1965: Gary Pearce, KN4AQ






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

  


1965: Gary Pearce, KN4AQ


1965: Gary Pearce KN4AQ (formerly WN9NSO, 1965; WA9NSO; KD9JH)

My interest in radio sparked when I was about 12 years old.  My brother, Andy, and I saw some Knight Kit C-100 CB walkie talkies in a Radio Shack catalog, and our dad got them for us for Christmas.  The idea, then just a dream, of being able to talk even a few feet by radio captured my imagination.

We soldered the kits using dad's Weller 120 watt soldering gun -- neither of us had any soldering or kit-building experience.  Dad was an insurance executive, and I don't know why he even HAD a soldering gun.  We probably bridged every circuit on the board, so of course they didn't work.  We were distraught.  Dad took us to the Radio Shack store, where the salesman took the ruined guts out of the cases, replaced them with pre-wired boards, and charged my dad about what the original kits cost.

Andy and I progressed to better CB walkie talkies, and through them met Bob Slater, then K9ZGT.  Bob was about two years older than me, and lived on the other side of town in our small Chicago suburb.  He'd already been a ham for a couple of years, and was just entering High School.  He became our mentor, but while Andy took an immediate interest in ham radio, I was more fascinated by CB.  Perhaps it was lack of ambition or motivation.  With CB I could talk to people immediately.  The ham license seemed daunting.  Andy became WN9MAB, and inherited Bob's old novice station, a Heathkit DX-40 transmitter and a Hammerlund HQ-110 receiver.  I set up a CB station and progressed through a series of "real" CB radios (real compared to the 100 mW walkie-talkies).

Of course you sneer at this.  Hams are taught to look down on CBers as a birthright of becoming licensed.  But this was more than a decade before the good-buddy, channel 19 trucker era on CB.  We had callsigns, and used our real names.  Conversations were civil and pretty routine.  I had a great time.

I wasn't averse to ham radio, though. I'd just taken an easier route.  Bob was both disparaging and encouraging.  I learned Morse code, and practiced by spelling out street signs, though I don't think I actually listened to it much. Code was never my hurdle.  Electronics came hard.

At age 15, my freshman year in High School, I took a full-credit science class titled "Amateur Radio."  New Trier High School had a ham club (W9EDC) with maybe a dozen Extra-class students, may of whom also had their First Class FCC commercial licenses, and worked at the 10-watt FM station, WNTH. The class, club and all the "Frist Phones" were thanks to science instructor Charles Rockey, W9SCH.  What a resource for technically-minded young students!

He was "Mr. Rockey" to all the students, but of course hams are not that formal.  On the air, he used his last name, Rockey, and that's what his ham radio students were permitted to call him... after school.  The club meet once a week, and had a fully-equipped multi-station shack with mostly older, 50's vintage equipment.  But the "prime" HF station had a new Drake TR-3 SSB transceiver.  Licensed students had a tremendous privilege: we could skip "study halls" and spend our free periods in the ham station.

To get an "A" in the first semester of the Amateur Radio class, you had to pass your Novice test.  I passed the test along with my 15 or so classmates, and received WN9NSO.  But I flunked the course -- a big, fat "F."  Rockey was a tough teacher, and while I did well on most of the quizzes and tests, his policy was that if you failed to complete all the homework, you failed the course.  I had neglected to turn in a report on characteristic curves (that's the relationship between the input and output signals of a vacuum tube amplifier).  I didn't understand them, and rather than seeking help, I just didn't do the homework.

That did not discourage me from ham radio.  As my interest grew, my brother's was fading.  I operated his Novice station on 40 and 15 meter CW.  The CB antenna came down, and was replaced by a homebrew 5-element two-meter beam, connected to a Heathkit Twoer - a two meter AM transceiver kit that I built (more successfully than the C-100).  In this time of the one-year, non-renewable Novice license, Novices were warned about the evils of voice on two meters.  "You'll spend your year talking, neglect your code, and lose your license," we were told by every higher class ham we met.  That happened to many Novices, some of whom left the hobby, while others were "condemned" to the purgatory of the Technician Class license: full ham radio privileges above 30 MHz, which most "real" hams considered a wasteland. 


As I said, CW was never my problem, but it was never my love, either.  I operated enough CW to boost my speed, but I enjoyed phone on two meters more.  There was a fair amount of AM activity around Chicago, mostly in the evenings and weekends, and it was similar to the CB operation that I first loved.  Quit laughing!  The hams weren't acting like CBers - the CBers were acting like hams. 

After failing the ham course, I was determined to get my General Class license before any of the other students.  In 1965, you had to take the test at an FCC office unless you lived too far from a testing site.  In Chicago, the test was given every Friday in the Federal Building, so I rode the commuter train downtown on a Friday in March, and passed the 13 wpm receiving, and sending, code test.  But I failed the written test.  If I had passed, I would have achieved my goal of being the first of that class to upgrade.  Now I had to wait 30 days before trying again, and in that time, at least one other student passed the test. I did pass on my second try.  My Novice career lasted four months.  

I think everyone else in the class upgraded.  Several of us talked on 15 meter AM daily after school.  But alone among them, my interests focused on VHF.  I was never a "big gun" with a kW SSB station (my friend Bob did accomplish that, but his interests then turned to aviation.  He's now K8IE, but his ham radio activity is near zero).  I was attracted to the about-to-boom revolution of VHF FM and repeaters.  

Some of you might already be making the connection: local, channelized operation. FM and CB were similar enough that "real" hams derided the FM operators as FM/CBers.  Some still do.  Let the chips fall where they may, that's what I enjoyed.  I joined the Chicago FM club, filled my trunk with huge, heavy surplus tube gear, and spent many a night atop the 700' First National Bank building, first watching others, then tweaking the equipment myself.  I upgraded to Advanced in 1968 (and to Extra in 2000, when the code requirement was reduced - and I can still copy code about 15 wpm, but never got up to 20).  I'm active on HF some, but maybe 85% of my ham operation has always been in that Technician purgatory of VHF/UHF.

I never became an engineer.  My second obsession after ham radio was broadcasting.  I wanted to be a DJ, and I've done that some.  But most of my career has been as a video editor (used to be called videotape editor, but the tape part has pretty much disappeared).  The past few years I've been doing mostly audio engineering.  I have one foot on the engineering side of the line, and one foot on the creative side.  I may lean more in the creative direction (writing, producing, editing and voice talent), but the engineering I've learned, and continue to learn, through ham radio has served me well.

In 1989, I moved to "Four-Land" (Tennessee, then North Carolina) and applied for a callsign change.  The FCC assigned me KN4AQ.  I was delighted.  In the old days, a KN prefix was a Novice call.  Getting that callsign revived my Novice memories.  It's a terrible callsign for contests.  I'm not a contester, but my casual contest operation has shown that I spend twice as long on every contact correcting the other station who received either "K4AQ" or "N4AQ. Seems contesters have a bias toward 1x2 callsigns, and no loving memory of the Novice days.  But I'll never forget mine.   

73,
Gary KN4AQ

ARVN: Amateur Radio//Video News
Gary Pearce KN4AQ
508 Spencer Crest Ct.
Cary, NC 27513
kn4aq@arvidnews.com
919-380-9944
http://www.arvidnews.com/