what was you first base station

[KB5YKL]

My first station was a alenco dj180 handy hooked up to a ringo antenna..I had to wait 3mo. to get my ticket..I almost worked that mail box to death checking it several times a day..:rolleyes: It was sooooo hard to just set and hear the hams chatting in our town..;).when it came i was one happy camper..thats my story and im sticking to it...bill :)

[KO0M]

A Lafayette Comstat 23.

;)
.

[KJ4KDM]

Mine was a Yaesu FT 2800M. Using an arrow J-POLE. I had to wait about 3 hrs from the time i took my test till my license showed up in the data base.:)

[N7SGM]

Mine was a Yaesu FT-470, 2M/70cm, mag mount antenna and a 12 volt, 10amp power supply. I still have these items. The FT-470 is a great HT.

73
de Bob

[KC9ECI]

SBE Console II

[K2GSP]

Kenwood TS-450S I still have it, but it's set up for PSK and RTTY now.

[KR2D]

Transmitter: Heathkit DX-40 with VF-1 VFO
Receiver: National NC-183 (wish I still had it)

Both were purchased from local hams with money I earned on my paper route.

[KF7AYS]

Icom IC-7000 - Sold that in a matter of months.

Now I have moved up to a kenwood TS-830s and a Hallicrafters s-20r.

Cheers

[K9STH]

Here are photos of the equipment first use as a Novice Class licensee (May 1959) and then after I got my General Class license (October 1959).

http://k9sth.com/uploads/Old_stations.pdf

I need to find the photos of my original station setup.

Glen, K9STH

[N7SGM]

Here are photos of the equipment first use as a Novice Class licensee (May 1959) and then after I got my General Class license (October 1959).

http://k9sth.com/uploads/Old_stations.pdf

I need to find the photos of my original station setup.

Glen, K9STH


Glen,

I just looked at Ham Radio Deluxe recently for the first time and was blown away with the pics of amateur radio stations folks have. Very impressive to say the least.

Thanks for including your pics. Your amateur radio roots were humble as evidenced by your pics. You should throw a current pic on for us to see the before and after.

Thanks Glen,

73, de Bob

[WC5P]

I had a rockbound Eico 720 and an SX-99.

Probably about 100 pounds total. :D

[KT7DAD]

My first base was a Motorola MCX 1000

http://www.dxcz.net/dx/motorola2/mcx1000.JPG

[K7SGJ]

My first receiver was an RME 84. 40s vintage I should think. Fair at best as I recall. The antenna was some stranded 14 from the peak of the roof all th way out to the telephone pole, It was a nice run and set up well on 7140, the only rock I had. The transmitter was made by trial and error with parts pulled from the CROSBYWARDSSEARS junk tv chassis. There were tranformers, chokes, wire, all kinds of parts to make a transmitter. So that is what I did. I did have to add a 6146 and a few things foriegn to consumer electronics, but did get it done. There was no test equipment in those days. Tuned up the final using a neon bulb adjusted for max brite while watching the little metering we had. No swr meters for us so it was all done with math and a prayer. Since 7140 was the only crystal I had, once it was tuned and trimmed, you were done. Had to fix reports of chirp or hum on the signal, but that was how we learned, and what a fun process. When not engaged in a QSO the time was spent improving the antenna. We couldn't do much more with the xmtr untill we had new chassis to scavange. Made my first contact on cw with that rig somwhere around 1961 give or take a few years. It's true what they say. You always remember you first time. Works with radio, too!
eddie

[AF6LJ]

My first base was a Motorola MCX 1000

http://www.dxcz.net/dx/motorola2/mcx1000.JPG
That was a good radio.
I have fixed a few of those.

[K9STH]

SGM:

These have been posted numerous times here on QRZ.com:

http://k9sth.com/uploads/Equipment_at_K9STH.pdf

http://k9sth.com/uploads/Antennas_At_K9STH.pdf

Glen, K9STH

[AF6LJ]

First base station (I prefer fixed station)
The first one I owned that would transmit was an IC-745.
The same one that lent parts to fix the one I have now.
The first radio I actually talked on (in the ham bands not commercial radio) was my IC-756.

This doesn't count the several receivers I have owned..

[AG3Y]

Multi-Elmac AF-67 transmitter ( CW only, never used it on phone )

Hammarlund HQ 100C ( drifted like a son-of-a-gun ! )

Extremely frustrating to operate because I had to go searching for the station I was in contact with, EVERY TIME I switched back to RCV from STBY ! It never did settle down.

I'm sure the transmitter was much better in that regard, but I will never actually know!

BTW, you could get the shock of your life off the key if you didn't have it hooked up the right way. One of the joys of having a cathode keyed transmitter !

[NI7I]

URC-32, WRT-2, R390, R1051

NI7I

[N3ZKI]

First base station was an Icom IC-230 Crystal controlled 10 watt 2 meter mobile with home-brew antenna handed down by now 91 year old elmer. Spent hours chatting on that thing. Bought a Yaesu FT-207R Handheld shortly after that. Still have both. :)

-Kory N3ZKI

[N5PVL]

Yaesu FT-101 ZD

Great radio, I made lots of contacts with it but finally parted with it in order to get a Kenwood TS-430S.

I thought I was trading up, at the time.

[KC7YRA]

Galaxy 5 MKII.

Still have it. Oldie but a goodie.

http://www.rigpix.com/galaxy/vmarkii.htm

Need a little TLC at this point.

Brad

[KF5AEO]

my first setup was a kenwood tr-7950 with a halfwave antenna i built out of all-thread strapped to a 20 ft pole stuck down in a fencepost. first attempt had perfect swr

[WW3QB]

First transmitter: Heathkit DX-100B. First on CW, then briefly on AM, then I got the SB-10 adapter for SSB. This was in 1973, so it was about 14 years old at the time (my age at the time too). I still have it. Someday I'll get it back on the air on AM.

