W4FID John E. Wiley Ocala, FL QCWA # 22526 Chapter 62

My station reflects my feelings about life in general and retirement in particular. RESPECT THE PAST--- the values, fond memories, fun you had, and the good people you shared it with. APPRECIATE THE PRESENT -- accept that today isn't yesteryear, keep up with the times, and enjoy whatever life brings today. EMBRACE THE FUTURE -- accept that it's coming, life does evolve, deal with it, and keep up to speed so you can be relevant in it.

I'm a retired manufacturing engineer who lived his entire life in the Great Lakes area until moving to north central FL for retirement in the spring of 2003. Started my career in automotive assembly plant maintenance with Buick (GMI grad 1969); spent many years in heavy industry and defense manufacturing; and ended it on the Lucent Technologies corporate staff in their global manufacturing logistics group and then running a prototype hardware operation for Bell Labs.

Began hamming as a high school kid on the south side of Chicago St. Pat's Day 1961 as Kn9FID with potentially the first Heath DX60 ever sold (with two crystals) and a Heath AR2 receiver (4 tube AC/DC -- no filters). 80/40 meter novice CW the hard way! One of the club guys realized I would have a tough time working enough QSOs to build my code speed with that receiver so he offered me his SX-99 and I could pay him a few bucks whenever. He taught me a major lesson in life. Notice who needs help and offer what you can. The basics of ham radio as a fraternity and that we need to be involved with public service still resonate with me. I got lucky for call signs. A few weeks before mine was issued they were finishing the K9 calls and issuing from the K9Z series. Soon after mine they started the WA9A series. But when my application was granted they were going thru the lapsed or defunct calls from the W9 and K9 series and a block of never issued K9F series calls (God only knows why they were available) so I got one that's slick on both phone and CW which was should have been issued about 1956 originally. All my buddies of the era were beside themselves jealous! I built some home brew rigs from salvaged TV parts during my high school years and was every inch the classic geek. Didn't realize it at the time; but ham radio and scouting provided the solid influences that shaped me as a teen and are still important to me 5 decades later. Pix below is fall of 1961.

February 1, 2015