National Capital Chapter 70 - Ottawa, Canada
VE3WB Biography 
William (Bill) Benson - SK - QCWA# 9810 (Silent Key)
Background
Bill grew up in the East York part of Toronto.
Education / Employment History
- 1938-1939 Bill was a radio operator aboard ships on the Atlantic coast, St Lawrence River and Great Lakes (Both Spark and CW)
- 1939 - He joined Department of Transport as a radio operator, but over his 25 year career with DOT became a Technician and finally Telecom Area Manager for Ottawa International Airport.
- 1973 - Retired from Dept of Transport.
Amateur Radio History
- 1932 – First licensed as VE3WB. His transmitter was a home-brewed pair of 45 tubes in a TPTG circuit. He believes that his WAC (Worked All Continents) certificate in 1936 was the second in Toronto. At that time his transmitter was a 50 W pair of 210 tubes 1938-1946 - Inactive, due to wartime shipboard radio operator service.
- 1946-1947 - Operated in Northern Ontario using homebrew 807 transmitter.
- 1950-1951 - Operated from Manitoulin Island, Ontario.
- 1951-1965 - Inactive due to heavy DOT travel schedule and unsuitable locations
- 1965-1973 – He began operating again with a Heathkit DX60 Transmitter, and continued with various CW rigs chasing DX. Bill earned DXCC in 1968 and WAZ in 1969. Since then he has bought SSB gear and works 80-10 M, mostly to keep in touch with old acquaintances.
Additional Information
Bill joined QCWA in 1975 and was a member of Chapter 70 and was active in the 1977 QCWA QSO Party.
He passed away December 9, 1986 at age 71 years.