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

[Robert Strickland]

Once one becomes competent at CW, other modes loose much of their 
attraction.

...robert 	KE2WY

On 6/12/2022 16:24, w7aqk1 at gmail.com wrote:
> 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
> 
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-- 
Robert G Strickland, PhD ABPH - KE2WY
rcrgs at verizon.net.usa
Syracuse, New York, USA