[CW] A Radiomans Dream

[Joe Pontek Sr]

Loved the four Watter u-tube, Whitey.  I have a transformer, thus ran a 
6L6 xtal oscillator  in 1957 as my first rig.  I had a Heathkit AR-2 
first, but a better
40 meter ARC-5 shortly after.

My father had a stroke in 1958 and then they found he had cancer.  So, 
when I graduated from high school in June 1961, college was out and I 
enlisted
in the USAF.  While at Ft. Wayne induction center in Detroit,  I heard 
some CW.  Outside the room was a table with some paper and I started to 
coy and
write down my copy.  A Sargent started to take me inside when my 
recruiter grabbed me and said, "No, he's going into electronics." I went 
to Lackland AFB,
San Antonio, TX, then to Shepard AFB, Wichita Falls, TX for Automatic 
Teletype Switching Center school. After a year, I was stationed at 
Andrews AFB
Plan 55, Washington, D.C.  I was there until July, 1965.  I worked 
there, but went to the Pentagon, AIR/WAR, Ft. Meade and about every 
nearby comm
facility, USAF, ARMY and NAVY at one time for another.  Because I knew 
radios, they even lent to transmitter & receiver sites. Besides helping 
and I
learned a lot.  It was a great four years and almost made a career, but 
too much dead wood about.

Worked in an engineering department for a company in VA, defense 
electronic counter measures, for a year after before returning to 
Michigan in 1966.

61 years on the bands here.

73, Joe, K8JP/K5 - V31JP


On 4/13/2018 10:02 PM, ROBERT DOHERTY wrote:
> Drafted into US Army on Jan 6, 1956 ....  Basic training at Ft Dix ....then followed by 12 weeks of intermediate speed radio school at Ft. Dix .. 18 WPM .... AN/GRC-9 ..J-38.. Had a Novice ticket WN1GDB ...5 WPM ... passed 18 WPM in 4 weeks .... ran the CW tape machines for the remaining 8 weeks of school..
>
> After Radio School was assigned to the Baltimore - Washington  Air Defense Headquarters at Ft Meade in MD.....there were 24 NIKE sites around the Baltimore - Washington Air Defense area ...  became a long range surveillance radar operator  ... 280 mile range air defense radar .. no radio ...
>
> We put together an Ocean Hopper 2 tube Rgen receiver and a single tube transmitter ... a 50L6 tube
> Xtal controlled TX ..ran 4 watts ..used a J-38.... hung a 40 meter dipole in the rafters of the second floor of my barracks...  We have a video on YOUTUBE ...
>   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CU81Vh379i4&t=21s
>
> Not a bad Army job for a draftee ... was discharged in Dec 1957 ... back to civilian life ...CQ DX...
>
> Whitey  K1VV  X- W1GDB
> 63 years on the bands.

-- 
Regards, Joe, K8JP/V31JP, Ronnie, Marty & Sidney Pontek
175 Diamond Loch Rd., Apt. 5
Gilmer, TX 75644-9374
U.S.A.
or
P.O. Box 280, Dangriga, Stann Creek District
(Hopkins Village) Belize

903-204-2318 (My TX cellular)
903-884-5990 (Skype telephone number, Belize & TX)
Also, K8JP, member FOC-1743, QCWA-LM21894, OOTC-4607, A1OP, SKCC-3171T, NAQCC-5798, Flying Pig-2819, FISTS-7625CC951, A1C-2299, SOC 1075, 10-10 22977, PG1915841, CW Rag chewers #21,
Facebook: Joe Pontek
Skype: v31joepalooka
I am looking for Vibroplex Model X, Double lever and prefer basket cases to restore.
LotW