[Elecraft] OT: The day I found out I was going to be an engineer

[Dave Kelley]

Very similar story to mine. When I was 8 years old, my parents gave me a 
crystal radio kit for Christmas 1972. I built it, ran the antenna wire 
to a tree outside, and could hear only Top-40 radio from the AM station 
that was about half a mile away. It was magical. I fell in love with 
radio to a background of Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone," Carol 
King's "It's Too Late," Elton John's "Rocket Man," and Hot Butter's 
"Popcorn." (Does anyone remember the last one?)

I've now been licensed for 56 years and teach electrical engineering at 
a small university. No regrets and a lot of happiness.

Thanks for a great story, Wayne.

73,
Dave
ND3K (ex-NB4J)



-----Original Message-----
From: Wayne Burdick <n6kr at elecraft.com>
Sent: Sep 15, 2023 7:33 PM

I was 8 years old. My dad had bought me a Radio Shack Science Fair 
8-Note Electronic Organ kit for Christmas, along with a soldering iron.

That night I built the kit, finishing at something like 11 PM, which was 
unheard of. I remember Dad looming over me in his green bathrobe, 
smiling, saying it was OK to say up late just this once. He could see I 
was in flow. Perhaps that validated his experiment.

The organ worked the first time I connected the 9 V battery. But I had 
an ear for music, and after running through the notes, I could tell some 
were mis-tuned.

Undaunted, I looked at the schematic and saw resistors. One per note. 
That had to be the problem.

Thanks to Heathkit I had learned the color code that very morning. I 
also had a box full of resistors I'd scavenged from old radios and TVs. 
(Why?) I started sticking old resistors in parallel or series with the 
shiny new ones until I had the notes all in tune, at least by ear.

At last I finished the job by bending the leads of the motley, oversized 
resistors until they all fit in the bottom of the plastic perf-board 
enclosure. Presentation was everything. (How did I know that?)

I proudly demonstrated the hacked organ for my parents, then for my 
older sister, who was taking piano lessons.

At best I got my hair ruffled. But still: that was the day.

Wayne
N6KR