John doesn't like to blow his own horn. He gets emarrassed when someone
gives him credit for something.
Forgive me, my friend. Some of the newer guys here, need to see this.
73 = Best RegardS
-Geoff/W5OMR
from http://www.amwindow.org/features/htm/wa5bxo.htm
What AM Is To Me
by John E. Coleman, WA5BXO
Operating AM is not about communicating using the most efficient mode of
transmission or the latest technology. It is about technical
understanding of what is really happening in one's transmitter. Not just
the standard old definitions but down in the nitty-gritty. It is about
understanding the technology of old and new. It's about understanding
why one circuit is better suited for a job than another even though both
have the same definition. It is about home-brew equipment and
modifications. It is about fellowship and a gentleman's mannerisms. It
is about fun in learning. It's a little new stuff mixed with some
nostalgia and used in a mode that is pleasurable to the operator and the
listener.
Sounds a lot like Ham Radio in general.
Don't misunderstand me, there is a lot more to Ham Radio than operating
AM. There are so many aspects of Ham Radio that I'm sure I could not do
the list justice. For this I am glad. Ham Radio has always been the
seeds of electronic and communication technology. And I hope it
continues to be.
Somewhere deep in my brain are the memories of the days of learning and
wonderment. I can not forget the first time I saw the bottom of the
Sears 1950 TV as the repairman went in with his meter and hand tools to
repair the set so that I could watch Roy Rogers and Dale Evans on the
next Saturday Morning. All the tubes glowing and how did it get in there
(the picture and the sound) I asked myself and many others. Then later
while in high school and having upgraded to general class, I was
privileged to not only see some of the greatest radio transmitters to
have ever been home brewed, but I was known by the men that built them
on a first name basis. Walking in to the shack of K5SWK in the evening
to see the 833s and 866s glowing and to hear the feedback from the
modulation transformer and slight hum of the pole pegs is a memory that
will always make me stop what I doing and ponder the nostalgia. Do I
operate AM because I can't let go of a childhood memory? You bet I do.
And I hope to stir some of those memories in others if possible and to
plant some seeds of my own.
Many Thanks and 73 to those Elmers
Wayne, W5FJS
Otis, K5SWK
Tom, K5IBW
Koby, K5MZH
Jake, K5IQV
Bill, WA5DWX Gene, WA5ATH
Gene, W5HQJ
Roy, W5MRY
Steve, K5LTK
Ronnie, K5MKB
Don, K4KYV
This is just to name a few and I know that a lot are silent keys and
some have changed their calls. But I will always remember them with the
calls heard first.
