First licensed in 1976, my interest in electronics goes back to the teenage years. Joined the Navy Reserve while still in high school, attended Electronics Technician Class “A” School at Great Lakes, Illinois. Went on active duty and serviced radar and communications equipment aboard US Navy radar picket ships operating in the Southern Ocean, south of Campbell Island at 60 degrees south, 160 degrees east during Operation Deep Freeze, 1965 – 66 and 1966-67. https://60south.net
In 1966, while at sea, I studied for the Conditional Class License, but never took the test. My enlistment ended in 1967 and went into the computer service(s) business from where I retired after 45 years.
Took the Advanced Class test while living in Arlington, Texas, it was given at the Dallas FCC office, sat outside the testing room on a hard wooden bench, waiting to be called by the examiner. In those days the tests were administered by 2 “steely eyed FCC examiners” (as Wayne Greene, W2NSD, described them). They first administered the CW receiving and sending test, then the written test. As I sat for the written test with about 20 other people one of the examiners yelled out “Spinelli you passed the CW test”. A lot different than today’s “high touch” testing process. I remember waiting for my ticket to arrive in the mail with my first call sign. Of course, The Little Print Shop would send you sample QSL cards with your new call sign long before the actual ticket arrived!
Past call signs are: WB5WFD, WD6DLK, and KE6LT, and currently hold ZL1NA, formerly held VK2IXC.
In September, 2016 we moved from Colorado where my station was located at our mountain home, 9,200 feet (2,800 meters) above sea level. Now located in Tucson, Arizona, we have a flat 3.3 acres on the Sonoran Desert, surrounded by many species of cacti, at an elevation of 2,500 feet (760 meters).