[Boatanchors] Elmer

[John King]

Rick, I was licensed in early 1958 and the term was being used in 1958. I was fortunate enough to live in a rural/city (oldest city in the Louisiana Purchase founded in 1714) and several Older Hams were Elmers to me. I will be forever grateful for all their assistance. I was tested for the Novice exam by Jimmy Moss, SK , who had been a Press (News) CW operator during WW2. If you have never watched a Press operator handle a Key or bug, you can't imagine the panic I experienced.Of course he slowed down from about 50WPM to 5 WPM and I passed. But if anyone ever needed a nerve pill when it was over, it was I. 


Elmers are very valuable, just not really used today because the FCC issues licenses that require less than a half days' study. The Elmer did more than assist you with study methods, he showed you a station, how tho set it up, operate it, and build elementary antennas to get you started.

Elmers were GENTLEMEN who lived and operated on the air as GENTLEMEN, and their examples, as GENTLEMEN, turned out young Hams who were GENTLEMEN and operated their stations in a gentlemanly manner.

A side note, as past President for three years, of our local club, and  presently a Board Member, a local CB operator was recently referred to me with a "BURNING DESIRE" to become a licensed Ham. He even wanted to buy my presently vacant 130 foot tower. He indicated that he was already having problems in his subdivision because of interference, especially when talking to the West Coast. After I talked to him for a while, I told him the I would help him any way I could, but he would have to learn the Ham Lingo and set aside much of the CB operating procedures and and operating practices. I really felt that he wanted to become a Ham and I offered him all the assistance I could give. The following week our Club had its' monthly meeting so I invited him to attend and meet more Hams who would welcome him and assist him to get started in Ham Radio. He had told me that he is a self employed plumber, so I thought he would be able to attend. He replied "thanks
 for calling, but I will not be able to make it because of my work".

Since he lives less than one mile away and has not called or returned for a visit and radio talk, I have decided that he had been watching my vacant tower and wanted to acquire it to put up a put up a huge antenna to go behind "his kicker".

I know this is off topic, but I think Elmers deserve most of the credit for the existence of our hobby and reputation of GENTLEMEN and LADY (my wife is Barbara, K5MOL licensed 51 years) Amateur Radio Operators.

I hope that my input has not been too boring, If so, I apologize!! 73, John, K5PGW  



________________________________
 From: Rick Poole WA1RKT <wa1rkt at arrl.net>
To: boatanchors at mailman.qth.net 
Sent: Tuesday, December 11, 2012 4:19 PM
Subject: Re: [Boatanchors] Elmer
 

> Actually, the term "elmer" is something relatively new

<sigh>  I have read that several times in recent years and people always
cite the Newkirk article of 1971 as the birth of the term "elmer".

So sad that so much of amateur radio lore and tradition is being lost.

"Elmer" was in use long, long before 1971.  I first started getting
interested in ham radio in about 1954, though I didn't actually get
licensed until 1962.  My dad used to tell me about the early days of
amateur radio, since back when he was first licensed in the early or mid
1920's.  No one else in his family knew or cared anything about radio, but
he had a neighbor who was a ham and got him interested, and in our
conversations he called his neighbor his "elmer".  He also bought me a
book about amateur radio that described the term "elmer" in the book...
'course I was 7 years old back then and had the attention span of a
housefly so didn't really follow through on it and never got around to
getting licensed until I graduated high school.

I wish I could remember the name of the book so I could prove all of this
but I can't.  Meanwhile, no one can find any mention of "elmer" on the web
before 1971 so the assumption is that it didn't exist before then.

Anybody remember what a Wouff Hong is?  A Rettysnitch?  Any idea what they
look like or what they are used for?  No fair looking it up on the web.

Rick WA1RKT

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