The receiver I used with the above: BC-342 WWII military surplus. The previous owner re-mounted it into a wood cabinet, so its age was not obvious, but it was still awful. I also had the RME HF10-20 converter, but never heard a thing using it. I operated mostly 80m.

This was all very old stuff in 1973. The price was right, but it was very heavy.

[VE6RA]

Licenced in 1937--first station---Single tube Xtal Osc Type 47 (glass)
Receiver 2 tube -type 30 (glass) battery powered by "B" battery and A
battery 1 1/2 Volt for filaments --antenna-doublet using telephone twisted pair feeder !!

Blyley Xtals for 7042 and 3521 KC

Great fun for a 16 year old ham

Bill

[KL7AJ]

A Johnson Adventurer transmitter and a pair of ARC-5 receivers, one for 80 and one for 40.

[WA6ITF]

When I got started in ham radio we didn't have "Base Stations." We had amateur radio stations and I still do. -- WA6ITF

[K7MH]

When I got started in ham radio we didn't have "Base Stations." We had amateur radio stations and I still do. -- WA6ITF
I agree.
It is another "CBism" that has invaded us.

[KY5U]

Fo-roger on the base station, good buddy! I got me one of them old Cobra CAM-88's with a Raider and a Gizmotchy on this end. *Beep*

[W8ZNX]

45 years a ham
I have never had a " base station "

taxi cab companies have base stations

cab 16 you have a fare at 237 West Main

mac

[WS2L]

TX: Hallicrafters HT-37
RX: Hammerlund HQ-170

[G8ADD]

My first station was entirely homebrew on 70 cms: double conversion Rx based on a commercial coilpack, G2DD converter, xtal controlled 2 metre rig with 5763 PA, driving a QQV02-6 tripler-amplifier giving about 5 watts output to a 6 over 6 slot fed yagi (made from recycled brake pipes from old cars.) I got my license in September 1964 but made my first successful contact early in 1965 after a VERY steep learning curve!

FWIW, as I remember it, "base station" became a frequently heard term in ham radio about the time mobile operating changed from a difficult minority pursuit to become easy and popular, and portable rigs shrunk to near pocket size, it had no discernable connection to CB.

73

Brian G8ADD

[K8EEI]

I was around 12 years old , got my Novice and bought an HW 16 with money I saved up .;)http://forums.qrz.com/picture.php?albumid=67&pictureid=3755

[WD4CHP]

As a novice - Heathkit HW-8
As a tech - Drake TR-22

[WZ9O]

I did not know hams have “base stations”:confused:

[K2MMO]

Kenwood TS 140 and a homebrew dipole

[W3BNY]

Ah hads me a general lee...with NASCAR face plate and chrome coax...Dubble slap-back deelay with rebel yell noise toy...Co-leenya monkeymade antennas off the side of mah dubblewide...dave made 100kw compeetition box...and a dubbya sticker on it. Big swing bird watts and mah Swers were whun 2 whun.

WHOO....WHOOO...AUUUDIO...AUUUUDIO

[N2RJ]

My first "base station" was a midland crystal controlled 2m xcvr I borrowed from a friend. He is now SK.

My first HF "base station" was a 20m CW transceiver kit. The antenna was a 20m dipole made of twin lead.

By the way, I thought the term "base station" was a CB thing, not a ham thing.

[N7WR]

"Base Station" bugs me...it's a CB term. Like Sue I prefer fixed station. Mine in 1958 was a DX 20 Transmitter, AR-3 Receiver with QF-1 Q Multiplier into a 40 meter folded dipole. I had 3 transmit crystals. Later upgraded to a DX 40 with VFO and an SX 88 (sorry Pat) receiver.

[W5HTW]

First base station (I prefer fixed station)
The first one I owned that would transmit was an IC-745.
The same one that lent parts to fix the one I have now.
The first radio I actually talked on (in the ham bands not commercial radio) was my IC-756.

This doesn't count the several receivers I have owned..

My first base station was probably an SCR522. My first fixed station was a homebrew 40 meter transmitter with a slightly modified Sears copy of a Zenith Transoceanic, using an external AM table radio for a BFO.

My next base station had actually been a fighter aircraft transceiver, an ARC-3. But went through many fixed stations (that's what they called them on the FCC license), a lot of good radio equipment, and some lousy!

My second fixed station was an ARC5 with a Hallilcrafters S-85. Actually a couple of ARC5s, one for 40 and one for 80. Really enjoyed those ARC5s. I'd put one on the air even today if I found one cheap enough in good enough condition.

Come to think of it, the SCR522 didn't really qualify as a base station, as it was actually an aircraft radio, I think they were used in the B17 or some similar aircraft. The ARC3 was used in the P51 I believe. So they weren't base stations after all! Both of these, though, made nice -- well, usable -- two meter rigs. Provided you had a 40 amp 28 VDC power supply!!

Ed

[K3RKS]

I started out with a home brew 6AG7-6L6 transmitter and a Heathkit AR2 multiband receiver. The antenna was a 40 meter dipole. a year later, I was on 6 meters with a taxi cab FM radio, crystal controlled. I was in ham heaven with an HW100 and an advanced class license a few years later.

[WA6MHZ]

In 1968, I became interested in ham radio, and purchased these from a local radio store.
National NC-88
http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~postr/bapix/NC_88.JPG
Heathkit DX-40
http://www.rigpix.com/heathkit/dx40.jpg

Before my license came in, I managed to blow up the DX-40 (No one told me you didn't tune it up for MAXIMUM Meter reading.....DUH!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
So I got a Multi-Elmac AF-68
http://www.w8zr.net/images/af68_1.jpg

I made one contact on that, but never did get the other op's callsign as he sent too fast. OH, I DID cheat by using the VFO built in! (OMG, CALL THE FCC!!!)

So those probably didn't count. For my first 2 way contact, I used the venerable Heathkit HW-30 Twoer
http://www.harrises.org/images/HW-30.jpg

So NOW you know why I have 25 of them!

