Story from G4JMM/6Y5

When I was 11 years old (in early 1972), I walked into the garage at home, and found that my dad, (who had no interest in ham radio or electronics), was dismantling an old radio with tubes in it. (EF80, ECH81 and the like). He was just collecting the nuts, bolts and aluminium (that's how they spell it in UK!). I started asking him about how radio worked, and he told me what he knew, (not much!).

The next birthday I was given an electronics experiment kit. The next Christmas I found an electronics toolkit under the tree.

All our neighbours got to hear about my interest in radio & electronics, and one of them brought round an old radio covering "Long Wave and Medium Wave", hoping that I could repair it. It wasn't a difficult repair: The waxed string from the tuning knob to the variable capacitor and to the scale pointer had broken. Not even anything to do with electronics or radio, really. But then the fun started:...

I replaced the string, worked out how many turns to put round the capstan, and how tight the spring should be. Then, not having a signal generator, I tried to calibrate the sliding pointer against known stations on Medium Wave. Starting off at the high frequency end of medium wave, I tuned in the first station I found, and was amazed to hear the person talking about street names which I recognised in our neighbourhood. That was strange: We didn't have a broadcast station covering our town.

I called my father, he made a phone call or two, and came back with the answer that this was local Radio Amateurs talking to each other on "Top Band". I showed some interest, and a week later, I received a copy of the RSGB Radio Communication Handbook through the mail, plus a contact name for the local Amateur Radio club.

The rest is history, as they say... I guess that answers 'how', not 'why', but thought you might be interested.

It turns out that the knowledge gained through Amateur Radio helped me immensely. I ended up taking up telecommunications as a profession, and am still in the same business. Retrospectively, that is probably the answer to 'why'.

The hobby has always been fascinating to me. One of my most memorable moments was helping to save the life of a critically injured sailor at sea.

- Iain, G4JMM/6Y5 (Kingston, Jamaica)

Bus Riding

I had the pleasure of riding the bus to and from work for about three months in which my car was down. I normaly carry my Kenwood D7 on my hip along with a etrex GPS for APRS use. I was readjusting the tone for a IRLP link when I heard a station from germany on the air speaking to another ham about his home town. I looked up and there standing in front of me was a gent about my age with a look on his face. "Can I help you?" I asked him, thinkning that he was going to ask me to turn it down or off as not to disturbe the bus. He started in with half german and half english about my "cell" I gathered from the english side that he had heard the german side of the conversation and had herd his home town named in the QSO. I keyed up in a break and gave my call and asked if the german station was willing to talk to this gentleman. He put him on and I handed the gent in front of me my rig and showed him how to key up and the conversation started with rapid fire german. The whole bus by that time was looking at the two us as I kept an eye on the conversation and ID once in a while. The conversation lasted about three minutes and he handed me back the radio and then hugged me! He explained that this simple conversation had just sent the ham to make a call to his parents in another town to assure them that he was alright and safe. He thanked me for the use of my "Cell" and then we arrived at your stop and all the passengers got off and I never saw him again but had a few paeople ask me about what kind of phone let me call all the way to germany. I made explanations and handed them a few of my QSO cards and bade them a safe trip and hurried off to work. About three months later I got an email from the staiton in germany that had called the folks. He said the Gent was back home and now operating his own station!
Wow who would have thought that a mere "cell" would do all that?

- Peter

Finland and France are not alone in saying goodbye to Morse code testing. So has a nation down-under.

On June 4th New Zealand's Telecommunications regulators issued a decree that says Morse proficiency testing has ended and that New Zealand Limited Class operators will soom have access to the high frequency bands. In fact, regulators have decided to upgrade Limited Class operators to the New Zealand General Class.

According to the notice, operators will not be required change their callsigns or take any other action.. The new rules go into effect on June 17th.

(ZL2BHF)

MORE COUNTRIES DROP CW

More restructuring has taken place in Europe. The GB2RS reports that Finland has now officially dropped the Morse code requirement for that nations hams to have access to the High Frequency bands. GB2RS says that Finland actually deleted the Morse requirement on the 1st of November of 2003. Now, with the latest rules revisions there are now there are only two classes of amateur license in that European nation.

