Don WB6BEE

 A couple of days ago, pretty late at night, I was called by Don WB6BEE on 40m. The band was very quiet without OTH radar typical for this season in a year. He was running with the old bug key as he had been in Colo. I could not recall any occasion with his this weak signal this time in the past. The same keying as from Pagosa Springs but really weak signal I have never heard of. I felt strange that he sounded that way. 

I am convinced again that he has moved to a real DX from our region in the world. the East Coast northern than South Carolina are always a very tough area to work with especially on 40 unless the station is equipped with a big beam. Of course, it is because the path is over the north pole. 

As soon as we finished the QSO as a proof of existence, he has given me a note telling he was running 300W into a wire set along a tree in the back yard. John K1JD has told me later the antenna setting was done in darkness. In stealth fashion. Again it was a real surprise for me to hear him with such a set up. 

As I told before, he has been a regular guy on 7026 plus or minus every morning in his time when he was in Colo. He always enjoyed yakking there for a while until he and his wife went out for a walk. His presence has been a normal daily routine for me and possibly for the others hanging out on that frequency. Having lost him as a regular core guy, I feel he was the main operator. I could recognize him with his bug key sending when I heard the first few dots/dashes. It was like his voice in fact.

Ok, this is never his obituary. We might meet on the higher bands in better conditions. Or if his project to set a wire array in the reserve forest next to the back yard goes successful, we might be able to chat a bit like before on 40m. I sure miss Don on 40m but am still hopeful for further QSOs in the future. Only wishing him and his wife good luck at the new place.