On Mon, 15 Oct 2007 15:53:39 -0400, AF6AY wrote:
It's a cool late February weekday in the year 1956. I am
23 and a month out of active US Army duty, having spent
the last three Army years in radio communications, I had
decided to get a civilian commercial radio operator
license two weeks prior. I've done the cram thing on over-
drive, practically memorizing all of the looseleaf notebook
FCC rules borrowed from a new friend at a broadcast
station. I walk several blocks from the train station to
the Federal Building in Chicago. I am alone, have never
been walking in downtown Chicago before...but I am
confident although a bit tired. The train ride was an
hour and a half and the flat Illinois prarie boring as usual.

The FCC Field Office is upstairs and I find it. Everything
seems to be utilitarian-government. World War II ended
11 years prior and all federal offices look "war surplus"
furnished. Three visible officials are brusque, bored, not
effusive; i.e., it's like being back in the Army. Familiar.
FCC guys are fussing with a paper-tape code machine

Believe it or not, in 1974 I took my General code test on the same
paper-tape code machine you saw the inspectors fussing with in 1956.

The pitch jumped briefly about halfway through. Didn't faze most of us,
but when the tape was over one of the guys being tested protested loudly &
insisted on being tested again. Don't know if he passed on the second try.

(the rest of us all passed on the first try, even with the jumping pitch)

By the time I took the 20wpm for the Extra two years later, they were
using a cheap portable cassette player. It worked, but most of the "soul"
was missing.

The train ride was from Milwaukee; I suspect the Federal Building was
somewhat taller; and there was a Sears Tower along the walk from the train
station, but I suspect it was a similar experience.

On Oct 23, 7:24?am, Doug Smith W9WI wrote:
On Mon, 15 Oct 2007 15:53:39 -0400, AF6AY wrote:

Believe it or not, in 1974 I took my General code test on the same
paper-tape code machine you saw the inspectors fussing with in 1956.

Heh, heh, I'll bet the government-issue furniture was the same...:-)


The pitch jumped briefly about halfway through. Didn't faze most of us,
but when the tape was over one of the guys being tested protested loudly &
insisted on being tested again. Don't know if he passed on the second try.

(the rest of us all passed on the first try, even with the jumping pitch)

I would insist the group would have to be interrupted by a fire
drill... :-)

By the time I took the 20wpm for the Extra two years later, they were
using a cheap portable cassette player. It worked, but most of the "soul"
was missing.

Well, according to Phil Kane, money is the real soul of the FCC.

I don't think it is that bad. I moved from the Midwest to California
in November of 1956. The Field Office of the FCC is in Long Beach,
CA, and that office doesn't look furnished in WWII-surplus.

I rather like my local area's Communications Auxilliary. It seems to
have been put in place some time around the Attack on America
("9/11"). The Old Firehouse had been replaced by the LAFD years ago
by a larger station somewhat close by...to all intents and purposes it
looked like an unused building. But, inside there is a converted bus
as a mobile radio station and there is a permanent base station in the
rear of the firehouse which can do HF to UHF comms. The LAFD is
responsible for the Communications Auxilliary and they kindly let the
VEC do test exams there. Seemed like the Old Firehouse is still kept
up nicely as if it could house a regular crew of firemen. We couldn't
get to inspect the Auxilliary's radio stuff but could see in through a
window set in the door.

From the listing of amateur radio test sites, I could have gone to a
Denny's Restaurant reserved room near me or a private residence
somewhat farther away. At a mile away, the Old Firehouse and on a
Sunday afternoon was better. Getting a closer look at one of the
Communications Auxilliary's stations was a plus.

The train ride was from Milwaukee; I suspect the Federal Building was
somewhat taller; and there was a Sears Tower along the walk from the train
station, but I suspect it was a similar experience

Heh, probably. I haven't been back to "The Loop" since then but been
through Chicago Midway and, certainly, O'Hare, many a time since then,
even a trip to Meigs Field right on the lakefront. But, 51 1/2 years
ago I was just out of four years in the Army and could walk just about
any distance needed. :-) I wouldn't think of trying that walk
now. :-)

One thing I remember being amazed at in a 2001 trip back to northern
Illinois for the Big 50 Reunion of our high school class of '51 was
that WMCW in Harvard, Illinois, was still operating. I worked there a
few months in 1956 when it was literally a converted farmhouse. 500 W
daylight only, it was "the voice of Boone, McHenry, and Walworth
Counties" sitting just off a two-lane highway and I did the whole
works as the only employee. The 'studio' was the old living room and
the control room was converted from the former dining room. :-) The
farmhouse is gone and the studios for WMCW are now 'downtown' in
Harvard, a bigger wide place in the road than it was 45 years prior.
Only the single vertical for 1600 KHz remains, where I once replaced a
mandatory warning light bulb that had gone out as a favor to the
station owner, Esther Blodgett (of Blodgett Broadcasters).

73, Len AF6AY

On Tue, 23 Oct 2007 19:53:24 EDT, AF6AY wrote:

I don't think it is that bad. I moved from the Midwest to California
in November of 1956. The Field Office of the FCC is in Long Beach,
CA, and that office doesn't look furnished in WWII-surplus.

Until 1975 the LA office was in downtown LA, and its last location was
on the top floor of the U S Courthouse. When the judges made them
move, the deal was cut to move to Long Beach with G.I. 1960s-era
furniture. It helped that one of the engineers there (a good friend
and ham who rose to become the Western Regional Director but died much
too young 15 years ago) was a superior surplus scrounger who found the
newest-looking stuff.
--

73 de K2ASP - Phil Kane

From a Clearing in the Silicon Forest
Beaverton (Washington County) Oregon

e-mail: k2asp [at] arrl [dot] net

On Oct 12, 6:25 pm, wrote:
Forty years ago today, October 12, 1967, FCC issued a Novice license
to a 13-year-old kid in the 7th grade. The license arrived two days
later, and the kid (me) went on the amateur bands for the first time
October 14, 1967.

Jim, October 14th is special for me, too. That's the date I entered
active duty.

Since then, I've has had three amateur radio callsigns, six
"permanent" QTHs, a long list of rigs, antennas, parts and test
equipment, awards earned, articles published, and tens of thousands of
QSOs. Many things in amateur radio are different now than they were
then, many things are the same.

While serving, I had seven ranks, 10 PCS moves, including two
unaccompanied short tours (12 months in 1979 and another 12 months in
1988), one long tour (1989), several deployments, lots of awards, and
got to play radio, too.

One thing that hasn't changed is that ham radio is sure a lot of fun.

Doesn't seem like 40 years, though.

In ham years, you're just getting dried behind your ears... Enjoy
anther 20 or 30 or so...

What do others remember?

73 de Jim, N2EY

I remember passing my novice test 20 years ago last November. In ham
years, I'm a rank beginner..

73, bb