[Fists] My First QSO

[Stanley Wernick]

Hi FISTS! I really have enjoyed the accounts of the fitst QSO's. I 
remember mine like it was yesterday, but it was in 1946.
I was 16 years old, in high school, and had built my firsyt rig. It
was a 6L6 Tri-Tes crystal oscillator with plug-in coils for 40 and
20 meters. My receiver was a three tube regenerative receiver with
plug-in coils. I had to use long extensions on the tuning dial knb
on the receiver because of the capacitive effects.
I had a random length of wire going out the back door of the house to
a nearby tree. I used a knife switch to switch between transmit and
receive for the antenna. I got up the nerve and with shakey hands
called CQ using my crystal for 7040 kHz which I ground with Ajax 
Cleanser. I finished calling CQ and was hoping that no one would answer
because I was too scared to come back to them. Then, lo and behold,
I heard my call W6BCT, being called up a few kHz (Kcs then).
It was W6AOQ in Riverside, California and his name was Gary. He was an
old timer and he sensed my fear and he told me to calm down and thaI was 
doing fine. He was about 75 miles east of me but that was the best DX
I could imagine. He sent me a QSL card which I kept for many years but
it eventually disappeared.
I will never forget that QSO and the thrill of it.
73's de Stan W5ZF #6183  QRP ARCI #5582