Commemorative Issue June 2013

Transcription

1 Commemorative Issue June 2013 Club Website: S-Meter Club Repeater: Output MHz; Input MHz, No Tone Next Meeting 7:30 p.m. Friday July 19 th 2013 Meeting QTH is: Hawthorne and Walnut St. (Across from the city park and Colville Junior High School) Don t forget the eating before the meeting at Rancho Chico 6:00pm First Saturday of each month join the group for breakfast at the American Legion Hall in Chewelah 9:00 am CLUB NET: Sunday Evenings 8:00p.m. Local

2 There was no PARC Meeting in June instead we just attended Field Day. We will post the happenings in the July issue. This June issue of PARC S-Meter is in memory of Wilse Morgan WX7P who became a Silent Key on June 13 th at 1:30 am, at the Mount Carmel Hospital in Colville Washington. A memorial service was held on June 21 st 2013 at the Rice Fire Station #12, it was well attended. Many folks told stories of their exploits with Wilse and how he had influenced their love of Amateur Radio. There were many photos and memorabilia of Wilse s life spanning over sixty years. The food was great too! Posted on behave of the Morgan family: 7/14/2013 Dear friends: Thanks to all who attended Wilse Morgan s memorial in Rice Washington. Your kind words, flowers and the Wilse Morgan ARRL memorial scholarship meant so much to me. Gimmie AL7LB I want to thank all those who sent in letters and pictures for this addition of the PARC S-Meter, also I got some pictures and articles from ARRL, QRZ and SDX Club websites. 2

3 Wilse G. Morgan: W6PVF KL7CQ WX7P now SK in 2013 de Bill Balzarini K7MWC - KL7BB My first contacts with Wilse were in the very early 1960 s down at the local Amateur Radio Supply Store located at the North end of Boeing Field in Seattle WA. The area is called Georgetown, famous for the Old Rainier (Beer) Ice House. Wilse Morgan was a business Partner with Earl Palmer N7EP in PM Electronics and they were producing Bubble packed Ham Radio Kits out of articles that appeared in Ham Radio Magazines like 73, CQ, & QST. These Kits consisted of a schematic diagram + parts list of the magazine article, a PC Board and some of the Very hard to find parts. The end result was any Ham could build a working kit that actually worked. The PM Electronics product line was selling so well that the Amateur Radio Supply Co. store owner Dick Aspinwall W7PV (2005 SK ) devoted an entire peg-board display space to the many kits that PM electronics produced. It was the near location of Georgetown to the PM Electronics South Seattle manufacturing plant that allowed Wilse many frequent trips into the ham radio store to check on his products sales and talk with other hams about the kits. I was one of the many hams that had direct access to Wilse on the floor of Amateur Radio Supply in Georgetown. Wilse was always making new kits each month to match the ham radio articles as they appeared in the magazines. This Bubble-Pack Ham Radio business activity went on for many years with thousands of happy hams building the PM electronic kits. As time moved on, I went to Alaska in February 1976 with a load of supplies for my cousin down at Anchor Point Alaska. I made arraignments to stop off in Anchorage and stay with some relatives in Anchorage for a week. It turns out that this is the week that had the annual Fur Rendezvous Sled Dog Race. I went to downtown Anchorage to see the race and all of the different aspects of racing dogs around town at -20 degrees below zero weather. There at the Start Finish Line was a big display of the race mounted up on a flat bed truck and many people with radios that were keeping track of where each musher and his team were along the course. It turned out that these folks were all members of the KL7AA Anchorage Alaska Amateur Radio Club. They invited me to hop up on the trailer with them and join in with the Far North Communications Fun. I was told how all of the Mushers time and location info was being sent via ham radio up to the Rabbit Creek net control station in the hills of South Anchorage to what was called Mount Olympus. When I went back to my relatives South Anchorage home that night, we figured out that the Net Control Station was just several miles away and they could arrange to drop me off near the road that led up to the station location. The next day I was dropped off at the bottom of Robinhood Lane with instructions that they should wait for me to come back for 20 minutes, and then leave. What I found at the top of Robinhood Lane was a long 500ft driveway that led back into the scrub brush and birch trees and two old miners shacks that had been pulled together to make one bigger mountain cabin, called Mount Olympus. This place had several tall Alaskan towers (70+ ft ) with HF Beams and many VHF arrays that said there was some serious hamming going on here. Stepping up on the wide porch stacked high with fire wood; I went over and knocked on the door. To my surprise there was Wilse Morgan W6PVF/KL7 who was leading the entire team of the Mount Olympus Anchorage Amateur Radio Club Net Control Station. This was very special to be 2500 miles from my home and running into someone that I had known from Seattle WA. I was invited into the rustic QTH and got to meet the people that were out in the back ham shack doing all of the tracking chores. There were several brand new Hewlett Packard HP-65 hand held calculators that were doing the speed forecasting of each musher in the race. The results of each forecast was then loaded up on a 5 level punched paper tape and then sent through a VHF Ham Radio RTTY teletype circuit back down to a waiting 3

