3/05/2021

K5PKA, WG3U and then W1ITU

John W1ITU has been an old friend of mine since '60s. He has uploaded a photo of his old log in facebook. It shows the record of our very first QSO in August 1966. It was when he had put up a decent antenna, a 3 element quad, for the first time as he said.

I was using a quad, 2 element on this side, made of bamboo spreaders. The pole was also a bamboo rotated by hand! It was fragile and won't last too long. By a typhoon or some storm, it has been broken very easily. It was only 5 or 6 meters high. But with the excellent condition in the peak of the solar spot cycle, I could have much fun working world wide on 15m.  

The log reads that I was signing as Sin and introduced my age as 17 years. It also says my antenna was that quad. Yes, I was living in a suburb of Tokyo with my family. In a small house. I wish I had kept some photos taken my shack etc those days. They were gone. But this short description of the QSO is good enough to bring me back to those days.  

 

It was in '80s when I met John again when he was still K5PKA in, possibly, Louisiana. I have, possibly, mentioned of that QSO after long absence somewhere in a past post. I was driving to the med school hospital where I was working as a staff in the Dept. of Pediatrics. I still remember feeling so thrilled to work such an old friend from mobile. 

Later, he has moved to MD and changed his call to WG3U. I could not talk to him so often but sure from time to time. This is one of the photos he sent to me those days. I still feel time has flied since his children have grown up and have given him some grandchildren now. He is called "Grumpy" in stead of grandfather by his granddaughters. 

 
Now, he is settled down in CT and got a new fancy call W1ITU. When the bands open there, I could hear his fast and excellent fist like in '60s. Now both of us retired and are spending good time in the same way, even though I don't have any little one who calls me "Grumpy".  

The log book on the photo shown above sure made me go back to the good old days.

6 comments:

  1. Thanks Shin! In those days, I also logged ending time - our first Qso went on for 25 minutes - the longest one on several log pages. Those notes were the most informative for several log pages. So we started right! Been a great time. K5PKA

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    1. Both of us seem to have been oriented to conversational CW even those days. Great memory. I will look up my old log later. Stay safe and enjoy doing with the little girls, John.

      PS;It has been over half a century since those days...

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  2. Aeronautical Engineer?. What a transition to human biological engineer....

    Don

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    1. You have focused on that, Don? Yes, it was a college of aeronautical engineering. I have majored in mechanical engineering there. Medical science is quite different from engineering. Human body, not mentioning of our mind, is quite diverse and only statistics could handle it. Most problems were not those of "error" issue. I was impressed at that when started studying medicine. But it is a story long time ago for me...

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  3. I think it speaks to the growing mind of a person. What appears the right road at 18 will not be the right road at 30.

    I was mathematics major at the University. I did not graduate, due to Viet Nam and self support. However, my career took me into financial management and Executive management. Nothing related to Mathematics.

    I didn't focus, but it did catch my eye.

    Don

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    1. Don,

      Mathematics is a closed world itself not related with the real world even though it could be applied to a variety of sciences like physics or even economics. I don't know how much you have studied it at the university. But I am sure the way of thinking in mathematics may have helped you to work for finance and executive management.

      Lately, I am hanging out watching clips which explain the mathematics in entrance exam for universities. What diverse techniques they should get accustomed with in them! I can't believe I used to do with such questions in mathematics. Though I was not talented in it, I loved solving a bit difficult questions of mathematics. But I still feel pleased not to have done with it through my life.

      Stay safe.

      Shin  

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