[KA4DPO]

My first station was a home brew 6AG7/6L6 transmitter and a National NC-173 receiver. My antenna was a 40 meter folded dipole made from TV twin lead that I used on 40 and 15. Later I discovered I could use it on 80 by shorting the ends of the feed line and feeding it as an end fed. Not very efficient but it worked.

[AF6LJ]

I should have went for my license when I was ten, I missed out on all the good stuff. :(

/Sue Kicks herself.

[W4HAY]

My first "base station" was a Hammarlund CB-23 prototype the boss made me take home and "use, but don't abuse" to shake out the bugs. Had fun working 11-Meter skip from my mountaintop apartment. I didn't operate mobile because the transceiver was designed for 120 VAC/12 VDC, and my VW had a 6-Volt system. That was in 1962.

In 1954, my first fixed station was a 6C8 'ginny, a 6V6 rock-crusher, and folded dipole on 40 Meters. I also had an ARC-5 receiver, but it didn't work nearly as well as the 6C8 rush-box.

By the time I'd upgraded to General, I'd earned enough money mowing lawns to buy a used NC-98, and build a 5763/5763/6146 rig modulated by a pair of 807s, and a Heath VF-1. The antenna was a coax-fed dipole with elements for 80, 40, and 20. We were heading into the best sunspot cycle to date. Live was good!

[K9STH]

Time for another history lesson!

"Base station" is NOT from the 47 CFR Part 95 Subpart D radio service. The term originated in the commercial two-way services where "fixed stations" were called "base stations" even before World War II. Most of the "pioneers" in amateur radio FM were persons who were directly involved in commercial two-way operations and brought the terminology of commercial two-way radio to the amateur radio ranks. About the same time the Class "D" Citizen's Radio Service was authorized by the FCC. Because the early "CB" licenses stated "base station" for "fixed station" the term "base station" was readily accepted by the "CBers".

Being that my main employment history concerns the commercial two-way radio field I have no qualms about calling a fixed station a "base station". As for myself, I normally confine the term to my FM equipment (including my separate 10 meter FM station) and refer to everything else as my "fixed station" or my "home station". The end result is that there are a whole lot more important things to worry about than the exact terminology that is applied to "fixed stations".

Glen, K9STH

[N0SYA]

hmmm

think it was one of those base trc467 40ch am/ssb rigs from rat shack

cq cq 11m dx cq

but for amitchur rado use it was the venerable ic751

[W0IS]

Whenever I hear the term "base station", I can't help but think of the most coveted thing I wanted as a kid, namely, a Archer Space Patrol Base Station. This fine unit is shown at the bottom of this ad in an old Popular Science:

http://books.google.com/books?id=PgEAAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA50&dq=%22archer+space+patrol+base+station%22#v=onepag e&q=&f=false

It went for $42.95, which was a pretty good chunk of change. As you can see, it was billed as "4 way", which I believe meant that you could do four things with it:

1. Transmit voice on CB ch. 14
2. Transmit Morse code on CB ch. 14
3. Receive all 23 CB channels
4. Receive AM radio.

Rumor in our neighborhood had it that one kid had one of these, and he sometimes talked to "real" CB'ers, using the handle "Archer". The rest of us, with mere walkie talkies, never managed to work the "real" CB'ers--we could only work other walkie talkies. But with the Archer Space Patrol 4-Way Base Station, the sky was the limit, according to what the legendary "Archer" was able to do with his. I never did learn who that kid was. All I know is that his handle was Archer. The rest of us didn't need handles, because our walkie talkies weren't capable of real communications like Archer's was.

I never did get an Archer Space Patrol 4-Way Base Station, but a few years later, I got my ham license and started out with a Hallicrafters HT-40 and National NC-183D, which outperformed even the Archer base station. But in my mind, the words "base station" are reserved for that elusive $42.95 unit, so I would never have referred to my station with that name.

[K7VV]

I seem to recall an SX-99 and a Globe Scout Deluxe, into a 40 meter vertical.
XTAL controlled, of course. Geez, is 1959 really that long ago.....?

de KN0TKN

[AF6LJ]

Time for another history lesson!

"Base station" is NOT from the 47 CFR Part 95 Subpart D radio service. The term originated in the commercial two-way services where "fixed stations" were called "base stations" even before World War II. Most of the "pioneers" in amateur radio FM were persons who were directly involved in commercial two-way operations and brought the terminology of commercial two-way radio to the amateur radio ranks. About the same time the Class "D" Citizen's Radio Service was authorized by the FCC. Because the early "CB" licenses stated "base station" for "fixed station" the term "base station" was readily accepted by the "CBers".

Being that my main employment history concerns the commercial two-way radio field I have no qualms about calling a fixed station a "base station". As for myself, I normally confine the term to my FM equipment (including my separate 10 meter FM station) and refer to everything else as my "fixed station" or my "home station". The end result is that there are a whole lot more important things to worry about than the exact terminology that is applied to "fixed stations".

Glen, K9STH
When I worked in two way our customers called their fixed stations base stations, when it applied they called them remote base stations ... etc.
I admit I have some prejudice toward the term base station, and it even says Base Station on many Motorola manuals. :)
I have an old friend who I use to work with that calls every service monitor an IFR. :D
I have always called my IFR a service monitor :D

Go Figure.

[AB9LZ]

Kenwood TS-520 with a 75ohm catv feed into an 40m inverted-v (no tuner). CW only. There was something wrong with the mic input (that I finally sorted out) but not before a few dozen contacts where made.

73 m/4

[K0RGR]

I was very spoiled as a youth.

My first station - for a few days - was my dad's Central Electronics 10-B exciter - all 5 watts and his Collins 75A-3 receiver.

Phase II was a military surplus 'spy' transmitter - 15 watts - on 40 and 80 meters.

Phase III was the 10-B driving a pair of 4CX250b's at 75 watts input - using a special lower voltage power supply Dad rigged up. It was extremely inefficient, though.

