All this reminiscing reminds me of an
excellent book I recently finished, "Bill & Dave" by
Michael Malone. It's the story of Bill Hewlett and
Dave Packard, founders of Hewlett-Packard. It's
so well written I nearly read all 400 pages in
one sitting and because I was privileged to work
there even while Bill and Dave were still in charge.
The first chapter has numerous references
to ham radio and the role it played in shaping
the lives of many early electronics pioneers.
The only call I know for sure was Dave Packard's
(9DRV during his boyhood in Pueblo, Colorado).
http://hamgallery.com/qsl/Antique/USA/Colorado/9drv.htm
Some others mentioned in the first chapter are:
Fred Terman, head of Stanford's Comm. Lab
Bill Hewlett, co-founder of HP
Lee de Forest, triode tube inventor
William Shockley, co-inventor of transistor
Vannevar Bush, later MIT president
Charlie Litton, Litton Industries founder
Herbert Hoover, Jr.
etc, etc.
"In retrospect, ham radio was the first Silicon Valley
boom, and, because the cost of entry was so low and the
technology so simple, it was more open to newcomers and
technology amateurs than any that followed up until the dot-com
boom almost a century later. And, like the latter, ham radio also
showed many of the characteristics of a bubble. In the beginning,
it was filled with maverick characters, overnight sensations, quick
fortunes, and starry-eyed young players. Fred Terman would
recall the happy days of running around the residential streets of
Palo Alto, looking for the telltale antenna towers in backyards and
knocking on the front door, knowing that a kindred spirit lived inside."
Great book to read while we wait!
73, Bill W4ZV
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