4 RTTY machine at the Start Finish line in downtown Anchorage. It was pure magic to see so much equipment up in the snow covered hills of Rabbit Creek Alaska. Wilse and that Fur Rondy Ham Radio Crew really opened up the warmth and charm of Alaska to me. Over the following years I had a Radio Communications job with Columbia Wards Fisheries out in the rural bush Alaska of Bristol Bay at EKUK. Wilse had offered me late April accommodations up at his Rabbit Creek mountain cabin so that I could acclimatize to the cold before going out into the rural bush of EKUK for the Summer Fishing season. It just so happens that the Anchorage Alaska Flea Market and Electronics Show was at the last weekend of April (called winter Break-up), and I was invited to help out with all of the miscellaneous tasks needed to make the event a success. I became Wilse s Go4,,, Go for this, Go for that. As his understudy, I learned how he was saying yes to all of the elements that make for one great Flea Market Show: How to look for a business space that could be used for a weekend, to how to get all of the pre-press word out for the Date-Time-Location of the event. This activity would fill up my time for the two weeks before going out into the bush for the summer fishing cycle. The peak of Wilse s talent was that he would auction off ham radio goodies all day long. It was like a ham radio contest to listen to his continual auctioneer call. One of the flea-market groups that he put together was a team of hams that would go out and get door prizes from local businesses that he would include in the ongoing door prize drawings. One year, the KL7AA team came back with door prizes that had also included an item from a nearby women s wear business. It turns out that Wilse had a Flea Market Field Day with this special door prize,,,, because nobody could come back home to their wife and say Look what I won as a door prize at the Flea Market today. Much to his delight, Wilse was watching ticket holder after ticket holder refuse the Special Women s Door Prize. There was a very special delight to the tone of his voice when he knew what was going on in minds of the crowd. It was his finest hour. When Wilse was not doing the flea market, he was teaching Ham Radio Classes and running ham radio contests. One of his requirements was to have everyone in his classes also come up to Mount Olympus and operate in the CQ World-Wide Phone contest during the last weekend of October each year. He signed people up and they were each given a seat in front of his Collins S Line that was live on the air. This was their half hour of time that was used to overcome mic - fright and get them used to talking to people all over the world. So many imaginations were fired up on those cold winter nights that resulted in towers and beams going up the following summer all over town. Over the years I helped him build his first computer logging system (8088) where he chose Swiss-Log as his program to track his tens of thousands of contacts. In 1978 during the Ham Radio Convention in Anchorage, he bought his first HF ICOM IC-701 and RM2 controller. This let him electronically scan the ham bands for activity. His constant fight with high winds meant constant work on the big beams. One year I arrived at his QTH after a very powerful storm had taken severe damage to his 20 meter Telrex beam. The elements were found way down in the gully hundreds of feet away with giant 12inch hooks bent into the element near the boom end where a large tree had sheared it off. It looked like a Little Bo-Peep Hook from a Christmas play. In the fall of each year Wilse was always out on a wild Alaskan river fishing float trip. I would volunteer to house sit for him and his radios for the two weeks that he was out in the wilderness of Bush Alaska. He would talk-up the fishing float trip and sign up other hams in Anchorage to go along with the expedition. For those that went out on one of these trips, it was a chance to experience raw untamed nature at its finest; Wild Salmon Fish on the end of your line, to the giant Alaska Grizzly bears along the way and near your camp. The mix of Alaskan weather would drown you to the skin, while critters bathe you with the howls and screams that 4

