1969: John Kosmak, W3IK






1966: Brian Wood, W0DZ

1961: Richard Pumphrey, WN9DDV

1962, Walt Beverly, W4GV

1961: Rick Roznoy, K1OF

1962, Steve Meyers, W0AZ

1951: Bill Weinhardt, W9PPG

1955: Paul Johnston, W9PJ

1964: Michael Betz, WB8ZFQ.

1967: Pete Malvasi, W2PM

1962: Terry Schieler, W0FM

1969: John Kosmak, W3IK

1953: Dan Girand, W5ARB

1975: David Collingham, K3LP

1961: Jim Cain, K1TN

1957: Bill Tippett, W4ZV

1961: Bob Lightner, W4GJ

1956: Bernie Huth, W4BGH

1952: Dick Bender, W3SYY

1951: Dale Bredon, W6BGK

1963: "Sig" Signer, NV7E

1958: Jeff Lackey, K8CQ

1953: Dan Bathker, K6BLG

1961: Rick Tavan, N6XI

1956: Bill Penhallegon, W4STX

1958: John Miller, K6MM

1959/1993: Tom Carter, KC2GEP

1966: Kelly Klaas, K7SU

1976: Mary Moore, WX4MM

1970: David Kazan, AD8Y

1957: Paula Keiser, K8PK

1971: Charles Ahlgren, WB6IYM

1952: Tom Webb, W4YOK

1964: License Manual - Chapter 2, Novice

1964: Advertisements

1970: Jim Zimmerman, N6KZ

1987: Matt Cassarino, WV1K

More - Mike Branca, W3IRZ (sk)

1953: Bill Bell, KN2CZZ

1952: Ron D' Eau Claire, AC7AC

History - 1950s: The Beginning

History - 1960s: Mid-Peak

History - 1970s: Late Peak

(sample story) My Elmer

1954: Novice Logbook (Dick Zalewski, W7ZR)

1961: Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA

1953: George Marko, K2DWL

1964: How to Become a Radio Amateur

1967: ARRL Handbook

1963: Learning the Radiotelegraph Code

1955: Jack Burks, K4CNW

1979: Ann Santos, WA1S

1952: Ron Baker, WA6AZN

Welcome to the Novice Historical Society Home Page!

1952/1955: The CQ Twins (Clint, W9AV & Quent, W6RI)

1956: Mike Branca, W3IRZ

1959: Don Minkoff, NK6A

History - 1980s: Early-Decline

1990-2000: The End

1976, Rick Palm, K1CE

1978: Larry Makoski, W2LJ

1961: Gary Yantis, W0TM

1955: Al Cammarata, W3AWU

1951: Bob McDonald, W4DYF

1951: Charlie Curle, AD4F

1953: Kenny Cassidy, WN2WNC

1951: Jim Franklin, K4TMJ

1953: Rick Faust, N2RF

1973: Greg Harris, WB9MII

1957: Mickey LeBoeuf, K5ML

1957: Jim Cadien, KC7ZMV

1976: Tom Fagan, K7DF

1953: Fred Jensen, K6DGW

1957: Tony Rogozinski, W4OI

1961, Novice Roundup Award (Art Mouton, K5FNQ)

1956: Woody Pope, ex-KN5GCM

1967: Larry Rybacki, WA2ARA

1955: Gene Schonrock, W6EAJ

1955: Dave Germeyer, W3BJG

1983: Harry Weiss, KA3NZR

1970: Paul Huff, N8XMS

1976: John Yasuda, WB6PTC

1953: Alvin Burgland, W6WJ

1966: Neil Friedman, N3DF

1976: Lyle Heide, WB9VTM

1968: Leigh Klotz, Sr., N5LK

1956: Ken Barber, W2DTC

1977: Keith Darwin, N1AS

1959: Tom Wilson, K7FA

1956: Wayne Beck, K5MB

1984: Paul Conant, WQ5X

1970: Ward Silver, N0AX

1982: Christopher Horne, W4CXH

1953: Paul Signorelli, W0RW

1954: Ray Cadmus, W0PFO

1957: Norm Goodkin, K6YXH

1959: Glen Zook, K9STH

1970: Ken Brown, N6KB

1962: Fred Merkel, AK7D

1972: Rob Atkinson, K5UJ

1955: David Quagiana, K2MTW

1952: Sam Whitley, K5SW

1967: Frequency Chart

1983: William Wilson, AB0VG

1953: Jim Brown, W5ZIT

1958: Al Burnham, K6RIM

1952: Gary Borri, K9DBR

1961: Bill Husted, KQ4YA

1955: Dan Schobert, W9MFG

1976: Charles Bibb, K5ZK

1979: Bill Brown, KA6KBC

1965: Ken Widelitz, K6LA / VY2TT

1975: Tim Madden, KI4TG

1972: Steve Ewald, WV1X

1969: Mike "Jug" Jogoleff, WA6MBZ

1964: Phil Salas, AD5X

1954: John Johnston, W3BE

1968: Stan Horzepa, WA1LOU

1975: Last of the Distinct Novice Callsigns (Cliff Cheng, AC6C; ex-WN6JPA)