Phase IV was a Knight Kit T-60.

I also had an SCR-522 and spent a lot of my summer repackaging it into something that looked more like ham gear than part of a bomber. I wish I had a picture of that, it actually turned out rather nice looking.

[AB1FV]

Mine was a Heathkit HW-101
I should have kept it!!! :rolleyes:

[K7JEM]

Time for another history lesson!

"Base station" is NOT from the 47 CFR Part 95 Subpart D radio service. The term originated in the commercial two-way services where "fixed stations" were called "base stations" even before World War II. Most of the "pioneers" in amateur radio FM were persons who were directly involved in commercial two-way operations and brought the terminology of commercial two-way radio to the amateur radio ranks. About the same time the Class "D" Citizen's Radio Service was authorized by the FCC. Because the early "CB" licenses stated "base station" for "fixed station" the term "base station" was readily accepted by the "CBers".

Glen, K9STH

In the definitions of the FCC, a "base station" is a special type of fixed station that communicates with mobile units. The two way industry is called "Land Mobile Radio" because it's primary use is for communication with mobile units. A "base station" cannot usually (legally) communicate with another "base station". Two fixed stations that communicate are simply called "fixed stations".

Since LMR was set up for mobile applications, fixed use is usually prohibited or restricted to secondary status. A repeater is a base station, since it only communicates with mobiles and "control" stations. Rules for CB and GMRS are slightly different, but even they had severe restrictions on base stations in the past.

The term wasn't really "adopted" by CBers. It was from the official FCC rules. A CB licensee was allowed to operate "mobiles" and a "base". Back in the 60's, you had to give a street address or physical location for that base.

Joe

[W7KKK]

My first station, as a novice in the 1970s was a Swan 350.
Yes it drifted~~~a lot!
But I had seen that with some Army gear that was in need of help before I became a ham so it was nothing new.

[AE5TE]

For VHF I bought an Icom 25A about a month before I upgraded to Technician. It gave me many years of trouble free service and far as I know it's still working for the guy I sold it to.

For HF it was a second hand (third hand?) Yaesu FT-200. I still have that rig among others, and it still works great.

[NN3W]

Atlas 210x

[K6NTH]

As a novice in the late 1960s (WN6KXC):
XMTR: Globe Chief 90A with 3 crystals!
RCVR: Drake 2B

http://www.w9wrl.com/wrl/gc90a.jpghttp://www.carolinacollections.com/images/drake2b.jpg


As a general in the 1970s (WB6KXC)
XCVR: Swan 350 which developed terrible drift after several years

http://www.n0qds.org/radios/1024/Swan350-lg.jpeg


73,
K6NTH

[N2RJ]

Swan three drifty?

[N5TDA]

Icom IC-245E 2m SSB,CW. Home built J-pole. My father-in-law gave me the radio when I passed my NC Tech in 1992. He then helped me build the J-pole.

I still have the radio and it still works but the LEDs in the display are burned out. Will probable get it fixed someday.

"73"
Rex

[KB5YKL]

Well maybe the word BASE is a bit much for some. :rolleyes: but i draw the line at destanated...lol..Any way we got to look at some wonderfull old radios and some great memorys..thanks for all the great returns..bill

[W0IS]

The word "base" does remind me of one other thing.

For some reason, in the classified section of our newpspaper, electronic equipment was in the same category as musical instruments. One day, someone had for sale what I suspect was probably supposed to be a "base antenna". However, the ad was for a "bass & tenor".

[K5UOS]

My first station was a modified 1960's Handbook receiver 2 x 4 ++. My receiver had a two crystal lattice filter and an outboard RF amp. I also added a converter that allowed the receiver to work 20, 15, 40, and 80M. I still have the converter.

My 1st transmitter was a single xtal controlled 6F6 @ 1W. I soon built a 6AG7/6L6 rig complete with VFO with 12W output. I used this on 80, 40 and 20M.

I received an E-mail last night from a fella in California that has rebuilt the old receiver adding a pullen mixer and buffered LO. He said it was working well after being boxed up for many years.

73,

K5UOS

[N0SYA]

small mouth bass station

[K9STH]

JEM:

It really depends on the actual radio service as to if base station to base station communications are permitted. Under certain conditions such, i.e. "inter-city" communications, are permitted in the various public safety services. However, in most services base to base communications are not allowed.

Now to compound the situation there are "control stations" which are "fixed stations" that communicate through repeater stations with mobile stations. Therefore, I guess that amateur radio operators should refer to their "base stations" as "control stations" when utilizing a repeater! :rolleyes:


LJ:

The first service monitor that I owned was a Motorola S-1017 which was the first service monitor sold by Motorola, I got the unit in late 1970. The serial number was 117. However, the first unit produced was serial number 111 and the first 10 produced were actually hand made at Systron-Donner. Starting with s/n 121 the units were produced on the assembly line. When the assembly line started there were some changes made in the accessory plugs and when certain accessories became available I had to make some modifications to the service monitor to allow the use of the plug ins.

By the time Motorola went out of the reconditioned equipment business in 1979 I had 5 service monitors (s/n 117, two S-1017A, two S-1017B). Only have 2 right now, a later Motorola and a Singer-Gertsch. Had an IFR-500 which was stolen. There were quite a number of service monitors stolen in the Dallas area within a couple of weeks. Most people "figured" that they were taken to Mexico within 24 hours of being stolen.

Glen, K9STH

[KC9ECI]

If I decide to climb a mountain, and I set up a ham radio at my base camp, can it be a base station then?

[W5HTW]

When I worked in two way our customers called their fixed stations base stations, when it applied they called them remote base stations ... etc.
I admit I have some prejudice toward the term base station, and it even says Base Station on many Motorola manuals. :)
I have an old friend who I use to work with that calls every service monitor an IFR. :D
I have always called my IFR a service monitor :D

Go Figure.

