W3NA

Episode 263 - John Nowacki - W3NA

John Nowacki, W3NA, was a teenager in the early sixties when he won a contest to name a popular amateur radio line of antennas that are still sold today.  John shares his ham radio story that began with a friendship more that sixty years ago that continues to this day. Now a retired high school physics teacher, W3NA, chases DX shares his ham radio activities with his fellow NERDS.

Show Notes

Fund Transcript

Listen to Podcast

---

---

Hometown: Columbus, OH

First License: Novice 1960, KN8VZU

General upgrade: 1961 at Dayton Hamvention at Dayton Biltmore Hotel

Rigs:
Eico 720 transmitter
Hallicrafters SX 101A receiver
Hallicrafters HT32A
Mosley TA33 beam antenna

First Rig:
Philmore CR5AC receiver
Heathkit DX20 transmitter
Hammarlund HQ140X receiver
Knightkit Z44 VFO
Collins KWM2 HF Transceiver
Current Rig:

Kenwood TS830S
Kenwood Twins R599D T599D
Yaesu FTDX 5000
Icom IC-7600 HF and 50 Mhz transceiver
Yaesu FTDX 3000
FlexRadio FLEX-6500 HF transceiver

Named the Hustler antennas - namesake
Favorite operating mode: CW

Most meaningful amateur radio award: DXCC 

People: 
Mike K8UPR, friend from 2nd grade, received Knight Kit Span Master
Mentor: Jim Johnson, K8RZJ, “Roses, Zinnias, Joncols”
Francis Gibb, W8IJ,  “Gibby”, was the founder of Universal Service, that later became Universal Radio, Columbus, OH, see article, pp 57.

Richard Lytle, W8THU
Alex Mendelshon, AI2Q
John Stanley,  K4ERO


Terms:
Shortwave Listening
QSL Card
BBC - British Broadcasting Company
Radio Moscow
Voice of America
1959 Amateur Radio Handbook
Newtronics, Cleveland Ohio
PowerSDR software
SmartSDR software
FT-8 Digital Mode
Dayton Biltmore HotelMiami University, Columbus OH
Ohio Power Company
CQ Magazine DX Marathon 
PY5EG won 2014 CQ Magazine DX Marathon on 10 meters
US Army Reserves, Hospital Train Rails
Ford Pinto
Sprague Electric Company, Sanford Maine, 
Tantalum Capacitor
Sprague Electric: An Electronics Giant’s Rise, Fall, and Life After Death, by John Sprague
Noble High School, Maine
DX Summit website
The Golden Age of Radio, Brick Store Museum, Kennebunk, Maine
Brick Store Museum, Kennebunk, Maine
Spark transmitter
NERDS, New England Radio Discussion Society
Electronics for Amateur Radio? By Alex AI2Q

Greatest challenge to amateur radio: Hobby is rapidly changing

Excited most by: New modes, like FT8  are popular for a lot of hams. 

Advice to new or returning hams: Find a group of hams someplace, like the NERDS, and get connected with other hams. 

---

The RSS Feed for all audio content from QSO today is available from here. 

Please join our QSO Today community by pressing the button below. It is the best way to suggest guests and topics, and provide feedback to Eric, 4Z1UG.

Subscribe

Philmore CR-5AC General Coverage Receiver

Heathkit DX-20 Transmitter

Yaesu FTDX-5000 HF Transceiver

Icom IC-7600 HF Transceiver