5 objected to you and the others in your party for being in their wilderness home. The Giant Black Flies and hungry mosquitoes would take special delight in getting every last pound of your flesh and sipping quarts of your blood before the onslaught of the coming winter storms that would put them all to sleep. Oh the joy of being out on the river with Wilse and the revenges of Alaskan Bush Living. I only went out on one of his Arctic Circle fishing madness events in the fall of Oh the joy of October in Alaska when Mother Nature dips the temperature to below freezing! It would take another lifetime to write about all of the many other outings and adventures in ham radio and Wilse G. Morgan W6PVF-KL7CQ-WX7P. I have had the pleasure of being on many of his adventures,, it sure has been a life-time of fun. Bill Balzarini K7MWC - KL7BB KL7BB@Yahoo.com Some Personal Recollections of WX7P, SK My jeep stops abruptly up against the rise in land at the WX7P antenna farm in Rice. It s early in the morning and although the wind is blowing at a good clip, hardly a blade of wild grass sways on the hill. The whole area has been close-mowed to prepare for a major project, installation of the 4-square antenna system, something that Wilse has been prompting me and others to begin as soon as possible. It was only a month earlier that Wilse, Bruce and I visited with The Ox, Gary, K7OX, in Spokane, to learn everything we could about installing a 4-square. Here it is July and, already, we are late according to Wilse. So goes the beginning of one of the many stories that I will always remember that originated because of my friend and ham-mentor, Wilse Morgan. Despite my more than 50 years as a licensed ham at the time, my operating experience could not be compared to this contester and there were many things to be learned from this man. And almost 50 years earlier as a teenager in Texas, little would I realize that the call sign W6PVF/5 I logged that day from a QSO with a guy having the strange name Wilse, operating portable from Oklahoma City, would belong to the same man I was now trudging over the hill to help construct the most famous 4-square antenna system in Stevens County. Although rough as a wood rasp, he would intricately organize each work session so that there was no question about where the tools were or whether a sufficient amount of materials had been arranged for the job. And, we would be carefully coaxed, in as gentle a way as the man could muster, to get with the program and finish our work. Hanging around a guy 12 years your elder who is willing to share with you every tidbit of his insights on life can be educational to say the least. Wilse was all about ham radio, exhibiting all the characteristics of a good ambassador minus, perhaps, some of the diplomacy. There is not much he was afraid to say to anyone, but his point was that ham radio filled his life and his position was that it ought to do the same for every other ham. So, now we are off to the air freight terminal at Spokane International. I have volunteered to drive him for concern that in his enthusiasm to pick up his brand new Alpha amplifier, he just might get carried away in reverie and miss a turn. Actually, fat chance of that considering that he drove himself to the hamfest in Sea Side only two weeks before he passed away. I drop off Wilse at the front office to explain what he has come for while I back my vehicle into the warehouse to minimize labor in getting the giant box loaded. True to form, out Wilse comes with the air freight lady, talking up a storm. I make sure the amplifier is securely lodged in the 5

