I had to pay for all my equipment with money from a paper route. My parents took me to hamfests though. At one I actually won something, a 3 year subscription to Ham Radio Magazine, which turned out to be the most boring ham magazine ever published--it was like an IEEE Transaction journal. I know some guys had a good time-- they had 15 meter beams and gear like the Drake novice twins but that was stuff I only dreamt about. My first qso was exciting while it lasted which was I think, around two minutes.
Featured Story
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Nick Kennedy, WA5BDU
(formerly WN5BDU, 1962) It started sometime during the school year in 7th grade, 1961. Our pastor visited our class at St. Benedict's and held up strange parts with exotic names like capacitor and inductor. He was building an HT-40 transmitter from a kit for his ham station. He plugged in…Read more...
Submit Your Own Novice Story
Please share with your fellow hams a story of your Novice year(s). The story should mainly focus on your Novice period. A story can be a photo or a few lines of text to a full blown story of several pages.
Latest Comments
- John Shidler, NS5Z
John thats a great story. I didn't realize you were so much older than me LOL.. glad to call you my Ham Pal. Where have the years gone.. we are old fat and gray now, but still tearing up the airwaves.... More...
17.04.13 07:53
Early-1970s 
1972 Rob Atkinson, K5UJ
1972 Rob Atkinson, K5UJ
Rob Atkinson, K5UJ
(Formerly WN9UTC, 1972)
I must be the only former novice who remembers that his year as a novice stank. I didn't know what I was doing, my antenna sucked, Xtal control, 15 watts cw....I couldn't wait to upgrade so I could use a VFO. I can't believe any ham really thinks those days were his best in the hobby--that must be why so many hams are inactive now. My best days as a ham are right now because I can afford halfway decent gear and antennas. If I need to find out about anything the internet and Google is right there. In 1972 I was like a blind, deaf guy feeling around in the dark.
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