Also from GB2RS word that former French Class 2 licensees with F1 and F4 callsign prefixes are now being heard on the High Frequency bands. According to the French national amateur radio society, this change was implemented on May 16th.

But C-W is far from dying or dead on the other side of the Atlantic. In fact the fourth European High Speed Telegraphy Championships take place the 15th through the 19th of September in Montenegro and Serbia.

(GB2RS)

NEW VHF PROPAGATION BOOK FROM CQ

CQ Communications has announced the publication of a new resource book for hams active on VHF and UHF bands. Its a book for those who want to learn more about long-distance propagation possibilities available to them.

Titled "VHF Propagation - A Practical Guide for Radio Amateurs" the book examine each of the most common long-distance propagation "modes" found on these bands. Topics covered include tropospheric scatter and ducting, Sporadic-E, Aurora, 6-meters and the F-layer, transequatorial and more. The book then explains how each mode occurs and offer tips on making the most of these band openings.

"VHF Propagation - A Practical Guide for Radio Amateurs" was written by Ken Neubeck, WB2AMU, and Gordon West, WB6NOA. It is available from many ham radio dealers or direct from CQ anytime through the CQ online bookstore. To find it take your web browser to http://www.cq-amateur-radio.com/ and then click on "Visit the CQ Store."

(CQ)

Unsung Hero of our VU HAMDOM

VU3GFD OM S.Ahmed was the hero during the mishap of Hyderabad-bangalore, Kacheguda Express on 21st December, 2002. Being a Ham who had volunteered during the Orissa Cyclone Relief Work through Bangalore Amateur Radio Club, he used his skill and experience to save lives and limbs of many co-passengers on the ill-fated train. A first hand account of his experience is given below in his own words: -

I was in the ill-fated train coming from Kacheguda to Bangalore on 21st December, 2002 in coach S4 sleeping on the upper berth. There was a massive jerk and heavy sound at about 12:45 AM and the train started rocking back and forth with heavy noise and leaning towards the left side, I immediately jumped from my berth put on my shoes and the first instinct was to open the door, I manage to open the door and the train was violently vibrating there was a lady sleeping at the lower berth with a baby of may be one year and due to the jerks and moments the lady fell down. I was able to keep my leg to support and stop the kid from falling down after the train came to halt was not able to see anything outside due to heavy smoke and dust my compartment had inclined towards the left by about 45 degree roughly.

There was lot of commotion, shouting and screaming in the compartment. I had to shout with all my capacity to tell people that we are safe there is no problem and they can first get down from the compartment later we can pickup the luggage.

I got down from the compartment and saw that all bogies ahead of us had derailed only engine was standing and the driver had put on the front light and continues horn. I checked on my mobile for signal which was very weak but able to connect to my brother Saleem informing him about the derailment after telling him that I was safe. I also told him that I am going in for relief as there was massive commotion screaming, shouting, yelling and crying from the compartment which had turned turtle, upside down, climbed on one and another etc.

First I went to see the Engine Driver who was in the state of shock and could not speak at all, and then I took a bird eye view of destruction. The train had actually fallen in a gradient just before a bridge, which was 12.6 Meters (very sure since there was a board mentioning the height).

Two compartments S1 & S2 had rammed into each other and S1 has rammed S14 in the back pushing S14 above the luggage Van and had flipped to one side. S14 was badly jammed from the backside and hanging or rather dangling at a height of about 10 to 12 feet above ground level. Both the doors were jammed and people trying to move backwards as they feared that the bogie will take a nose dive if they come forward. There was no way to actually open the door, only possible way was to climb on top of the wreckage and get on S14 and open the door which was not only difficult but dangerous too.

I climbed back on my compartment was jumping through the wreckage when I saw that S3 doors were also sealed and people inside were in panic. I happen to notice that the vestibule opening was open and people could glide through the opening. I screamed to inform the people inside that they can get out through the vestibule later realizing that they did not understand what I said. I pointed out to them the opening and people started sliding out of that.

