KB6NN Howard's Ham Radio Website - About
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.

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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 Coutrhouse 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 competition with a guy in Southern California with whom I had 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 I built from plans in Hints and Kinks, was running on battery power at the campsite. The band was active that day during the downpour. Unforgettable.

KB6NN was QRT for more than a decade, and resumed operation in the summer of 2007.

See you on the bands.

73, de KB6NN


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Humboldt Amateur Radio Club since 1977.

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Member:
Ten-Ten International since 1979. #25696

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