Seeing old Drew VK3XU

I have mentioned about Drew VK3XU especially in relation with Tim VK3IM for a few times. http://nuttycellist-unknown.blogspot.com/search?q=vk3xu I have talked to him once a few months in the past. His slow and steady CW sure reminds me of good old days. One of the operators who still have the charcter of those old operators.

I was called by him on 20m early this evening. It was a real pleasure to see him after having called CQ in vain for some time. It was in May when I met him last time and was told that he had had an accident causing fractures on both legs. He answered to my inquiry about it that he had recovered well now and could walk as before. He also told me his doctors had been quite good to him. It was a public hospital he had been treated for the fractures which required no cost for the treatment. I was really surprised that such a system of socialism was working in Australia even though, as he said, it was proposed to be privatized there.

Tim seems to be doing well. Drew told me he had met him from time to time even though not regularly. Tim has also given him land line calls. Tim has been a good friend of ours for last decades. Due to his health issues, he has not been quite active on the radio for some time. It was a good news he had been coming back on the radio now. I told Drew to pass my best wishes to this monk in Mt. Eliza, that is, Tim. Drew has enjoyed this naming to Tim.

Drew told me he would be 70 years of age this year. Yes, all of us are adding years to our age. I still have his image of his forties or fifties. All of us are still getting older. May we have healthy and fruitful aged years.

I have enjoyed seeing this old friend of mine. Sadly enough, such a QSO is becoming quite rare at present. I will keep my ears open to the down under from time to time.

A War Drum

Bob W6CYX has metaphored the OTH radar for a war drum. That radar is believed to come from the south eastern part of China. It covers almost all of CW portion on 40m all day long. A source says it is a harmonic of 1.8MHz. Anyway, very noisy. It makes me give up operating radio in the evening. It could have been very quiet on 40m. I could have enjoyed nice QSOs with all over the world in our evening hours. I surely miss the good path to the western Eu at this time in a year.

Bob's comparison of it to a forerunner of a war is quite correct. Very meaningful. When there is more strain in the eastern Asia, they would run more radar. It might be related with the increased tension by chinese new ADIZ at present. We could do little for this problem. A friend of mine in the US has sent a claim on this OTH to a Chinese consulate there. I have enjoyed his idea and have approved him for that at that time. But I don't think the fanatic military would stop the radar owing to such complaints.

Why on the amateur band? No one knows that. It could be a military demonstration to hams in the world. I don't understand why the  military officials in China realize such a demonstration of their power makes much antipathy among hams. Is the radar effective against stealth planes? Isn't is a technology in the last century?

Drew VK3XU used to collect reception information for this radar on the amaeur bands from various parts of the world. From what direction and how strong etc? He told me he and the group would report on it to IARU. This invasion to the ham bands is illegal if it is from China, one of the IARU members. I believe all we could do is working on through such an international organization as IARU.

I hope this drum would be calmed down very soon.

Luddite in Marathon

It has been a matter of debate in FOC how we do with the reverse beacon network in such an event as Marathon contest. From the standpoint of equality in contest, there should be a division in category between RBN users and non users. But, according to the progress in internet, there could be further technique to get more points in contest. For example, someone may use the remote operation through the internet. This "progress" in technique is endless.

As for Marathon, it should remain as a real QSO party all over the world but not a competetive event. I join it to see old friends whom I could scarcely meet. There are many old friends gathering in the party like talking over glasses of beer in a comfortable living room. In reality, I have met a number of old friends like Tom N6RA or Leif OZ1LO whom I have never met for the past several years. Drew VK3XU has given me an up to date on Tim VK3IM, our mutual old friend during Marathon. I would participate Marathon for such QSOs.

Marathon could never be equal to all members. For example, we, the members in the East Asia, are handicapped due to paucity of members in this area. The path to both member rich areas like G land or the East Coasts should be over the north pole and is susceptible to the solar storm and so forthe. It could never be a competetive contest with equal chance to every participant.

So far, I like Marathon as a QSO party for myself. I would stay being on the side of Luddite.

A round table between VK and JA

For the past 2 days, I have met Tim VK3IM on 40m. He is an old friend of mine, whom I have introduced in this blog before. In both QSOs, there was our mutual friend, Lou VK5EEE, joined. A round table between VK and JA. However, both VKs could not hear each other, so that I should relay their messages by myself.

