Topband: Re: Re: 160 Nostalgia

[Lawrence Stoskopf <stoskopf@tri.net>]

 After watching all of these old-timers discuss the Gentleman's Band, I 
can't help throwing out some personal comments:

One year at Dayton there was a 160 hospitality room and I dropped in 
wearing my (then) new EXTRA call N0UU.  Mentioned to someone that I used 
to be W0PSF and several jumped up and visited.

I was active in the 60s on an occasional basis from an unheated shack on 
my father's farm.  Happened to have a 400 foot tower on it for 
commercial 2-way and I had the painter hang a couple of wires up the 
side, tied to an insulator at 240 ft and back down so i could pigtail a 
rope on it an pull it out between the guys, feeding the feeder against 
the tower.  Unfortunately, one of the guys was right on Eu so never 
heard Eu.  Ofter I would finish a night and have my extra can of pop 
frozen to the floor.

Rig was an ARC-5 that I cobbled up for screen-grid keying.  Simply keyed 
the 250v high for a bit and let a resistor pull it low for spaces. 
Needless to say that the key was hot, although limited to maybe 20 ma. 
Turns out that it wasn't really off for spaces as I got a friendly note 
from an OO in Colorado in one of the contests telling me that he was 
able to copy my call as noise punctuated by a raspy signal (the spaces) 
70 KHz up the band. Suggested that I fix that!

Rx was a S-40B Hallicrafters.  Used to have a great time with the split 
bands and low power limits that existed then.  Would work the East on 
the lower segment and then switch to the upper segment for the West. 
Have several CQ contest certificates signed by W2EQS.

W1BB was always helpful and I have a pile of his newsletters.  He must 
have spent hours on those.  I also have a card from Stew from one of his 
cruises:  "Dec 18, 1966, 4320 miles west of SF, CA heard you QSOing 
K7MKL, 439."

I had a great tour of his place later, the watertower site (where he was 
operating one night and some hoods tied the lock with wire.  He had to 
find someone on 160 late at night to call the Winthrop Police to get him 
out!).  The famous yacht antenna site.  He fired up the spark rig for 
me.  Wonder what happened to that?

Some time in the late 60s was home to help my dad for the June wheat 
harvest.  Went up early in the morning and called CQ, lots of QRM.  Same 
the next two mornings.  Got an airmail from VK3AKN saying that they were 
hearing me with the 100 watts, keep trying.  Next morning called and 
heard VK3A?N in the noise.  Replied VK3AKN de W0PSF.  Silence.  CQ 
again. Reply VK3A(static crash)N.  VK3AKN de W0PSF.  Silence.  Several 
iterations and finally ZL1 (AYG?) replied that it was VK3ATN calling!!!! 
Band closed and that was my last day.

By then I was in medical school.  Managed to buy a SX101MK3 and an old 
Viking Valiant.  Went up to the hill one weekend to set up for the 
contest:  card table, rig turned on all week to stay warm, a small 
heater by now.  Even had an swr bridge built so didn't have to tune the 
open feeder for maximum spark to my pencil.  Dad called mid week and 
asked what I wanted him to do with my equipment:  The tower came down in 
an ice storm shearing off the front half of the 10X12 ft tin shed 
totally crushing it.  I would have been OK if it had happened three days 
later as I had three feet to spare, but there would have been a big 
brown spot back there.

Mention was made of W5SUS.  I chatted with him often as W0GDN in KC.  He 
dropped by in Wichita one time to visit his Dad in the Masonic Home 
there.  He ran the doorbell, introduced himself and asked if his Dad 
could come in.  Of course!  A wave from John and here came his 90 yr old 
dad quickly up the walk.  John should be around for a long while.

160 here in Salina will be a minimal effort.  Have a 10 acre lot, but 
antenna height limit of 55 ft by covenants.

Sorry this is long.  CU all on the air.

N0UU


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