[FQP] Then and Now

[n4dxi@arrl.net]

Red, K0LUZ, describes his first DX and "Those were the Days".  Here is
a reply to that, comparing my first year as a Novice, KN2UMQ, in 1958
and now:

Then: 1958.  My call, KN2UMQ, long and clumsy to remember, an eternity 
to send CW.  It marked me as a Novice, not so bad, I had an excuse for 
my mistakes in sending.  Because calls were assigned by region and 
sequentially, it marked me as being in NJ or NY and how junior I was.

Now: 2011.  N4DXI, easy to remember (and that's a big plus for a lot of 
my senior friends), easy to send.  Also, when someone calls CQ CQ DX, I 
can respond....DE N4DXI.  Thanks to the Vanity System.

Then: 1958. My Heathkit transmitter AT-1 was crystal bound, I had a 
cigar box of plug in crystals for the novice bands.  Only took me 30 
minutes to change bands, open the back and unplug the crystal, find the 
desired one, plug that in, retune the transmitter, adjust the tuner and 
change the receiver.  CW only.  10 watts.

Now: 2011: Orion 2 with, what, 100 memories, more than I need.  2 VFO's 
A and B, I can transmit on either one plus, if that's not enough, I can 
control the Orion 2 with a computer allowing almost unlimited settings 
of frequency.  So much for the crystals in a cigar box.

And SSB, back in 1958 that was rare, AM and CW mostly.

Then 1958.  After 1 year of Novice operating, I had worked 199 stations 
which included my DX of Alaska, Canada, and England: KL7FA, VE2AIP, 
VE1AL and G2DCG. 32 states.  I had bragging rights over my friends.

Now: 2011: I can work more than 200 stations on a single Contest 
weekend and still not place in the top 50 competing stations.

My DXCC is 170, that's confirmed DX QSO's, and still growing.  Not 
Honor Roll yet, but every year I get to be published in the DXCC 
Catalog for a new increment.  Need not I mention Logbook of the World 
that keeps track of confirmations?  Big advantage!

Then: 1958.  10 watts, no thought of SWR (innocence is nice), key 
clicks, distortion, some worry about harmonics and FCC notifications, 
several lawns mowed free because of neighborhood complaints of 
television interference.

Now: 2011.  Nobody watches TV with an antenna around here, all cable or 
satellite, closed systems.  No black and white TV's with weak front 
ends.  My Orion 2 is clean, no drift and dependable.  No need to cut 
lawns for free anymore.

Then 1958: My Hallicrafters S85 had band marks on the main dial for 80, 
40, 20, meters etc, set the main dial to that band and use the band 
spread to listen to that band...if the main dial is off the marker, the 
band spread would correspondingly be off.  I finally installed a 100 kc 
marker to calibrate the S85.  Also, wait a few minutes, like 15, to let 
the receiver settle down in it's drift.  And, yes, a noise limiter, and 
I mean very limited.

Now: 2011: No comparison with my FT 1000 D or Orion 2.  Now, digital 
signal processing, undetectable drift, digital display of frequency, a 
bunch of abbreviations that can fine tune a station: RIT, AVC, Notch, 
ATT...

Back then I would call CQ from my rock bound AT1 and search up and down 
the band for a reply.  Or, I'd dial up and down, find a station and 
call him on my different frequency crystal hoping he'd search down and 
find me.
Yes, we still have 'Split'  but now I listen to Europeans or DX saying 
'Listening 7190" or "up 10"...not exactly the same.

Now we also have DX Monitor and others as a Web Site.  Tells you what 
DX is on what frequency, what time, comments, country if you cannot 
tell by the call sign, reporting station and bearing.   Unimagined back 
in 1958.

Then 1958: my card QSL return rate was very high, 63 percent, and don't 
forget, most of those QSO's were with locals.  I only had 4 DX QSO's in 
a year!  I QSL'ed every solid contact I made.

Now 2011: Now hardly ever receive direct QSL cards.  Sometimes I get a 
mailed QSL request for my county, Levy.  I still QSL 100 percent if 
requested.  Now it's mostly LOTW and Bureau, neither of which was 
available in 1958.

Do you remember the Soviet QSO's back in 1950's?  The government there 
was so paranoid, they would not allow Soviet ham stations addresses be 
published.  Something to do with the Cold War and threats of nuclear 
attacks.  Only way to QSL was to send to a post office box in Moscow 
and wait several months.  Now I buy my 1000 QSL cards from Russia, pay 
with a Visa Card and not have a single concern, and, yes, the cards are 
good.

Back in 1958 I don't remember sending "green stamps", dollar bills, 
along with the request for a QSL.  Now, I've had several no responses 
 from stations that I sent multiple "green stamps".  Many hams no longer 
send QSL cards because of expense, postage or just volume.

Then 1958: most of my QSO's seemed to be with teenagers.  After school 
carloads of us would be driven to my elmer, Ivan Petersen, K2LKS, where 
we would watch him work Brazil, Canal Zone, etc on his Collins 75A4 and 
transmitter.  The glow of the vacuum tubes would warm up the basement 
during those winter evenings with K2LKS in Pompton Lakes, NJ.  It was 
cozy, fascinating and inspiring.

Now, seems my same age group meet for breakfast and chat on 2 meters.
The average age must be over 50.  I don't know of a single teenage ham 
in Levy County.  I'm working on improving that.....

Yes, lots of fond memories from those years.  Would I trade my Orion 2 
for the old crystal bound AT1 and Hallicrafters S85?  A no brainer; no 
way!

73.....John Bescher, N4DXI