The Broadcast Band Verification Collection of
Paul Austin Thomas
The Broadcast Band Verification Collection of |
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I was born January 20, 1932 in Proctorville, Ohio I am the son of David F. Thomas. I began my DX'ing in December 1948 when my father asked me to tune in CKOC in Hamilton Ontario on a special DX program. This was my first verification and I was hooked. There were a great number of stations presenting special DX programs and many clear frequencies had frequency checks by stations on a set schedule. A listener's paradise! My interest was the graveyard frequencies which I thought were more challenging due to their low power (250w) I used my father's equipment most of the time over the next three years till I was taken into military service (52-54). I continued my DX hobby to some degree in the military while stationed at Camp Pickett, Virginia. I returned home and continued my DX hobby, mostly with a small RCA Victor table top radio. I adapted the receiver for headphones with a about a 75 ft copper wire running from my bedroom window to three pine tree, that were in a line where I had installed ceramic eye hooks about 30 feet above ground. My best catch on that was KWIK 1490kc, in Burbank California. I continued DX'ing after I was married in 1955. Our son was born in late 1956 and for all practical purposes my DX'ing ended. I moved to Columbus, Ohio in 1957 for employment reasons and had only a few verifications that year. It seemed to me after my time in the military there were fewer stations that would confirm reception reports. Age and the band changes especially, with so many all-night stations on all frequencies, it doesn't challenge me much for night time listening. . I have not returned to my interest in the hobby other than enjoying the "catches" I read about in the NRC DX News Bulletins. I also enjoy the archives section that is periodically printed in the bulletin that recalls some of the old timers and their activities. My father and I attended a couple of DX conventions, one in Indianapolis and one in Findley, Ohio around 1960. Still have a picture of the occasion...
73's Paul