Ham Radio & Fountain Pens

[tcekolin]

Just wondering if folks who like fountain pens also like amateur radio like me? My interest in fountain pens predated my amateur license. I often fill out my logs with a vintage pen though - Esterbrook or Skyline. My call sign is AK4ZF. Anyone else?

 

73 de AK4ZF ( ham geek speak for Best Regards from AK4ZF )

 

- Tony

[Ron Z]

My radio background is professional radio - on air, then engineering. I got my commercial general class radio telephone license in 1984. I used to tease a friend at church when I told him "my transmitter is bigger than yours." It was - a CCA 10 KW FM, and the tower was 350 ft. I still do occasional contract engineering, yesterday working on a 3 tower AM directional. But the fountain pens dated from elementary school, then high school. Always had a fountain pen, though real interest obsession kicked in Never got into the amateur radio though. I guess the commercial stuff was enough.

[tinto]

CA3CRA. Still a newbie, but my operation has been almost exclusively CW QRP. Off the air for now, though. I have to arrange an antenna for my flat.

 

I studied with a club for my exams with fountain pens, and my log has been written with them too

[Mick70RR]

I've been licenced since 1982, callsign is G4OPE. I used to be fairly active on CW but rarely transmit these days. The radio is on here in the shack most nights, it's currently a Ten-Tec Omni VII. Looking back through the log books a lot of it was filled out using a fountain pen.

[View from the Loft]

And a relative newbie here (M0MBW). However, most of my time on air is at work.

[tcekolin]

Ron, that beats my tiny 100 watts though I can talk to Japan when propagation is good, CA3CRA, G4OPE, and M0MBW, hope to meet you guys on the bands. I don't do CW. Tried to learn it but I just don't have the consistant hours to put to the effort but I do both phone and digital on my IC-718.

 

thanks for the replies! Nice to see that I am not the only ham who likes pens.

[om_nom_nomigon]

M0GEJ here. Also have 2E1IDT and KE5WUL. Probably ought to get on the air more...

[Octo]

Another one here, a W5. The fountain pens came first, but I'm OOTC.

[kreinhard]

And a W8 here. Haven't had an antenna up in years, though. 73s...

[dasXFnib]

Retired broadcast announcer/engineer here....FCC 1st in 1980 (grandfathered to "General" in 1985!!!)....Ham since 1967 (WA1NBI)....

Mostly radio work, but did do 2 years at a local TV....and worked "back-up" for the Channel 4 transmitter that shared blockhouse space with the FM I was paid to service in Texas!!!!

Stayed in the "biz" for 30 years.....it got to be "work" instead of "fun"....that's when I saw the writing on the wall...

Last stint was with New Hampshire Public Radio....got paid for engineering, announcing was voluntary...!!

--.../...--! (If you can "read' that....you're a REAL Ham -- with (likely) a good "fist"!!!

 

Always try to get the dibs....on fountain pens with EF nibs!!

[Sandy Fry]

K1LTY here. Don't get on air much these days though.

 

David

[Paperlate]

KB1GEI here and I enjoy using my dad's old fountain pens and his old Drake 7 line station. He's a silent key now.

Edited November 8, 2015 by Paperlate

[Bisquitlips]

I am also a new HAM that loves fountain pens. However, I am but a lowly Technician for now but will definitely get my General soon and then .... watch out world! I am thinking about getting the Yaesu 897D to keep things portable and match it up with a good portable antenna initially and AT. I have my future eye on a nice Yaseu FT 897 for the shack but my mind is easily changed. I am thinking about going under the eaves of my house or in the attic for that rig as my HOA doesn't favor visible antennas in our subdivision. Lots of research ahead for me, but that is half the fun.

 

Kilo Delta Zero Yankee Charlie Delta clear and moniitoring!

[Renfield]

The only ham I have is in a sandwich

 

but glad some people keep amateur radio alive

[Ink Stained Wretch]

I almost got into ham radio. I had tried when I was a kid, got a practice code key, a book about amateur radio and all, but it was too expensive then.

 

In my Signal Corps training I got up to 21 wpm on CW and was trying out 23 wpm when the training ended.

 

I probably shouldn't get into why I didn't get a license when I'd become a civilian again. But I have my computer monitor on top of my old FRG 7700 communications receiver. I did SWL for some time.

 

I'd be lucky to copy code at 5 wpm now. And I have probably forgotten all of the technical stuff I used to know. Well, I still have fountain pens .

[ac12]

KH6JRB/6

 

I was told, keeping my KH6 prefix was worth 6db in a pileup...and they were right :-)

But I have not pressed a mike key in years :-(

Got my license when I was in college.

 

I still have my mother's Parker 51 desk set, that I used in college.

Although today, my fountain pens are all over the map in terms of brands and types. My latest interests are Parker Vacumatics and combination pens (fountain pen/mechanical pencil).

Edited November 9, 2015 by ac12

[Ron Z]

I did SWL for some time

Is this still viable today? I haven't bought a WRTH for years.

 

I still have my Sony ICF-7600d, and it still works. Haven't sat down for a long time. I think I got discouraged when the BBC shut down their Canadian relay stations, and then HCJB went off the air. As computers and streaming became more popular, I think that the English language broadcasts diminished. I still remember sitting at my Heathkit receivers in Jr High and High school, headphones clamped to my head, listing to the BBC and other broadcasts. Radio Moscow and its rhetoric was always entertaining. I haven't had a good place to put up a long line antenna for quite some time though.

[2n7000]

Been a ham for 20+ years and still very active on CW. Have always used a paper log book which is filled out with a fountain pen.

[Eduardo]

73 from Brazil !!!

 

 

My callsign is PU2LXT

 

You are invited to https://www.qrz.com/db/PU2LXT

[Brotzmann]

N9UIO here.

I have my Tech class Ham (since 93) and I actually have an FCC Broadcast license for commercial band radio as well.