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WACKY WING DING REWIND

By Billy Williams, N4UF

After the Wacky Wing Ding Society formed, the first certificates were distributed in 1957.   I have seen three versions, there may have been more. Record keeping then was not very good.  

Apparently, whenever a new WWD certificate administrator took over, the appearance changed and a new certificate number sequence began with #1.

Some hams had multiple certificates with different numbers.  This was not a problem since numbers were not required to be submitted in order for newcomers to qualify for their own certificates.  Only a listing of seven Jacksonville stations contacted... callsign, time, date, mode, etc. for each contact on their application.

About the same time, another local ham group, the Jacksonville Amateur Radio Society (JARS), introduced a certificate similar to the Wacky Wing Ding but without a humorous angle. JARS had a reputation for being a much more serious group. 

The Wacky Wing Ding Society held nets, usually on 15 meters, to discuss club matters.  But being billed as the Wacky Wing Dingers did not help when promoting local ham radio's capabilities and public activities.

The Wacky Wing Ding Society became the North Florida Amateur Radio Society in late 1960.  For a year or so, this group had two names--Wacky Wing Dingers as the internal name and North Florida Amateur Radio Society for external publicity purposes.

The WWD group title and certificate program faded fast. No certificates were issued between 1963 and 1975. When I first joined NOFARS in 1964, mention of WWD, the certificate or organization, was rare at meetings or on the air. 

Before 1975, there were no scheduled WWD certificate nets.   WWD certificate numbers had very little significance until the current series of WWD certificates picturing the Jacksonville skyline began in 1975.    

I became NOFARS president in January 1975 and one of my primary projects was to revive the dormant WWD program. Because of the duplication and confusion surrounding previously-issued WWD numbers, I started with the W4IZ club call as WWD #1.  Subsequent numbers from #2 up were earned by checking into the Monday night WWD net on 28.690 MHz.

There was a ten-week qualification period in early 1975.  Operators checking into weekly WWD net sessions got the lowest numbers based on how many times they checked in. More check-ins by an operator led to a lower number when the first certificates were issued.

I didn't expect to issue over a hundred certificates locally.  Activity would probably fade away after two or three years. I went out on a limb and ordered five hundred custom WWD certificates, probably way too many.   But was I wrong!  

Numbers 1 to 100 were  initially set aside for locals; out-of-town WWD numbers starting with 101. 

One of the advertisers on a local top-40 music station where I did DJ airshifts was a printer.  When I went to pick up the certificates, the owner loaded me up with an extra 1500.  Proved to be a fortunate gesture!

When the original 100 local WWD numbers ran out, I skipped up to #1001 for local qualifiers. Today, we are past #1500.

Attracted by the rise in popularity of Ten-Ten and its awards, several hundred hams worldwide have qualified for WWD certificates. Over the years, members like Gaylord, WH2AAT; Bob, KB4WEC; Wayne, WB4YTJ; John, KA4REY and a dozen or so other stalwarts have kept the WWD  program going.

1975: FIRST WWD NET

The first regular WWD net was on Monday, January 6, 1975. No certificate numbers had yet been assigned. 

Net Started at 7:50pm on 28.690 MHz. Net Control: Billy, WA4UFW (N4UF)
Check ins: Skip, WB4DAD; Bob, WB4BYJ; Pete, WB4IAH; Walt, K4IEJ; Ken, W4BWX; Jeff, WB4SCA.

Net concluded at 8:45pm.

FEBRUARY 1975

We go waaaayyyyyyback over forty years to only the fifth WWD Net ever held.  No numbers had yet been issued since the first ones were based on the number of check-ins over the first ten weeks.

Monday, February 3, 1975  Net Started: 8:10PM  Net Ended: 10:00PM  28.690 MHz  NCS: WA4UFW
Check-ins:  WB4DAD, WB4SCA, K4IEJ, WA4GAB, WB4LEQ, WB4MWQ, WA4VZF, WA4EYU, WB5FII (Houston TX), WA5JDU (TX); WB4SCA
Spotty ten meter opening to Texas during this early WWD Net.

NOVEMBER 1977

Monday, November 14, 1977 on 28.690 MHz  Net Control: N4UF   Start: 8PM  End: 9:30PM

A spotty ten meter band opening westward brought in two operators from Texas, otherwise all local operators for this session of the NOFARS Wacky Wing Ding Net. 

Check-ins: WA4GAB (WWD#5); WB4RIS (81); WA4GYJ (47); N4VU (58); WD4ITK (74); WD4KFY (85); W4DRM (45); K4KUU (31); WA4DOL (64); WD4JWR (86); W2KGI (41); WB4QBM (83);  K4YTB (79); W4SZ (19); WD4BII (89); WD4BIW (78); WA4TKW (75); WD4ETG (80); WB4QVK (66); WA5JDU (226); WB5ZMX.

