WA6CJC Homepage

Enter WA6CJC In Ham Radio

I received my license in Junior High School under the leadership of a teacher, whose name I have forgotten, but was a wild eyes redhead. Our semester project was an intercom made out of an AM radio. He showed us how it worked, how we had to modify the circuits and I was hooked! Until this day, show we some wires and I can figure out how it works....OK, once in a while I have to call my Grandson Zack and say... What do I do now?

When I got my license I scrambled together some hardware consisting of a Hallicrafters S-38E (it could hear DC to Light at one time) and I decided to get a World Radio Globe Scout 90 Kit!

Great for Short Wave Listening but useless to
hear Morse code on... It went away fast!

I put it together but it took me several weeks to make it work. I mis-wired a circuit and nothing came out... Found the problem, turned it on and away I went!

After getting the transmitter to work, my wonderful parents bought me an NC-303 dream receiver so I could hear and away I went.

With that little transmitter and the boat anchor NC-303 "I worked the world". I get my WAC certificate (Worked All Continents), got 100's of QSL cards from all over the world and then it was time to study hard and leave my Novice License behind and head for the Advanced ticket! When I got it, I got my first real "rig"!

My First Real "Rig"

I Was First Licensed In 1957

I received my license in Junior High School and began a long career at this hobby. My initial project was to build a transmitter, the trusty Globe Scout 90 (See the right column). It worked and I communicated with about 150 countries with the brass-key! I tried to use an S38E as a receiver but alas, I had to upgrade to an NC-303 !

My neighbor, Bob Coomler and I had a ball. We was licensed as WN6NLP (Nasty Little People).

High School Provided New Friends

In 2000, I visited my high school with Edward Heyman and other friends and got to visit with Mr., Jack Brown my High School Radio Shop Teacher after 40 years!

Yes... I was a geek (but we didn't have that term in those days...
It was NERD

Jack Brown Was Our Electronics Shop Instructor

No nonsense but loads of fun! He was an amazing guy.

Jack passed on a few years later but he was a great teacher, leader, and role model for a lot of us living through the early 1960's.

I will never forget his 1952 Ford with the Elmac transmitter and receiver and long tall whip antenna that always seemed like it was going to hit something.

Morse Code

Ham's In Los Alamitos

Amazing but we have almost 150!

The Equipment Was Interesting

But remember, the insides were all very accessible and generally had high voltage (300-500 volts) everywhere. The vacuum tubes got red hot so after several hours of having the equipment on, the room was hot as can be. No transistors and no integrated circuits! All the components were attached to a steel or aluminum chassis making the radios weigh in at 50-150 pounds each! Portable means an extension cord!

Globe Scout 90A Transmitter Kit!

Click for advertisement

Modes: CW
Bands: 160 - 10 Meters
Input Power: 90W-CW
VFO: No
Power Supply: Internal
Final Tube(s): 2ea. 807
Modulator: Plug-in option
New Price/Year: $59.95 kit, $74.50 wired/1958-1960
Size: 8.0"h x 14.0"w x 9.0"d
Approx. Weight: 27 lbs