HOW I GOT STARTED IN HAM RADIO
or
"HOW TO TAKE ALMOST 40 YEARS TO GET YOUR HAM
LICENSE"
BY
N4UJW
If you visited the first
page of this site, you may have noticed that this site is
dedicated
to
MY DAD
"Who sparked
the interest"
My Dad as he progressed through the years!
AND OF COURSE THE REST OF MY
FAMILY! MY DAD, (WITH HIS ASSISTANCE), WOULD LET ME TURN
THE KNOBS TO SEE JUST WHAT I COULD PICK UP AND I REMEMBER WATCHING THE
"GREEN EYE" CHANGE WHEN I TUNED IN A STATION ON THE BUTTON.
MY DAD, PICTURED ABOVE, SPENT
MOST OF HIS LIFE, AT LEAST AS FAR BACK AS I CAN REMEMBER, IN THE
ELECTRONICS FIELD.
ALTHOUGH HE WOULD HAVE LOVED IT AND WAS WELL
QUALIFIED.....HE NEVER BECAME A HAM.
I THINK BACK THROUG ALL THE
YEARS THAT I HAD HIM, AND I THINK THE REASON THAT HE NEVER BECAME A HAM
WAS THAT HE KNEW THAT HE HAD TO PROVIDE FOR A WIFE AND 5 KIDS AND JUST DID
NOT HAVE THE MONEY OR TIME TO DEVOTE TO GETTING HIS LICENSE.
DADDY
ALWAYS READ TECHNICAL, (ELECTRONIC), STUFF IN HIS SPARE TIME AT
HOME TO HELP HIM WITH HIS JOB AND ENJOYED GETTING BOOKS ABOUT
ELECTRONICS AND TECHNOLOGY FOR BIRTHDAYS AND CHRISTMAS PRESENTS.
I
GAVE HIM SEVERAL OVER THE YEARS AND IT WOULD MAKE MOM KIND OF MAD BECAUSE
SHE WOULD SAY "IF HE EVER PICKS UP THAT BOOK, HE WON'T KNOW WE ARE
AROUND"!
MOM WAS CORRECT. DADDY WOULD GET INTO HIS BOOKS WITH
SUCH POWERS OF CONCENTRATION THAT MOM WOULD HAVE TO SHOUT HIS NAME
SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE HE HEARD HER!
BOMBS COULD GO OFF IN THE HOUSE AND
HE WOULD NOT KNOW IT AS LONG AS HE WAS READING!
DADDY DID NOT "JUST
READ THEM", HE STUDIED THEM WORD FOR WORD AND LINE FOR LINE, DRAWING LINES
UNDER THE KEY WORDS AND PHRASES AND MAKING NOTES IN THE MARGINS.
DADDY COULD HAVE BEEN A GREAT ELECTRONICS THEORY TEACHER AND I LEARNED
SO MUCH FROM HIM AND AM THANKFUL THAT I AM HIS SON AND HE IS MY
FATHER!
THE
SPARK!
SOMEWHERE AROUND THE AGE OF SIX OR SEVEN, AROUND
1950, WE LIVED ONLY TWO HOUSES FROM MY GRANDMOTHER AND GRANDFATHER
(MOMMA AND PAPPA, MY DAD'S
PARENTS).
IN ONE ROOM OF THEIR HOUSE, STOOD THIS HUGE WOODEN BOX WITH KNOBS,
AND DIALS AND A GREEN EYE 
THAT LOOKED AT YOU!
AND IT WAS NOT JUST ANY ORDINARY
BOX!
IT WAS A RADIO!
ONCE,
WHILE PLAYING WITH IT, I HEARD TWO MEN TALKING ABOUT RADIOS AND ANTENNAS
AND DIFFERENT THINGS ABOUT RADIO AND I ASKED MY DAD WHO THEY
WERE.......
HE LOOKED AT THE DIAL, LISTENED FOR A WHILE AND SAID
THAT THEY WERE HAM RADIO OPERATORS AND THEY WERE TALKING TO EACH OTHER
FROM THEIR HOMES WITH THEIR OWN RADIO TRANSMITTERS AND LISTENING WITH
THEIR OWN RECEIVERS!
WOW.....THE
SPARK.....
I SHOWERED
MY DAD
WITH QUESTION AFTER QUESTION AND HE COULD TELL THAT HE HAD
SPARKED THE
INTEREST IN ME TO BECOME A HAM!
A COUPLE OF YEARS PASSED AND WE
MOVED TO NORTHERN ALABAMA.
I WAS STILL LEARNING THE BASICS FROM MY DAD
ALONG WITH GOING TO SCHOOL.
