RMC's Got Talent: Riding the Airwaves with Ernie Taylor

Submitted by jasmine on Tue, 2011-12-20 15:21


Ray Morgan Company | Redding Technology Solutions | Ernie TaylorFor this blog series, I usually have to write a short introduction based on my rapport with colleagues to give a bit of background on the featured Talent. But this time, there isn't anything I can add that will help you get to know this month's RMC's Got Talent honoree any better than what he can tell you himself. From our Redding, California branch, introducing...Ernie Taylor!

 
 
Tell us a little about yourself and what you do here at RMC: 
I am a printer tech for Ray Morgan Company serving the Redding area. As with most technicians, I do have knowledge of other office machines such as copiers, faxes and scanners which requires me to be versatile in my line of work. Having started back in October of 1994, I have been with RMC for 17 years. I had about 3 years of experience at that point.
 
I was a timber feller for many years before I came to work for RMC. I have had jobs in the past where I operated heavy equipment and other things such as a Caterpillar 980 C bucket loader, 955 track loader, caterpillar d5 and d7 for logging, a water truck, a short logger logging truck, a skidder for logging and more. I was at one time a plant operator where I oversaw the production of cat litter (that ought to be good for a laugh!).
 
My wife of thirty years is behind me all the way in all that I do. I have five children, none at home, and the 6th grandchild will be here in January. I live in the country as I can’t stand someone next door to me.
 
Was there one person or event that inspired you to follow this interesting hobby?
I have many hobbies or things to keep me busy and occupied. One of them turned out to be radio broadcasting. It all started when I was a young, back when we didn’t wear seat belts. Radio station KPAY in Chico had their antennas just as you started up the Skyway to go to Paradise. There was also a dairy there where we used to buy whole milk for $.50 a gallon. It was a bit expensive but, then again, it was whole milk. We were listening to the radio as we passed by the antennas and dairy. I asked my mother how a man could get in the radio. It seemed an impossible task as a youngster might look at it. I couldn’t quite understand how a man could get inside our radio in the car. I was told he came from those antennas over there, the ones that had the red light blinking on top. That is how my first spark of interest came about for the love of broadcasting.
 
I have always wanted to be a movie star and back then I was told that one could make $800 a week doing radio like at KFRC 610 AM if he was good enough. Wow, I wanted that job! I can’t tell you the whole story as it would be a book. Cutting it down to fit it all here in this blog might be a challenge. At age 8 or 9 I wanted to get my ham radio license. I never did, but I studied Morse code and even had an old fashioned code machine that looked like a reel-to-reel tape recorder. Oh, I also inherited a shortwave radio. A good one. Man, I wanted that thing so bad! It was a Hallicrafters SX-42 made, I think, in 1942. What a nice shortwave radio - - lots of buttons and knobs everywhere! This was a ham radio operator's dream!  
 
How long have you been doing radio broadcasting?
At age 16, I went and visited the radio station in Alturas which is east of Redding and north of Susanville. I wanted a job as a disc jockey but they told me I needed a license which kind of shot my dreams down the tubes. I studied the best I could and took the test in Boise, Idaho, then again in Portland, Oregon and again in San Francisco until I finally passed it. It was tough to get. I was all set. I went driving to different stations looking for a job. Do you know what they would say to me? "Do you have any experience?" Well Duh! NO! I am just a kid. I finally had to give up on it and try to move on. At least I tried. My desire was so strong that I made a pirate radio station transmitter from scratch using vacuum tubes. It took me forever to get it to work right. I ate and slept radio until, one day, I found the secret to making the signal go farther than a block. Presto! I got it to go 10 miles.
 
Yes, it was against the law back then, with a heavy fine of up to $1,000 a day for every day you use it...if you get caught. I never got caught as I never really did run the transmitter full time every day. I just wanted to get it out of my system and say that I did it. You know the story: "No", "doesn’t have any meaning for me", or "it can’t be done." Those were magic words, saying that it can be done! I have made about three transmitters in my lifetime now and have actually worked on real radio station transmitters, even climbing to the top of one of the towers to change the guy wires. That was 20 years ago when I was healthier.
 
Ok, enough of that as I have a lot of stories to tell. Two years ago I was approached by my longtime friend to see if I wanted to do a radio show with him. You know what my reply was! So I am 54 years old now and finally get to talk on the radio. It’s not the same as most of the excitement is gone and there are no more records to play, hence the name disc jockey.
 
What are some other hidden talents that we don’t know about?
I have been interested in science and electronics pretty much all my life. My wife likes to say that I'm a "McGuyver" type of guy. When I was young, I received a pair of walkie talkies for Christmas one year. I found radio books at the school library and found some radio parts buried in the dirt at a neighbor’s house, just lying on the ground, too. I gathered up all I could and started my radio parts collection. I built a crystal radio which is a radio receiver that uses no battery but will pick up the radio station. I was very much doing all the wrong things as a child, but science was intriguing to me, nonetheless. Believe me, I had done things from burning ants with a magnifying glass to trying to make rocket fuel, all in the pursuit of science. Why, I put together an old 2-cycle lawnmower engine from a can and box of parts when I was 9 years old; that’s the truth.
 
I took electronics in high school, as luck would have it. In 10th grade I was the only person in class that the teacher allowed me to do whatever I wanted. He actually told me he couldn’t help me anymore - - not that I wasn’t beyond help, haha! I even put together a metal detector for him that he had started but couldn’t get to work. It was a fun time.
 
