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Re-joining BB

W

wpe3bql

Member
About six months ago my computer completely crashed, taking with it all my password files & other things.
It's taken me this long to get things (well, at least SOME things!!) to where I can do some of the operations that I used to do before.
My new BB "name" is: WPE3BQL. This, of course is different than my old BB name of KTN4EG.

Actually, I was "assigned" my new name some 50 years when I received WPE3BQL as my "Registered Short-Wave Radio Monitoring 'Call Sign'" from the long-defunct magazine Popular Electronics.

Short-wave listening was one of my major pastimes when I was a teenager back in the 1950's - 1960's. I'd sit before my huge Philco multi-band receiver and listen to such broadcasters as Radio Moscow, Radio Canada, the BBC, Radio Liberty (the CIA-financed broadcasts to Cuba), and naturally the Voice of America (to see if my parents' income tax money was being put to any good use).

Back then I wasn't saved. Basically at that time I didn't care much for things of the Lord. The (so-called) church my parents went to was a very liberal, social gospel type. Its pastor was a graduate of Harvard Divinity School---not really a huge bastion of Biblical fundamentalism.

However, there was one Christian SW broadcaster that I did listen to every once in awhile, and that was station HCJB located in Quito, Ecuador. Not that I cared that much for what they were saying about God/Jesus/Bible, but I did think it was kinda neat to listen to a SW station way down near the equator.

At any rate, now that I'm back on BB, I can once again attempt to fulfill my "calling" as I try my dead-level best to keep old Salty in line. Those of you that know Old Sarge are keenly aware that I've got my work cut out for me!!

Otherwise, I'm still at my old location near Nashville TN. I'd love to hear from any of you that may live in the Volunteer State.

That's all for now.
73's & DX
 
InTheLight

InTheLight

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
I was an amateur radio operator in my teens. I remember using the gutters on my parents house for an antenna for certain radio bands, I think it was the 40 and 80 meter band. Good times. The internet and satellite communication has pretty much killed that hobby, though.

Welcome back.
 
W

wpe3bql

Member
InTheLight said:
I was an amateur radio operator in my teens. I remember using the gutters on my parents house for an antenna for certain radio bands, I think it was the 40 and 80 meter band. Good times. The internet and satellite communication has pretty much killed that hobby, though.

Welcome back.
Click to expand...

In The Light,
Thanks for the welcome.
I used to think that internet and satellite communications also killed amateur radio ["ham"] operations too, but I'm finding out that this is not so much the case as one would tend to think.
Some five years back I was considering getting a ham license from the FCC. Unfortunately, I had several medical situations come up that resulted in many expensive bills that I had to pay. This put pretty much a damper on going for my novice license--which is much easier to do today than it was--for the time being.
I'm still a member of the ARRL, and haven't ruled out getting a license sometime in the near future. I guess only time (and the Lord) will tell about this.
Anyway, it's good to hear from you.
73 & DX
 
InTheLight

InTheLight

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
wpe3bql said:
In The Light,
Thanks for the welcome.
I used to think that internet and satellite communications also killed amateur radio ["ham"] operations too, but I'm finding out that this is not so much the case as one would tend to think.
Some five years back I was considering getting a ham license from the FCC. Unfortunately, I had several medical situations come up that resulted in many expensive bills that I had to pay. This put pretty much a damper on going for my novice license--which is much easier to do today than it was--for the time being.
I'm still a member of the ARRL, and haven't ruled out getting a license sometime in the near future. I guess only time (and the Lord) will tell about this.
Anyway, it's good to hear from you.
73 & DX
Click to expand...

I built a shortwave receiver from a kit bought at Allied-Radio Shack (for a few years they were a merged company). That got me into listening the airwaves. Then I bought a used (already built) Heathkit transmitter after I got my novice license. I never tried to get a general license. Do they still have the morse code test for a novice license? Probably not. My dad had an Extra license and a four character call sign. He also had a morse code paddle key that I got fairly good at operating.
 
Salty

Salty

20,000 Posts Club
Administrator
I have also listened to HCJB, as well as Trans World Radio. I have just bought a new small SW radio, so I hope to bring those stations in again.
 
W

wpe3bql

Member
InTheLight said:
I built a shortwave receiver from a kit bought at Allied-Radio Shack (for a few years they were a merged company). That got me into listening the airwaves. Then I bought a used (already built) Heathkit transmitter after I got my novice license. I never tried to get a general license. Do they still have the morse code test for a novice license? Probably not. My dad had an Extra license and a four character call sign. He also had a morse code paddle key that I got fairly good at operating.
Click to expand...

As far as I know, they've dropped the code requirements for the novice license.

I remember getting those big Allied Radio catalogs. While my mother had her own wish book (Sears catalog), the Allied was mine....Of course back then all I could do was wish. The only thing I recall ever actually get from Allied was one of those 24-hour clocks.

Heathkit was another source for my drooling. I never could get the fine art of soldering, so I never bought anything from them.

One of my uncles was a ham. However, we seldom visited him. He lived too far away from us, and he tended to pretty much keep to himself. I do remember his Hallicrafters xmitter and rcvr. He actually let me talk to one of his contacts he'd made one time. He could do a pretty good job with CW and had a paddle key probably much like yours.

Once I left home to join the USAF in 1964, my mother tossed all of my QSL cards away. She claimed that she had no use for them since she then took over my old bedroom for her quilting activities. She even tossed my blank QSLs from "Brownie." Not sure if you remember him, but he was one of the best QSL printers there was back then.

Too bad that Radio Shack is apparently going out of business.
 
D

Darrell C

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
wpe3bql said:
Actually, I was "assigned" my new name some 50 years when I received WPE3BQL as my "Registered Short-Wave Radio Monitoring 'Call Sign'" from the long-defunct magazine Popular Electronics.
Click to expand...

I remember as a kid reading Popular Mechanics. Was that the one that had "Goofus and Galant?"

God bless.
 
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