(formerly KN6KDE, 1955)

I am ex KN6KDE, Novice from March 1955 to July 1955, just a short few months.  It has been my experience that most anyone really interested in ham radio was a Novice for only a short time (who needs longer?).  My friends that I met on the air all fell into this category.  One of them is still a good friend today, 55 years later.  I still have my first Novice rig (the 6V6 tri-tet xmtr built on two wood slats, from December 1946 QST).  I went to downtown Los Angeles to the Federal Building to take my General Class CW and theory exam before the FCC examiner, 4 months after receiving my Novice ticket.  13 WPM sending and receiving, with at least one solid minute of error-free copy.  We had to draw schematics of Class B modulators and Class C amplifiers and VFO's.  Questions were answered in the narrative (you had to be able to read and write English, coherently, wow!  I recall it as easy for a 10th grade high school student like myself).  No multiple-choice questions whose answers were published beforehand.  This was long before the great Dumbing-Down.  But if you passed, VFO's and QRO beckoned!