There are a few friends whom I have met in certain interval for decades, not very frequent, only 2 or 3 times in a year. It is exciting and joyful to meet someone so frequently. But they often leave me soon. The former type friends always relieve me if not ardent relationship it is. One of them is Ken K6HPX. I started seeing him since '80s, probably when I was operating radio with barefoot and a vertical on the roof of dormitory. He often called me on 40m with fairly slow CW. Sometimes from mobile. I knew he had been with the business of antenna manuacturing and related items. As the president of CAL LAB, Inc. He scarcely talked about the products of his company, though. Not so many topics. But I always felt relieved, as told above, to hear him after some absence.
In several months after I closed down, he gave me an e mail asking how I was doing. He could not find me in the cluster and wondered how I was getting along. I explained what had made me decide to quit radio. He answered he could understand me and would wait for me to come back on the radio any time. Not urging me to do so. I felt it was the way he had been doing with me for the past decades.
He must be in late 80s of his age. He told me he would close his business in a year or two. He is enjoying SOTA, Summit On the Air, with his wife, Kay, KE7BGM. The photo shown below sent to me in 2016 is him and Kay operating radio together on a mountain. What a close couple they are! I loved it so much. Recent mail told me he had still been enjoying SOTA with her. His page in QRZ.com gives us his bio, his unique antenna invention and SOTA activity with Kay.
It is a bit pain for me not to be able to hear him on the air. However, we could get in touch with by e mail. I wish him and Kay good health and pleasant retirement ahead.
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