Rick Roznoy, K1OF
(formerly KN1QKQ, 1960)

Getting my Novice license  (KN1QKQ) was no doubt the biggest thrill in my life  ...or so it seemed to a 12 year old. My sister who was already in high school told me her physics teacher could give me the test.  Some how I got enough courage to go the high school and find him. So I met Nick Georgis, K1MAR who gave me the test along with some ‘much' older high school students. Today, more than 47 years later Nick and I are still friends and enjoy seeing each other as often as we can.

My first QSO was on December 30, 1960 at 11:15 AM with Bud, KN1PSW. On 3721 KHz, I know this because I have saved all my log books. This is somewhat a miracle in itself because I don't have any other items from that period.  As I look at this book now I notice something odd, all the entries were made with a fountain pen ...this gives it an historical feeling. Great stuff was recorded. Today more than ever, I am thankful that I saved these treasures.

The most memorable contact may have been with KN9WET. This was real DX from K1 land. I discovered that if I got up early enough I could work much farther than during the day on 80-meters. This was a special time, the house was quiet, everyone else was asleep and no one bothered me in my quest for greater distance. This thrill eventually wore off when I got my first 15-meter crystal and realized the best DX was after the sun came up. Getting QSL cards was the next most exciting part of my Novice experience. The shack was decorated with a wall display of the cards along with a map with push pins showing the locations of the stations. The station was a SX-110 receiver, Eico 720 transmitter and an 80-meter dipole feed with RG-59.

If I shut my eyes I can still almost hear the hum of the power transformer as I key the 720.