Fellas, I moved the question about 10 mw rigs over to the Pixie thread...didn't want to tie up the "First Shack" discussion with my off-topic question. I'm still here though. Dave, I really love the "state of the Retro art" rig in your thumbnail pic! Ole Sparky, I presume? EuGene
A kind soul on QRZ created that image for me - it's "my head on a radio guy's shoulders from 1920" Dave W7UUU
My first radio shack was a icom ic260, followed by an ic490 but between the two i had made my own 438.5 atv reciever, and was also very active on rtty, with a sagem spe5 and a home built codeur decodeur for rtty. I prided myself in making what i couldn't buy or find. Making adjustable trimmer capacitors for the atv reciever, from glass car fuses, making my first uhf reciever from a bc603 a modified tv tuner and a cb radio. Home made vhf and uhf tuners that i still use today 40 years on.
Novice at 15 in 1975, Johnson Ranger II transmitter, Heath HR-10B receiver and, to be real fancy, had a Johnson 250-39 T/R switch. Dipoles for 80 & 40. I remember when the QSL cards started coming in, my dad said he wasn't sure I was really talking all the places I said I was, until he saw the cards! Sadly no pictures and the equipment long since traded off.
My very first station as a Novice class licensee (KA3FQW) in 1980 was an old Hallicrafter SX-42 receiver and a Globe Scout Deluxe transmitter. A fella in the Pittsburgh area ground some novice frequency crystals in the 80, 40, 15, and 10 meter bands for me. It's a shame I don't remember his call but his name was Ted. I used this setup for my first 6 months as a Ham. I bought a MFJ 40 meter QRP transmitter (ran off a 9v battery) and had a blast with it, the SX-42, and the Globe Scout for another 2 months. I then upgraded to a Kenwood TS520SE. I thought I was in heaven with that rig.
Not my first “shack,” and I was still just an SWL. I hauled my DX-160 and Sony 6500W with me to Berklee College of Music in Boston (1984). Used both receivers with a Datong active antenna. While I was there, I started studying for my ham license and ordered my HW-9 that I built in the summer of ‘85 when I got back home. Didn’t work up the courage to take the exam until 1987. My career as the next Tal Farlow never panned out.
1st set up was a 2 meter mobile sold to me by an Elmer. K6WST. I have to admit the price was very reasonable and it talked. As I recall it was an Alinco. Don't recall the model. Antenna was a Diamond five or six footer mounted approx 25 ft up.
