Our Stories
1956
 Bernie Huth W4BGH
 Bill Penhallegon W4STX
 Mike Branca W3IRZ
 Woody Pope ex-KN5GCM
 Ken Barber W2DTC
 Wayne Beck K5MB 
 Chuck Counselman W1HIS
 Dan Cron W6SBE
 Keith Synder KE7IOW
 Cam Harriot KI6WK 
 Ray Colbert W5XE 
 Slim Copeland K4KCS
 Dean Norris K7NO 
 John Fuller K4HQK
1957
 Bill Tippett W4ZV
 Paula Keiser K8PK
 Mickey LeBoeuf K5ML
 Jim Cadien KC7ZMV
 Tony Rogozinski W4OI 
 Norm Goodkin K6YXH
 Doug Millar K6JEY
 Richard Cohen K6DBR
 Dick Newsome W0HXL
1958
 Jeff Lackey K8CQ
 John Miller K6MM
 Al Burnham K6RIM 
 Jeff Wolf K6JW
 Jay Slough K4ZLE
 Mike Chernus K6PZN
 Richard Dillman W6AWO
 Stan Miln K6RMR 
 George Ison K4ZMI
1959
 Don Minkoff NK6A  
 Tom Wilson K7FA
 Glen Zook K9STH
 Val Erwin W5PUT 
 Chas Shinn W7MAP/5
 Dean Straw N6BV
1960
 Art Mouton K5FNQ
 Bob Silverman WA6MRK
Riley Hollingsworth, K4ZDH
 
1951 - 1955
1956 - 1960
1961 - 1965
1966 - 1970
1971 - 1975
1976 - 1980
1981 - 1990
1991 - 2000

Norm Goodkin, K6YXH
(formerly KN6YXH, 1957)

I teach entry-level ham radio classes now, and explain to my students that most of the most important learning will come *after* they get their license and will include things that no one ever thought to put on the exam.  

After building my Johnson Viking Adventurer, a 50 watt CW kit, I came to the very last part, where you hook up a light bulb as a dummy load and see if it lights up. This was way back in 1957, and I was just about to graduate from Airport Junior High School. My Elmer was Joe Ball, K6GMM (SK), our shop teacher. He shepherded a bunch of us in his Radio Shop class.  

The excellent instructions explained how to make a dummy load: I carefully soldered one end of a twisted-pair onto the RCA connector, and the other end onto a 50 Watt light bulb, closely following the illustration and making sure I didn't have cold soldering joints; Mr. Ball had taught us how to solder!  

I set the loading and coupling capacitors to minimum and proceded to slowly increment the loading and dipped the plate until I reached the target current. Everything was working just the way they should.... except.... the light bulb didn't light.  

My father called his Scouting friend, Bill Butler, W6JX, who lived just 3 blocks from us. I talked to Bill, explained the problem, and he listened on his 75A4 while I sent T-E-S-T   D-E   K-N-6-Y-X-H on 40m. As he tuned across my rock-bound 7125kc signal, I heard my CW as clear as a bell - what a thrill - I was LOUD!  

Bill said he'd come over and see what was going on.   I remember him standing in the doorway of my bedroom/ham shack, at least 6 feet tall, filling the whole doorway, and saw a warm smile come over his face as he took in the scene. He didn't laugh, and he wasn't upset when he explained, "Well Norm, when they say twisted pair, they mean insulated wire."

            73, Norm