A friend of mine, Paul, N1PSX, and I drove to ARRL HQ yesterday for a visit. It was Paul’s first trip, and the first time in a long time for me (my father and I visited in 1982 when we took our Extra exams).
ARRL Welcome Sign for Paul and Bob
Jon, KC1ECT was our tour guide and it took us about 3 hours to visit many departments and see the W1AW station. I had a chance to chat with Debra Johnson, the Education Services Manager, about our outreach activities in RI. And very nice folks helped Paul and me check in QSL cards for DXCC and WAS (A special Thank You to Sharon and Gloria).
There were lots of historical items on display and wonderful stories about gear that was designed for publication purposes (Tuna Can II). There were several HW-16s stashed in various offices, lots of other Heathkit gear and Collins gear, but something that caught my attention was a Central Electronics 20A — my first SSB radio transmitter.
Central Electronics 20A SSB Transmitter (20 watts out)
A surprisingly emotional experience was seeing my father’s memorial brick in the Diamond Terrace (one of several I’ve had placed over the years). I had only seen it in my mind’s eye before. Seeing it in the terrace brought back a flood of memories about weekly QSOs and I could hear his voice again — He’s been gone so long and I miss him so.
Memorial Brick for my father, KC2ON/WA4SAU at ARRL HQ
Everyone at ARRL HQ was extremely outgoing and helpful. What a great group of people working on our behalf — making radio fun for us day in and day out. Paul and I are planning to return for a full day of W1AW operation.
