You may ask yourself, "why Byberry Alumni ARC?" Well, If you lived in the Philadelphia Area, back before about 1990, you were familiar with "Byberry," also known as the "Philadelphia State Hospital," also called by the ignorant, the "Byberry Lunatic Asylum." Yes, Byberry was a hospital for those with Mental Illness. I lived there from 1947 until 1964, but not as a patient. My father was Eugene L. Sielke, MD, the Superintendant of the Hospital, (also known as W3IYQ) and we lived right on the grounds. Safest place in Philadelphia, we never locked the door. Any Ham who was staff or patient during those years, please contact me HERE for membership info.

 

I was first licensed in February 1958, at the tender age of 13, as KN3HLU. Started off with a Knight Kit R100A Receiver.

Transmitter was a Globe Chief 90A. Both were my first attempts at Kit building.

 

Later that summer, after my 14th Birthday, I was taken to Cortland Street, in the old Radio Row section of New York. (Where the ill-fated WTC Towers were later built). I got a nice, used NC-183D receiver, to replace the R100A. The catch was, I had to carry it on the Subway and train, back to Trenton, NJ.

 

 

I passed my General Class in September 1958, and finally got to try "phone" with a Eico 730 modulator, added to my Globe Chief.

Plus, I got a Heath VF-1 VFO.

 

 

 

  A few years later, I built my most ambitious kit, a Heath "Apache" TX-1.

 

Also added the SB-10 SSB adapter.

Meanwhile W3IYQ moved up to one of the early (SN #570) KWM-2 transceivers. (I still have it!). I then got his old HRO-50T, which was a terrific receiver.

This is the rig I used at home until I went away to Lehigh University in 1962. I still used it until my Dad retired in 1964, and moved to Richboro, PA. In 1966, I received my commission in the USAF, and was off to my first duty assignment at Perrin AFB, TX. I had bought a new 1966 Mustang, and for graduation, I received a Swan 350. I used this rig even overseas, in Iceland, where I was TF2WKT for a year, and after I returned to Tyndall AFB, FL in 1968.

 

I remained K3HLU until 1973, when I changed to W7JEF, while stationed in Great Falls, MT.

 

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