When I reached S14 compartment, my mobile was ringing and there was a call from South Central Railway Control Room asking for the details about the accident.

I was able to kick open the door and open from the top and get into the compartment. When I opened the other door, and was wondering how we could vacate the compartment a few Malyalee boys were standing and watching the proceedings. I called those boys and told them to hold people below but in the panic two middle aged women jumped from the door and got fractured legs, was able to vacate total compartment and throw all the luggage down.

There were some very seriously injured persons in the compartment was able to vacate all of them barring the last 6 people in the compartment as it was fully stuck from all sides after I got down from that compartment was wondering how I will be able to rescue there six people trapped on all sides by metal but was able to see that all were alive in pain through the window grills. I searched for a stone and started hitting one end of the frill and was sure it will give away as it was only welded after about 5 to 10 min the single grill gave way and with help of the others was able to pull away that window but the new challenge facing us was how to remove people who were stuck inside as there was no support from the other end. Three people and three berth sandwiched on one end and the other side three people and three berth. It was not possible to pull person as we didi not know how seriously they were injured, but after about 15 minutes was able to get them out. Only 2 were alive, 4 died after taking them out.

When we saw that all compartments had been vacated other then the General Compartment which was badly mangled up and not possible to open the same. It had to be cut open was able to only console and tell that we are opening up the carriage and will take same time.

In meantime had asked those sports girls to take down the telephone numbers and names of the seriously injured passengers separately for Bangalore & Hyderabad. I call my brother and gave him the list and inform their relatives to start immediately to the accident site.

Also look numbers of people who were safe and informed there families, managed to arrange for a couple of doctors form the other coaches who were of great help, bedsheets from the A.C. coach were used as bandages and blankets made as stretchers to transport grievously injured people.

There was lot of help from the co-passengers, who were listening and doing what was told to them. It was truly “A trump of Humanism in tragedy”.

From Father to Son

If I was a little older at the time, I might have guessed what my dad was up to. The signs were there: a Knight-Kit Span Master shortwave radio for Christmas in 1962, followed by a pair of Knight-Kit walkie talkies the following year and a CB radio--yes, another Knight-Kit--as a Christmas gift in 1964. To this day I can still remember my CB call sign, KKB1757.

It was early in 1966 that my dad had something else to share with me--a Morse code practice oscillator he had built. That's when things started to become a little clearer and make sense. He suggested that if I learned both the code and some basic technical information that I could take a test to move up from my CB radio status to obtaining a ham "ticket," just like he had.

Growing up, I can remember all kinds of radio equipment around the house. My dad's ham gear was set up in an attic loft, along with many years' worth of QST magazines neatly organized by year. And how could I forget his framed Amateur Radio license, which he'd had as long as I could remember?

I studied the ARRL How to Become a Radio Amateur handbook, learned the required 5 WPM code requirement, took my test and received my Novice license, WN1GLS, in the spring of 1966. Even before my license arrived, Dad excitedly began to assemble and set up the necessary Novice equipment in my bedroom. It included his Heathkit HR-20 receiver, a DX-40 transmitter that he brought home from work one day and a matching Heathkit AM-2 SWR bridge. We re-routed the Lattin Radio Labs 5-band dipole lead into my "shack" and now I was ready to operate. All I needed was my license.

Two Hams for the Price of One

For me, one of the great byproducts of becoming a ham was that it renewed my father's interest in the hobby. My dad, who was a long time engineer at radio station WELI in Hamden, Connecticut, even started a local ham radio club that was sponsored by the station and he was trustee of the club's license, WA1HRC.

During the next few years we held our club meetings in the radio station's remote building, where the emergency on-air studio was housed. It was there that we built and operated our club station of Heathkit equipment. I recall how we built other equipment, including a 15 meter Yagi one Saturday at the radio station after my dad convinced the broadcast station to purchase and erect a 50-foot crank-up tower. We participated in several Field Day adventures and even made a few trips to ARRL Headquarters.

My interest in Amateur Radio faded when I went to college in 1972 and my dad lost interest soon thereafter. He soon left his position with the radio station to start a two-way radio sales and service company that eventually led to a very successful commercial mobile/cellular telephone business.

