A ham radio story about a 25 year old radio
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- Опубликовано: 29 авг 2020
- I tell the story of a 25 year old Kenwood TH-22AT. I also try to make my first contact with this radio.
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This video dedicated to KB9KBL (SK)
Dude. Made me cry. More than just a great story. You have honored you dad’s memory wonderfully. 73.
You can clearly see your love, loyalty towards your father and something so simply as a radio can bring such emotions flooding back. Thank you for sharing your story.. Dafydd M6ULU United Kingdom
What an amazing story. I was choked at one point. You have a very special radio there - keep it safe. By the way, Convoy was huge here in the UK and across Europe too. It was definately a cutlural movement across the globe. Every Sunday afternoon me and a friend would sit in my dad's car out on the drive talking to mobile stations and sometimes making "eyeball" contact. We had a family friend who was a ham and I never forgot the joy of visiting his shack and thats why a year ago I got my first ham licence and now studying for the next.
As it happens, I just found my TH-22AT from when I was a teenager. I took it apart and cleaned it, and modified a RC car battery for it. To my pleasure not only does it still work, but it has better receive than my UV-5R!
First, so sorry to hear about your dad.
Second, Convoy the song was in 1975. Inspired a movie, Convoy, in 1978.
In 1966 my Dad enrolled both of us in a prep class to get our Ham Radio license. This was in the day of Novice licenses with a year to upgrade. Dad's Brother, my Uncle was a general license and we were CBer's. At age 7 we both passed and got our call signs, (wish to God I could remember mine, I did find Dad's), but with no radio we were never able to upgrade. Skip forward several decades and my wife and I decided to get our licenses AFTER the FCC dropped the code requirement. ( Morse always gave me a SPLITTING headache) I honestly believe Dad was proud of both of us but he was burned out on the process. As both he and I were in emergency services, (Law Enforcement) he got an Alinco DJ-580T that we modified for our agency frequencies and I had an Icom IC-2A. ( don't care if the FCC approves or not, we did our local area protection well.) I lost Dad several years ago and recently came across his 580. You are right, I need to get a power source for it and get it programmed to local repeaters and contact someone on it. Thank you for your story Sir.
CB's were so popular in the 70's, they were even used in Dukes of Hazard, TV show. Also filmed here in Georgia! That sparked the next generation of people, into getting into CB & Ham Radio.
Great story from a great son. 73 from the San Francisco Bay Area.
I am so sorry for your dad. You made me cry Brian.
Great story Brian, loved hearing it and you telling it with obvious emotion. I have an amateur license now but actually started back in the 70's listening to shortwave radio on my Dad's Zenith Transoceanic. It's an awesome radio that my Dad and I listened to in my childhood. Deutsche Welle, Radio Sophia, Radio Nederland, VOA, Radio Moscow and many more. My Dad is gone but I have that radio, still works and occupies a prominent spot in my shack. 73 from Jasper GA...KO4FPF
Thanks for sharing this story. I'm sorry to hear about your Dad. My Dad passed away almost five years ago. I still have a lot of his stuff and I understand the joy of the items people left behind. We remember them through the things they leave us. I have one radio that I may never get rid of. Its an Alinco DJ-130T. When I became a ham in 1993 I bought a handheld at a hamfest. I tested and passed. I had to wait eight weeks before my call sign came in. I bought this Alinco mobile for my vehicle. I have had it every since. It was moved indoors a few years ago. Recently I had a problem with my current mobile (Alinco DJ-605) I put the 130 back in the truck. Its still dependable. It has an LED out and is not as bright but it still works. I love the old radio's that I first started out with. I bought a Radio Shack HTX-202 last year. Its the third one I've owned through the years. My last two radios I purchased are a Icom IC-2A and ADI AT-201. I hope you find someone to work on the old Kenwood.
Lovely story about your Dad thanks for sharing.
