[CW] Thank you, Zenith Radio Corporation

[Richard Schumann]

Man, I would bet there's a chunk of us folks here who could tell Zenith stories about our early experience with radio!

My first Zenith experience was when I was about 13 and our folks had one of the huge Zenith multi band consoles sitting in the living room, with an RCA 45 RPM changer resting on the top.  Boy, did that sound fill the room!  That piqued my interest in radios and my buddy and I would scrounge unwanted sets from neighbors.  We learned how to hook crystal earphones to the volume pots and 'broadcast' our voices all over the yard and neighborhood!  We both later got our ham tickets and the rest is history.

Thanks for the stroll down memory lane!

Richard kn7sfz




  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Jim Vaughan, K4TXJ 
  To: CW Reflector 
  Sent: Thursday, November 14, 2013 2:23 PM
  Subject: Re: [CW] Thank you, Zenith Radio Corporation


  Hi Hans,

  I just read about your radio days.  That was a very interesting story.  I 
  too learned about ham radio
  from an old Zenith radio that my dad had.  It wasn't battery operated, but 
  did have the short wave
  bands on it and I was listening one sunday afternoon when I heard the 
  signals coming in on 40 meters.
  I had already learned the code in the Boy Scouts, but I wasn't very fast. 
  The signal was very strong
  so I copied what I could.  The station was sending the address which turned 
  out to be about 1 mile away.

  My dad knew about ham radio and he took me to that address and I went to the 
  door and knocked
  and that began my career in radio.  I was taking the test about three weeks 
  later.  I can remember sitting
  on the front steps when the postman delivered my license.  Back then it took 
  about 8 weeks to receive
  your license.

  I also became a Navy radioman.  I retired as a Radioman Chief from the 
  Submarine Service.

  I served aboard the U.S.S. Waldo County, U.S.S. Carp and finaly the U.S.S. 
  GEORGE WASHINGTON
  (the first nuclear ballistic missle sub).

  I often think back to those days with my dad's Zenith radio.

  Thanks to the U.S.Navy, I was able to operate from some very nice DX spots. 
  I went to the Navy bases
  in Antarctica three times and operated from KC4USN, KC4USB and KC4USX.  When 
  not running
  phone patches, I gave out a lot of contacts from the Ice to a lot of 
  deservine both on SSB and CW.

  Well this is just another radioman's story about ham radio.  I wonder how 
  many more are out there.

  Thanks for your story about your connection to the old Zenith radio.

  73 and good DX,

  Jim Vaughan, K4TXJ
  RMC(SS) Ret'd.
  Louisville, Ky.

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