1987: Buddy Brannan, KB5ELV

1966: Tom Morgan, AF4HL

1954: Dan Smith, K6PRK

1954: Novice Callsign History License (Dan, K6PRK's License)

1975: First of the Non-distinct Novice Callsigns (Cliff Cheng, AC6C; ex-WA6JPA)

1957: Doug Millar, K6JEY

1954: Dick Zalewski, W7ZR

1962: Steve Pink, KF1Y

1975: Cliff Cheng, AC6C

1966: Tom Napier, AI4QV

1965: Novice Code Test (Ken Widelitz, K6LA / VY2TT)

1954: Bob Brown, W4YFJ

1977: Russ Roberts, KH6JRM

1958: Jeff Wolf, K6JW

1964: John Shidler, NS5Z

1972: Rick Andersen, KE3IJ

1977: Barry Whittemore, WB1EDI

1967: Grover Cordell, WB5FSP

1959: Val Erwin, W5PUT

1953: Bob Rolfness, W7AVK

1953: Paul Danzer, N1ii

1969: Dennis Kidder, W6DQ

1971: Jonathan Kramer, W6JLK

1959: Chas Shinn, W7MAP/5

1961: Mark Nelson, AJ2K

1978: Alice King, AI4K

1965: Gary Pearce, KN4AQ

1988: James Kern, KB2FCV

1958: Jay Slough, K4ZLE

1954: L.B. Cebik, W4RNL (sk)

1997: Novice Question Pool.

1952: Steve Jensen, W6RHM

1989: Michael Tracy, KC1SX

1979: Matt Tinker, AA8P

1965: Dan Gaylord, W7IDG

1956: Chuck Counselman, W1HIS

1976: Scott McMullen, W5ESE

1961: Joe Park, WB6AGR

1955: Jack Schmidling, K9ACT

1969: Bill Continelli, W2XOY

1962: Bob Roske, N0UF

1963: Glenn Kurzenknabe, K3SWZ

1969: Phyllis Webb, WN4IIF

1956: Dan Cron, W6SBE

1954: Carl Yaffey, K8NU

1967: Ted White, N8TW

1982: Penny Cron, W6SBE

1961, Kent Gardner, WA7AHY

1970: Brad Bradfield, W5CGH

1976: Steve Melachrinos, W3HF

1994: Brian Lamb, KE4QZB

1958: Operating an Amateur Radio Station

1965: AL LaPeter, W2AS

1961: Rick Swain, KK8o

1956: Keith Synder, KE7IOW

1951: Elmer Harger, N7EL

1987: Lou Giovannetti, KB2DHG

1966: Dave Fuseler, NJ4F

1976: Marcel Livesay, N5VU

1965: Bob Jameson, N3LNP

1951: Byron Engen, W4EBA

1956: Cam Harriot, KI6WK

1965: FCC Exam Schedule

1962: Joe Trombino, W2KJ

1956: Ray Colbert, W5XE

1964: Geoff Allsup, W1OH

1977: Tom Herold, N9BUL

1951: Hank Greeb, N8XX

1959: Dean Straw, N6BV

1970: Alan Applegate, K0BG

1957: Richard Cohen, K6DBR

1971: Ronald Erickson, K0IC

1965: Jan Perkins, N6AW

1953: Charlie Lofgren, W6JJZ

1960: Art Mouton, K5FNQ

1955: Dan Marks, ex-K6IQF

1958: Mike Chernus, K6PZN

1960: Bob Silverman, WA6MRK

1951: Richard Schachter, W6HHI

1953: Joe Montgomery, W1DWJ

1958: Richard Dillman, W6AWO

1968: Bob Dunn, K5IQ

1988: Jamie Markowitz, AA6TH

1952: Jim Leighty, W6UJX

1955: Matt Wheaton, W1EMM

1957: Dick Newsome, W0HXL

1956: Slim Copeland, K4KCS

1959, 1993: Tom Carter, KC2GEP

1968: Bill Byrnes, AB9BD

1971: Jeff Angus, WA6FWI

1956: Dean Norris, K7NO

1972: Dennis Drew, W7RVR

1958: Stan Miln, K6RMR

1958: George Ison, K4ZMI

1978: Fred Soper, KC8FS

1956: John Fuller, K4HQK

1961: Riley Hollingswworth, K4ZDH

  