The path between VK and JA has always been very stable. As I told in the other post, I have enjoyed ragchewing with Tim on the way back from Melbourne to Mt. Eliza, his home QTH. He was running old FT101B with a top loaded vertical on the luggage carrier on his van. A bit chirpy but carming CW. We have talked on that good old days. Even though he has been inactive due to health problems, he is getting active on the radio again. Drew VK3XU was kind enough to put up his antenna on the roof. The great ragchewer in VK has resurrected there to my pleasure.

Lou, an ex radio operator, has been active recently. We have run across on 40m for a few times recently. Having known Tim, he was surprised to read about him in this blog and introduced the photo I had uploaded here in his page in QRZ.com. Since both of Tim and Lou have been eager ragchewer, they must have known each other well. They seemed to have been in close touch each other. Unfortunately, Lou has a very low wire antenna and his signal has always been suboptimal for ragchewing at this end. But he is going to put it up higher very soon. It may enable us to have a real round table very soon.

I feel there have been much less CW operators in the pan Pacific area than in the pan Atlantic area now. We, japanese CW operators, should treasure the opportunities to chat with VKs on the stable path. Moreover, Tim is a special friend of mine since we share the common history in our lives.  

Lorin WA1PGB

It has been 10 years since I first heard of Lorin WA1PGB from Drew VK3XU. Drew told me there was a ham who had been a professional pianist as well as an enthusiastic CW lover. I had to wait for another 6 years until I could meet that pianist on the air.

He was in Maine, where I could scarcely have good path with. We have still enjoyed conversation on music as well as CW. He has made debut as a professional pianist at Carnegie Hall at age of 11 years. He seemed to have spent a brilliant life as a pianist. Recently, I have run across with him staying in California. His simple set up at the temporary place has put out a great signal compared with that in Maine. He said he would move to somewhere in the Bay area very soon. He has decided to make that move because his son is living in Berkeley and he wanted to live close to him. I believe he is already in his 80s now. It is a good chance for him to spend his retirement in California.

He has let me know of his performance of Schubert piece with his young wife Tara in Youtube. I haven't known of this piece. I was moved at its ever lasting song by Schubert for 4 hands of piano. Dark and melancholic. Sometimes it expresses will for life but still sinks in the darkness. This gloomy song was composed in the last year of Schubert's life. In addition to its nature as a present to a heartbroken lady, the time this piece was composed must be a reason why it sounds so gloomy. I still enjoy his performance with warm touch in perfect harmony with his wife Tara. 

Even though I am the least musician, he told me he enjoyed talking to me about music on the air. I am looking forward to talking much more on music and his life when he is settled down in California.

  

Tim VK3IM

It was when I came back on the air at the dorm of a med school hospital that I met Tim with this call for the first time. My old log book told me we had met in '60s when he was VK3AZY as well. Anyway, both Tim and I were so active in '80s that we often worked on 40m. He was always on the way back home in Mt. Eliza from his office in Melbourne. There must be many CW operators around the world who have worked him, either at home or on mobile. He was running a mobile from his old Mazda van those days. His old FT101E sounded a littli bit chirpy. That chirp was unique enough to let us recognize him without hearing his call. What a charming signal he used to send out from that set up!

I have found the old photos of him and his mobile set up when I was tidying up the old stuff in the storage room a few days ago. Here are those photos he used to send me in '80s.

This is Tim in his young days. He has been a person of good will to the others. A bit shy but very sociable once he knew someone. I believe these photos were taken in Canberra when he spent the holidays there. This is his old Mazda with a home brew whip on the roof.

 

 

He used to operate radio in this way. His old FT101E was on the side seat. The paddle was beneath his thigh. He was very fluent with chatting on CW. We often chatted all the way where he drove from Melbourne to his home for an hour or so.  He used to ask me to wait for him until he bought his FT101E into his shack. With a glass of vermouth, he often came up on the band from his shack in a few minutes. We have talked for some more time thereafter. I wonder what we have had to talk about after an hour QSO from his mobile.

 

 

 

 



His home brew whip was on the top of the van. It had a top hat and a big sized loading coil for each band. This antenna was so efficient that he used to tell me he had worked Eu through long path on 80m. A friend of mine, VK1ARA, let me know he used to bring a blanket and a refrigerator on this van  so that he could stay anywhere he wanted.

 

 

 

 

 

He tuned the antenna tuner in this way. No automatic one those days. I bet this box had a lid to avoid getting wet with rain etc. Amazing the antenna tuner was fixed by this gum rope only.

 

 

 

 

The top loaded whip on the roof of the van. The size of the coil must made the antenna so efficient.