Great story. Have you considered reaching out to Kenwood? I know it's slightly out of warranty but perhaps a heart felt explanation of why you would greatly appreciate a repair might grease the wheels a little.
Nice story.
I've got 3 of those little Kenwood TH-22AT's that we've had since the mid 1990's.....they are a fantastic radio. I have one that just recently stopped working on the battery, however, and will only come on when plugged into charger. Even with a fresh battery, still nothing. The other two are still fine. I got my General Class License in 1990. Have a brother, father who have tech licenses, and my mother is an Extra Class License holder. My Grandparents (Extra and Advanced Class licenses)got us all interested in Ham Radio in the late 80's. Great Hobby.
What a great story! Thinking about getting a license myself although i am less than a novice. Hopefully there are more operators out there like yourself!!
1992, my first radio was an Alinco DJ-580T. Just weeks before I got my ticket.
Nothing like a radio with a good story! Thanks for sharing. Hope its an easy fix. 73's N0MLP
Fingers crossed!
Absolutely loved the story. Plain to see your love for your dad, greatly respect that.
What a great story - perfect gift - and such a fine son
Love the story, hate that the radio isn't operational right now. I don't have quite as awesome a story, but I do have a piece of CB history in my Dad's old Midland 13-879B base unit. Like your dad, he was pretty big into CB in the late 70s to early 80s. I remember the 30ft mast with what I believe was a half-wave vertical on top, and the 5-element beam beside the house. By the time I was old enough to really talk on CB he'd dismantled those so I ended up starting out on an old 23 channel mobile and very mismatched scanner antenna given to me by my grandfather...Never made a single contact outside the farm with that rig, but I could hear people from miles away all day long. Anyhow, fast forward a few years and I saved up enough to buy a usable antenna for Dad's radio and I was finally on the air. Used it for a few years, but by the 90's things had died off to the point nobody local was talking anymore so I shelved it. I got it back out a few years ago, but by now the electronics inside have faded to the point it really doesn't work anymore. I've since moved on to amateur radio, sitting for the exam back in July and passed both the technician and general in one try (amazing since I'd only started studying the general material about a week before the exam and wasn't cramming or anything.) I don't have the budget for a proper HF rig at the moment, so I'm mainly talking on a tiny VHF/UHF mobile (along with the obligatory UV-5R!) at the moment, so the old Midland CB is on my desk acting as a placeholder for the HF radio I plan to get early next year. I'm exploring into digital a bit, and have recently started working on Echolink so keep an ear out for me on your local repeater, I'd love to QSO with you some day. 73 for now, and I'll be clear - N4HCF
Keep that Midland around even when you get your HF rig. Thanks for sharing the story! I monitor both NFARL echolink repeaters often. Join our tech net Monday nights at 8:30 eastern time. I’m on most weeks. Go to NFARL.org for details and a discord link. 73
Keep us updated on your old Kenwood! It's past time we all went ham radio. Have boxes of cb and old radio equipment that belonged to my great uncle in the old family home where I now live. Just know I saw some old handhelds there. Saved your post to use as my guide and will join the club online. Many, many thanks! My great uncle is cheering somewhere up there and saying, 'About time!'.
This was very heartfelt, I am sorry it didn’t work, for you this time but I am glad you found your radio! I recently got my Technician’s license (2/16/21) and one of my main reasons for interest in the hobby was my grandpa. I never got to know him well, he died when I was just a baby over 30 years ago, but my Mom has passed along a lot of stories. One of note to her has always been seeing him with his ham radio in the early 1960’s. He did a lot of communication using CW, and absolutely drove his wife/my Mamaw NUTS with his radio. One day while she was out, he wired up speakers throughout the house so he could monitor the frequencies regardless of the room he was in, which my mom found hilarious. She remembers being a little girl and sotting on his lap as he would talk or tap out messages. I guess he ended up getting out of the hobby in the 60’s as well, and he sold his equipment and everything. Once I started seriously considering getting into Amateur Radio a couple of years ago (took me a while to take the plunge), I really wanted to know his call sign and see if it was available, or get on a waiting list for it. I never could fond what it was, we’ve never found it written down and my mom doesn’t remember it. But it really made passing my Technician exam even more special to me.
