[Elecraft] Collecting stamps vs. seashells -- and why this is not wildly O.T.

[w7aqk1 at gmail.com]

I found Wayne's post to be both amusing and insightful.  "Collecting" is a
big part of many hobbies, and ham radio is no exception.  Nearly all of us
collect something, if not a lot of things, as part of our practice of this
hobby.  We collect certificates indicating accomplishments like WAS, WAC,
DXCC, etc., we may become collectors of keys and paddles, or of "boat
anchors", and on and on.  Certainly nearly every one of us has a collection
of QSL cards!  

 

Before ham radio  I collected a lot of things as a youth.  Stamps were one
of the things I collected, and I was frequently purchasing packets of stamps
from companies I saw advertising in various magazines.  This was kind of a
neighborhood thing, as several of us all did the same thing.  Perhaps the
strangest thing we collected was a list of  license plate numbers of out of
state cars passing through our little town of Bend, Oregon.  The ultimate
objective was to hopefully have at least one identified plate from every
state!  I came close!!  It's ironic how similar this process is to
WAS-Delaware was one of the few states I never documented!

 

In my case, collecting became an early obsession in my ham radio life.  I
was licensed at 13, and had managed to accumulate enough paper route money
to purchase a BC-348 receiver.  However, initially I had no transmitter.  My
two "Elmers" were quite aware of this problem, and at one of our local ham
club meetings they announced that they were going to donate all the
necessary parts, and expertise, allowing me to construct my own
transmitter-with considerable assistance from them!!  That process included
making a chassis from sheet aluminum and winding a home made power
transformer large enough to power an 807!   The whole process, from the time
my Elmer scribbled out a schematic on paper to completion, took about 10
days or so.  One of my Elmers (W7GNJ) owned a bike shop (where the
construction process took place), and it's amazing how many parts he had
tucked away in corners and boxes there!

 

There was a "hitch" to this gift.  My Elmers wanted to make sure that  I
became reasonably competent as a CW op.  So, they put a price on this gift.
I had to collect 150 QSL cards, signifying CW contacts, before I could fully
claim actual ownership of the transmitter!  

 

The process took several months and 2 or 3 batches of QSL cards purchased
from either Walter Ashe or World Radio Labs (100 for $1)!  Not everyone was
willing (or able) to exchange cards.  Completing that requirement was more
rewarding to me than just about any other "certificate" I've ever gotten.
Also, I think I can say I did become reasonably competent at CW.  At least
competent enough to be invited to become an NCS on the Oregon State CW Net.
I've been a 95% CW op ever since!

 

Dave W7AQK