[Heath] AR-3...

[Glen Zook]

I didn't even know what a QF-1 was when I had my first AR-3!  The receiver was "traded in" during the 3-months between taking my Novice Class examination and actually receiving the license (mid February 1959 until the end of May 1959).  I did obtain a QF-1 and installed it it my Hallicrafters S-85 which was my 3rd "real" receiver.  I do have several QF-1 units these days but haven't hooked up one of those to my AR-3.

For antennas, I had several end fed wires going in different directions and of various lengths.  Those were connected through switches obtained from TV chassis that the owner, of a garage shop TV repair shop, less than a block from my parents house gave me.  He kept me in as many chassis as I could "haul off"!  The shop owner invited my father, and I, down to hear Sputnik on his Hallicrafters S-40A and gave me, for my bedroom, a better TV set than what was in the living room!  Orville was quite the character!  He was a graduate EE but worked handing out tools at the local Allis-Chalmers plant, repaired televisions, and wrote books!

I logged quite a number of shortwave broadcast stations and still have the QSL cards from most of those stations!  My bedroom was in a finished attic and, at night, I would either turn down the volume or, after I got some headphones, used them, to listen to stations when I was supposed to be asleep!  Occasionally, I would listen to amateur radio operators.  Of course, the late 1950s were the heyday of shortwave broadcasting and there were stations "wall to wall".

My father got a new heating oil customer, who lived 5-blocks from the house, who was an amateur radio operator.  That was K9BPV (ex W2ZSK).  My father arranged for me to go over to Dave's house.  I already knew the International Morse code (from Boy Scouts) but was real slow in receiving.  Dave worked with me for a couple of weeks, passed me on the code examination, and sent off for the Novice Class examination.

Looking back, the AR-3 was not that great of a receiver.  However, it was better than the Hallicrafters S-38 series and light years better than the National SW-54!

 Glen, K9STH 
Website: http://k9sth.net
 

      From: Kenneth G. Gordon <kgordon2006 at frontier.com>
 To: Glen Zook <gzook at yahoo.com> 
Cc: Heath <heath at puck.nether.net>
 Sent: Friday, January 22, 2016 7:51 PM
 Subject: Re: [Heath] AR-3...
   
Yes. Of course. My first "good" receiver was an S-41G. That should tell you
something. My next "good" receiver was a borrowed S-38D. Finally, my Mom
bought me a used BC-348 and **I** was in 7th heaven!

Do you remember your experiences with it? Could you tell me about some of
those? Also, did you ever use the QF-1 with it?

  
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