In 1981 I returned to the air and was active for a few years, and again this renewed my father's interest in returning to the hobby. As a birthday gift in 1982, I presented him with the exact same equipment I was using at the time: a Kenwood TS-520SE transceiver and matching AT200 antenna tuner.

By 1983 my level of activity waned once again and I sold my equipment. My father kept his gear and was active until around 1988. During his "active" period I helped him put up a 160-meter long wire. Dad constructed some RTTY equipment and wrote an article about the experience that appeared in the June 1985 issue of 73 magazine.

QST--Calling All Amateurs

After my dad retired and he and Mom moved to Sarasota, Florida in 1991, I always assumed that he sold his equipment, among other things, prior to the move. My father passed away in August 2002. Shortly after, I made it a point to notify the ARRL and requested that he be remembered among other silent keys in QST.

Later that year I received in the mail the December 2002 issue of QST, which surprised me because I hadn't been a member of the ARRL in well over 30 years and I hadn't seen a copy of QST since the early 1980s. But in that issue my father's listing appeared in the silent keys column. To this day I am not sure who sent me that issue of QST.

For several weeks I found myself going through that issue of QST over and over again, looking at the advertisements, reading articles and trying to understand some of the unfamiliar terms that were nonexistent 20 years earlier. All the while I asked myself, "Why was it that I hadn't thought about getting back into the hobby again? If I had done so earlier, maybe I could have renewed my father's interest for a third time." We could have scheduled contacts and my children would have loved the opportunity of "getting on the radio" with their grandfather.

In early December 2002 my mom came to stay with us for a few weeks. One day she noticed the issue of QST that I had been thumbing through and said something to me that seemed to make time stand still. She said that my father had kept a lot of his ham equipment and asked if I wanted what he saved. When I asked why he kept the equipment, her reply was simply, "He wanted you to have all of it because he had hoped someday you would become interested in ham radio again."

Because of that December 2002 issue of QST, my interest in returning to the air was already there. But now, learning that I had access to some equipment and that it was kept with the hope that I might someday want to return to the hobby, well, the timing was right. Arrangements were made to have the equipment shipped to me in January 2003 and I was back on the air by early February.

The Final Courtesy

Not only did my father keep the Kenwood equipment I had given him as a birthday gift 20 years earlier, but to my surprise the packages of equipment that arrived that day included more than I ever could have imagined.

That shipment also included nearly all of the original equipment that my dad had set up for me when I first received my Novice ticket: the Heathkit HR-20 receiver, my DX-40 transmitter, matching SWR bridge, my first code key--with his call sign and mine still on the mounting board--and even the SB-600 Heathkit speaker that I bought while still a novice. Also included were QSL cards my dad received over the years, all of his logbooks, his original Vibroplex bug from 1947 and a handful of his own original QSL cards from 1946. What a treasure.

Life is full of odd circumstances. If it were not for the unexpected December 2002 QST showing up in the mail, plus the fact that unknown to me Dad had kept his ham equipment, I seriously doubt that I would be back on the air today enjoying Amateur Radio like it was 1966 all over again. Well, maybe not exactly like 1966, since Amateur Radio certainly has changed since then.

As a way to remember my dad, in April 2003 I applied for and was granted the amateur call he held from 1946 to 2002, W1PDI. I just had to keep my dad's call sign in the family. It's good to be back in ham radio, but I just wish I had the chance to once again renew my dad's interest in the hobby that he first introduced to me nearly 40 years ago.

Tom Miller, W1PDI, was first licensed in 1966 as WN1GLS, and upgraded to General a year later at the age of 13 with WA1GLS. He continues to operate the equipment he inherited from his father and is very active on a number of nets, including the 3905 Century Club and OMISS. He enjoys contesting, QSO parties and paper chasing. Miller's other interests include spending time with his children, sports car racing and baseball. He lives in Bay Village, Ohio, and can be reached via e-mail at w1pdi@arrl.net

http://www.arrl.org/news/features/2004/04/15/1/