ONE DAY I PICKED UP ONE OF MY DAD'S
MAIL ORDER CATALOGS FROM A COMPANY CALLED
ALLIED RADIO AND INSIDE I
FOUND A KIT THEY SOLD FROM WHICH YOU COULD BUILD 10 DIFFERENT ELECTRONIC
PROJECTS....THE ONE THAT CAUGHT MY EYE WAS THE AM
TRANSMITTER!
I PLEADED WITH MY
DAD TO GET IT FOR ME SO HE ORDERED IT AND IT CAME A FEW WEEKS LATER.
I
HAD VERY LITTLE TROUBLE BUILDING IT AND MY DAD HELPED ONLY WHEN
I HAD A QUESTION.
IT OPERATED UNDER THE FCC PART 15 RULES AND REGS
AND WAS designed TO TRANSMIT ON THE STANDARD AM BROADCAST BAND WITH AN
ANTENNA "NOT TO EXCEED 5 FEET IN LENGTH".
I
ASKED DAD WHY THIS WAS AND HE SAID IF I MADE IT LONGER THAT THE
SIGNAL WOULD TRAVEL A LOT FARTHER THAN THE FCC ALLOWED FOR THAT TYPE OF
TRANSMITTER AND HE STATED BLUNTLY THAT I WAS NOT TO ADD ANY TO
IT!
DADDY SHOULD NOT HAVE SAID THAT......TO A YOUNG HAM TO BE WITH
THOUSANDS OF QUESTIONS!
"HOW'S IT
WORKING"?
I WAS A FAN OF ELVIS AT THE TIME AND DAD AND MOM
HAD GIVEN ME A GOOD QUALITY REEL TO REEL
TAPE RECORDER AND I HAD
RECORDED SEVERAL ELVIS SONGS.
I FIGURED OUT A WAY TO HOOK THE PLAYBACK
FROM THE TAPE RECORDER TO THE AM TRANSMITTER THAT I HAD BUILT AND FOUND
SOME OLD TV GUY WIRE THAT MY DAD HAD SAVED (SEVERAL HUNDRED FEET) AND
STRUNG IT AROUND THE ROOF OF THEIR HOUSE WITHOUT THEM KNOWING AND ATTACHED
IT TO THE ANTENNA CONNECTION ON THE AM TRANSMITTER THAT I HAD PUT
TOGETHER.
I TURNED EVERY THING ON, TOOK A PORTABLE RADIO AND FOUND
THE FREQUENCY OF THIS HOMEBREW KIT I HAD BUILT AND SURE ENOUGH, THERE WAS
THE ELVIS MUSIC LOUD AND CLEAR.
I WALKED OUTSIDE AND AROUND OUR BLOCK AND THE SIGNAL NEVER
FADED!
THAT AFTERNOON WHEN DAD GOT HOME FROM WORK, MOM ASKED HIM TO GO
TO THE GROCERY STORE AND I SAW MY CHANCE TO SEE JUST HOW FAR MY ELVIS
MUSIC WOULD REACH FROM MY LITTLE
PART 15 TRANSMITTER.
I ASKED HIM IF
I COULD GO WITH HIM AND HE SAID YES...SO I WENT INTO MY BEDROOM AND
TURNED
THE TRANSMITTER AND TAPE ON WITH ELVIS SINGING MY FAVORITE
SONGS, THEN WENT OUTSIDE TO THE CAR WHERE MY DAD WAS WAITING.
I QUICKLY
GOT INSIDE AND TURNED THE CAR RADIO ON AND STARTED TUNING TO "MY
FREQUENCY".
THERE IT WAS, LOUD AND
CLEAR.
WE BACKED OUT AND STARTED DOWN THE STREET AND I WAS GLUED
TO THE MAGIC I WAS MAKING ON MY DAD'S CAR RADIO.
AFTER DRIVING
SEVERAL BLOCKS AWAY FROM HOME MY DAD ASKED ME, "HOW'S
IT WORKING"?
WITHOUT THINKING I SAID "GREAT" AND THEN ALL OF
A SUDDEN I LOOKED AT HIM AND HE HAD A SMILE
ON HIS FACE AND HE SAID
"WELL....LET'S SEE JUST HOW FAR IT WILL GET.
I KNEW THAT I HAD BEEN
CAUGHT AND BY A MASTER.....MY DAD!
WE DROVE TO ALMOST A HALF MILE
FROM HOME ACCORDING TO MY DAD WHEN THE
SIGNAL FINALLY FADED INTO THE
NOISE!
DADDY NEVER DID PUNISH
ME FOR ADDING ALL THAT WIRE TO THE ANTENNA CONNECTION AND FOR DISOBEYING
HIM, BUT HE JUST SMILED, AND SAID, "I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT", AND MADE ME
TAKE THE GUY WIRE OFF OF THE TRANSMITTER NEVER TO BE ATTACHED
AGAIN!
A YEAR OR SO LATER WE MOVED NEAR CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE AND
I WAS JUST AS INTERESTED IN RADIO AND ELECTRONICS AS EVER.