For many, many years, the FCC amateur radio license specified "Fixed Station Location." While Land Mobile Radio licenses specified "Base Station Location.

Ed

[K5JYD]

A dx60B , an allied radio receiver ,a dipole and a straight key.
k5jyd

[KA5ROW]

My first ham radio was a New Kenwood TS-530GP "July 1984" :D

[W5HTW]

A dx60B , an allied radio receiver ,a dipole and a straight key.
k5jyd

It didn't get much better than that!!

Ed

[AL7N]

My first station circa 1957 (Wasn't a "base" station...they had one of those down at the County Sherrif's office) was a Hallicrafters S-53A receiver that my folks helped me buy new, and a Heathkit DX-20 that I put together after my original attempts at using an xtal controlled 6L6 one tube job didn't work out very well (probably becuz I hadn't learned how to tune it properly..that came later).

The DX-20 and S53A worked pretty will with a coax-fed dipole on 40 and 80 meters for quite a while.

About 1960 I traded off the DX20 for stuff to build a bigger CW rig from scratch.
It was a VFO 6AG7 driving a pair of 1625's in parallel...Ran something llike 100 watts input, many of the parts scrounged from old TV sets.

This rig went through several rebuilds/reincarnations to it's final state during the next 10 years...all CW....ended up as a multi-stage VFO controlled job with a pair of 8032's in the final amp section. Worked beautifully...full QSK too.

The S53A receiver got swapped for another Hallicrafters, an SX-71, which was later supplanted by a Drake R4B. Used this equipment until I left the lower 48 for Alaska in 1975 wherein I gave it all away to friends...The transmitter still exists but the fellow I gave it to never put it on the air...I expect it would still work.

No more homebrew rigs after that except for antenna couplers and stuff...Suitable transmitter parts became too hard to come by where I was.

[KX0Z]

Uniden HR2510 into a 10M dipole up about 30 feet. Sloped to the west. Worked like gang busters. I worked a whole lot of stations with that radio....

[W0DV]

When I got started in ham radio we didn't have "Base Stations." We had amateur radio stations and I still do. -- WA6ITF

lol, unbelievable. trying to turn the thread in a flame war. Totally unnecessary.
Then of course the next few responses are predictable.

[W0DV]

My first radio after I was licensed in 1994 was a DJ-560 HT. I made a J-Pole out of copper pipe and placed it on our deck. Wife complained so i put a large plant next to it :) I still have the Jpole, very easy to make.
I made several dual-band antenna for it. We were (still are) avid outdoors people, we camp a lot so I was always looking for ways to get an antenna in the air at our camp site. I used to use my fishing pole..I would cast a sinker over a high tree branch and then attach the fishing line to my antenna and crank it up.
I never really enjoyed VHF/UHF though and I hardly use it at all now.

[W8ZNX]

lol, unbelievable. trying to turn the thread in a flame war. Totally unnecessary.
Then of course the next few responses are predictable.

no,
words mean things

the amateur radio service
never had " base stations "

some time in the late 70's somebody
started calling fixed stations, base stations

check any League
or west coast handbook from the 20's 30's 40's 50's 60's
you will not find the words " base station "

the amateur radio service
has
fixed stations
mobile stations
portable stations

there are NO BASE STATIONS

mac

[KX0Z]

Semantics, who cares, everyone knows what the OP meant.

[KA5ROW]

I agree to some point there are no base stations in ham radio. They say fixations. I don't no why the term Base is not used, unless it is what CB'ers called there so called home fixed/base stations. I just refer my home base/fixed station as "my shack" I don't use the term base station. :D

[W0DV]

no,
words mean things

the amateur radio service
never had " base stations "

some time in the late 70's somebody
started calling fixed stations, base stations

check any League
or west coast handbook from the 20's 30's 40's 50's 60's
you will not find the words " base station "

the amateur radio service
has
fixed stations
mobile stations
portable stations

there are NO BASE STATIONS

mac

Pffft, I couldn't care less what it is called. I didn't see the point of starting another flame war, the same childish players will respond, cb this, cb that.
It's just a matter of being polite to a poster, everyone knew what he meant. If you have a problem with "base station" then correct him, in a polite way, not with rude responses.
You say "no, words mean things". So you are saying that if someone is incorrect on how a word, or phrase is used in ham radio, you should be rude to the person?
You totally missed the point!

[W0DV]

Semantics, who cares, everyone knows what the OP meant.

Exactly. In these forums it's the same bunch just waiting for a slip up so they have an excuse to be rude.

[W8MLD]

Mine was at first a Kenwood TS-700s and KLM 140 watt amp for 2 meters FM/SSB and a Heathkit HW-101 for HF SSB/CW.

Now I use an Alinco DX-70 for HF-6 meters, Yaesu FT-2800M for 2 meters FM and a Kenwood TH-G71a HT for 2m and 440 FM.

My antennas are a 2 meter 1/4 wave home brew ground plane for 2 meters, 16 element 2 meter Yagi for SSB. A home brew G5RV for HF 80-10 meters and a vertical home brew dipole for 20-10 meters. I have a home brew inverted L for 160 meters with a tuning box at the base of the vertical portion (adjustable capacitor and inductor coil with taps) that is not yet up and mounted. I have around 16 counterpoise radials ready to bury. The copper clad steel wire was a pain to unbraid.

[K7UNZ]

First station (WV2GOW-1959) was a DX-20 and an AR-3, with a TV twin lead folded dipole for 15 meters and one xtal. Got the AR-3 for my birthday in July, then had to wait until Christmas for the DX-20....total agony!

Later graduated to a Lafayette "bug" and a Hornet TB-500 tri-band beam (mast mounted), but still only the one xtal (hi).

Man, it was ALL magic back then!

73, Jim/k7unz

[KY5U]

Base Station came from Mobile Radio Service, then to CB? You know, the Chinese invented gunpowder, but it's hard to blame them for Lincoln's Death. "Base Station" as a malaprop is coming right from the good buddy bands regardless of who invented it. Good history lesson none-the-less.

