Many many years later I obtained my ticket after memories of the radios around the house. I know little about his shack and as we look around for QSL cards, I would like to see if anyone could help rebuild his shack. I am wondering if he might have placed the name of his radio on his cards. His call was, w2ox and his name was Frank Brunke and lined in Union City, NJ. It would be nice to work a radio similar to the one he used many many years ago. 73, Frank - w2fdb
W20X — Frank E. Brunke, 152 19th St., Union City. NJ Full text of "Spring_1938_Radio_Amateur_Callbook"
Patience and perseverance. Check eBay regularly - old QSL cards come up for sale daily. I regret passing on a $5 box of maybe 1000 old QSL cards at a hamfest last year - just for this reason. I could have scanned them and built an archive. They probably all went in the trash at the end of the hamfest and I regret that. But I'd not do that again. If he was at all prolific and sent out cards, you'll find one I'm sure. Once, just last year, I found a card for KN7MXE at an antique store 50 miles away. Turns out Bob, K7MXE, is an active member of my own local club W7DK - and at the time he was the Novice station, lived not 1/4 mile from where I live now! And yet after all those years I found his QSL, sent to a long-lost ham in Oregon when Bob was only 13, in an antique store 50 miles from where it was originally sent. Keep looking - you'll find something. Dave W7UUU
I wonder if this is his correct information. Frank Brunke was born on July 19, 1902 and died on July 14, 1989 at the age of 86. Frank last resided in Union City, Hudson County, New Jersey. http://death-records.mooseroots.com/l/107446521/Frank-Brunke If so he was alive, but not a Licensed Amateur Radio Operator for many many years. So in between 1938 and 1954 his Amateur Radio License Expired and he did not get back into the hobby, Unless it was for a very short time. Hamcall.net for a paid subscriber, has scanned several years of Call Books. There is not any listing for a Brunke, Frank from any of the years in that archive; until you. Archival HamCall database lookups: Display the history of any callsign in previous HamCall databases, 1921, 1954, 1960, 1969, 1977, 1983, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010, and present.
I don't know if these links will work.. Maybe you had more than one ham in your lineage? In this book from 1920, there is a Robert Brunke in Illinois with callsign 9EBB : <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=K...g=RA1-PA275&ci=41,1387,851,63&source=bookclip"><img src="https://books.google.com/books?id=K...Dz5ZjOJrTqxEI3SgU6fA&ci=41,1387,851,63&edge=0"/></a> In fact, there are TWO entries for Robert Brunke, both on Glen Rock Avenue in Waukegan but different house numbers and different callsigns. This one is 9DOB <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=K...o&pg=PA186&ci=121,1270,838,36&source=bookclip"><img src="https://books.google.com/books?id=K...eim-ApUrDtEWuhv3bFw&ci=121,1270,838,36&edge=0"/></a>
