[CW] Thank you, Zenith Radio Corporation

[Richard Knoppow]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <k1vv at comcast.net>
To: "CW Reflector" <cw at mailman.qth.net>
Cc: "CQ-Contest" <cq-contest at contesting.com>
Sent: Thursday, November 14, 2013 8:08 PM
Subject: Re: [CW] Thank you, Zenith Radio Corporation


Hans ....a great story ......

We too had our start by an old Zenith floor radio with a 
short wave band and a 78 RPM record player which would also 
cut records ... cardboard blanks with a coat of hard varnish 
on the surface ... it was about 1940 and I was 8 years old 
...
I can remember during WWII hearing a station broadcasting in 
German ... we thought it was Hitler ...

     FWIW, I grew up with a Wilcox-Gay consol much like the 
Zenith. Had short wave bands and a disc recorder (which was 
missing the lead screw so didn't work).   I also first heard 
short wave stations and WWV on this.  A neighbor kid got an 
S-38B (they were rich) and I nagged until I got one too.  I 
still have it.  I don't remember exactly when I decided to 
learn Morse code but had to learn it on my own. I will work 
on it nearly every day.  I am quite envious of those who can 
read at very high speeds (sixty plus WPM) because I can't 
despite decades of trying.  I can sometimes follow the W1AW 
practice material on the web at 40 WPM for a sentence or two 
and then it becomes noise.  Maybe partly my damaged hearing. 
I used to practice by copying the press transmissions from 
KPH and WCC and sometimes recording the Navy and playing it 
at half speed.  Five letter code groups are different and 
plain language.  I have a theory that a different part of 
the brain is used to copy code groups and also to send.  I 
could always send as fast as my muscles would work and was 
told I sounded like machine sent code.  Can't go that fast 
any more but still have a good fist.


--
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles
WB6KBL
dickburk at ix.netcom.com