[Antennas] Re: Old Geezers

[ralph]

Greetings to all:
I am a mere 4 year student of this hobby but am thrilled with the responses
that have come into this site lately. Stories that you more mature people
provide are not only (usually) informative but inspirational. They provide
experience in operating manners, how to have fun and try it you'll like it,
maybe.

My dad was a ham when he was beginning high school in Lisbon, OH.  This
would have been around 14 years old. He kept it up until the depression hit
then he left home, still single, and went to work on the WPA. He ended up
here in Lancaster, OH and met my mother and here I am. He never talked too
much about his ham experiences (maybe because I didn't express an interest
until after he had died) except to tell me to get out of the cb's (during
the 60's) and get into real radio. He once did tell me that he had a "spark
gap" rig that he had in his bedroom with a wire out the window and down the
alley to the next block. Lights would dim and sometimes smoke would appear.
I have been trying to find someone that has one of his QSL cards but that
might be a real far fetched reality. He used to make his own cards by
photographing ?? and then printing them on photo paper then fill out the
back in long hand. I know a couple of names from the Lisbon/ Salem Ohio area
from when we went to grandmother's house for Thanksgiving or Christmas. I
wrote to all of the names in the phone book that matched these people and
asked if they had kept any of their dad's things from the ham days but no
reply to date.

Enough of this, I just wanted to let you all ( those who have responded)
that I really enjoy the conversations.

Best Regards,
Ralph Howes
W8BVH (my dad's call sign)
Lancaster, OH