At age 15, I quit high school and got a job helping a carpenter out and have been working ever since. It was rough as my mother was working hard for the Forest Service and my two sisters didn’t have a job. We all slept together in the same bed to stay warm as it was a mattress made of blankets and we lived in a tent. The tent was furnished by the Forest Service because they felt bad for us. The snow was cold, and even when the wind blew hard, my mother (Bless her!) had to cook on the campfire to feed us kids. Eventually, we were provided with a wood stove and a propane refrigerator that fit inside the tent.
 
I will try and answer the question about hidden talents. It is hard to know after so many years if something is a talent or not. I can tell you some things I can do, though. Oh, by the way, I did finish high school, went to college and got an AAS degree in electronic engineering. I suppose that didn’t surprise you any.
 
I have an advanced ham radio license. You cannot get that classification anymore because the FCC has dropped it, but it still exists on paper. I know how to build electronic things from scratch, from tube audio amplifiers and integrated digital amplifiers to radio transmitters, metal detectors, antennas, receivers, etc. I repair old tube radios, transistor radios, jukeboxes and just about anything that moves or is run by electronics. I do this as a side job for extra money. The second hand stores love me. I am told there is no one else in the area that they can take their stuff to get fixed. Sometimes, I fix things for little or nothing to help elderly people out when they can’t afford to pay anybody. Otherwise, I do what I can as times are tough and you have to do what you can do to get by.
 
I love looking for gold, both panning and metal detecting. I can repair my own cars but hate to, though. I don’t like to get scuffed up and greasy anymore. I make my own websites, (like ernieanddave.com). I love to do programming on the computer and make my own programs, too. I recently wrote a program to use here at RMC to assist in printer repair...just waiting for approval to use it. For the most part, I think just sitting in front of a computer is good enough for me with the occasional electronic project or fix here and there. I am running down as I am getting older.
 
I also like to play the guitar. Even though I am not very good at it, I have a love for it. I have a couple guitars to play with. Oh, and lastly, I am working on a new project which I will not divulge completely. It is a guitar amplifying device that uses a vacuum tube and can be powered by your computer power supply. I'm hoping to market it once it is complete. Someday might come yet!
 
So, what can you tell us about your show?
Our radio show in Redding at KCNR 1460 AM is a swap and sell show. It is really called “Let’s Sell it with Ernie and Dave”. We can say and do anything we want within reason. As a kid trying to get into the radio broadcasting field, they told me that I needed to learn how to say “for” instead of “fur” and “just” instead of “jist” and so on. I have done my best through the years to not say those words like that ever again. I do still have sayings and words that are odd to some folks, but now it really doesn’t matter since it is our show. So, we do say colloquial things, talk funny, or use a different voice. Sometimes I pretend I am a caller and use an old man's voice (older than what I am now)...won’t be long till it will be my actual voice!
 
Callers call in to the show with items they no longer need or want. Additonally, callers can promote a yard sale or an event live on the air. Has a ring to it…“Live on the Air”. You know what is even funnier than the show is that I am afraid to talk in public. I am panicking for the day when the community will ask us to be on public television or be out in the public live like on a stage or something big like that. I can never can say the right words; it always comes out twisted.
 
We have all different types of people listening to our show. For some it is just funny, for others they use it as a resource like Craigslist. Others listen in to give to those in need. We would like to think we are funny and crazy...a couple of yahoos on the air.
 
Have you had any great stories you would like to share with us? Anything you’d like to brag about?
I was asked several questions for this interview, but I am not sure if the copiers will run out of toner by the time I am finished! I am truly trying to keep it short, but even a short story has to elaborate a little. I was asked if there is something I would like to brag about. I am pleased with a number of things but I would rather not brag. As a kid I learned a very important lesson: to try not to put myself above others. If some of the things I say sounds like bragging to you, it is not intentional as I don’t mean it to be that way at all. Of course, I would like to feel great, but everybody else does, too.
 

How does your love of radio broadcasting translate to your profession here at Ray Morgan?

When I am on the air I have a chance to go to a different place, imaginary as it is, and try to make others laugh or help to make others start their day off with a smile and help the community, as well. It is hard to wake up every Saturday morning and have to make people think there is a smile on my face (believe me, there is no smile on my face THAT early in the morning!). Well, I guess that could work the same way at my job at RMC - - making customers think you are happy all the time even when times get you down. As a service tech, I interact with our customers every day and, as such, I have to be mindful that I represent the company, despite how I may be feeling that day. Service with a smile! 
 
What would you recommend someone interested in taking up radio do to get started? Any resources you can recommend?
If you are interested in having your own show, you don’t need a license anymore. I suggest you go to a community radio station, not a public commercial type but a “Non-Commercial type” radio station. This is where you could get a start as they are usually looking for volunteers. If you think you are going to make any money at it, forget it. For our show, we have to pay the station owners to use their station, so our show is only possible if we have sponsors. The sponsors know that they are not only providing the show but they are also helping the community and the needs of the people.
 
Bottom line: If you have a desire to something, just do it...unless it is wrong, of course. Look at me for an example, it took me almost 40 years before I was able to be on the radio and I never thought I would ever have the opportunity in this lifetime!
 
Where can people check your radio show out?
Our website is www.ernieanddave.com. Just go to Google and type in “Ernie and Dave”. The website is a bit different and is meant to be: redneck pictures to a link of a short film clip about rocks falling out of a clear blue sky in Chico, California. You heard right! True story!
 
We are on the air every Saturday morning from 7-8 am, or streaming at http://www.kcnr1460.com