In the end of last year, I knew an old friend of mine, John, W5AB, had gone SK in 2014. At age 97 years. It was of course expected from his age. Still felt an age has gone for me.
It was back in '60s when I knew him on the radio. I was a teenage newcomer. I have met him as WA5OLG those days on 40m CW. He told me he was using a phased array, which sounded unfamiliar to me. I asked about it in the QSO. In a week or two, he has sent me a detailed info on that antenna by mail. I was living in a small lot in a suburb of Tokyo then and, of course, could not put up such an array. But I was impressed at his kindness to me explaining his antenna.
I can't remember when it was correctly but most likelily, in mid '80s, I have run across with him as 9V1UY from Singapore. He seemed involved in gas mining business in Asia. Knowing he used to be WA5OLG, I was very pleased to see him and to share old fond memories with him. I can't remember what we talked about. The only thing I remember in QSOs with him is that he told me Cushcraft vertical fed at high voltage point could work well only when it was put up higher than ordinary a quarter wave vertical. He seemed still interested in various antennas.
There had been a hiatus for several years until I met him again from the states as W5AB. He was running with a small loop then. Sometimes it was harsh to chat like before. Whenever we met, we tried to talk a lot. I should look up those QSOs in the note book log where I always made memo, sometimes, over a page in a QSO. The intervals between QSOs have become longer as time passed. It was in 00s when I met him last time. As a habit of this old boy, I recalled old friends and have looked up about him. I have found the following post by another old friend of mine, David N1EA, to QRZ. com. They have known each other through CW and key collection. I could not help smiling at his post. The world is small. All of us have been united with the same hobby.
https://forums.qrz.com/index.php?threads/w5ab-john-mallery-sharpe-silent-key.463373/
I am sad to have lost such a great old friend as John but still am pleased to have such a fond memory of friendship with him.