MY DAD
FOUND OUT THAT A LOCAL RADIO AND TV REPAIR SHOP HAD A SURPLUS OF OLD
RADIOS AND ELECTRONIC DEVICES THAT WERE TO BE DISCARDED SO HE TOOK ME TO
THE SHOP AND AFTER TALKING WITH THE OWNER HE GOT PERMISSION TO SALVAGE A
FEW OF THE OLD CLUNKERS.......MY DAD'S CAR TRUNK WAS PACKED TO THE LID AND
HOME WE WENT.
I SPENT MANY HOURS OF FUN WITH MY DAD'S SUPERVISION
TAKING APART THE OLD RADIOS WITH A SOLDERING IRON, AND VARIOUS TOOLS HE
HAD LOANED ME.
MY DAD WAS A GREAT TEACHER FOR ME AND HE ALWAYS TOOK
THE TIME TO EXPLAIN THE ANSWERS
TO MY HUNDREDS OR MAYBE EVEN
THOUSANDS OF QUESTIONS.
IN MY EARLY WORKING YEARS I SPENT ABOUT 10
YEARS WITH A WHOLESALE RADIO AND TV PARTS
DISTRIBUTOR. WE HAD A LOT OF
HAMS WHO WOULD BUY PARTS, COAX, ETC FROM US AND I GOT TO KNOW A LOT
OF THEM AND VISITED THEIR SHACKS FROM TIME TO TIME.
ONE HAM IN
PARTICULAR THAT I REMEMBER WOULD HONK HIS HORN WHEN PASSING IN FRONT OF
OUR STORE USING THE CW LETTERS (MORSE CODE)
.....H......I...... DIT DIT DIT
DIT DIT DIT.
I ALWAYS KNEW IT WAS HIM AND
THAT HE WAS ON HIS WAY TO WORK.
AFTER MANY YEARS OF LISTENING TO
SHORTWAVE RADIO, PLAYING WITH CB AND ALWAYS GOING BACK TO THE
HAM BANDS IN PARTICULAR AND SPENDING THOUSANDS OF HOURS JUST LISTENING AND
TELLING MYSELF...SOME DAY I WILL GET A HAM LICENSE.....
I FINALLY MADE UP MY MIND.
IN 1988, I WAS NOW
MARRIED, HAD A GOOD JOB SO I STARTED STUDYING FOR THE NOVICE TEST, THE
ENTRY LEVEL HAM LICENSE AND THE LOWEST CLASS OF HAM LICENSE AMONG SIX AT
THAT TIME WITH THE GOAL OF LATER UPGRADING AFTER I GOT A LITTLE EXPERIENCE
UNDER MY BELT.
I USED THE ARRL MANUALS, SOME MATERIAL FROM
RADIO SHACK, THE GORDON WEST CODE TAPES, LISTENING PRACTICE ON CW ON THE
HAM BANDS, AND ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING I COULD READ ABOUT AMATEUR
RADIO.
TEST DAY CAME ALL TOO
QUICKLY!
I WENT IN PREPARED TO GET A NOVICE LICENSE AND WITH MY
DAD'S TRAINING, A LITTLE STUDYING ON MY OWN AND HIS, "YOU CAN DO
IT",RINGING IN MY HEAD, I WALKED OUT OF THE TESTING SESSION, PASSING
NOVICE, TECHNICIAN AND TECHNICIAN PLUS ALL IN ONE SITTING!!!!!!!!!!
I
WAS NOW.....
A
HAM!
MY LICENSE
ARRIVED IN THE MAIL WITH MY CALL SIGN WITHIN A FEW WEEKS, (WHICH SEEMED
LIKE MONTHS), AND I WAS ISSUED THE CALLSIGN
OF
N4UJW
I LIVED IN FLORIDA AT THE
TIME AND HAD NOT SEEN MY DAD IN ABOUT A YEAR AND I WAS SO
EXCITED THAT
I CALLED HIM LONG DISTANCE. WHEN HE ANSWERED, I SAID "HI
DADDY! GUESS WHAT I JUST GOT IN THE MAIL." HE SAID "I DON'T
KNOW. WHAT?"
I DECIDED TO GIVE HIM A HINT SO I SAID IT WAS
SOMETHING I HAD WANTED FOR ABOUT 40
YEARS.
THERE WAS A SHORT PAUSE ON THE OTHER END OF THE
PHONE AND THEN HE SAID,
"YOU GOT YOUR
HAM LICENSE"!
I SAID
"YEP," AND THEN DADDY CAME BACK WITH THOSE WORDS THAT HELPED ME BECOME A
HAM,
"YOU DID! I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT!
