[NCDXA] [PVRC] Fwd: Top 10 Early 60's Ham Transceivers

[Ted Edwards W3TB]

Gee but that was fun.
I wonder what became from my National NCX-3 after I sold it.
Being a CW guy, not having a side-tone was an issue, but I got pretty good
listening to the contacts of my Vibroplex Original bug so that I could send
well in that situation.

On Thu, Jul 30, 2020 at 9:26 AM Thomas Valenti via PVRC <
pvrc at mailman.qth.net> wrote:

> Thank you, Phil..
>
> You know you are getting old when you enjoy this kind of nostalgia.
>
> In the fall of 1967 I transferred from public schools to Calvert Hall
> College High School in Towson, MD - a Christian Brother's school. There I
> met my still friend and partner in operating crime Bob Venanzi, ND3D. I
> already had my general ticket, so I was allowed to use the Hallicrafters
> SR-150 along with a Johnson Thunderbolt amp attached to a three-element
> tribander. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. And oh, the glow of the
> mercury vapor rectifiers in the Thunderbolt. It was magic not
> repeated until the first time I keyed a transmitter at W3LPL. BTW, I still
> have a picture of Brother Gerald in my shack.
>
> A year later I toiled for many months slinging hamburger's at Gino's to
> come up with the money ($325, I think) to buy a used Swan 350. Actually, I
> didn't sling that many burgers, because I always got stuck with the job
> everyone hated - working the register and dealing with customers.
> Apparently, our managers figured out that I was one of the very few kids
> who would not steal money from the register (very easy to do in those
> days). 40% of what was then the legal limit into a low random wire fed with
> a L-tuner. Life was good.
>
> Later, at Calvert Hall Brother Gerald sold the SR-150 and we got an NCX-5