1984: Paul Conant, WQ5X






1966: Brian Wood, W0DZ

1961: Richard Pumphrey, WN9DDV

1962, Walt Beverly, W4GV

1961: Rick Roznoy, K1OF

1962, Steve Meyers, W0AZ

1951: Bill Weinhardt, W9PPG

1955: Paul Johnston, W9PJ

1964: Michael Betz, WB8ZFQ.

1967: Pete Malvasi, W2PM

1962: Terry Schieler, W0FM

1969: John Kosmak, W3IK

1953: Dan Girand, W5ARB

1975: David Collingham, K3LP

1961: Jim Cain, K1TN

1957: Bill Tippett, W4ZV

1961: Bob Lightner, W4GJ

1956: Bernie Huth, W4BGH

1952: Dick Bender, W3SYY

1951: Dale Bredon, W6BGK

1963: "Sig" Signer, NV7E

1958: Jeff Lackey, K8CQ

1953: Dan Bathker, K6BLG

1961: Rick Tavan, N6XI

1956: Bill Penhallegon, W4STX

1958: John Miller, K6MM

1959/1993: Tom Carter, KC2GEP

1966: Kelly Klaas, K7SU

1976: Mary Moore, WX4MM

1970: David Kazan, AD8Y

1957: Paula Keiser, K8PK

1971: Charles Ahlgren, WB6IYM

1952: Tom Webb, W4YOK

1964: License Manual - Chapter 2, Novice

1964: Advertisements

1970: Jim Zimmerman, N6KZ

1987: Matt Cassarino, WV1K

More - Mike Branca, W3IRZ (sk)

1953: Bill Bell, KN2CZZ

1952: Ron D' Eau Claire, AC7AC

History - 1950s: The Beginning

History - 1960s: Mid-Peak

History - 1970s: Late Peak

(sample story) My Elmer

1954: Novice Logbook (Dick Zalewski, W7ZR)

1961: Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA

1953: George Marko, K2DWL

1964: How to Become a Radio Amateur

1967: ARRL Handbook

1963: Learning the Radiotelegraph Code

1955: Jack Burks, K4CNW

1979: Ann Santos, WA1S

1952: Ron Baker, WA6AZN

Welcome to the Novice Historical Society Home Page!

1952/1955: The CQ Twins (Clint, W9AV & Quent, W6RI)

1956: Mike Branca, W3IRZ

1959: Don Minkoff, NK6A

History - 1980s: Early-Decline

1990-2000: The End

1976, Rick Palm, K1CE

1978: Larry Makoski, W2LJ

1961: Gary Yantis, W0TM

1955: Al Cammarata, W3AWU

1951: Bob McDonald, W4DYF

1951: Charlie Curle, AD4F

1953: Kenny Cassidy, WN2WNC

1951: Jim Franklin, K4TMJ

1953: Rick Faust, N2RF

1973: Greg Harris, WB9MII

1957: Mickey LeBoeuf, K5ML

1957: Jim Cadien, KC7ZMV

1976: Tom Fagan, K7DF

1953: Fred Jensen, K6DGW

1957: Tony Rogozinski, W4OI

1961, Novice Roundup Award (Art Mouton, K5FNQ)

1956: Woody Pope, ex-KN5GCM

1967: Larry Rybacki, WA2ARA

1955: Gene Schonrock, W6EAJ

1955: Dave Germeyer, W3BJG

1983: Harry Weiss, KA3NZR

1970: Paul Huff, N8XMS

1976: John Yasuda, WB6PTC

1953: Alvin Burgland, W6WJ

1966: Neil Friedman, N3DF

1976: Lyle Heide, WB9VTM

1968: Leigh Klotz, Sr., N5LK

1956: Ken Barber, W2DTC

1977: Keith Darwin, N1AS

1959: Tom Wilson, K7FA

1956: Wayne Beck, K5MB

1984: Paul Conant, WQ5X

1970: Ward Silver, N0AX

1982: Christopher Horne, W4CXH

1953: Paul Signorelli, W0RW

1954: Ray Cadmus, W0PFO

1957: Norm Goodkin, K6YXH

1959: Glen Zook, K9STH

1970: Ken Brown, N6KB

1962: Fred Merkel, AK7D

1972: Rob Atkinson, K5UJ

1955: David Quagiana, K2MTW

1952: Sam Whitley, K5SW

1967: Frequency Chart

1983: William Wilson, AB0VG

1953: Jim Brown, W5ZIT

1958: Al Burnham, K6RIM

1952: Gary Borri, K9DBR

1961: Bill Husted, KQ4YA

1955: Dan Schobert, W9MFG

1976: Charles Bibb, K5ZK

1979: Bill Brown, KA6KBC

1965: Ken Widelitz, K6LA / VY2TT

1975: Tim Madden, KI4TG

1972: Steve Ewald, WV1X

1969: Mike "Jug" Jogoleff, WA6MBZ

1964: Phil Salas, AD5X

1954: John Johnston, W3BE

1968: Stan Horzepa, WA1LOU

1975: Last of the Distinct Novice Callsigns (Cliff Cheng, AC6C; ex-WN6JPA)

