Bill Varnedoe, W4TKL

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Ginger Downing, WB9ZHC
I came along just shortly after the WN were discontinued. My mom was actually getting her ticket. She is now since passed. She was sitting our kitchen each evening when her mentor would come over and help her with the code portion of the test. Every evening it was one…

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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

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Bill Varnedoe, W4TKL

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(formerly WN4TKL, 1951)

When the novice class first opened I jumped at it, and got my ticket, WN4TKL. I lived in Panama City, FL at the time, and I used a one tube home-built transmitter and a HP reciever!! As I began to make QSO's it really became fun. One day, I got an answer to my CQ from a call "CO2PY." A REAL DX contact, me, a novice, pounding away at 5wpm!!! I was so nervous I dropped the pencil, and sent back, COPY, forgetting the "2"!! I Stll have that QSL card!!! It wasn't long until I got my Conditional class and dropped the N to become W4TKL. Next, I went to Atlanta and up-graded the Conditional to General. I went on to become Advanced Class, which type ticket I still hold. For a time I was the SEC for Alabama and ran several nets.