[Elecraft] OT: CW Skimmer

[Fred Jensen]

I'm working on my 62nd year as a ham and looking back at the history 
I've experienced, I think I would credit the KWM-2 as the turning point 
in the adoption of SSB over AM.  Not that the all the masses could 
afford it [in todays dollars, I think it cost around $10K], and there 
had been the KWM-1 which didn't seem to catch on well, but the KWM2 
introduced the concept of "HF Transceiver," where you transmitted 
exactly where you were listening ... One Big Knob.

Up until this time, ham stations consisted of a receiver, usually 
commercial, and a transmitter, sometimes commercial, more often than not 
however either home brewed or converted war surplus.  Getting on 
frequency, and staying there, was hard with the separate components.

Once Art's concept showed up, the thriving ham manufacturer market at 
that time then followed suit ... quickly.  The KWM-2A was the workhorse 
HF radio for the US military in the 60's and 70's.  My team and I turned 
42 brand new ones to slag puddles at the end of 21 missions. :-((  I 
still dream about them.

For hams, the S-Line was much more versatile and of course secured it's 
spot in the Ham Radio Hall of Fame too.  I think the Heath Twins did 
too, really good radios, and more available to those of more modest means.

I always meant to write Art and tell him how incredibly sturdy his 
transceiver was.  We pulled them on pallets out the back of low-flying 
C-130s, and all 42 worked.  Alas, I procrastinated, and he died.  I do 
wonder now how my S3-Line would have stacked up against my current K2 or 
K-Line.

The Heath Twins weren't first, but they weren't far behind and they made 
the concept of a transceiver available to a whole lot of hams!

73,

Fred K6DGW
- Northern California Contest Club
- CU in the 50th Running of the Cal QSO Party 3-4 Oct 2015
- www.cqp.org

On 2/7/2015 4:31 PM, Bob wrote:
> Hi Fred,
>
>          Was the 1st for me.   Heath SB's were the poor mans Collins and
> Collins had a lot of innovations.
>
> 73,
> Bob
> K2TK