6 back and off we go to his ham shack in Rice. Opening the box initiates another task: I am to totally photographically document the amplifier inside and out. Dutifully done. The cold wind of winter has taken our breath away. The club meeting room is decorated for the annual club Christmas party pot luck and Wilse presides as president and life member. Being consumed by the business of ham radio, we must sit stoically in our chairs as all the wonderful and hot food cools off while Morgan runs the club business meeting oblivious to the waiting food. Such was his enthusiasm for ham radio to the extent of forgetting about the food and how anxious people were to fill the serving line. But he was never without some Wilsesonian saying and that is how we ended up with his famous advisory to attend the eating before the meeting just prior to each club meeting when members would pack into the local Mexican restaurant to commiserate about life in general and ham radio in specific. I suppose this reminder will remain forever on the front of the club newsletter; even as a silent key, Wilse continues to beckon each of us to full-blown ham radio. Back to the work crew at the antenna farm and I casually ask Wilse some stupid question about what we are doing, to which his response is: You can even teach an orangutan to do this job, Ric, what s your problem? Enthusiasm for what you do in life is important. Wilse was not only fully aware of this but exuded an overabundance of it. By osmosis, being in his presence one could not help but sense the importance that Wilse attached to amateur radio. But, he was also a sleeper in some regards. Interestingly, as I explain some of the intricate calculations I have done to ensure that the antenna design is correct, he nods approvingly but in a way to signify that he may not really understand it. Secretly, however, it seems that he is pulling from his memory cells a deeper understanding based on his degree in mathematics. The man could have simply not gotten to where he was in electronics without a good grounding in math but he would also imply that he was incapable of understanding some radio kinds of things. I m still not certain but what he was checking out our ability to know what we were doing and all the while claiming ignorance. That was part of his style, I think. Capable of ruffling feathers among fellow hams, Wilse did express appreciation for the help extended to him by others....we have all become involved in lobbying the state legislature to drop a financially onerous clause in a proposed bill, SHB 2335, that could affect hams operating repeaters installed on state lands. The bill has been passed with the dropped clause and it is time to celebrate and head for Olympia to be present when the Governor signs the bill. Morgan is there with a bright fuchsia shirt, standing and hobnobbing with various dignitaries and assembled friends. Among his most caring of friends, and, perhaps, most deeply understanding of the real man, is the one-of-a-kind, Bill Balzarini, KL7BB. Back at the ranch in Rice, while Dave, Bruce, Randy and I are being nourished back to our ability to continue work by Gimmie, Wilse launches into yet another incredible story of how Balzarini, essentially a protégé of Morgan, can fix virtually anything on Earth! This recognition seems fairly astonishing, even as Wilse reflects on his own words, but his remarks indelibly show how proud he is of his underling. We hear remarkable stories of how Bill, already known to be expert in all things electronic, has been able to repair everything from out-of-production kitchen stoves to outhouses in Alaska. Take home note: Even if rough around the edges, Wilse can be appreciative in his own way; I learn, and I value that observation, tucking it into my memory cells so that, hopefully, I, too, can remember to express appreciation when deserved. Perhaps most impressive of the many insights I gleaned from Wilse was the value he associated with sharing what he had with others. Perhaps my tendency toward always trying to explain technical details to others, as a teacher might, is what brought me close to Wilse. He, too, seemed to be energized most when he could show others the details of ham radio contesting, opening his home to others simply so he could help them experience the real deal of amateur radio operating. My first interactions with him led me to think that it was totally about winning, regardless, in any contest. Later, after participating in various contests at his station over the years, and watching his performance, it becomes clear to me that with Wilse it was as much about the fun of helping others experience the enjoyment of contesting and having the camaraderie of other hams as it was about the fun of his own making of contacts with the associated bragging rights. 6

