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| Bugboooks |
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David Blog
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 working in Silicon Valley (1963) at Raytheon, Fairchild Semiconductor, and Varian Associates. I then taught Electronic Instrumentation and Automation as a faculty member at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA for 33 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.
I would like to hear from you if you have interesting ham radio story to to tell david1kk4ww@gmail.com .
e David gives introduction to his Six and 1/2 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.
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| Antenna Chantilly 2013 |
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| 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 |
Appreciate a like on Museum Facebook Page.
QSOtoday Blog Cast of Davids years in amateur radio "CLICK" Audio only from Podcast "CLICK"
I would like to here from you if you have interesting ham radio story to to tell david1kk4ww@gmail.com .
See current operation of David KK4WW at N4USA and as J79USA Dominica.
My new blog site with videos and post about my Tiny Homes
I Have moved my "Bugbook Historical Computer Museum collection of 13,000 items to "The Computer Museum of America"
Ham radio is still a lot of fun for me and we have 2 stations here in Floyd Virginia - At Home and Station N4USA at our Chantilly Farm. You will find me operating as KK4WW or N4USA( our license for Foundation for Amateur International Radio Service) FAIRS. Getting older and time to sell (Sold June 2021) my Chantilly Farm - call me (540-392-2392) for info.Hope to hear you on the air. 73 Send Message CLICK Like us Click
"by David Larsen" KK4WW Computer Collector & Historian