On a lighter note, I remember when I was a kid in the 90’s every time we took a trip we’d use the CB’s to communicate with other people traveling with us, or to monitor traffic on channel 19. Once everyone got cell phones that died out but I miss it to this day.
When I finally decided to pull the Trigger & get MY Ham license, I jumped in with both feet.
I sat at my General Class a bit longer than planned. I got the fire under me re-lit, and bought the Advanced Study Guide. That was on a Monday. That Saturday, I passed my Advanced. The following Monday, I got the Extra Class Question Pool. The following Saturday I passed my Extra. I went from My General to my Extra in just 7 Days-When code was still a requirement!
Heartwarming story, hope you figure it out
What a beautiful story, Brian! I hope you were able to fix your Dad's old radio. Great video!
Congratulations on finding the radio thats awesome. My two elmers both who I grew up knowing have gifted me there hf rigs and a bunch of Miscellaneous gear. Im honored to have such gear now just to figure out how to use it all effectively
Great story, love your vids!
This video came with a bunch of feelings, that sounds like me lol, my great grandfather was a operator and I saw a test session on Saturday, Thursday night I started studying, two days later I passed and one day later I had my license
Thanks for sharing the nice memories of your dad and your amateur radio origin stories. :)
I have not thought about the song "Convoy" for years! I was just a kid when it came out, but it was all over the radio and the lyrics were like a foreign language (I still remember how much I laughed when the singer kept calling himself "Rubber Duck"). In jr. high (middle school) had a couple of friends who were really into CB, but it didn't really interest me. In high school a close friend introduced me to amateur radio. I thought it was really interesting, but I didn't get my amateur radio license until I was almost 40... a couple of my friends were into it, but this time, I thought it was interesting and cool enough to get licensed. I had to pass the 5 WPM code test to get my General. I only made a few contacts using CW but to date, I made my sole Australian contact using it. I still remember the code even though I haven't used it in years.
Wow... I came here to watch a HAM radio video, and I did. But I didn't expect to get so emotional. I loved the story :)
Great tribute to your Dad! Hopefully you can get the radio to work. I know whether you get it to work or not it will bring back memories of your Dad.
KF0AFX
Great story friend. Im glad you following your dad's passion. All the best to you.
Hey I just was gifted that radio yesterday and I was able clear it but have not got it to work yet bummer this is so cool to have I did get the manual but have not figured it out yet I will not give up... convoy was one of my number one songs ha ha, I really like your talk on it and to find out how old it is and how old I have gotten too CB was big back then. thank you again Russ
Great story and video.
Sorry for your loss. I bought this same radio at a pawn shop 20 years ago and never could figure out how to set it up and I put it away till today a friend gave me a Baofeng and it will key up but wouldn't receive. I don't have the rechargeable type battery pack mine just has 4 AA batteries still haven't figured all the buttons out but it looks like it transmits on one frequency and receives on another I just found the printed instructions. So I will be reading in to the evening.
Thanks for the story.
As always, great video. Watching you from Spain!
Great story! 👍👍
That’s awesome!!! I was first licensed back when CW was required as a Novice and then let my license lapse for too long years later. I was relicensed in 2011 as KK4CQE, which is really awkward in a contest, so I took the vanity call sign, K4IDK (I Don’t Know). I’m not far from you so one day we may meet or talk to each other. 73, and enjoy the radio.
Great story! 👍
25 year old stuff likely has bad capacitors. That could be an easy fix. Hope so.
awesome story
Good story, it's great that you have a memento after your father. Would be even better to get it to working condition.
What a beautiful story. Keep the love for the radio. I hope in my travels one day I make a contact with you.
i hope you can get it to work, made me sentimental as well! I hope it can be fixed as well.
