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I’m Ben, born in Cwmbran Gwent, in 1923. In the Boyscouts I learned the Morse code at the rate of 5wpm, and combined with the fact that my Dad built wireless kits, which were the craze in those days, I became intensely interested in the theory of wireless transmission. On Sunday mornings I did a little work with a Mr Priddle in Pontnewydd, a freelance broadcaster of local news and music.

We built the equipment from scratch, using whatever we could salvage. A 100 watts on the medium waveband

I joined the RN in 1941 as a Radio Telegraphist. In 1946 I was demobbed as an acting chief PO Tel. In 1947 I received my first Ham licensee as GW3DOF. The Naval rating qualified me for the whole thing. I was graded by the RN, 35wpm with a ‘stick!’ yet, no typewriters.

In 1953, my buddy Dave Reed and I got itchy for something different, and so off to Canada we went, with only $60 each. That’s all the government would allow us. I sat my Ham exam in Toronto and received my VE3CWB license. Dave needed a little more time, he was a tank wireless man you see!

Oh yes! I was married before I left Blighty, and Margaret joined me 6 months later. I had friends in the USA, having QSO’d them previously. So off Marg’ and I went to that ‘foreign land’ just to the south. The FCC in the States allowed me to operate with my VE3CWB/W6 for 5 years

I became WB6OOP in 1958, K6LU in 1968 and finally K7XU in Oregon in 1997.

Having your own house is the only way to fly, as my friend Doug Crick GW0WIM/WA7TZG will attest. You can’t ‘get out’ without an antenna, but some people don’t understand that. What do I have now ? A 7element tribander made in Japan by TET, 3el/20, 5el/15, 5el/10. My favorite wire antenna is the 80m Zepp fed with 450 ohm open-wire feeder via a 4-1 high voltage balun. Tunes 80, 40, 30, 20, 17, 15, 12 and 10m, with ‘lotsa’ gain in those lobes.

Yaesu FT 1000D 200watt transceiver, Kenwood TL 922 KW final amp, and a bunch of little rigs for the VHF etc. I’ve never had an antenna higher than 54 feet, although I could have!