K. C., W6OB & Helen August 2003

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I took my exam at the Friendly Candy Company (i.e. FCC) office in Los Angeles, CA and was licensed on May 23, 1939 the day of my mothers birthday. The license arrived nine weeks and two days following the test. I lived in Compton at that time and was already "hooked" on chasing DX. The tests for a license at that time were ten questions with essay answers, that's why the nine weeks to check the essay answers. The CW test had just gone from 10 WPM to 13 WPM.  My first transmitter was a 6L6 with an output of about 25 Watts. Everyone at that time was crystal controlled and I had a rock (crystal) for 40 and one for 80 meters. My receiver was a home made TRF, tubes 56, 57 & 58. I later bought a Hallicrafter SX25, a superhet receiver. My antenna at the time was a long wire end fed and about 500ft. long, pointed to Europe on the short path. I worked about 20 entities with that system. I was still living at home with my parents then.  In 1940 I got married and things changed in my Ham operations. That change lasted about a year and on December 7, 1941 things big happened and we were all off the air. I did however tune the receiver during that time. I would often listen to Tokyo Rose and when she would talk to a captive soldier, they would always give their home address. So I would write to the parents and pass along any message the soldier they had for them. That was very rewarding to me and I later found out that one of the 5 Tokyo Roses went to school in Compton before the War.  For the war effort, I took the Cadet exams and passed all the tests, I was not called up before they closed the Cadet Program, so I joined "Uncle Sam Canoe". . My daughter was about six weeks old at that time. I wound up in Squadron VPB 198 chasing Japanese Subs in the Pacific. I was a Radio/Radar operator and got very good at Morse code. The Navy shore operators were 40+ WPM.  After the war, I went back to my job in aerospace. There was a lot of surplus gear available at the right price and most of us built California KW's. I bought a new home in Compton and planted a phone pole about 40 feet high with a 20 meter three element Yagi beam. I put the K.W. in a closet just off the living room, as the two bedrooms were for the two kids (3000Volts)!! This was about the time we were all allowed back on the Ham bands and it was great. I had just bought a new receiver an HQ129x. In 1949, I found Voice communications and got my class "A" license. The Compton Gashouse Gang became active again with DX spots via the LL (land line/telephone). Those LL’s at 2:30 A.M!! was something my wife never understood.  About this time the So. Ca. DX Club was created, and I was elected as the first V.P. of the Cub. Bill Adams was the President and a great guy. I had just received my WAZ #111 dated Mar. 1949 which qualified me as a Charter Member. Things change and in 1953 I moved out of Compton to Palos Verdes. Just "key clicks" away from Don Wallace, W6AM. It was a great location but with limited antennas, so DX was on the side again. I did however have a home made all-band vertical.  In 1964 we moved to Huntington Beach with a job upgrade and I was on the reception committee when President Lyndon Johnson dedicated the facility in 1963. Still no big antenna just a vertical. My job demanded lots of travel, and I had a lot of trouble studying for the Extra class license, but I managed and received the upgrade in August 1969. About 1976, my old Shop Teacher then W6OB became a SK. I wrote a letter to the FCC requesting his call. At that time I was K6PE (pink elephants). Twelve weeks later I received my present call W6OB.  Yet another move as I retired from the Company in 1976 after spending 36 years in the Quality Control phase of the business. I retired as Quality Manager at the McDonnell Douglas’ Huntington Beach facility. Highlights of my job at Huntington, CA, I had lunch with Neil Armstrong in Houston after he came back from the moon. The other biggie, was I received a personal letter from Wernher Von Braun for my efforts in the search for why Ed White and crew, were lost at the Cape in the Apollo 1 fire in 1967  My wife Helen and I spent weeks looking for a place to move. After many looks, we decided to move to Hemet, CA, as it was quiet and laid back. I put up a beam on a 40ft. tower and I was back on the DX hunt. I had a Kenwood TS 940S and a SB200 linear.   As a final comment, I must say, I have taken a lot from the Ham Radio and I have tried to give back some. Being involved with the V.E. Program, I have been in charge of the Program for 16 years and my team has processed some 700 applicants of both new Hams as well as upgrades. I have also been involved with RACES in the valley. Good DXing K.C. Jones, W6OB (ex W6RLN, K6PE) 371 entities, WAZ, 5 Band DXCC, Honor Roll Pictures by: Steve Shane, W6NRQ