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Bugboooks |
Hi check out the sale of my schoolsky Apple-1 computer - part of the proceeds will help fund "The Foundation for Amateur International Radio Service" (FAIRS) and N4USA. Dave KK4WW
It seems almost a mystery to me how I became an amateur radio operator (ham radio operator). My parents were old-fashioned farm folks, both born before the turn of the century (in the 1800s). They had no knowledge of electronics or radio, so I was on my own. I had always liked mechanical gadgets and began reading the magazine Mechanics Illustrated at about age 12. The magazine had interesting articles about how you could receive radio signals with a simple device that required no power. Just a tuning coil, crystal detector, earphones and a wire antenna. I managed to get the parts and build one and it worked like magic!
My interest in how radio worked took off and it has been a lifelong interest and career. I received my first amateur radio license in 1954 and took electronics classes throughout high school. I was an electronic technician in the Navy and several jobs after college including Raytheon, Fairchild Semiconductor, and Varian Associates. I then taught Electronic Instrumentation and Automation as a faculty member at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA for 31 years before retiring in 1998. I was active as a radio ham all those years and am still active here in Floyd, Virginia on a regular basis.
See current operation of David KK4WW at N4USA and as J79USA Dominica.
David gives introduction to his Six Decades + as Amateur Radio Operator.
A Few Highlights
-Major DX Operation to Bangladesh in 1993 as Team member. Made 25,000 radio contacts
-Casual DX operation in Russia, Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania, China, Guyana, Dominica, Trinidad, Grenada, and Puerto Rico
-During the past 45 years I have developed one of the largest and most significant personal historical microcomputer collections in the world. In March 2017 I moved the Bugbook Computer Collection to the "Computer Museum of America" in Roswell, Georgia. In September 2017 I sold one of my remaining rare Apple-1 computers at auction.
-During the 70s and early 80s I was part of a team that created over seventy books on the subject of computers and electronics-starting as Bugbooks and becoming the “Blacksburg Continuing Education Series”
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KK4WW QSL front 8x10 |
My 8.5 X 11 inch QSL Celebrating Six Decades + as Amateur Radio Operator
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Large QSL Back side Click on images to enlarge - you can make larger and read text |
Back of 8x10 KK4WW QSL
Click on image to enlarge
Give me a call/email and I will send you this QSL
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WN7VZW 1953 |
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1954 QSL |
In the early days (50s/60s) I enjoyed building ham equipment. My first kit was a Heathkit AT-1 Transmitter (25 Watts CW). In 1964 I built from scratch a 1 KW SSB mobile linier Amplifier using UA572 tubes; great signal. I still have this rig today.
Antenna Chantilly 2013 |
N4USA Chantilly 2013 |
It has been an insanely great six decades
1954)
You can operate N4USA at Chantilly Farm & Campground in Floyd Viriginia "CLICK"
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Amateur Radio License W7VZW |

Hope to hear you on the air. 73 Send Message CLICK Like us Click
"by David Larsen" KK4WW Computer Collector & Historian