What and when did you get hooked on shortwave radios and listening ?

[merlin]

I guess I had a fascination with radio going back to hearing Sputnik 1 beeping over Dad's Stromberg Calson. From there as I got older it was the pocket transistor radio that I used to listen to stations far beyond the little town we lived in.

As I got around 12 I got to use Dad's Zenith to hear aircraft traffic and international shortwave broadcasts. I got out of my parents house by joining the Air Force and as soon as I could move off base I was putting up antennas to feed my new RS DX-390 and scanner.

I still have those radios along with some Icom and Yaesu ham gear. Still going after 67 years from hearing that satellite beeping over the Stromberg Carlson.

I never got to hear Sputnic, but that beep if anyone heard it, would be memory that sticks forever.

 

[GadgetGeek]

For me it started in the 80's with a Sony ICF-2010. Once around that time I caught a phone patch from Air Force One heading to Massachusetts. That was super cool. Had a lot of radios since then but today I mostly monitor with an Icom 7300 & Yaesu FT-DX10.