[KY5U]

If I decide to climb a mountain, and I set up a ham radio at my base camp, can it be a base station then?
Depends what you do in the tent with the other guys....

[KY5U]

Exactly. In these forums it's the same bunch just waiting for a slip up so they have an excuse to be rude.
I love you, man!

[W3BNY]

Depends what you do in the tent with the other guys....

HAH....Brokeback mountain meets Remote DX-pedition! GIGGITY!

[W0DV]

Base Station came from Mobile Radio Service, then to CB? You know, the Chinese invented gunpowder, but it's hard to blame them for Lincoln's Death. "Base Station" as a malaprop is coming right from the good buddy bands regardless of who invented it. Good history lesson none-the-less.

Haha, and? Sure, "Base Station" is part of the CB radio vernacular. So what?
You seem to be troubled by this :) Why? Do you have something against the person who started this thread for using "Base Station"?
Or perhaps you are just delighted that someone gave you an excuse to once again behave like a child...just like many CB'rs do, you fit right in. CB'rs like to play games on the radio. You like to play games in this forums...gee, you guys have something in common maybe? Same behavior, just different platforms.

[N0SYA]

i knew you guys was in the lamda radio club

[WA6MHZ]

HAH....Brokeback mountain meets Remote DX-pedition! GIGGITY!

EWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Musta been a DXpedition to San Francisco!

[WA2WZU]

1962 bought my first station
Johnson viking 11 transmitter am only
Collins 75a2 recr how i wish i had both today;;
bought these used.. had more fun then, than i'm having
today, with my hi tech trancievers

[K4JC]

For Christmas the year before I got my license, my brother gave me a Lafayette HA-146 12-channel rockbound 2 meter rig, and a Ringo antenna. It had crystals for .52 simplex and 4 or 5 local repeaters, so I had plenty to listen to. And MAN, was I itching to get on the air! One of the local clubs had code practice on a repeater one night a week, so I had a great source for CW practice. Not only that, but there was one fellow they called the "52 Repeater" because he was always on simplex. One day I heard him give his phone number over the air, so I called him and asked if he would give me the Novice test. Even though he lived a pretty long way away, he agreed. I thought my license would never arrive, but it finally did. The Novice ticket got there on Saturday, and Monday morning I hopped on the bus to the Baltimore FCC field office and passed my Technician. Finally I was able to use my Laff-a-lot radio!

By the time my Novice ticket arrived I had acquired a Heathkit SB-401 transmitter and strung up a 40/15 meter dipole for HF, but had no receiver yet. Of course I was itching to make my first contact, so I called a buddy who lived a couple of miles away, had him listen for me tuning up, and then lay the phone next to his rig. Made my first contact that way. It was only across town, but I was thrilled! :D Come to think of it, that was my only contact as a Novice!

[AG3Y]

Here is a copy of two articles I posted on the following site, concerning some of the very first "transmitting radios" I ever used ! ( Yes, I was a CBer MANY YEARS BEFORE I ever go my ham license, or my commercial 1st RadioTelephone license, for that matter )

http://www.knightkit.com/knight_articles/stories1104.html

The "Jim" I refer to is the owner of the site. Here are the stories:


Hi Jim. This is a great site, and I will be anxiously looking forward to seeing more stories about various Knight-Kit projects. I have some goodies to share, too, so be looking for them in the near future.

My phono oscillator was the enclosed type, and I cannot even remember when they had an open chassis style. The closed chassis was dangerous enough because the line cord plug was NOT the keyed type that became the standard later, and the AC/DC design meant that you could actually plug it in backwards and have the full 110V on the case! The paint helped a bit, but there were plenty of bare spots sticking out ( including the transformer core ) that would give you a real wallop if you had things hooked up just wrong! ( more about that in a minute )

I had a very good friend in my pre-teen years, and we lived about 2 miles from one another. We decided that we were each going to build one of these things, and use them to talk to each other in a quazi amateur radio mode.

I figured out how to turn off the oscillator portion of the little box by switching the cathode of the 50C5 off of ground. Thus, we both could tune to the same frequency and take turns transmitting and receiving. ( see, I told you it was a lot like an amateur radio setup! )

We used standard broadcast band radios to listen for each other, but like many radios of that era, these had external antenna connections as well as the loop on the back of the set. So even though we were some distance apart, it was quite easy to hear each other, thanks to many many feet worth of extra wire running out to some trees in the back yards!

Another one of the "improvements" I made to the broadcaster was to feed audio back through the transformer to modulate the thing. I am not certain, without looking more into the schematic ( it HAS been years ! ) what that accomplished from an electronic point of view, but I will tell you that the audio was much better when it came from that external hi-fi amplifier than the audio that was generated by the little two tube modulator that was built into the rig! BTW, which hi-fi amplifier do you think I used? If you guessed the 12 watt mono amp ( I forget the model number, but it was a Knight-Kit naturally! ) you are absolutely correct ! The amp had a black rectangular chassis, and a gray perforated cage. I have a story about that, too, but I will also save that one for later!

No, I have not forgotten about the AC/DC chassis. Both of us lived in houses with steam heat radiators. These things were hooked into a sort of grounding system and sat promenently under the windows in each room of our houses. I will never forget one of the storys that my buddy told me about leaning across his little transmitter and grabbing hold of the radiator for whatever reason. ( probably checking to see if the heat was "on" in his room ! ) Well to use his words, which I will never forget, " I grabbed hold of that radiator, and BOY did I ever get a SHOCK! "

I have always wondered to this day if Knight was ever sued for manufacturing and distributing such a dangerous device! Of course, now days, we are much more litigious than we were back then. Probably good for Allied Radio!

Well, I have gone on to a career in Electronics that is over 35 years long, now, and I can thank Allied Radio and their Knight-Kits for pointing me in the direction that I eventually traveled !

