"Paul" wrote in
:

Speaking of thread drift, I see you reminescing about KMI elsewhere.
I used to copy KMI and KPH when I was trying to work up to a ham extra
license. I never made it past 18WPM reliably, so I only have the
advanced ticket (wb6cxc). I still drive by the KMI and KPH antenna
farm, and there are still lights blinking on top of the KPH poles (out
on Pt. Reyes).



No more code test, now! Go memorize the stupid questions to the Extra
test and get the "No Code Extra". Wee don need no steenking CW enny mo'!
Ham radio has joined the 20th (not 21st) Century! I moved up from
Advanced I'd had for 20+ years during that little timeslot between when
they dropped the 20wpm code test and when they changed Extra tests to
more questions than it used to be. I always wanted a "real" ham call to
replace the just AWFUL KN4IM FCC issued me with Advanced. Try to get 20
people you know to write down KN4IM, correctly, only repeating it on HF
less than 5 times, without getting the N and M all mixed up. My current
call is for my hometown here in Charleston, SC. W4CSC....a great vanity
call. It even has a nice swing to it on CW..(c;

Go upgrade. Lots easier now.....sorta like getting a GROL instead of a
1st Class FCC ticket used to be.

73 DE W4CSC K

"Larry" wrote in message
...
"Paul" wrote in
:

Speaking of thread drift, I see you reminescing about KMI elsewhere.
I used to copy KMI and KPH when I was trying to work up to a ham extra
license. I never made it past 18WPM reliably, so I only have the
advanced ticket (wb6cxc). I still drive by the KMI and KPH antenna
farm, and there are still lights blinking on top of the KPH poles (out
on Pt. Reyes).

No more code test, now! Go memorize the stupid questions to the Extra
test and get the "No Code Extra". Wee don need no steenking CW enny mo'!
Ham radio has joined the 20th (not 21st) Century! I moved up from
Advanced I'd had for 20+ years during that little timeslot between when
they dropped the 20wpm code test and when they changed Extra tests to
more questions than it used to be. I always wanted a "real" ham call to
replace the just AWFUL KN4IM FCC issued me with Advanced. Try to get 20
people you know to write down KN4IM, correctly, only repeating it on HF
less than 5 times, without getting the N and M all mixed up. My current
call is for my hometown here in Charleston, SC. W4CSC....a great vanity
call. It even has a nice swing to it on CW..(c;

Go upgrade. Lots easier now.....sorta like getting a GROL instead of a
1st Class FCC ticket used to be.

73 DE W4CSC K

I am considering the upgrade, but I might want to keep the old call. WB6CXC
isn't a great one (better in CW than on phone), but I've become used to it
over the last 30+ years. Also, it's kind of neat to hold two obsolete
licenses: the Advanced ham, and my 1st Class Phone. OK, the 1st Phone is
expired, but I still have the certificate somewhere (like new, never used).
I sort of like Morse code, but I agree it is an anachronism now. I haven't
made a CW contact in perhaps 15 years, and the only Ham work I do is when I
am at sea, with the Pacific Seafarer's Net, or the occasional ham contact.
During the last trip I just used the marine bands and the satphone.

73, Paul

"Paul" wrote in
:

I am considering the upgrade, but I might want to keep the old call.
WB6CXC isn't a great one (better in CW than on phone), but I've become
used to it over the last 30+ years. Also, it's kind of neat to hold
two obsolete licenses: the Advanced ham, and my 1st Class Phone. OK,
the 1st Phone is expired, but I still have the certificate somewhere
(like new, never used). I sort of like Morse code, but I agree it is
an anachronism now. I haven't made a CW contact in perhaps 15 years,
and the only Ham work I do is when I am at sea, with the Pacific
Seafarer's Net, or the occasional ham contact. During the last trip I
just used the marine bands and the satphone.

73, Paul



I don't even have an antenna up and there's $20K in Yaesus packed up in
boxes here, depreciating away. I tell myself how crazy it is to keep it
every time I hang up my Netgear Skype phone after talking with some of
the soldiers in a tent in Baghdad on Skype-to-Skype. I suppose if a
major hurricane like Hugo came back through Charleston, I might find a
reason to get back on the air. Even then, I stood in the eye of
Hurricane Hugo talking to worried friends and relatives way off on my
AMPS bagphone on Cellular One, back in '89. We never lost cellphone
service in a Cat 5 storm back in the AMPS days. I don't think that would
be true, today. My stepvan shop/office is self powered, so I can also
provide someone emergency comms across the ham bands to 450 Mhz, if it
comes to that. So, I keep it around....for now.

I used to run a Yaesu FT-900 into a modified Tentec Hercules II solid
state linear putting out an honest 650 watt carrier to a 15' home-brew
Texas bugcatcher with Henry Allen's largest coils on the trailer hitch of
my '73 Mercedes 220 Diesel with NO ELECTRONIC NOISES. Even on 160 meters
with dual coils and 16.8' high, it made a LOT of RF, radiated RF. "Hey,
Mister! Your antenna is on fire!", they'd shout because of the 8-10"
coronas off the capacitor hat wires and top of the stainless top whip...
(c; Great fun....

73, Larry
Look for w4csc on Skype.

Larry said:
"Hey,
Mister! Your antenna is on fire!", they'd shout because of the 8-10"
coronas off the capacitor hat wires and top of the stainless top whip...
(c; Great fun....

Yes it was kind of fun to watch. I miss the old digital society meetings at
Chi-Chi's.......


Leanne -- W1WXS

"Leanne" wrote in :

Yes it was kind of fun to watch. I miss the old digital society
meetings at Chi-Chi's.......


Leanne -- W1WXS




Thanks. I sometimes get the bug to haul it all out and re-install it in
the 220D with a couple of new golf cart batteries in the trunk, but, the
bands are lousy and the power line noise is awful....so I don't.