1987: Buddy Brannan, KB5ELV

1966: Tom Morgan, AF4HL

1954: Dan Smith, K6PRK

1954: Novice Callsign History License (Dan, K6PRK's License)

1975: First of the Non-distinct Novice Callsigns (Cliff Cheng, AC6C; ex-WA6JPA)

1957: Doug Millar, K6JEY

1954: Dick Zalewski, W7ZR

1962: Steve Pink, KF1Y

1975: Cliff Cheng, AC6C

1966: Tom Napier, AI4QV

1965: Novice Code Test (Ken Widelitz, K6LA / VY2TT)

1954: Bob Brown, W4YFJ

1977: Russ Roberts, KH6JRM

1958: Jeff Wolf, K6JW

1964: John Shidler, NS5Z

1972: Rick Andersen, KE3IJ

1977: Barry Whittemore, WB1EDI

1967: Grover Cordell, WB5FSP

1959: Val Erwin, W5PUT

1953: Bob Rolfness, W7AVK

1953: Paul Danzer, N1ii

1969: Dennis Kidder, W6DQ

1971: Jonathan Kramer, W6JLK

1959: Chas Shinn, W7MAP/5

1961: Mark Nelson, AJ2K

1978: Alice King, AI4K

1965: Gary Pearce, KN4AQ

1988: James Kern, KB2FCV

1958: Jay Slough, K4ZLE

1954: L.B. Cebik, W4RNL (sk)

1997: Novice Question Pool.

1952: Steve Jensen, W6RHM

1989: Michael Tracy, KC1SX

1979: Matt Tinker, AA8P

1965: Dan Gaylord, W7IDG

1956: Chuck Counselman, W1HIS

1976: Scott McMullen, W5ESE

1961: Joe Park, WB6AGR

1955: Jack Schmidling, K9ACT

1969: Bill Continelli, W2XOY

1962: Bob Roske, N0UF

1963: Glenn Kurzenknabe, K3SWZ

1969: Phyllis Webb, WN4IIF

1956: Dan Cron, W6SBE

1954: Carl Yaffey, K8NU

1967: Ted White, N8TW

1982: Penny Cron, W6SBE

1961, Kent Gardner, WA7AHY

1970: Brad Bradfield, W5CGH

1976: Steve Melachrinos, W3HF

1994: Brian Lamb, KE4QZB

1958: Operating an Amateur Radio Station

1965: AL LaPeter, W2AS

1961: Rick Swain, KK8o

1956: Keith Synder, KE7IOW

1951: Elmer Harger, N7EL

1987: Lou Giovannetti, KB2DHG

1966: Dave Fuseler, NJ4F

1976: Marcel Livesay, N5VU

1965: Bob Jameson, N3LNP

1951: Byron Engen, W4EBA

1956: Cam Harriot, KI6WK

1965: FCC Exam Schedule

1962: Joe Trombino, W2KJ

1956: Ray Colbert, W5XE

1964: Geoff Allsup, W1OH

1977: Tom Herold, N9BUL

1951: Hank Greeb, N8XX

1959: Dean Straw, N6BV

1970: Alan Applegate, K0BG

1957: Richard Cohen, K6DBR

1971: Ronald Erickson, K0IC

1965: Jan Perkins, N6AW

1953: Charlie Lofgren, W6JJZ

1960: Art Mouton, K5FNQ

1955: Dan Marks, ex-K6IQF

1958: Mike Chernus, K6PZN

1960: Bob Silverman, WA6MRK

1951: Richard Schachter, W6HHI

1953: Joe Montgomery, W1DWJ

1958: Richard Dillman, W6AWO

1968: Bob Dunn, K5IQ

1988: Jamie Markowitz, AA6TH

1952: Jim Leighty, W6UJX

1955: Matt Wheaton, W1EMM

1957: Dick Newsome, W0HXL

1956: Slim Copeland, K4KCS

1959, 1993: Tom Carter, KC2GEP

1968: Bill Byrnes, AB9BD

1971: Jeff Angus, WA6FWI

1956: Dean Norris, K7NO

1972: Dennis Drew, W7RVR

1958: Stan Miln, K6RMR

1958: George Ison, K4ZMI

1978: Fred Soper, KC8FS

1956: John Fuller, K4HQK

1961: Riley Hollingswworth, K4ZDH

  


