|
Probably
inspired by ARRL Field Day activity, the Novice station
was set up outside near the vertical antenna. The 60 watt
input crystal controlled transmitter was the Knight T-60.
The receiver was the Hallicrafters SX-110, while the antenna
was the Hy-Gain 18-AVQ, an 80 to 10 meter trapped vertical.
A small Morse Code hand key completed the setup.
The Knight CW transmitter was purchased as a kit for the
cost of $60. I paid for it by working one entire week
in a cornfield during the summer. Dad helped me to get
the receiver and antenna.
This
was the second Allied Radio Knight-Kit I had assembled.
The first kit I put together was their Ocean Hopper regenerative
shortwave receiver. It was funded by profits from my paper
route. Before that, home made crystal detector broadcast
band receivers were built and experimented upon. An issue
of Boy's Life described how to build a simple "fox-hole"
crystal set.
The DX bug bit early. I searched the broadcast band for
distant DX signals on a crystal radio during the very
early morning hours before the local AM radio station
started operation. Once WMRN in Marion, Ohio began their
broadcast day, they occupied the entire band. The adjustable
tuning coil did give the crystal receiver noticeable selectivity,
but not when a strong local signal was present.
Mom
for the most part tolerated the unusual ham radio activity,
but after seeing the extensive ground radials for the
vertical antenna once commented that she "thought
this was supposed to be wireless radio". She took
the back yard photograph and years later wrote "In
the Beginning" on the back of it.
|