7 As I think back over all the time I knew Wilse, I am thankful for his friendship. A subject of his incessant cajoling to be involved in just one more project, with, at times, good, spirited two-way banter at times between the two of us, I have gained by knowing him. Perhaps his line about the orangutan has even more meaning now. Thank you Wilse! I m not going to forget you, ever. 73 OM, Ric WILSE MORGAN WX7P SK 1932 June 13, 2013 I have known Wilse Morgan, W6PVF, KL7CQ and WX7P, since 1961 and he was without a doubt the most interesting person I have ever had the privileged of meeting. I doubt that most first meetings are long remembered, but I remember my first meeting with Wilse. We both were recent graduates newly employed by FAA, but in different offices. He told me what a great job I had and gave me some friendly advice on how to get ahead in the FAA, Don t rock the boat. He was right on both counts. Wilse had a imposing physical stature and pleasant but dominating personality. He was a great salesman and deal maker. He would take on any challenge he believed in and would usually accomplish it. Soon after I met Wilse I made a big mistake and said to Wilse, maybe we should make printed circuit boards and sell them to the hams. Within a few months he had taken over my garage, spare bedroom and refrigerator and we were in business. It was hard to say no to Wilse. As you can imagine that situation didn t set well with the XYL and my participation the business didn t last long. However, Wilse found a way to keep the business growing and he turned it into thriving business. Wilse was also the most ardent believer in ham radio that I have ever met. It ran in his veins. When I first visited Wilse at his home, his ham station was a 19 inch D rack installed in the middle of the apartment living room. Quite an accomplishment for a newlywed I thought, but my XYL wasn t impressed. Wilse and I worked together as Electronic Engineers in FAA starting in Probably the biggest adventure we had was after the 1964 flood in the Northern California which washed out the all the bridges to Eureka, Crescent City and Arcata. For almost 2 month all supplies had to come to the area by air. The Arcata airport didn t have a control tower or air traffic control. Wilse and I volunteered to be part of a team to establish a temporary control tower at the Arcata Flight Service Station. We flew down to the Arcata in a FAA flight inspection DC-3 and installed portable Gonset Transceivers for the volunteer Air Traffic Controllers. After a week or so of 16 hour days we had installed remote transmitter receiver sites and modified the Flight Service Station with additional frequencies and operating positions for air traffic control. Late one evening after a long 16 hour day one of the crew members wanted to stop for a beer before we went back to the motel. We found a bar and proceeded to order. Wilse had a few vices but not smoking or drinking so I was curious about what he would order. He proceeded to give the bartender a list of at least 10 ingredients for his drink the last of which was a twist of lime, and a shot of grenadine. After a lot of searching the bartender told Wilse they were out of grenadine. After some hassle, Wilse agreed it was OK to leave it out. The bartender asked what kind of liquor Wilse wanted and he said none. The bartender lost his mind for a few minutes, but Wilse got his drink and we all had a good laugh. After Wilse quit FAA and moved to Alaska I didn t see him on a regular basis but we always kept in touch. I spent two weeks on a float trip with Wilse in Alaska in 1976 in a trip of a lifetime. Fishing was never the same for me after that trip as I had switched sides. I was now rooting for the fish! After Wilse retired in about 1989, we saw a lot more of each other. And something wonderful happened to him. He had a new wife, Gimmie, which I believe was the best thing that ever happened to him. They moved to Camp Verde, Arizona, and purchased a small farm on the Verde River. My XYL Barbara and I decided that Mesa, AZ, about 70 miles south of Camp Verde would be our winter home, so now we had the opportunity to see Wilse and Gimmie on a regular basis. After I retired in 1990, we camped on their farm in our motor home almost every year on our way to or from AZ. They named it Reo Verde Farm. It was about 50 yards from the Verde River. They built a home, planted orchards, garlic, and much more. The time we spent with Wilse, Gimmie and QSO four wheeling or following them around for a week was the best. During this time Wilse was still a very active ham but his farming came first. 7

8 I know these were very happy and busy years for Wilse and Gimmie. They moved their honey business down from Alaska, and had bee hives all over Arizona. They sent semi truck loads of bee hives every year to pollinate the almond crops in California. They turned that small farm into a paradise, (see the young orchard below) raised garlic, chickens, asparagus, peaches, kiwi, and more than I can remember. They opened a country store in Camp Verde, and installed a huge hot house for growing hydroponic tomatoes year round which they sold for healthy premium. One of my favorite photos. 1995? Reo Verde Farm in Camp Verde shortly after they purchased the property and planted the orchard. This one too! Their Country store in Camp Verde They built this house on the Verde River on stilts because it was in the flood plane. In the Verde River I caught the biggest catfish ever, up to 10 lbs. 8

9 The hard work and hot sun in Arizona finally got to Wilse and Gimmie, and they decided to really retire and moved to Rice, Washington. I only visited them twice in their new beautiful home and ideal ham radio location. It was about everything a ham could ask for and Wilse soon had a contest station on the air. He has made lots of improvements since I saw it. Wilse believed in building things well. His fence posts on the farm were railroad ties, Wilse strong like he everything he built. Inside view of the hot house of newly planted hydroponic tomatoes that grew without soil in a nutrient rich bag. The tomatoes were awesome. This is a view of the tall tower with a log periodic antenna. Several more towers and antennas have gone up since I took this picture in about Ham radio even influenced the names of their pets. This is QSO, my favorite pet ever. A skipper key breed that was smart as a whip. According to Wilse QSO could read the freeway signs and let them know when they got close to the freeway turn off. QSO and Wilse had a common trait. Once you were their friend, you were always their friend. Wilse Morgan, WX7P, was a ham s ham. His ham radio accomplishments are well documented on the internet. He was a advocate of everything that is good about ham radio. I think the mold has been broken and there will never be an equal to Wilse. He mentored too many new hams to count, was active in every ham club he lived near, and was ham radios best friend. I expect that if you ever met Wilse, you would remember him the rest of your life. He truly was unforgettable. During Wilse s battle with cancer over the past several years, Gimmie was with him every step of the way. I doubt that Wilse would believe his marriage was made in heaven, but I m sure it was. Angels aren t that plentiful and Wilse was surely given one. My prayers are with Gimmie during these tough times. Gimmie is strong and she will do well. And the ham community will be with her. Earl Palmer, N7EP, A friend of Wilse who will never forget him

