K3WWP's Teens - KI6JPX

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Report by Itichai, KI6JPX - NAQCC #2322

Hi! My name is Itichai Tiemsanjai or as my friends call me "itchi." I'm not a hefty writer so bear through my intertwined mess. My call is KI6JPX and I have been licensed since 2007. I am 16 years old no wait! I will soon be 17 on 12/08/08 and I attend Gardena High school. I first got interested into the hobby because I heard from one of my friends that if "your choice was radio, amateur was the way to go." Also building crystal radios were starting to get boring! At first I didn't really believe him as I was on the citizens' band, but I soon realized that my friends were right. The CB band was filled with rude obnoxious people, and I had to get out fast! And this is where amateur radio came came to the rescue, so I went to the bookstore and bought a "A.R.R.L. Technicians License Manual." I studied it for about a month and my mom drove me over to the local VE test site. To my surprise I PASSED the test! So I was granted my license.

Getting on the air hmm.... that was going to take some money... But my dad bought me my first radio the Yaesu 1802m 2m tnsvr. This little compact radio amazed me by its performance when I didn't really know much about it. I recently passed the "no code test" and had much to learn. Working the local repeaters were fine in the beginning but, I later got bored of it and upgraded to General class. I kept my original call, yet I was still a "no code station." With an Icom ic-735 and an inverted vee antenna. It was when I met my elmer Hugh "W6WTU" on 10 meters sideband, and at that time had acquired myself a "1948 ed. of the Radio Amateurs' Handbook" and a tube power supply. That was when CW sparked my mind! And I learned the code...Like Finally! With a little scrounging here and there I built my first contraption. A 40 meter tri-tet oscillator with a 6v6 final and 5 watts output. After I brought it to my elmer's house and he gave me the "thumbs up" I was going to transmit. (I didn't really trust my homebrew because well, it was a transmitter and I had the fear of transmitting out of band.) (Also Hugh has taught me many of the radio fundamentals and theory. Without him, I don't know where I would really be right now.)

Now since I had my first xmtr. I bought a rcvr, because I knew a rice box with my "Vintage rig" wouldn't do. So I picked up a Hallicrafters s-38D, a crummy receiver, but it allowed my first contact. To my code mentor, Paul "N6EV" a fellow neighbor of mine about 2 to 3 miles away. That contact was revolutionary! I was amazed that my little homebrew actually worked! Now I might of down-graded my receiver in a couple of experiments. So I picked up a WW 2 BC-455 command set receiver. It's receiving bandwidth was so wide that I couldn't stand it. I was then gifted with a receiver, the Hammarlund Hq-170A. By my friend Jerry "AC6FC" the "Friendly Cat." The receiver works to this day and is the main backbone to my Vintage station. (8 months later) Until about a month ago I hadn't made a single contact other than to my code elmer. I troubleshooted my problem. It was the antenna system so down came the old and up went the new! I built a 40 meter end fed-Zepp.

Now I started getting results! I made my first out-of-state contact to a ham in Payson, Az. His call was KC6PFR. I will never forget this contact. It practically DX for me having made only a handful of contacts since the completion of the transmitter. By now your probably thinking... Why is this ham dealing with only tube gear, when he has a perfectly fine rice box in his station? Well to answer that question... I enjoy building my own gear as a homebrewer. Sure I could use my rice box all the time and make the uniform 599 contact, but its not the same. Believe me once you get into tubes it's a whole other world. I also find it a pleasure to make contacts out of contraptions built with your own two hands. (hopefully two) Call me a tinkerer if you wish.

Currently, I am working on a new addition to my station. I picked up a E.F. Johnson Viking Pacemaker Transmitter. Its my first real restoration project. Plus I bought this one with my own allowance money so I had to restore it right! I am waiting for the new electrolytic caps. as we speak. Although not a homebrew, this time restoring her to health will be my pleasure.Once I get her to work correctly I will use her to communicate mostly on 40 meters CW, my favorite band. I don't know how I really got here to (CW), but maybe it was all those crystal sets I've built... Anyway's if you hear me calling CQ around 7.050+- or even anywhere give me a Holler! I'm KI6JPX and I hope to see you on the air soon!

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Report written in 2008 when Itichai was 16.

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