[Hallicrafters] The Novice Band and other adventures

[TC Dailey]

When I got my NOVICE in '62, the Novice Bands were:  80m:  3.700 - 3.750
(A1), 40m:  7.150-7.200 (A1), 15m:  21.000-21.250 (A1), and 2m 145-147 (A1,
A2, A3, F3).  At one time, the 40m NOVICE band went from 7.100 to 7.150.  It
was easy to find the band edge, as Radio Moscow was always on 7.150, making
it a splendid marker.

One of the greatest lessons I ever got was as a Radioman Seaman in the USN,
my Chief at the time, showed me how to turn the AF and RF gain controls
simultaneously (on an RBC receiver) to bring in weak stations WITHOUT the
noise.  To this day, I use the technique (especially easy with concentric
controls) on SSB & CW.

Yeah, calling CQ with a Heathkit AT-1 and using a Heathkit AR-3 (the whole
40m band was about 3/32" wide) to receive... heck, you'd tune the whole
band, listening for YOUR callsign.  You Could Not Help but learn!  The
Novice taught you about propagation, calling and listening procedure (and
courtesy), and REAL USABLE theory... the kind that Zinged your wet fingers,
when you tried to load up your long-wire on 15m, and the RF bit you.

I love the new gear - my IC-706 makes mobile a real pleasure... but peaking
grids and dipping plates was more like having a stick-shift... you actually
had some CONTROL over your destiny.

Tom - WAØEAJ