Best to you! Jim Stanicek

Hi again, Jim

I wrote up another little story about my adventure with the C-100 Walkie Talkie. I will be telling you some stories about other kits I assembled at about my Jr. High School days. My first "real" HiFi system was built from a KnightKit 12 watt basic amplifier, plus some heathkit stuff. I'm trying to find the info on that amp. It was a real sweetheart, and a friend of mine just picked one up in mint condition off of EBay. It is as nice as I remember it being!

Well anyway, here is the Walkie Talkie story. You may use it as you please:

I can remember the C-100 Walkie-Talkie quite well. It was one of the first kits I believe I ever built. The time was back in the earlier days of CB radio, ( I was probably about the age depicted by the boy in the catalog illustration ) and radio in general was a brand-new and exciting adventure to me.

It took me a long time to save up the $17.76 , plus the Shipping and Handling that two of those little rigs cost, and it was a glorious day when I sent my order off to 100 N. Western in Chicago.

Several days later, the boxes arrived, and I anxiously tore into the packages to pull out all the parts to put them together.

One thing that surprised me a bit about the little Walkie-Talkies was how small they were! I guess I wasn't expecting them to be the size of a military WWII outfit, but the picture led me to believe that they would be a bit bigger than they actually were! When I look at the illustration on the website, I still think they should have been a bit heftier than they actually were!

Another thing that kind of amazed me was that the regenerative rush from the receivers was almost as easy to hear on the sets as the output from the transmitter!

None of this was a detriment to my actual enjoyment of the little rigs, however, because they actually did work the first time I hooked batteries up to them, and I could talk to my buddy up to a couple of blocks away using the little outfits!

My biggest thrill came when a real, honest-to-goodness CBer with a real base station actually came back to me and talked with me for a few minutes! He asked me what I was using, and when I told him I had put the radio together with my own hands, he seemed genuinely impressed! The rush of the super-regen receiver is probably what drew him to the channel I was on!

Well, my buddy and I had a great time with the little rigs, but eventually, other things came along to occupy our time. I never did stray very far away from ham radio, however, thanks to friends whos Dads were hams, a ham radio station in our High School, etc.

I can thank the C-100, though, for giving me one of the first experiences I had of actually being "on the air" !

Best Wishes, Jim Stanicek AG3Y

Here is the wireless broadcaster. I still have fond memories of hearing the thing a mile away! You could hold a transistor radio up to a power pole, and the signal would come waaaay up from nothing ! Must have worked a bit like carrier current .

http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~postr/bapix/KnightWB.htm


Here is a link to the C-100. I thought I had died and gone to Heaven when I put the kits together, and they WORKED !

http://transistorhistory.50webs.com/c-100.html

[WA6MHZ]

Some broken up pieces to C-100 handy talkies just went on Ebay for $110!!!!!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250529861781&ssPageName=STRK:MEDWX:IT

Needless to say, I didn't win the bid!

Imagine what a WORKING C-100 would go for!

[NC5S]

I've never had a "Base" station.

My first "Fixed" station, however, was a Heathkit DX-20 and Hammarlund HQ-100.

[AG3Y]

Some broken up pieces to C-100 handy talkies just went on Ebay for $110!!!!!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250529861781&ssPageName=STRK:MEDWX:IT

Needless to say, I didn't win the bid!

Imagine what a WORKING C-100 would go for!

Amazing! I believe that link to the various catalog pages listed a C-100 for around $6.00. It started out about 5 years earlier at just about $10.00 !

Of course, $20 for two of them when I was making my money hawking newspapers, was a LOT OF CHANGE !


Inflation ! ! !

[W4KTL]

Aerotron single channel Slimline converted to 2 meters feeding an 11 element Cushcraft beam. First HF was a Heathkit HW-101 with a trap vertical.

[WA7KKP]

If you remembered the Deluxe series -- FMRU-16V and FMTU-30D, with their matching AC power supplies . . . Most of us at the time called them the Twin Coffins.

I think they were a pre-WWII design, with a raft of Locktal tubes in the receiver, and push pull 2E26's for 30 watts out on 2 meters.

Once, during a very unusual 2 meter band opening, it was heard in Dallas TX. I was in Billings, MT at the time. Simplex, on 146.940 MHz.

Gary WA7KKP

[W0IS]

Most of us at the time called them the Twin Coffins.

Were those the rigs that were also affectionately known as "turkey roasters"?

When I was a kid, some guy at a hamfest was able to spot a sucker a mile away, and he gave a set of them to me. He assured me that it would be a very simple matter to put them on 2 meter FM. Of course, they just sat in my parents garage for a few decades.

[KB7GL]

Getting in here kinda late, but my first rig was a Viking Adventurer (kit) & an SX-99 with a QF-1.

Antenna was a 40M doublet used for 40 & 15. Rock bound in the middle of the 40M CW band @ 7175.

[N8YX]

One of these:

http://www.cbtricks.com/radios/royce/1_641/graphics/royce_1_641.jpg

Now, my first fixed station for use within the ARS consisted of a homebrew 12BY7A/6L6, 15w 40M crystal-controlled CW rig mated to a Realistic DX-160. I acquired an HQ-100A, traded the homebrew transmitter and some lettuce for a GSB-100...then within a few months, that equipment was subsequently traded off for a slightly used TS-520S. I kept the Kenwood for a while.

[AF9J]

Heathkit HW-16 & HG-10 VFO.

My situation was weird. I got my license in Feb. 1978 (when I was 14), but didn't get on the air until about Aug. 1982 (shortly after I graduated high school). My parents weren't very supportive of amateur radio. They thought I shouldn't put too much effort into pursuing it as a hobby until I was older, and set a ridiculous money constraint on me for buying gear (I couldn't spend much more than the cost of a basic CB), that made it basically impossible for me to to get any radio gear.

