Any Ham Radio Operators?

[StatHaldol]

I've been a ham radio operator for a number of years and I've noticed that pipe and cigar smoking seem to go hand-in-hand with many hams.

Any hams here?

 

[Rob_In_MO]

Nothing like a good pipe with an old Tube Rig in the background - keeping the room nice and toasty on a cold winter night. OK - not all of my rigs are boatanchors, but I am quite fond of them. Real Radios have tubes. :lol:

73 DE
af0h - Rob

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[RealtorFrank]

A friend of mine on Youtube is big into it, his channel name is dighsx, he is a big pipe and cigar guy too.

 

[StatHaldol]

It's always nice to meet fellow hams! My dad was a radio operator in WWII and we always had a boat anchor around the house. I grew up listening to the receiver.

I learned code from my dad when I was in traction recovering from a broken leg. My CW is a little rusty but I still remember a lot of it.

My wife and I are fairly active on the 3905 Century Club nets; mainly 40M.

Hope everyone had a good Easter weekend!

73

KE5FYR

 

[Carlos]

HF and 6 meter DXing and contesting. Some ragchewing.

73, de K9ZM

 

[puros_bran]

Currently inactive.. with only the occasional 2 meter contact.

KI4EID

 

[eggman]

I enjoy 10m dxing. When the band is open. Do some 2m repeater ragchewing most of the time. I too like the old boat achors dipping the plates and the like. But the only BA I have is not transmitting. I need to get the old kenwood ts-820s back on the air. Got a old halicrafters 38-c that I love to listen to shortwave on still works great.

73 kj4unx

 

[LL]

My dad was a radio hamster his entire life. Got his license in his early teens and was still active until he died in 1999. 70 years on the air. Could fist 40 wpm dead clean, and kept every DX card he ever received. I grew up with a 40 meter beam tower bolted to the wall of my bedroom, and a 10 meter vertical outside the window. I can still here him digging through the QRN, calling, CQ, CQ, CQ... W0NGW... Whiskey Zero Never Gonna Work... CQ, CQ, CQ..." after the sun went down.

He also smoked a pipe nearly as long. Got me started on my 20th birthday with a Pioneer calabash, a group 4-ish Peterson billiard, a half pound of BS 759, and a half pound of straight VA flake. ($22.50, $12.00, $7.00, and $8.00 respectively. :lol: )

Yup, there seems to be a connection.

 

[StatHaldol]

My dad was a computer hamster his entire life. Got his license in his early teens and was still active until he died in 1999. 70 years on the air. Could fist 40 wpm dead clean, and kept every DX card he ever received. I grew up with a 40 meter beam tower bolted to the wall of my bedroom, and a 10 meter vertical outside the window. I can still here him digging through the QRN, calling, CQ, CQ, CQ... W0NGW... Whiskey Zero Never Gonna Work... CQ, CQ, CQ..." after the sun went down.

He also smoked a pipe nearly as long. Got me started on my 20th birthday with a Pioneer calabash, a group 4-ish Peterson billiard, a half pound of BS 759, and a half pound of straight VA flake. ($22.50, $12.00, $7.00, and $8.00 respectively. :lol: )

Yup, there seems to be a connection.

Great story! Thanks for sharing! Your dad and mine would have gotten along just fine!

 

[LL]

Great story! Thanks for sharing! Your dad and mine would have gotten along just fine!

Somehow I typed "computer" instead of "radio" (now fixed). Sorry.

The "hamster" thing was a running joke between us.

Here's a mildly weird thought: Your dad and mine might have connected on the air at some point. I guess the six degrees of separation thing is true.

 

[StatHaldol]

Great story! Thanks for sharing! Your dad and mine would have gotten along just fine!

Somehow I typed "computer" instead of "radio" (now fixed). Sorry.

The "hamster" thing was a running joke between us.

Here's a mildly weird thought: Your dad and mine might have connected on the air at some point. I guess the six degrees of separation thing is true.

That may have happened! He made contacts all over the world!

 

[Midnight Blues]

I don't have a Ham license but I really enjoy shortwave, and pipes!

 

[mark]

Haven't operated in years,,,Hallicrafters boat anchor was down more than operational,,,,got tired of replacing caps,,still listen searching pirates and such,,,,

 

[Natch]

My uncle was big into it when I was young. I still remember, we were visiting him in the fall of '58 and he could pick up that communist beep as Sputnik came over North America every few hours. He hated that sound! :lol:

A student of mine did a great research project back in the early 90s, looking how critical ham and SW radio operators are after a disaster, when all or many of the traditional communication lines were down. He looked at a worst case scenario of the New Madrid Fault going at roughly the same level as it did in 1811-12 (still the largest earthquake in US history in the continental US) and the FEMA of the day and disaster management people were surprised when he showed then that it's not just the operators and their generators going on line, but most of the relay towers would be down. He mapped where the spar parts were kept, and the engineers able to get to the parts and then get to the tower site and repair them. They never considered that every bridge throughout the region would be down, so no one nor part was going anywhere soon. I thought it was pretty sharp of him to find the week link in that disaster plan. All based upon individual citizens keeping communications going during those disasters.

I also met a guy last winter up in the Ouachita mountains in Western Arkansas. I was backpacking for a few days, but he was on a day hike and he had a portable unit in his pack. He climbed the tallest mountain in that area (the trail went right over the peak) and threw a wire up in a tall pine, and we ended up talking to his friends in Australia. Quite odd to hit the woods solo to be alone, and end up joking with the world.

Natch

 

[msmith1956]

I'm temporarily inactive, but hope to be back on the air soon....

73's,
Mark W4MMS

 

[patiobum]

N5POP checking in.

I do schmoke a pipe and cigars while operating in my HAM room / shack.

 

[StatHaldol]

Welcome aboard! We almost have enough here for a net!

 

[tslots]

I don't do SW radio myself, but my brother-in-law owns a company that makes SW equipment (Elecraft).

 

[eggman]

I don't do SW radio myself, but my brother-in-law owns a company that makes SW equipment (Elecraft).

I have used a Elecraft k3 once at last years Field Day. I really liked it but can't swing one right now. But maybe since you got the hook up you can help a fellow BOB out. All I need is a 6 meter transverter.

 

[msmith1956]

I don't do SW radio myself, but my brother-in-law owns a company that makes SW equipment (Elecraft).

Elecraft stuff is really good, I'd love to build one of their transceivers one day. I bet your brother-in-law loves his job!