 

 

 



 

Tim has been, unfortunately, bed ridden at home for a few years. Drew VK3XU, one of his friends, used to give me updates of Tim from time to time. I haven't heard from Drew for a year or two. Tim is already over 70 years old now. I hope he is getting better and is coming back on the air soon. I surely miss him with a great fist.

Tim VK3IM passed away

Last night, I have received an e mail from Dit HS0ZQE telling Tim VK3IM passed away 3 days ago. It was an expected news but still a sad one which brought me a big loss in my mind.

I have met him first in '60s when he was VK3AZY. After a long pause of QRT for 10 years, when I came back on the radio at the dormitory of a med school hospital in 1980, I started talking to him quite often. As I wrote in the other posts regarding him, he was commuting between Mt. Eliza, a suburb of Melbourne, and Melbourne. 

On the way back home from his office, he often operated /M on his old Mazda. It was equipped with a home brew whip with a big loading coil and a top hat capacitor. I came back to the dorm after a busy day work. We started chatting on 40m CW. My antenna was only a vertical on the roof. But around or a bit after the sunset, the grey line path enabled us enjoy chatting for some time. Despite of having a kind of introverted character in a sense, he was a sociable experienced ham. He always enjoyed chatting friends world wide. It was amazing he used to work with Europe via long path on 40m or even on 80m from that tiny mobile station. I still remember his fast CW on a bit chirpy signal. That chirp was a kind of fascinating to me.

We shared old friends together such as Harry G3ATH, formerly 9V1MT in '60s, VK4CC, VK3XU and many more. We have not run out topics to talk about especially on good old days. It was an unforgettable QSO when he told me about his mother passing away. When he came home, he found her dead on a locking chair on the veranda. What a shock it was for him! We have talked for more than 3 hours, I believe. On the other time, he told me how he was washing cloths at home. He didn't have a washing machine and washed them in the bath tub. It was a fun to imagine him doing that. He used to visit Ara VK1ARA, one of my old friends in teen age days, in Canberra on a winter holidays. Ara was JA1RHL in the same town as I started radio and, later, managed a Japanese restaurant in Canberra those days. I don't know why but he could not see him in person and came home all alone. I bet he was hesitating to see him in eye ball. What a shy guy!

I might have recorded parts of our chats in the log. I should reopen those old logs. 

When he reached home in Mt. Eliza, he often told me to hold on. He used to say " I would bring the radio into the house and, together with a glass of vermouth, go into the shack. Let's carry it on!".

With him passing away now, those good old days have belong to the memories in the past, which I could never reach again any longer. In his latest years, he has suffered from cause unknown illness of pain, which he should use opiates to relieve from. Without his beloving hobby at the nursing home, what days of grief he has had to spend! Now he is free from those agonizing time on the earth. I have lost an irreplaceable companion in the journey of life. I would, however, say "you have lived a good life in your way and take good rest in heaven now". 

About 40 years ago, Tim on the bonnet of old Mazda. 

Tim VK3IM

The other day, on the FOC member reflector, someone has asked how Tim, VK3IM, was doing. The other guy replied to him that Tim had suffered from a serious illness and had had his radio gear stolen while he was in the hospital. I have been concerned about Tim since I read this conversation about him.

Drew, VK3XU, another FOC member, has given me a call on 40m this evening. I thought he was the right person who could let me know how Tim had been doing. So far as I heard from Drew, Tim had a prostate cancer operation which left him lasting pain. In addition, Tim has met a traffic accident, which has injured his spine. It was another cause of chronic pain to Tim. Tim has had surgeries on spine twice without good results. He also has had his equipments stolen as told in the reflector.

It was a really sad news to me. I have met Tim as VK3AZY in 1960s. Since 1980s, we have talked many times, especially when he used to commute to the city of Melbourne from Mt. Eliza on an old Mazda Van in 1980s. He used to put out a big siganal from his old FT101B and a whip with a big top hat on the roof of his car. For the past decade, he has been retired and won't be so active on the radio. I haven't had so many chances to talk to him recently. I knew he had had health problems for the past years.  I still hold fond memories of good QSOs with him. When I came back on the air at a dorm of a med school hospital in early 80s, I had only 14AVQ on the roof. He has given me an idea to utilize the metal roof for the radial. We shared old friends like JA5AI or VK4CC, who went SK years ago. We used to have a big round table with them those days. Though Tim is a little bit older than me, I felt so close to him like a brother in ham radio.

There should be so many CW operators all over the world who remember a little bit chirpy but stable his signal from his mobile set up and his way of operation, very sociable and kind. Keep ears open to Drew, who told me he would try to get in touch with Tim and give us the up date on Tim in the FOC member reflector or somewhere.