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Arthur E. Ericson Beverly, MA QCWA # 10641 |
No Obituary available, so here is a personal letter Art Erickson wrote to his friend Ed about his early days as a young ham.
Dear OT Ed:
Tk's fr ur very nice letter and am equally sorry that you have had a hard time also. Well the radiation treatment probably stopped the infection from going any further. The main trouble now is that my bladder having held small so long doesn't seem to want to grow on urine increase, so I have to go often. Darn nuisance, Feel OK, for my age. Going for a check up next week. Funny, I am writing this during SOWP ck in time and you just checked in!! Small world.
OK on snapshot of my 1903 rig and self. Well cameras were not as good those days as they are now. But it give one a good idea what it was all about.
Those glass tubes are Mexican spice tubes that the wealthy people in Manchester, MA used and I found them in Dad's bosses dump on the estate.
I filled them with salt water, BL tobacco tin foil on outside. Believe it or not my spark was louder and steadier.
I worked all one Sat PM for 40 cents, mounting lamps in back room of the Electric Company and bought the wire for me 50,000 meter tuning coil. I wanted make sure I covered all wave lengths. The Coherer der plugs were turned out by the rich family chauffeur on a foot operated lathe so the lug would fit in a little glass tube perfectly. The 80 Ohm fone I caddied for 20 cents a round at the famous Essex County Golf Club in Manchester. And for 80 cents bought the 80 Ohm fone. Note the brass head band. And 50 ft of chicken wire was the antenna. Motorcycle dry cells was the power house. Motor bikes in them days did not use mags.
There was no Hams around, so I just practiced code listening to the very rare signals. WCC was MCC when I started copying them. Saying Marconi invented wireless, and to say Columbus discovered America irks me no end. Marconi was merely a Henry Ford for the production of already known wireless gear.
His receiving letter S from Poldu, England. Was inevitable anyway. There were already many wireless stations, ships in England and US. I can't see why Marconi gets so dam much credit I took my Commercial exam in Boston Navy Yard in 1910. There was 52 of us going for the Certificate of skill. Believe it or not I was the only one to copy 20 WPM without missing a letter. A kid beside me missed the word Red Cap. I'll never forget that. The Naval Officer asked me if I knew him. I said, "Yup guess he is a little nervous" So he and I were only ones to get the ticket. The other 50 guys marched out between the long mess room tables, some twirling their hats in front of them and saying, "What in Hell they coming to giving kids licenses?" I went to NYC for my first ship the SS MAYARO "MFR", a British ship, and because the law says a ship carrying over 200 people,and going so far MUST have two radiomen aboard. So I was picked for that rare job. Got along good with Bob Plummer the senior radioman. Nice guy anyway.
A local radioman, Lewis Shaw was a United Fruit Co radioman. Came ashore and became a cop here in Beverly. Visits me occasionally. Maybe you knew him.
I used my Commercial ticket in Ham Radio at first as it was permitted. In 1916 they said get an Amateur license so I did in 1916.
Still have all my Ham licenses on file. Hope you get some improvement Ed. We all have our troubles and seems no one is exempt. The best of 1980 to you and yours, OT.
73 Art
CREDITS
Photo #1: W2ZI
Source: W1NF - On the air in 1903
