Sorry List,
I forgot that this would go all over the list.
My apologies.
Pat, K9JAUAt 03:36 PM 8/13/2011, you wrote:
>Hi again Pat,
>
>After doing a little thinking and talking to my X Y L, we decided we know
>who you are. We met you and your wife, Ann, four or five years ago at an
>ICB convention in Peoria. You and your wife showed us the Humanware
>Trekker, which we eventually purchased.
>
>Fortunately I can have a tower and antennas here in Springfield. I have all
>the antennas assembled, taking up the back yard. I am just trying to figure
>out how to get them on the tower. My tower is a crank-up, tilt-over type,
>so at least I won't have to climb. It's just that the beams are so large
>that they're hard to handle.
>
> 73's
>
>Howard T.
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Pat Byrne" <[log in to unmask]>
>To: <[log in to unmask]>
>Sent: Friday, August 12, 2011 7:05 PM
>Subject: Re: Reflecting back!
>
>
> > Hey Howard,
> > Welcome to the list. I am Pat, K9JAU and I live in Glen Ellyn
> > Illinois, twenty miles directly west of Chicago. Got my general in
> > the summer of 1957 just after I graduated from high school. My first
> > receiver was a Heath AR3. A high school friend wired it for me and
> > of course it didn't work!!! We bhoth had lots of guts and very
> > little experience. Sent it back to Benton Harbor along with the $5
> > service charge and they sent back a working receiver. And a note
> > that said that received condition was poor!!! Something about many
> > cold soldered joints!!
> > It probably took me nearly twenty-five years to get my Extra and
> > would have taken longer but my wife, WmM9L went from no call to
> > Advanced in a year and a half and I was damned if she was going to
> > beat me to Extra!! I won but not by very much!!
> > I have had beams and towers at several homes, however we moved here
> > about three years ago and I decided that installling a tower was
> > pretty priccy, was complicated by the village building department and
> > all of their requirements and it seems to be a bit tough to get
> > Saturday afternoon help any more. I am one of the younger guys in
> > our local ham club at seventy and lots of us have reservations about
> > climbing things more complicated and less safe than stairs!! So now
> > I have a G5RV and a Carolina Windom up in a couple of pretty high
> > trees and they work pretty well. I might eventually miss the gain
> > and selectivity of a beam, but life goes on!!
> > When you get up and running we should be easily able to work on forty
> > meters.
> > Thanks for reading.
> > Pat Byrne, K9JAU At 09:32 PM 8/4/2011, you wrote:
> >>Hi all,
> >>
> >>I am new to this list since Monday Aug 1.
> >>
> >>I have been listening to all the comments and find them all interesting.
> >>
> >>I thought I would give you all a little history about me.
> >>
> >>I have been visually impaired all my life, however I had pretty good =
> >>vision, I thought, even though I was legally blind. I read large print =
> >>and did not use braille.
> >>
> >>I am now 58 years old and I lost almost all of the vision I had about 13 =
> >>years ago.
> >>
> >>I was employed at one of our local hospitals for about 20 years =
> >>repairing medical electronics until my loss of vision forced me to quit.
> >>
> >>I received my novice license in eighth grade in 1968, my general about =
> >>nine months later, my advanced as a junior in high school and my extra =
> >>last year.
> >>
> >>While I was in college studying electronics I received my second class =
> >>radio telephone license.
> >>
> >>My first station was a Knight Kit T-60 CW transmitter that was rock =
> >>bound. The receiver was a Drake 2A. A couple of years later I picked =
> >>up a Hallicrafters HT-37 transmitter.
> >>
> >>In the middle 70's, I worked at Heath Company in Benton Harbor, MI in =
> >>the service department, and picked up their first 2 meter synthesized =
> >>rig, the HW-2036 I believe. =20
> >>In the early 80's I picked up a pair of Drake twins the T4XB and R4B. I =
> >>still have all of this equipment except the Heath 2 meter radio.
> >>
> >>By the early 90's my beam antennas had pretty much deteriated and I was =
> >>off the air, except for 2 meters. Also at that time my children were =
> >>born and there didn't seem to be enough time for ham radio and to get =
> >>the antennas replaced.
> >>
> >>Now my sons are in college and I am working on getting back on the air. =
> >>I just purchased an 11 element beam that covers 20, 17, 15, 12 and 10 =
> >>meters, a 2 element beam for 40 meters and a 5 element beam for 6 =
> >>meters.
> >>The antennas will be at 70, 80 and 90 feet. All three antennas came from =
> >>Opti-Beam in Germany.
> >>
> >>I will be using a Kenwood TS-570 rig.
> >>
> >>The antennas are all assembled, I just need to get them on the tower, =
> >>hopefully in the next few weeks.
> >>
> >>I can't wait to get back on the air.
> >>
> >>I consider myself to be one of the old timers, and I have been =
> >>listening to all the comments about how ham radio has changed, however, =
> >>I realize we need to change with the technology or our hobby will die. =
> >>There is enough out there for all interests. I am fortunate to live in =
> >>a house and to have room for a tower and the antennas, however, I =
> >>realize that many of you live in apartments or places where there are =
> >>restrictions on antennas and some of the new ways to communicate is the =
> >>only choice you have.
> >>
> >>I don't know much about all the new digital modes and how the internet =
> >>can be used in conjunction with them, so I hope I will be able to learn =
> >>from many of you.
> >>
> >>I will be looking for help from many of you as to how my computer may =
> >>aid me as a blind ham in today's ham radio.
> >>
> >>I am sorry for the long winded message, isn't this the way it is =
> >>supposed to be with us hams?
> >>
> >>73's,
> >>
> >>Howard, W A 9 Y B W, Springfield, Illinois
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