1969: John Kosmak, W3IK


John Kosmak, W3IK (Formerly WN4OAA, 1969)

I was first licensed at age 15 in Orlando, Florida in the summer of 1969. Having been an avid shortwave listener from age 11 onward, I first heard of amateur radio by listening to 160 and 80 meter AM Phone. Soon, I had my scout master teaching me Morse code. My time beginning in ham radio was in the era of real radios: big, bulky, glow-in-the-dark, and the scent of ozone in the air. Transistors were rare, just making their debut. Like most things electronic back then, they were expensive. Even telephones were costly, and my family did not get a telephone until I was fifteen, the same year I earned my novice license. That was not that uncommon back then.

My most memorable experiences in ham radio have all involved the building of my own equipment. This is something all hams should experience, and was rather common back then, rather than the exception. My first transmitter was a one tube oscillator, scrounged from bike rides within the city, scrapping out old televisions and radios for their resistors, capacitors, rfc chokes, transformers, and what have you. You could build your whole transmitter from those parts, minus the transmitting crystal.

When I fired up that transmitter, I tuned it into a light bulb used as a dummy load. You tuned it for maximum brilliance, and hoped when you plugged the antenna in later, that it was similarly matched. I could not afford coax, so my antenna was literally an unmeasured random wire, snaking up through the inside wall of my bedroom, through the attic, then outside above the roof. I was too ashamed to tell my friends about that antenna, so I always called that random wire a dipole on the air. Fact was, many hams could not afford things like a SWR bridge, antenna tuners, or watt meter, and because of that we BUILT our gear. Best part was, innovation brings education, and we learned and we learned: something that appliance operators today will not understand.

Linked to the transmitter through a simple T/R (transmit/receive) switch, was an old 1949, SX-43 receiver (twenty years old at the time, five years more than my fifteen years of age). I prayed my home built transmitter worked, especially after having survived the several hundred plate volts that zapped me when I built the thing. So, I tapped out CQ at about 5 words per minute Morse. Then I called CQ again and again and again. I tuned the receiver up and down the band, hoping for a response, and finally my first contact was WN4NDV, of whom I wish I could find today. The contact was only several hundred miles away, but it might as well have been Saturn or Venus, because I was displaced out of this world with excitement. There is nothing to match those golden days of radio, where the room is lit by checkered lights leaking out of the glow from tubes shining through the punctured heat cover of a receiver. The glow of radio dial lights, and the fluctuating glow of the transmitter tube as it keyed on and off. In those days, if your imagination took you to being an old time operator, the fact was, you were little different than they, just another location. Add to this the fact, that your first contact is perhaps the most memorable, but it is even more so with a creation of wires and tubes from your own hands.

When I saw my first transistors, I was in awe. My dad was able to get a few from some friends. I set out to build a simple one transistor transmitter. We are talking minimalist here: a half dozen parts tops, not counting the battery and antenna. Imagine my surprise when with one tiny transistor running in the milliwatt range that I could talk easily 50-200 miles in the day on 40 meters, and a thousand miles at night. Once again, it was the home building of gear that made amateur radio fun. IF I could pass on just one secret to another ham it would be, "build it, and they will come". Your view and world of ham radio will turn topsy turvy for the better when you go beyond calling your homebrewed antennas, home-brewing. Home-brewing of a transmitter and receiver will cast upon you the fervor of old time ham radio. There are some wonderful and simple radio kits out there with instructions and directions where it is near impossible to fail unless you are tackling something enormous. Today, it is pretty tough to find parts, and I really see little difference between homebrewing and kit building, other than a kit provides you all the things you need without having to order stuff from fifty places. Sure, you may have a premade pc board and a few other niceties with a kit, but you still build it. May I encourage you, and prod you to enter the Twilight Zone of radio, and build something? You will never forget it, and this is something I feel that many of those who were Novices, learned and keep with them today.

 

73 from ex WN4OAA, originally Orlando, Florida 1969-1970.

 

I have also been known by the callsigns: WN4OAA, WB4OAA, KF9N, AD2L, DA1ON, HP1XJC, and now W3IK.

 

73 John

 

 

 

 

© 2008, Cliff Cheng, Ph.D., ALL RIGHTS RESERVED!