Every amateur radio operator has an origin story, and mine traces directly back to the mid-1970s in Michigan. As a 15-year-old, I found myself completely transfixed by the magical allure of shortwave radio propagation—listening to distant, exotic signals fade in and out of the atmospheric static. Before long, I knew I wanted to move past listening and actually establish my own technical footprint on the airwaves.
Enter my "Elmer" (radio mentor), a close family friend named Ed McCloud. For months, Ed patiently sat with me, teaching me the core fundamentals of electronics, radio wave theory, and FCC rules. But the biggest hurdle was mastering the mandatory 5 words-per-minute (WPM) Morse code element, training my brain to translate audio dits and dahs into handwritten letters in real time.
When the time came, we sat down at a desk in Ed's basement for a volunteer-administered test—a true rite of passage. I successfully copied the Morse code, aced the written exam questions, and watched as Ed sealed my passing sheets into a formal envelope to mail back to the FCC processing center in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
My license officially debuted in the 1976 54th Edition Callbook under the call sign WN8VBK—the traditional, correct "WN" prefix designating a Novice class operator. However, the real historical twist happened in the subsequent 1977 55th Edition Callbook, where my listing suddenly shifted to WB8VBK!
During late 1976, the FCC was transitioning to its first computerized tracking systems. In the chaos of shifting files, their system accidentally stripped the "N" identifier from thousands of active Novice operators, mistakenly generating "WB" paper license prints instead. Realizing that forcing everyone back would cause an administrative nightmare, the FCC simply decided to leave the error alone. I spent the final 18 to 20 months of my Novice term operating under that premium, accidental WB prefix! Paired with a friend's Hallicrafters SX-110 receiver and my hand-assembled Heathkit DX-60B transmitter feeding a 40-meter roof-line dipole, those early days cemented a lifelong passion for radio heritage.
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