It also didn't help, that there were no local school club stations around at the time to operate from, and that my local ham radio club made basically no effort at all, to elmer the noobs (I think I'm the only one from my Novice license class that still has a license). In desperation, I turned to CB as a poor substitute. I hated it, and within 3 months or so, the CB started collecting dust. I almost didn't renew my license, when it came due in 1980 (Novice licenses were renewable every 2 years, back then). My mom caught me throwing the Form 610 in the garbage, and talked me into renewing my license (saying that down the road, I might be able to get some use out of it).

I finally got fed up with waiting (especially since it was looking like I was going to be stuck at the local junior college for a couple of years, which had no ham radio club, and the local ham radio club [which I didn't belong to at the time], also had no regularly accessible club station), and went behind my parents' backs, and bought my HW-16 & HG-10 VFO, in the summer of 1982, from Associated Radio (remember when they used to have used gear catalogs?). Boy did I get an earful, for spending a whopping $145, from my dad!!! I was "taking away money (which I'd saved up - not my parents) needed for my college education." But since I was 18, my dad said he couldn't "stop me from doing this stupid thing (buying my radio gear)." Sheesh!!! That's my dad. I love him dearly, but he's always been one, big, redneck.

I've been on the air (with the exception of some hard times I encountered from late 2001 till late 2004, when I ended up selling off all of my gear) ever since I bought that HW-16.

[KY5U]

Haha, and? Sure, "Base Station" is part of the CB radio vernacular. So what?
You seem to be troubled by this :) Why? Do you have something against the person who started this thread for using "Base Station"?
Or perhaps you are just delighted that someone gave you an excuse to once again behave like a child...just like many CB'rs do, you fit right in. CB'rs like to play games on the radio. You like to play games in this forums...gee, you guys have something in common maybe? Same behavior, just different platforms.
You see! In these forums it's the same bunch just waiting so they have an excuse to be rude.

[KC0ZZH]

My first fixed station was a Kenwood TS-440S/AT and a 40m dipole.

[WA9CWX]

My first 'station' was an Allied 'Ocean Hopper' that I built when I was about 11. then I built a Heath cb talkie, then a Heath 'Twoer' so my first 'ham' station was a Twoer and a regen reciever for SWL activity. made ALL of my Novice QSO's on that Twoer. Had a beam (no rotor) and lived in the Chicago subs in the early 60's, so plenty of activity on 2 AM.
My first HF station was a Hallicrafters S53A RX and a home brew 6146 Osc/final single tube rig. ran about 5 watts output., Then graduated to a 6AG7/807 20 watt rig.

Frank

[N8GAV]

My first station was a DX-40 Heathkit TX, S40 Hallicrafters RX an inverted VEE with an homebrew tuner and a cigar box full of crystals passed around from Novice to Novice from our area. Also had an Art-13 that had been passed around and was not in too good of shape but did work sometime with a chirp, sometime not. I was in "High Cotton" when I got an HW- 101 and power supply for Christmas, I had saved up more then half the money for it and dad and mom paid the rest. I had it on air in two nights with help from my "Elmer" and he gave me an old "banana mike" for phone. Ah the good old days........

[N5XM]

First radio of any kind was an Azden PCS 2000 with a Ringo Ranger. First HF radio was a TS-520 in very fine condition. I made and put up an 80m vee in a tall tree in my back yard. Worked my first 150 countries on that setup, DXCC+ for under 400 bucks. It doesn't have to be expensive for you to have a LOT of fun. Rick

[KJ4CMG]

My first radio was a Yaesu VX-5R and a homemade J-pole. I used that set up for about 6 months till I was able to buy an FT-2800M and a used Astron power supply.

[AC3P]

My first fixed station was a Heathkit HW-29A "Sixer" with 5 watts input to a 1/4 whip when I was at home.

It became my portable station when I was away at school. Back then if you operated away from the QTH listed on your license you had to send aletter to the FCC Field Engineer stating when and where you were going to operate. That was if portable operation was formore than 48 hours.

The same station when connected to a power inverted became my mobile station when I got my first car.

I was the local Channel Master with that rig. LOL.

Frank AC3P

[WA6ITF]

In 1968, I became interested in ham radio, and purchased these from a local radio store.
National NC-88
http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~postr/bapix/NC_88.JPG
Heathkit DX-40
http://www.rigpix.com/heathkit/dx40.jpg

Before my license came in, I managed to blow up the DX-40 (No one told me you didn't tune it up for MAXIMUM Meter reading.....DUH!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
So I got a Multi-Elmac AF-68
http://www.w8zr.net/images/af68_1.jpg

I made one contact on that, but never did get the other op's callsign as he sent too fast. OH, I DID cheat by using the VFO built in! (OMG, CALL THE FCC!!!)

So those probably didn't count. For my first 2 way contact, I used the venerable Heathkit HW-30 Twoer
http://www.harrises.org/images/HW-30.jpg

So NOW you know why I have 25 of them!

No joke. I have here in this room a working almost mint NC-88 that is my "table radio." Sitting on a shelf across the room is a working DX-40. A friend in NYC has my Heath Two'er as theres a growing 2 meter AM community there. -- ITF

[K8JD]

WOW what a variety of answers and definitions here.
My first Ham station, First fixed station, first VHF fixed station, first FM base station ????? All different things to me.
I relate "base station" to Amateur adaption of commercial business or public safety radio and its gear and operations.
My first fixed VHF station was a Heathkit sixer I had set up in my student rooming house in Chicago. I was an honarary member of the Chicago six meter mobileers since I didnt own a car but talked to the others on thier trips to and from work most days.

First fixed 2M FM was a Hammarlund "outercom" A nice compact two way radio with built in power supplies for 120VAC and 12 VDC. I got crystals and set up and retuned it for 146.94 simplex and put up a homebrew GP on my roof in my first house in Detroit..

[W0BTU]

A converted WWII ARC-5 transmitter (homebrew PS) and a BC-779 Hammarlund Super Pro receiver. Straight key.

August, 1976 as WN8BTU.