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| KB6NN | Howard's Ham Radio Website - About |
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QTH: Eureka, California 40.78° N 124.181° W Grid: CN70ws Eureka is located in the middle of Humboldt County, California. Humboldt County is in Northern California, on the coast, about 80 miles south of the Oregon border. Site Navigation: Home About Photos Log Contact |
My first knowledge of Ham Radio came when I told my father I wanted to listen to short wave. I had been enjoying a hobby of working with audio gear for a number of years, and had bought a Radio Amateur's Handbook. One of my father's friends was a ham, so my dad persuaded him to show me his gear and recommend a receiver. The first receiver was a Hallicrafters SX-111. I listened for hours and dreamed of becoming a ham. Some years later, I had joined the ARRL, and had accumulated a number of books, including Hints and Kinks. I built a simple direct conversion receiver so I could listen while I was away at college. I copied the W1AW code practice broadcasts, and did qualifying runs. When I settled in Humboldt County in 1977, I listened to the 80 meter band and heard a loud local CW signal. I tracked the guy down, and he invited me to my first meeting of the Humboldt Amateur Radio Club, which met at the time at the OES headquarters in the basement of the Humboldt County Courthouse in Eureka. There, I met several friendly Elmers, who helped me get my novice license, KA6AAZ, in May of 1978. Again through the club, I took courses, jumped up to Advanced, and got my current call sign, KB6NN, in May of 1979. I eventually made Extra, in July of 1991, in an informal competition with a school classmate of mine who lived in Southern California, and with whom I had been conducting a regular schedule. Besides the time I spent as a novice working CW, my most enjoyable moments have been the various Field Day operations I have participated in, including a receive-only adventure in the Great Smokey Mountains in the summer of 1977, as a short wave listener, before I was licensed. The little homebrew direct conversion receiver was running on battery power at the campsite. The band was active that day during the downpour. Unforgettable. Life got in the way of ham radio, and I put my ham gear away somewhere in the early 1990's. I made a few attempts to get on the air again, but was off the air for more than a decade in total. I resumed operation in the summer of 2007. What got me back in? Field Day of course! I had been used to waiting until after dark to operate HF, since there was less noise. Now, it's the opposite. A "white noise", from consumer electronics: computers, televisions, etc., now runs S-5 to S-9 or more, starting about 5 or 6 PM local time, and almost all the day and night on weekends. So the most quiet time in radio at my QTH is weekdays while people are at work. See you on the bands. 73, de KB6NN Search this site: |
Member: Humboldt Amateur Radio Club since 1977. Visit the Club: Humboldt Amateur Radio Club Member: American Radio Relay League. Visit the ARRL: Amateur Radio Relay League Member: Ten-Ten International since 1979. #25696 Visit 10-10: ten-ten.org |