[CW] Vintage equipment CW calling frequency?

[D. Chester]

That is one problem I have with working CW on any frequency.  I often have 
to go through 3 or 4 rubber-stamp QSO's with Yaecomwoods before I find 
someone I can strike up an interesting conversation with, radio related or 
not.  I always enjoy it when I run across someone running a homebrew 
transmitter (a real transmitter;  I am not talking about a novelty QRP rig 
built in a cat-food tin).

There is a little gap above the rtty/data operation, below 3600, where there 
is usually room for one or two CW QSO's.  Sometimes a group of Canadian CW 
stations operates there.  I have contacted a few of them after they 
concluded their initial contact and they were always open to calls from hams 
outside their  group.  I don't care for CW "roundtables"; I prefer 
one-on-one.  If you can converse in French, there is also a very friendly 
slow-speed Canadian CW group that meets from time to time on about 3700 kHz. 
They always seem thrilled to someone from outside their region call them and 
communicate with them in their language.

THERE IS NO REASON NOT TO OPERATE CW ABOVE 3600.  We didn't lose an iota of 
CW privileges with the phone band expansion; CW is still legal from 3500 all 
the way to 4000, and the lower end of the 3600-3700 segment is often devoid 
of signals, just like most of the segment was when it was exclusively 
CW/data.

CW exclusivity in 3600-3700 was lost because it was so little-used for CW. 
Except during contests, even 3500-3600 is often sparsely populated, even 
when the band is wide open and QRN is  non-existent, just as 3600-3700 now 
is usually sparsely populated by phone stations.

My  transmitter uses the old fashioned crystals in the round holders about 
the size of a half-dollar that fit into a 5-pin tube socket.  I think I have 
a crystal for 3599, and I know I have several in the 3600-3650 range.  I 
have good stable VFO capability, but it is still fun to use the old xtals 
from time to time.

I dislike the term "boat anchor" because I remember it being used so 
frequently in the 60's-70's to deride those of us who were seen lugging 
vintage parts and equipment to the vehicle at hamfests. I find the term "old 
buzzard"  a lot less offensive.

Don k4kyv
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