10 Wilse knew a lot about a lot of things. After he retired, he attempted bee-keeping and an orchard. This was a new venture. He was always willing to try something new and add to his repertoire of skills..traits I admire. I wish he had written down his Alaska and Arizona adventures that would have made for interesting reading. One of his last ventures on his "bucket list" was to contest from a remote site outside the United States. He was able to do this a couple years ago when he went to Curacao. Wilse was an intelligent person who enjoyed a challenge. This is the reason he was oftentimes pushy with people...he enjoyed learning and he wanted others to be interested in growing intellectually. I suppose this is why we connected...i enjoy learning new things and challenging my brain. Yes, it was and is painful at times, but I have never regretted moving beyond my comfort zone. He was a positive influence in my life and I miss him. Cynthia WW7CA Wilse WX7P Added to CQ Magazine Amateur Radio Hall of Fame The CQ Amateur Radio Hall of Fame, started in 2001, recognizes those who have made major contributions to amateur radio as a whole, and radio amateurs who have made major contributions to society at large. The activities and accomplishments that qualify one for membership in these elite groups involve considerable personal sacrifice and can usually be described by the phrase above and beyond the call of duty. From SDXA website 10

11 WILSE'S WIDE WORLD OF RADIO SPORT AND DX

12 July Calendar of Events 4 th Happy Fourth of July! 5 th First Friday Colville Shop until 7:00 pm enjoy great deals. 6 th DL DX RTTY Contest 7 th Sunday Night Net Net Control Operator Courtney KE7ZDL 14 th Sunday Night Net Net Control Operator Karl WX7DS 18 th Colville Sidewalk Sale 3-days 18 th Spokane DX Club Net on Mhz repeater 7:00pm try something new! 19 th PARC Club Meeting 7:30 pm in Colville (Snacks Bert Kilmas) 19 th 4 th Annual KUH Pig Roast Loon Lake see flyer below. 20 th Tiger-Tri 6:30am Colville High School see Debbie to sign up 20 th North American QSO Party, RTTY 1800z 20 th CQ Worldwide VHF Contest 21 st Sunday Night Net Net Control Operator Cynthia WW7CA 23 rd National Hot Dog Day! 26 th Gimmie s Yard Sale in Rice bring your own stuff to sale if you like! 28 th Sunday Night Net Net Control Operator JimWW7DD 15 th Commemorative August 1 st Kiwanis BBQ in Colville City Park 5:30pm yum! 2 nd Rendezvous Days in the Colville City Park 3 days of fun. 2 nd Pacific N.W. DX Convention Spokane Valley Mairabeau Park Hotel 3 rd North American QSO Party, CW 3 rd ARRL August UHF Contest 4 th Sunday Night Net Net Control Operator George W7WBN 6 th The Doctor s Concert 6:00pm Rotary Pavilion Colville City Park 8 th Omak Stampede 11 th Sunday Night Net Net Control Operator Courtney KE7ZDL 15 th Spokane DX Club Net on Mhz repeater 7:00 pm try something new! 16 th PARC Club Meeting 7:30 pm Colville (snacks Gimmie) 17 th North American QSO Party SSB 18 th Sunday Night Net Net Control Operator Karl WX7DS 18 th ARRL Rookie Roundup RTTY 22 nd Stevens County Fair Colville Fair Grounds 24 th SCC RTTY Championship 24 th SDX Summer Picnic at Al Hiatt QT Sandpoint Potluck see website for more info 25 th Sunday Night Net - Net Control Operator Cynthia WW7CA o Calendar of events will be an ongoing part of the news letter, submit your dates to parcnews@hotmail.com 12

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