Novice Station of WN8KCX, now K8CX

Operator: Thomas "Tom" Roscoe

I received my novice license in 1963 at age 12. My dad took me to Armies in Youngstown, OH, seller of used ham gear, and bought me the Hammarlund HQ-I29-X receiver. A friend of my dad's, Drew Kelley W8GFG sk brought me over a Heath DX-35 transmitter with a couple of 40 meter rocks (crystals). We went to the Outdoor Army and Navy store in Sharon, PA, and bought a surplus Navy key. I put up a 40 meter dipole from the house chimney (coal furnace) to a back yard tree, up about 30', and was "on the air". I was bit by the bug instantly and was on the air almost every day. I even entered the Novice Roundup contest that year. I then added a 15 meter element to my dipole and was bit by the DX bug. This is 2018, 55 years later, and I'm still active daily, mostly working DX on CW.

This resurrected station isn't my origional equipment, except for the Navy key. The HQ-129-X, in excellent shape, was found at an AM Group swap meet near Cleveland, OH. The DX-35 was just given to me as a gift by a close friend, Bob Ballantine W8SU. The memories are now flying! I even got out my old novice logbook to recall those great novice contacts. Now to throw up a 30', 40 meter dipole and start pounding some brass!

Novice photos of WN8KCX in 1963.

Photos & Info by K8CX