Jeff Kadet, K1MOD's
Shack, History, Etc. Page
jkadet@macomb.com

My earliest DX recollections took place in 1955.  A neighbor in Newton, MA had a TV set that
received local WTAO channel 56 in Cambridge.  I remember being amazed that this was a local TV
station that virtually nobody knew about.   I also had a relative who had a Dumont
TV with a continuous tuner from channels 2 to 13 and was amazed at the signals in between the TV channels.

On my 9th birthday in 1956 I got a new Brownie camera and filled up part of the
first roll of film with pictures of TV antennas on top neighborhood houses.
(I don't think this was normal for a 9 year older...)

In 1955-56 I started using my grandmother's old Bakkelite AM-SW tabletop radio for Shortwave and
BCB listening.   The Newton, MA Police Department,  which was right above
the AM broadcast band,  and two-way Boston taxicab traffic around 29 Mc/s, were favorites.
 

 
In 1958 I got a Hallicrafters S-38E.
 

Another "hobby" started in 1955 is collecting TV Guides.
This photo was taken of my collection on about July 21, 1956 (the latest issue in the picture).

Today I make my living buying and selling old TV Guides by mail order and over the internet
at oldtvguides.com.  2012 is my 34th year in business.
 
 

 
This was K1MOD circa 1961.

I became a Novice in 1959 and received the callsign KN1MOD.

Pictured is a Hallicrafters SX-100 (which I still have) and a
Viking Valiant which had 275 watts out on CW and 200 on AM.

The antennas were dipoles and a Mosley TA-33 Jr.  I use the TA-33 Jr. today with the high power modification.
 
 

 
A QSL from 1962 courtesy of K3ZO (ex-W9SZR)
 

My DXCC total was 270 in August, 1965 when my parents so rudely decided to move
to suburban Washington, D.C.  The FCC changed my callsign to W3CRH but thanks
to the Vanity Callsign program I was able to get K1MOD back in 1996.

In 1965 DXCC totals could not be transferred, plus Incentive Licensing later took effect, so I pretty much
lost interest in ham radio and went on to other DXing pursuits, primarily on the AM Broadcast Band and TV.

While AM DXing from Bethesda, MD I logged 1745 stations (callsign changes not counted) from 49 States
(no Alaska) and about 70 countries.  My best catch was probably 2NA on 1510 kilocycles from Australia.
The trusty Hallicrafters SX-100 plus a longwire was used.

I feel grateful to have had the opportunity to DX the AM broadcast band while it
was still possible to hear low powered regional stations from the West Coast on Monday mornings.
Many East, Central, and Mountain time zone stations still signed-off the air back then.
 
 
 

 
Pictured above is Charlie Mellen, W1FH, who has the distinction
of earning  Post-War DXCC certificates #1 on both Mixed and Phone.

W1FH was my idol while growing up and it was fun to watch Charlie and Don Wallace, W6AM
battling it out for top position on the DXCC Honor Roll.

I am pointing the the rarest DX QSL card of all time.  It is from W6ODD/CR8, the only
authorized activity from the now deleted  entity of Damao and Diu.  Only 28 QSOs were made in 1948 and
W1FH made the first.  The QSL next to it is darn rare, too - W6ODD/FI8 from the deleted entity of French India.

(In case you're wondering, Damao was a Portuguese enclave on the west coast of India north of Bombay.
Diu is a small island about 75 miles west of it.)

I have always been interested in DXing history, especially ham radio, AM Broadcast Band, and TV.

One of my prized possessions is an almost complete run of Hugo Gernsback's RADIO NEWS.  I have Vol. 1, No. 1 from July, 1919 when it was originally titled RADIO AMATEUR  NEWS.    July, 1919 was the first month hams were allowed to operate after WW I.  Then in July, 1920 it dropped "Amateur" from the title and became RADIO NEWS.

RADIO NEWS  is a detailed history of how commercial interests tossed amateur radio from its traditional home on longwave and medium wave to the (what they thought then) were the "useless" shortwaves  (anything back then above 1500 kilocycles was considered shortwave).

Mr. Gernsback was a huge influence in persuading the government to allow amateur radio activity after WW1.
The Navy was against it, for example.  But even he jumped ship in July, 1920 after seeing that the future of radio was in broadcasting.
 
 
 

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updated May 6, 2012