DADDY WAS SO THRILLED FOR ME AND HE ASKED ME IF I HAD GOTTEN
A RIG YET AND WHAT FREQUENCIES HE COULD LISTEN ON SO MAYBE HE COULD
HEAR ME... AND A THOUSAND OTHER QUESTIONS JUST LIKE I DID WHEN I WAS A KID
WITH MY DAD BESIDE ME LISTENING TO THAT BIG WOODEN BOX WITH THAT
GREEN EYE THAT LOOKED BACK AT YOU AS IF TO SAY,
"YOU CAN DO
IT"!!!!!!!!!!
SOME TIME LATER, I TOOK A TRIP TO VISIT MY DAD AND MOM.
I HAD INSTALLED A 2 METER MOBILE IN THE CAR AND WAS EXCITED TO
DEMONSTRATE IT TO MY DAD.
HE WAS ABSOLUTELY FASCINATED AT THE WAY
IT WORKED AND THEN BEGAN ASKING ME THOUSANDS OF
QUESTIONS JUST LIKE I HAD
DONE!
THANKS DADDY!
I LOVE
YOU!
FOOTNOTE:
April 28, 2002 was my birthday......I was
thinking about my dad, now passed away, and I could hear him saying in my
mind,"You did it! I knew you could do it"......I got my General
Ticket missing only one question and here again with my Dad's help and
memories pushing me along with his confidence!
Most of
my working background was in some way related to electronics and in my
later years, I was in medical electronics all due to my Dad "Sparking the
interest" and with my Mom keeping the flame hot!
Thanks again DADDY
and MOM! Sorry I took so
long!"
TO YOU.... THE READER
So this my family, friends and fellow
Hams is how it took me 40 years, (in a matter of speaking), to get my Ham
license.
THE LAW OF AVERAGES WOULD STATE THAT MOST OF YOU DO
NOT HAVE A DAD THAT CAN HELP YOU GET INTO HAM RADIO AND SPARK THE INTEREST
LIKE MY DAD DID.
DADDY HAD A SPECIAL GIFT IN THAT HE COULD
EXPLAIN SOMETHING THAT WAS VERY COMPLICATED TO ME, IN A WAY THAT MADE
IT SEEM VERY SIMPLE AND I WILL ALWAYS BE THANKFUL THAT I HAD HIM
WITH ME FOR ALL THOSE YEARS!
MY MOM IS STILL WITH ME, (IN HER 80'S), AS
I WRITE THIS, AND THIS ARTICLE WOULD NOT BE COMPLETE WITHOUT
MENTIONING HOW IMPORTANT SHE HAS BEEN TO ME.
MOM ALSO HAD
HER OWN WAY OF ADDING FUEL TO "SPARK" THE FIRE WHEN IT CONCERNED HER
DEVOTION TO ALL OF HER 5 KIDS, NOT JUST ME.
MOM SPENT MOST OF HER
EARLY YEARS MAKING MANY SACRIFICES FOR HER KIDS.
SHE WAS CONSTANTLY
LOOKING FOR WAYS TO SAVE A PENNY HERE AND A PENNY THERE, (LITERALLY), SO
HER AND DAD COULD PROVIDE FOR ALL OF US. AS I LOOK BACK ON MY YEARS, THEY
ARE STILL LOOKING OUT FOR
ME.
MOM WAS ALWAYS
THE ONE PRODING US TO "GET YOUR LESSONS", DO YOUR HOMEWORK AND STUDY
HARD TO BECOME WHATEVER YOU WANT TO BE. I KNEW ALL THE TIME MY DAD WAS
STANDING THERE THINKING THE SAME WORDS.
MOM ALSO USED THE
PHRASE,
"YOU CAN DO IT, I KNOW YOU
CAN" ...........SO I DID!......Don Butler
N4UJW
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
IF YOU ARE READING THIS AND WOULD LIKE
TO BE A HAM RADIO OPERATOR, YOU CAN GET ALL OF
THE STUDY MATERIAL YOU WILL NEED TO
PASS YOUR EXAM ON MY
STUDY
PAGE.
IT WON'T TAKE YOU 40 YEARS
LIKE ME!
THE MATERIAL
IS PUBLISHED BY THE AMERICAN RADIO RELAY LEAGUE AND IS THE SAME MATERIAL
THAT MOST HAMS STUDY IN ORDER TO PASS THEIR AMATEUR RADIO OPERATOR'S
TEST.
DADDY CAN'T BE THEIR WITH YOU WHILE YOU STUDY AND MOM CAN'T
BE THERE TO PROD YOU, BUT THEY WILL NOT NEED TO BE THERE.
THE
STUDY MATERIALS ARE EXPLAINED IN A WAY THAT EVEN YOU CAN UNDERSTAND AND
WHEN YOU TAKE YOUR TEST, AND PASS YOUR EXAM AND GET YOUR LICENSE, THEN I
WILL SAY..........
YOU DID! I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT! (JUST LIKE MY
DAD AND MOM DID)