I am subscribed to your channel because of this very awesome display of helpful character you put out on youtube! I don't have my callsign yet but when i receive it this week I will comment on a video of yours so we can echolink!
James 73
Awesome story! My grandfather took me to a ham expo somewhere in NE Georgia when I was about 6 years old. At the time I thought it was some sort of convention where they displayed ham and we went in the morning and I was starving so it seemed very logical!!!
Well, I was very disappointed until we went to a restaurant. Anyway, fast forward to about 1.5 years ago when I got my Tech Ticket and started using my Baofeng Amazonian special! I told my grandfather I passed and was making contacts and he wanted me to have a proper radio so he gave me an Icom IC-T90A 2m/70cm/6m HT. Now the Baofeng is my back up and the Icom is my daily!
Hope you get it figured out.
Special radio. Special son.
Hey Brian! I m so sorry to hear about your Dad’s passing away. May God Rest his soul. You must have been a very very good son. No question about it.
Just a point here. I am almost positive that this Kenwood Radio is the same Radio made for Radio Shack in the early to mid 1980’s. I owned three of them then and have checked but I obviously have sold everything I had with them as well as the the radios themselves.
It was Radio Shack model 212 if I remember well. Can’t think of the prefix. So check out ebay and search for it. You may be able to find a new battery but they weren’t very good anyway. They were Nicad products. But if you can find a battery case that’ll be the best product anyway. That’s all I used in the latter times with my units anyway.
I love your channel and thanks for sharing my friend.
Wesley Kicker KC5FTT
Nice....
You might hook it to a watt meter.
Great story, of your fathers bequest to you, and your inspiration to get into ham radio. Have you got the old radio working yet?
Wow! I've been looking at several of your videos and they are all done quite well, but this one choked me up a bit. You are an excellent storyteller and your love and devotion for your Dad clearly came through in this one. Really like your style, you never come across as being arrogant in any way. It's easy to see that you enjoy the Hobby and imparting the things that you've learned during your Journeys. Follow up video please when you get that sucker fixed and make that first Contact in honor of your dad. By the way did you ever try to get his callsign and make it yours as a vanity? 73 de KD2PGJ
Thanks for the compliments. I considered taking my dads call, but He always taught me to be my own man. It is a good random FCC call though. If you notice I use the same letters ;)
Regarding your father's radio, you may want to checj and see if it may be in Transmit Inhibit mode.
Great story, I was a big CB radio operator as a kid and on and of till my 40s, still have most of my equipment. I also never took the Ham Radio licence test becouse of the Morris code part of the test very intimidated because I was dyslexic, when I found it's not part of the test anymore I been working hard on taking the test.
Take care, let us know when you get it fixed would love to see you make a contract with it.
Hi... I had a little experience with an old HT like you I have 2 Icom radios T-90 trying to program the shift, and CTCSS so it'll only work on simplex at this time... Hope you can resolve your problem and get it working, 73's N1WCO...
hi brian in denmark can i use a baofeng uv 5 r as a cb , opdate t you in us.
what is the antenna that you are using for th22? mine was broken. so i need new one.
Do you have the manual for it? If not, I would guess it is available on the internet. My guess is the first thing you might check to see if there is a transmit AND a receive PL tone. Both would have to be set. You can always check to see if you can receive 146.52 on a nearby HT. If these suggestions don't work, contact Kenwood repair. Because of the sentimental value, it would be worth getting repaired. All the best. 73.
Thanks, I confirmed TX was broke by trying 146.52 simplex with nearby radio.
@@HamRadioInAction I sincerely hope you can get it fixed.
Any updates on it? May need some repairs. Definitely not worthy of throwing it out.
Why don't you try getting Your dads call sign ?
It shows to be expired and available and as a family member you can request it for yourself.
Never really
I had one of those until it got stolen I miss my TH22 used to use it a lot for railroad monitoring wish somebody was giving one of these away I would use it