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Chuck's Family Pics
Posted by: _chuck
When I was about 13 years old, I obtained a ham radio license. It was quite the subculture to find oneself in, immersed in terms like "QSO" and "73's" and other oddities that most non-radio folks have never heard of. Kind of like fraternal handshakes. They seem weird to outsiders, but a familiar greeting to the initiated.
My neighbors were not happy. My first transmitter was a Globe King 400C, which looked something like this:
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First of all, I was on the air about 12 hours a day, and second of all this thing turned their TV screens blank when I did my "dah-dit-dah-dit" messaging all over creation. When I wasn't on the radio, I was on the roof fiddling with home-made antennas. I don't think they appreciated that much, either. They did get a break for a while, though. One day, I hooked the Globe King up to transmit AM. See that middle deck? Blammo, fire. I ran out to my folks' RV camper and grabbed the fire extinguisher, to my mentor's chagrin, I had flame-retardant powder all over this "boat anchor." So, the other weird thing I encountered in this hobby, other than listening to the "Russian woodpecker," was a"QSO" (that's ham radio talk for "conversation") that put my picture in the paper. I spoke with folks at the People's Temple of Grape Koolaid fame in Guyana. I've got a card somewhere to prove it, but you can look at this one. It looks pretty much the same. What's pretty interesting is that I got the card in the mail about a week before they did themselves in.
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[edit July 2005] -- callsign now W1CEW. Look for me on the upper HF bands, though I just obtained a "new" HF rig, IC-746, so may be on 6m soon!
9:44 PMhttp://www.chuckwyatt.com:80/_ping.cfm?blogID=2
This is really interesting. Chuck: Do you recall any of your conversations, if that's the word, with the folks in Guyana? Posted by: Ben Franklin - Mar 21, 2005 8:31 AM
Hi Chuck,
What a coincidence, we are both into similar hobbies. Mine has caused a lot less interference,
but you apparently have made some more interesting contacts....
.....I know.. Cheesy.. Posted by: Sean [URL] - Mar 21, 2005 2:17 PM
This is really interesting. Chuck: Do you recall any of your conversations, if that's the word, with the folks in Guyana?Posted by: Chuck Wyatt [URL] - Mar 21, 2005 3:52 PM
Actually it was pretty superficial. Signal reports, something about that they were involved in an agricultural mission. I seem to remember that the fellow I spoke with, "Wes" was pretty young, teens, I think.
W1CEW? wtf?? Posted by: J5WKBM - Jul 02, 2005 3:49 AM
Yes, it changed VERY recently to a vanity callsign. Now W1CEW.
73 and thanks for stopping by!
-Chuck Posted by: Chuck - Jul 02, 2005 3:53 AM
Long time no talk - hope all is well! Posted by: J5WKBM - Jul 02, 2005 3:58 AM
My Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/verabayless
I was going to write back to you and somehow I lost your email to reply. I have a few email addresses and I am not sure which one I used, but I still couldn't find it. Then I couldn't find ya again on google but for some reason "hamm radio" popped into my head and I ented that with you name and to my surprise 1st one that popped up!
Anyhoo, you can email me at this one at work.
Sincerely,
Vera Posted by: Vera - Mar 29, 2007 5:44 AM