DECEMBER 1977

Monday, Dec. 5, 1977  28.690 MHz. USB  Start: 7:55PM  End:  9:00PM  Net Control: N4UF

Check Ins:  N4VU, WD4KFY, WD4ETG, WA4GAB, W4SZ, WA4QCX, W2KGI/4, WA4GYJ, WA4TUB, K4KUU, WD4BII, W0MKP/4, K4DDY, WD4BIW, WD4DYV, WD4FJC, W4CTW

All local check-ins.

Monday, December 19, 1977  Net Started: 7:48pm  Ended: 9:10pm  NCS: N4UF  Freq: 28.690 MHz.

Check-ins: W4DRM, WD4KFY, W2KGI/4, K4DSH, WB0MPH (Kansas City), WB5ZOI (Okla City), K4KUU, W6ECI/0 (Mo); WA4GYJ, WB4QBM, WD4ETG, WA4ONA, WD4ITK, WD4FJC, WD4JWR

This session it was Missouri and Oklahoma coming through on ten meters.

APRIL 1978

Monday, April 17, 1978 on 28.690 MHz  Net Control: N4UF  Start 7:58PM  End: 10:38PM

Poor ten meter propagation--all local operators on this session of the NOFARS Wacky Wing Ding Net.

Check-ins:  W4DRM (WWD #45); W2KGI (41); WA4GYJ (47); WD4ITK (74);  WD4BIW (78); WA4WPQ (53); WD4ETG (80); W4SZ (19); K4KUU (31); K4BSX (1002); WD4OCI (1001); WA4QBW (100); W4MET (98); K4YNK (84); WA4IKJ (1003); WD4JWR (86); WD4MDM (1010); K4YTB (79); WA4NKA; WB4QVK (66); WD4IYR (1021); WD4AGA (97); WB4WYX (70)

MAY 1978

Monday, May 1, 1978  28.690 MHz. USB    Start: 7:50PM   End: 10:34PM   Net Control: N4UF

Check Ins: Bob, WD4BIW; Carl, WA4WPQ; Bob, WA4GYJ; Perry, W4DRM; Bob, W2KGI/4; Maxine, K4KUU; Linda, WD4OCI; John, N4VU; Tex, W4MET; Harold, WA4VZF; J.M., W4GRQ; Ed, WB4QVK; Wayne, WB4YTJ; Steve, WD4ITK

WWD NET REWIND:  Monday, May 15, 1978   28.390 MHz.  NCS: N4UF  Start: 7:53PM   End: 10:11PM

Check Ins:  K4KUU, WA4QBW, W4SZ, W2KGI/4, K4BSX, WD4ETG, W4ZTW, WA4WPQ, WD6BGG (Oakland CA), WD4BIW, WD4AGA, WB4MWQ, W7KFA (Bullhead City AZ), W4MET, WB7TWM (Tucson AZ), WB4YTJ, K4YTB, WB6OZT (CA), WB4QVK, K4YNK, WB4RUT, W4PTT, WB4UKX
Spotty ten meter propagation to Arizona and California during this session of the WWD net.

SUMMER 1979

1979 was a year when bands were hot. A net log from Monday, August 26th indicates 30 check-ins to the WWD net on 28.690 MHz. Apparently, ten meters was not open that night as only local stations were recorded in the log.

The net started at 2000 (8pm EDT) and concluded at 2216 (10:16pm EDT). These were the check ins:

N4UF Billy WWD #2 (Net Control); W4IZ WWD #1; WD4MDM Pat WWD #1010; WD4ETG Bob WWD # 80; WA4WPQ Carl WWD #53; WD4LSE Bob WWD #1019; WA4EYU Charlie WWD #6; WB4BMB J.H. WWD #1007; WD4AIP Eric; WA4GYJ Bob WWD #47; WD4ITK Steve WWD #74; WD4IYR Dave WWD #1021; K4KUU Maxine WWD #31; KA4GVK Win WWD #1018; WB1ELI/4 Dick WWD #1028; KA4FYC Bill WWD #1020; WD4KGV Don WWD #1016; W4JL Jim WWD #29; WD4JWR Fred WWD #86; KN4Y Ed WWD #66; W4MET Tex WWD #98; W4DRM Perry WWD #45; W4PTT Pete WWD #50; KA4FPO Curtis WWD #1027; KF4S Gary WWD #1015; W2KGI/4 Bob WWD #41; N4BFX Tom WWD #1022; WD4KKF Margie; WD4OCJ Joe WWD #1023; WD4IGP Jack WWD #1017.

In 1979, there was no two meter WWD net. Novices did not have ten meter privileges. The current WWD frequency 28.390 MHz. was CW only then.

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