"Geoffrey S. Mendelson" wrote:

sctvguy1 wrote:
You are so right, Michael. The illusion, the sitting up all night on
Friday and Saturday night, with headphones on, being about 12-17 years
old, hoping for that illusive foreign station, the dial light glowing, my
pencil and pad waiting for something to copy and to send off for a QSL!
Now, my wireless radio will pick up all the stations I want, all over the
world, just like a local.

I remember that well too. When I was a teenager someone had a Normande
(probably spelled wrong) AM/FM/Shortwave radio they dropped and it broke
in half. I was able to get it working, and using various things such as my
bed frame, the telephone line, etc, I was able to receive SW signals in a
"garden" (basement) apartment.

Before that I had something, but I don't remember what, maybe a 5 or 6
tube "all american special" with some SW coverage.

I used that until around the time I turned 18, and was given an S-38B.

Unfortuantely I gave that away in my 30's when I started buying "real"
shortwave radios.

I bought one of the first ICF-2010's in the US, brought in a few months
early from Japan. When I got married in 1989, my wife had one too, and
we kept hers, being a few years newer.

My current shortwave radio is a Drake SPR-4, although I have a TR-7
"in the works".

I still have my restored Lafayette SWL receiver, a big brother look a
like of the S-38. I turn it on every once in a while, hook up a wire
antenna, and relive the past. There is not much there anymore, but still
can MW DX a lot! Here in Texas, it will pick up both coasts pretty
well. I had an old ham repairman wire it to accept a Heathkit Q-
Multiplier that I also have. With that, and the bandspread, and the IF/
RF amplifier, it works very well!

I sure miss mine. MW DXing here is worthless because of the high noise.
Although in a previous apartment I was on the edge of a nature preserve,
and with a sheilded MW loop on the fence and the SPR-4, was able to receive
the BBC station on 648kHz, about 3,000 miles away.

Geoff.

--
Geoffrey S. Mendelson, N3OWJ/4X1GM/KBUH7245/KBUW5379

I got started again back in '81 or '82 or so with a Yaesu FRG-7700.

Originally my Dad built me a Knight Kit Star Roamer in 1966 and my first QSL is
from January of 1967.

What got me going again was digital readout... that was the key to it all. No
guessing, find the frequency, and listen.