1984: Paul Conant, WQ5X


Paul Conant, WQ5X (formerly N5ICK; KA5UHC)

I worked for Otis Engineering, an oil field supply company, in Carrollton, Texas during the early 1980s.  I used to go the library or to a park to read and take a little nap during my lunch hour.  One day, while browsing at the Farmer's Brand library, I happened upon some ham radio books.  I do not remember what the books were, but at that time they were just what was needed to cause the seeds planted about 25 years earlier to finally germinate and bear fruit.  My dad, W5GEH (SK), was an active ham in the 1950s.  I had memories of the ham shack that occupied a storage room adjacent to the car port of his first house at 1801 E. Mitchell in Arlington, Texas.  I recalled his use of morse code, homemade aluminum chassis mounted with heavy transformers and vacuum tubes, and yagi antennas for 6-meters.  Mom even had a call sign, K5HEQ, and they were members of the Arlington Amateur Radio Club.  After I became a ham, I ran across a copy of an old directory for the club in a Half Price bookstore with their names in it.  Dad had not been active as a ham since our family moved to Richardson, Texas in 1960.  His old rigs and books gathered dust in the garage during my years growing up at 604 Brookwood Drive.  As boy during the 1960's, I was interested in the schematics and pictures in those old books, but the concepts were always well beyond my comprehension.  As I leafed through the books in that library, I sensed for the first time that I could become a ham, too.

Very soon thereafter, I picked up of copy of Tune in the World with Ham Radio at Radio Shack.  My lunch hour trips to the park were centered on mastering the content of that book and listening the to code practice tapes narrated by Jean Shepherd.  Meanwhile, I started browsing the local ham radio stores:  Electronics Center on Ross Avenue in Dallas, Hardin Electronics in Fort Worth, and Texas Towers in Plano.    I was intimidated by the prices of the rigs I saw.   I found my self drawn to the Heathkit QRP rigs and set for myself the objective of going on the air with a rig I had constructed.  I ran across a used Ten-Tec Century 21 at Texas Towers for $150.  I mentioned it to my dad who went ahead and bought it for me.  I made arrangements to take my novice exam in the north Dallas office of Jim Haynie.  Dad presented me with the Century 21 when I got my ticket with the callsign KA5UHC.  It was 1984.

I had been married for seven years and our daughter was less than two years old.  We were living in our own first house and I was faced with the problem of introducing my bride to my first hobby of our life together and the impact of its accoutrements on the aesthetics of our abode.  At length, my rig came to rest on top of the upright piano in our family room.  I sat on the piano bench with my Radio Shack straight key situated on the fall board closed over the keys of the old Kimball piano.  The feedline for the antenna was routed through the ceiling into the attic.  I constructed a 40-meter dipole with 22-guage hook-up wire and attached it to the roof trusses with thumb tacks.  The house was 46-feet end-to-end, so I bent the legs of the dipole along the roofline at the extremities of the attic.  And you know what?  It worked just fine.

Most of my operating was on 40- and 15-meters, and I had a blast.  By 1986, I had progressed through General to Extra class.  I loved the Century 21 and wouldn't mind having one again.  Mine failed very early in the 1990s and I was off the air for the next decade.  My short time as a novice cemented my love of CW and low power operating.  I returned to the air in 2003(?) with I rig I built myself.  The smell of solder smoke is peculiarly satisfying.  The joy of getting a kit to work and making contacts with it is even more rewarding. 

After 31 years of marriage we are in our third house.  It is properly outfitted with a man room.  My QRP rig is situated on a small desk next to a second floor window.  The inverted-vee is cut for my band of choice, 30-meters, and suspended from the eaves above my window.  Next year will mark my 25th year as a ham.  Ham radio was my first hobby, but it has been joined by shooting, flying, golf, and a grandson.  I am more likely now to pick up my guitar or a laptop computer when I settle into my man room recliner.  The little boy is too busy to sit in my lap.  Nevertheless, he is forming memories of grandpa's radios, their dials and guages, and the never-to-be-touched Vibroplex and straight key.  I regret that there is no longer a novice sub-band into which I can lead him in a few years. 

The novice bands were indeed the shallow water of the hobby.  My fondest memories were of time spent between 7.1 and 7.15 MHz.  Even after becoming and Extra, that's where I gravitated.  Sadly, at the close of the 1980s, I seldom found a novice to chew the rag with.  It was a real, and a rare, pleasure to QRS and give some joy to an occasional newcomer.  It is a pleasure to relive those days via the Novice Historical Society.

 

73,

 

Paul

WQ5X

 

17 December 2008   

 

     

 

 

© 2008, Cliff Cheng, Ph.D., ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.