Photos: Novice Stations.

Here are photos of my Novice stations when I was WN6JPA. 

First Station.   

My first station was a Heathkit HW-16 and accompanying HG-10 VFO.   I bought the rig and meter used from an ad in the Herald-Examiner newspaper.  That was the newspaper I was deliverying at the time.  That was how I got the money to buy the rig. 

I spent as much money on the used Brown Bros. CTL key as I did on the rig (see Key Collection page).  I snatched up the chance to buy this key for even though they were in production at the time, they were hand made.  I doubt supply ever kept up to demand.  I appreciate fine quality and Brown made the best keys. 

Of course I needed a keyer and this was more money.  That left little money for a speaker.  The speaker was a used speaker which came out of a TV that was thrown out.  I discovered the TV on the sidewalk when I was on my paper route. 

I made myself a 40M dipole.  It was fun making one for myself for at school, John Burroughs Jr. High School, in Los Angeles, where I was licensed by Ted Ryan, WB6JXY (sk), I already had made several for other Novices. 

I saved up and bought a used antenna switch and made myself a dipole for 15 meters. 

I spent as much money on the used Brown Bros. CTL key as I did on the rig (see Key Collection page).  I snatched up the chance to buy this key for even though they were in production at the time, they were hand made.  I doubt supply ever kept up to demand.  I appreciate fine quality and Brown made the best keys. 

Of course I needed a keyer and this was more money.  That left little money for a speaker.  The speaker was a used speaker which came out of a TV that was thrown out.  I discovered the TV on the sidewalk when I was on my paper route. 

I made myself a 40M dipole.  It was fun making one for myself for at school, John Burroughs Jr. High School, in Los Angeles, where I was licensed by Ted Ryan, WB6JXY (sk), I already had made several for other Novices. 

I saved up and bought a used antenna switch and made myself a dipole for 15 meters. 

The man I bought the HW-16 and VFO was a middle aged Novice.  I can not remember his name.  It might have been Carl?  Carl had given up ham radio several years prior and the rig was sitting around collecting dust.  I remember him being nice to me.  I think he gave me a good deal. 

Carl had not built this radio from a kit.  He bought the radio was used.  Like most Novice rigs it had changed hand several times.  The rig was not particularly well built.  It did not work real well.   

Carl called me a few times to make sure I got it on the air and asked if I needed any help?  After a few calls, he said by helping me, my enthuasiasm for ham radio helped him.  He wanted the rig back so he could try ham radio again.  He even gave me more money than it was worth.  He also me me borrow his Radio Shack general coverage reciever.   

Second Station.

I was constantly trying to improve my station.  Since I only had a paper route, I had to plan carefully.  I eventually delivered enough newspapers, and using the extra money I made on the HW-16, I got a used Heathkit DX-60B and HG-10 VFO.  I bought it from a former student's of Mr. Ryan whose Novice license expired and never upgraded. 

I had put a lot of work into it troubleshooting all the sloopy construction.  By this time, I had gotten some experience with Heathkit Novice rigs.  Around school we would help each build kits.  I started to notice common mistakes people made building Heathkit Novice rigs. 

Some kids could afford new kits.  The rest of us had to used ones, which often meant buying their sloopy worksmanship.  I actually learned more this way.  I was compelled to fix, as best I could their mistakes.  And when I needed help, Mr. Ryan was there.  If he was not available, sometimes we had visitors from his club, the San Fernando Valley Amateur Radio Club, W6SD.  They were always generous with their time.  I think putting together a station on a shoestring made me a better ham.  Ham radio in those days kept the American spirit of ingenuity alive.   

I was happy to hear from Novices I previously worked with the HW-16 that the DX-60B gave me a much stronger signal! 

Third Station.  

The third novice station took shape.  I had upgraded to the finest novice reciever built, the Drake 2B.  Richard Drake, owner and designer of the R.L. Drake radio company was a Collins engineer.  He left to found his own company.  He gave hams Collins quality technology at a competitive price.  His Novice line which came out in the mid-1960s was unsurpassed.  The Drake 2B and 2NT transmitters was referred to as the Novice S-Line; after the Collins S-Line.   

Fourth Station.  

My final Novice station was all Drake.  I sold the DX-60B and VFO and bought a Drake 2NT transmitter.  This was crystal controlled.  I only had a few crystals.  I was happier to be rock bound for the 2NT worked much better than the DX-60B.  One Novice I worked with the two previous rig told me my signal was even better with the 2NT!   I had much more fun on the air with the Drake Novice station, especially during Novice Roundup.  My Curtis keyer, with the Brown paddle was what the grown ups used for contests on the General bands.  I had the Novice equalivalent and I sure used it. 

Construction Projects

In this time period I bulit Heathkit gear, my own and helping other Novices at school.  Unfortunately, none of those pictures survived.   I have written a page with more recent construction projects.