[CVCC] MY first LOG - KN4ZRX - now W4PM

[HOWARD MOTLEY]

While cleaning up the shack I found my first log.
KN4ZRX 19 August 1960 until 26 February 1961 - 474 QSO's.  Got Conditional license the next day as K4ZRX and started new log book.
My first QSO was with my friend Bob, W4MYA on 3.726 kHZ, CW or course!


The first logbook was by the National Company, Inc.  On the inside of the back cover was:

(Picture of HB9AW with his HRO)

17 Years of Prize-Winning Performance
To paraphrase a well-known quotation, "Old HRO's never die", Nor may we hasten to add, do they "fade away". 
In 1934, the year he got his amateur license, Gerard de Buren, HB9AW, FP8AW, purchased an HRO.  He's still using it with prize-winning results.  In 17 years, his HRO has helped him win one amateur award after another,  Just this year, on St. Pierre and Miquelon Islands, he worked 1285 stations in 53 countries in 35 days!
Enduring performance like this is built into every National product.


Any of you have or had an HRO?  What a cool looking radio that was.

I wonder if any of you are in my Novice  log.  Only DX I worked as a Novice was KP4, VE, XE and HH!  25 to 30 watts out to a piece of wire fed with 72 ohm twin lead did not command the frequency.  Being XTAL controlled with only a few XTALs in the Novice band didn't help much either. But then  I wasn't much of a DXer in those days  - still not - no Honor roll here.   

My antenna was a 40m dipole but it didn't work well on 80 no matter how bright tuning the rig's pi-network made that neon bulb I used as an output indicator.  So I increased one leg of the dipole to 66 feet!  Now I had one side for 80 and one side for 40.  That worked much better and I got a bit more brightness out of that neon bulb.  That first contact on 80 with W4MYA was B4 this brilliant antenna idea but then he was only 2 blocks away so I could work him with a wire to a window screen.   

We used to have a lot more fun when I was a kid!

73,
Puck W4PM