"That's the way it was..."

[N8YX]

While doing some digging for info on a couple of projects, I happened to run across a fellow ham/CB enthusiast's missives and observations on the CB scene in his area:

http://home.ptd.net/~n3cvj/cbpage.htm

Some of the tales make for an entertaining read. I was also considered to be the area guru when it came to repairing or homebrewing equipment, antennas and the like. This fact was not lost on me, and I elmered a good number of prospects into the amateur ranks.

The author is definitely spot-on regarding the number of high-end ham rigs which were modified then used in Class D service. At a minimum, an FT-101 was the de rigeur price of admittance to the 'above and below' crowd in this area before the glut of easily converted PLL-synthesized rigs hit the market.

Anyone who was a licensed amateur in the late 70s was all too familiar with the price of a TR7 and its accompanying accessories. A high-school chum and his dad used one for CB; bought especially for the purpose and I'm pretty sure the only pieces of gear they didn't have alongside it were the R7 and L7. They didn't want their ham tickets, even when presented with offers of study help.

I lost track of how many Yaesus were on the air during those times. Even knew a guy who ran a converted '901.

(In retrospective, modding that rig for 11M using the unmarked 'Aux' spot - at least, to allow coverage of the "regular 40" - is pitifully easy. Just come up with the required VCO and XTAL-board components - solder them in - add one wire to the counter and a couple to the band switch wafers and you're good to go. Yaesu already did the 'heavy lifting' with regards to design and component fitment. It's also possible to set one up as 'RX only' by omitting the band switch screen-voltage connection to the (un)desired segment, which is what their engineers did for the WWV/JJY slot.)

[kc4umo]

I only got a chance to skim through. Brings back a lot of memories from the 70's.
Back then if you had a 101 you were king of the channel. I myself had a Realistic walkie talkie on a whip. Had no problem talking around town. We had a cb club back then and anyone that misbehaved or did illegal things was kicked out of the club and “Uncle Charlie" was notified by the club staff. Was fun while it lasted.


Interesting read.

[suddenseer]

Thanks for the trip down memory lane. I had a Siltronix 1011B. When I got my novice ticket I had a hotwater 16 with a hand ful of 40m novice band x-tals. An old Hallicrafters rcvr, I do not remember the model, but had the old mercury vapor diode tubes in the PS. When I up graded I bought a set of 599 Kenwood twins. with a home brew full gallon (LOL) with 2 3-500z in push pull config. The transformer was military. I then obtained the first phone with microwave endorsement. I purged my shack of anything that could be considerd pushing the rules. Funny thing I let the license laspe while in Seminary.

Thanks for the memories. i was one of the many hams "slumming" on 11m. That is where I could go be a bad boy. Now the 11m people seem to be on 75m, and 20m. The mostly have extra class calls and have been around a long time.

[n2ize]

I like the recording where a couple of guys are pretending to be FCC guys trying to track someone down. I remember guys used to do that around here to try and scare the kiddies. Of course in reality the FCC never transmits directly on 11 meters when locating stations so it is totally unprofessional and unconvincing. Yet, a lot of people didn't know that so it would get some people scared.

[N8YX]

I like the recording where a couple of guys are pretending to be FCC guys trying to track someone down. I remember guys used to do that around here to try and scare the kiddies. Of course in reality the FCC never transmits directly on 11 meters when locating stations so it is totally unprofessional and unconvincing. Yet, a lot of people didn't know that so it would get some people scared.

Guilty. ;)

I was "12BY7" and my partner-in-grime was "6AX4". :rofl: