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My friend George's new Ham Radio shack

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Basil

Basil

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George and I have been friends since Junior High School (we met by getting in a fist fight when he cut in line at lunch, but later became good friends). When we were in JH and High School, we were both into CB radio. It was great fun "shooting skip" all over the world with my somewhat less than legal CB rig (General MC-6 Base Station, 150W Brewer Labs Linear Amp and Big Gun Quad antenna). George had a similar rig, but with a Regency Imperial base station.

When I joined the AF, since for a few years I lived in the barracks, I sort of fell out of the hobby and never got back into it. George, on the other hand, who now lives in Arizona, continued and evolved to Ham radio and now has about as much radio gear as you can fathom. We were just talking on the phone last night and he told me about the radio shack he just built so he didn't have to keep all his gear in the garage. If I had stayed active in radio, I would have loved to have a setup like his. He sent me some pictures of his "radio shack."

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That's a command bunker! Lots of gear.
 
He will be the first to know when that short haired, chubby fellow just north of Korea cause’s any problems.
 
Now THAT'S dedication!
 
That's great. One of my college roommates is still a big ham radio operator. It seems like Ham radio is become a lost art. That's too bad.
 
very cool - though I initially read it as Ham <pause> Radio Shack as opposed to Ham Radio <pause> Shack :smile:
 
Back in high school good friend's dad was into radio. When I was over at their place we'd sometimes listen, and laugh at, the Soviet broadcasts telling us what a paradise it was then and that they had closed borders not to keep their folks in but to keep the rest of the world out since we all apparently wanted to emigrate there. Even as teens, good laughing at material...
 
Boy does this bring back memories. I didn't have a station that large at home (though used a university one that was pretty impressive). Still have my Kenwood gear and maintain my license (N7ALJ)... but it all sits idle in this age of the internet. I fondly remember my days as a novice and using code; later as a general used a bamboo dipole on a sailboat in the south Pacific. Fun times.
 
Boink said:
I fondly remember my days as a novice and using code; later as a general used a bamboo dipole on a sailboat in the south Pacific. Fun times.
Click to expand...
Intrepid, Mark! Color me envious. (y)
 
DrEntropy said:
Intrepid, Mark! Color me envious. (y)
Click to expand...
Hehehe... well, actually, living on a sailboat is over-rated (after a few days). Everything is damp; water is greatly conserved (when at sea); and, as they say, "there are flies in paradise." The dipole was amazing (for 15 meters as I recall. We'd hoist it up the main mast and it was steerable. Back then it was THE way to stay in touch with people back home. When in Tonga, hams from all over the world wanted to talk (QSO) with me/us so-as to get a QSL card with their amazing stamps.
 
Never had opportunity for open-water sailing. Did cross Lake Erie in an 18' Ray Green as a teen, tho. Gone long enuff (messin' about in Canada) we were feared "lost at sea"... Got a well deserved ear thrashing from Mom over non-communication!
 
Sailing on the open ocean is OK... just OK (particularly in a 42' ketch). When inside island groupings (protected by coral reefs) it's fun... but between such groupings is less than fun.
 
"Fun" definition is depenent on the one having that "fun." I have been sailing for over 50 years, mostly racing.Lots of racing on Galveston bay, San Francisco Bay and other big bodies of water. My only real off shore experience was a Galveston to Vera Cruz race several years ago and I thought it was fun all the way even the day we got becalmed for 12 hours. I do have a few friends who have"lived aboard" for multiple years at a time and they seemed to enjoy it.
 
The thing about long passages (up to 2 weeks or more, though usually a week or days) is that everyone is a bit sea-sick... and even with an automatic wind-vane it is essential that everyone did duty at the helm (for many hours). And even with a 400 gallon tank, water had to be conserved during passages. Also, back in the late 70s and early 80s there was LORAN but little else (certainly no GPS), and ham radio. Someone had to be very good with a sextant or you could miss an island group with ease (like the 3000 mile passage from the Los Angeles to the Marquesas - so a tiny error would translate into a huge miss - a bit unnerving, but I wasn't doing the navigation).
There is a community of yachties that are spread out across the entire southern Pacific (Marquesas, French Polynesia, Cooke, Tonga, Fiji, etc.). During the hurricane season one just pulls into a port and sometimes stay for a few months. All beautiful places.
 
Nice radio shack - I could live there! N1RRA
 
Growing up, my dad had a couple friends who were W3's (western PA). Got my SX-99 Hallicrapters receiver from one of 'em. That guy was pushing out wattage to rival KDKA, basement FULL of gear the size of gym lockers. No need to heat the basement in the winter!
 
Tubular!
 
Nice shack! Wish I could do that!
\
N1RRA
 
May Jack up a new antenna this winter
 
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