..as recalled by Bob Kellogg, from 2016 email message to the KL reflector.
I attended what I think was the first meeting of the Knightlites. I think it was in 1995, or even 1996. My memory is foggy about those days, but It was in Durham, at the home of David Johnson. The freeway was being built around Durham, and I had a heck of a time finding David's house. There were about seven of us present. Of those, only Gary O'Neil, Paul Stroud and I remain in this area and active. We have, however, picked up some great members since then. The highlight of the meetings was the "show and tell". All members seemed to be active builders, and something exciting was always being shown. For us, the important thing resolved was that we'd pattern our club after the NorCal club, that is, no officers, no dues, just meeting to swap info and share fun. If one member wanted to do something special, like put an Island on the air, he'd just do it, and invite other members to participate if they wished.
I think we put together the KnightSMiTe just to show the world there was another active club having fun besides the NorCal club. We shipped over 700 of those kits. Several went overseas. Far circuits made the boards for the KnightSmite, and I believe Far still sells the boards as part of his business. (He did the last time I was at Dayton)
The Keylite was next, and not as successful. We shipped less than a hundred of those. (In my recent move, I ran across the remaining boards (anybody want them?) and a few parts, including some programmed eproms) I had a working Keylite, which was passed on to Dick Hayter, I think.
At one time, somebody published a membership list, and we had members from all over the U.S. Some from the north even checked into our net. I seem to remember a hearing Canadian member once or twice, and someone in the new England area made it almost weekly.
Best Wishes,
Bob Kellogg, AE4IC
Greensboro, NC