard to find young people on the air. Advertised youth nets do not exist," he says. He also knows of parents who, for one reason or another--sometimes money--have not allowed their children to pursue Amateur Radio as an avocation. On the other hand, he's gratified to see some youthful amateurs on the air regularly and promoting the hobby.

Anderson recommends that Amateur Radio clubs make their presence known. "We need to communicate the benefits of the radio hobby, since many parents and teachers still are unaware," he says. "We need to find more ways to win over parents to the fact that the radio hobby can be a worthwhile investment."

And Now a Comment from Your Editor

Our "Scan to the Past" contributors made some good points. One thing that stood out to me was how many veteran hams said they became interested in Amateur Radio because of their peers. Others also commented on how Amateur Radio equipment does not have to be expensive--especially if you build your own. Some also mention that some youth are licensed but not active in their areas.

Recently, I corresponded with several frustrated young hams who have been working all the angles to get a youth net going. But the check-ins aren't there. My own feeling is that this has a lot to do with the busy lifestyles of today's youth. There are just so many--perhaps too many--things to occupy our time. As a result, we don't make time to check into nets or get on the air.

Here is my challenge: Ask yourself, "What can I do to get more youth involved and active in Amateur Radio?" When you come up with an answer to that question, just do it!, as the ad says. It might work.

Each column, we list several youth nets. If you are a young ham, start by promising yourself that you will check into one. Or two or even three. Share our list with your ham radio friends. If we work together, maybe youth nets will become a major part of Amateur Radio.

To all of the youth net control stations and net managers, thank you for what you are doing.. Don't give up. If we all make it a priority to show our appreciation to youth net controls and to make youth nets popular, maybe it will happen.

Suggestions and comments on how to get more young amateurs involved and active in Amateur Radio or how to get more check-ins to youth nets are always welcome.

"KC" Purwinto, KC2LZZ, with his Amateur Radio Low-Power Communication display, at his school's science fair. [AB2QV Photo]

Youth Recent Events KC2LZZ wins Science Fair

During the fifth grade science fair, Qays "KC" Purwinto, KC2LZZ, displayed and demonstrated Amateur Radio low-power communication at his school--Central New York Charter School for Math and Science--and won first place! His proud papa is Wyn Purwinto, AB2QV.

"From his school he made several contacts to several operators in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Hollywood, London and Rome through the EchoLink repeater," said his father. "Moreover, he tested his signal using his handheld transceiver with its rubber ducky antenna and the external antenna from two different locations in downtown Syracuse. Each antenna usage resulted a different amount of repeater contacts."

After winning at the school level, he went on to compete at the Greater Syracuse Scholastic Science Fair 2004, organized by the Museum of Science & Technology (MoST) in Syracuse, New York. At this level, KC received two awards. "I had a lot of fun!" he says.

IRLP 4 Kids Net

The IRLP 4 Kids Net meets on Reflector 6, main channel (Node 9600), at 0100 UTC each Saturday. Thanks to Jonathan Cullifer, W4CGP, for submitting this information.

Several Youth Attend Hamfest

Several young people attended the Kennehoochee Hamfest in Marietta, Georgia, and I had a chance to talk with a few of them.

Alexander rides dad's (Jaime Sanchez, KI4ESS) shoulders. [KG4IUM Photo]

Maggie with her dad, Bill Magliocco, WA2QKO. [KG4IUM Photo]

Joanne Glisson, KF4YOQ, and her brother Daniel. [KG4IUM Photo]

Alexander was seen riding on the shoulders of his dad, Jaime Sanchez, KI4ESS, who had just passed his Technician exam. Alexander was beaming from ear to ear, holding dad's new HT. Although not a ham yet, it looks like he may be one day.

Maggie was at the hamfest with her dad Bill Magliocco, WA2QKO. She says she'd really like to get her Amateur Radio license, and she was actually envious of her mom, who was taking a Technician level course that day.

Fifteen-year-old Joanne Glisson, KF4YOQ, and her 13-year-old brother Daniel were at the Kennehoochee hamfest as well. Joanne earned her Amateur Radio license after being promised a kitten when she passed the test. She started as a Novice, is now a Technician with Morse code credit and likes Amateur Radio because, she says, it works when cell phones don't.

Daniel seemed excited about the possibility of joining the rest of his "ham family." Dad is John, N4XMX, and mom is Martha, N4MMG.

Spring Break Reading:

• By the Light of the Radio Dial: How a Minnesota Farm Kid Barely Became a Ham
• ISS Commander Talks via Ham Radio with Scottish School He Once Visited
• ARRL Education & Technology Program Schools Get Best Buy Teach Grants
• South Carolina Middle Schoolers Log Successful Space Contact
• The Amateur Radio Crossword Puzzler (This is a fun, weekly feature of the ARRL Web site.)
• Ham Radio Connects Michigan, Ohio Youngsters with ISS
• Amateur Radio operator named teacher of the year

Remember to...

• Visit the ARRL Contest Calendar or the WA7BNM Contest Calendar for a listing of upcoming operating events.

• Check into the Echo Link Connecticut Amateur Radio League of Youth (CARLY) Net--Sundays at 7:30 PM Eastern Time on the K3KID link.

• Try the ARRL Youth Sked Database to set up on-air schedules with other young hams.

• Visit the North American Youth Net (NAYN) on Mondays and Fridays at 2300 to 2330 UTC on 14. 329 MHz.

• Check into the Onondaga County Youth Radio Amateur Net on the 145.350 MHz WW2N EchoLink repeater (Node 64224) in Pompey, New York. Stop by and say hello Sundays, 7 PM Eastern Time.

• Visit the IRLP New Ham Trivia Net, which takes place on a linked 440 repeater system in Southern California and on IRLP Node 3500. Check in with NCS Brandon Umbarger, KG6NMQ, Fridays. 7 PM Pacific Time.

New to Amateur (Ham) Radio?

• Explore the Web site (this one!) of ARRL--the National Association for Amateur Radio. There's lots here, like the Harmonics (Youth) Web page.

• Take practice Amateur Radio tests on the QRZ.com or eHam.net Web sites.

• Read previous Youth@HamRadio.Fun columns

• Find a local radio club

• Attend a local hamfest (Amateur Radio convention)

But most of all, get involved. No excuses!

Final Final

Thank you to everyone who contributed to this month's column. Stay tuned for further contesting tips and information. Check into a few youth nets, and try to get your fellow young hams active!

Editor's Note: Fourteen-year-old Extra-class operator and ARES Member Andrea Hartlage, KG4IUM, resides in Grayson, Georgia. Her Amateur Radio activities include public service, kit building, hamfesting, and operating SSB, CW and digital modes. Amateurs with youth-related news and photos are invited to contact Andrea via e-mail with the subject line "Youth Column."

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