N7YA
12-20-2010, 12:49 AM
I was tuning a fairly quiet 40 meters last night and heard a station in Napa, CA just finishing up. I put it in park and listened as i tended to other shack things. They were saying their 73's and the Napa station signed...it was an old friend from my Alaska days, Howard, AL7GS. I couldnt believe it! Its been about 25 years since i last heard from him and his wife, Barb. He left Alaska after i did and simply disappeared...turns out, thats exactly what they all thought i did too.
Howard was a great resource of antenna wisdom and would give my broke, car-less ass a ride to club meetings, field day events, etc when i was just a newbie teenager with dreamy eyes set on one day having a huge contest farm. He would let me stop by his QTH whenever i wanted to log a few contacts. He even unlocked the door when times got tough for me and i was at the lowest points in my life...i was literally homeless and strung out...he never questioned my intentions, ever, which was good because no matter how far down in the dumps i got, i never entertained the thought of doing anything disrespectful. It was just nice to see someone who wasnt locking their car door when i walked by, or pulling their kids close...he just told me i looked like shit, but let me warm up a bit and log a few contacts. I never knew until then just how much those little things mattered.
Howard is also one of those brilliant "antenna gurus"...we all know at least one. (i know a couple of you guys here ARE one). He once built a simple, manually turnable Delta Loop for me. It was one of the best antennas ive ever owned. Sure, if i wanted to turn broadside to EU or AF, i had to go outside to the back porch, untie the anchor wire, grab the handle and turn the 70' tall monster by hand, retie the wire in the new position and go back inside...usually in the middle of a cold, windy Alaskan night...but it was more than worth it. I logged all sorts of great stuff with that loop. I was looking through some old notebooks the other day (i NEVER throw away old notebooks), and found the handwritten diagram for the loop that he left with me. Turns out he had been off the air for a while, is now living amongst the beautiful orchards in wine country and working as a caregiver for older folks...noble occupation. I dont think i ever thought to say thank you for the antenna and felt bad about that all these years...last night, i finally got to say it.
I have had many great conversations over the years with many interesting people. Ive had lots of great battles in pileups, successes and failures in this great hobby...but these kinds of contacts remind me that we get older, we die. There are lots of old friends ive met through the years on the air and in person that are no longer with us. I will never get to run contests with them, tell bad jokes and drink into the night with them or simply enjoy their company again. These moments never get a second chance. So when i am lucky enough to have a second shot at it, it really means a lot.
This is just one more reason why this is a great hobby and one that a person keeps for life. Please, if you have a similar story...tell me about it. I like these stories. :)
Howard was a great resource of antenna wisdom and would give my broke, car-less ass a ride to club meetings, field day events, etc when i was just a newbie teenager with dreamy eyes set on one day having a huge contest farm. He would let me stop by his QTH whenever i wanted to log a few contacts. He even unlocked the door when times got tough for me and i was at the lowest points in my life...i was literally homeless and strung out...he never questioned my intentions, ever, which was good because no matter how far down in the dumps i got, i never entertained the thought of doing anything disrespectful. It was just nice to see someone who wasnt locking their car door when i walked by, or pulling their kids close...he just told me i looked like shit, but let me warm up a bit and log a few contacts. I never knew until then just how much those little things mattered.
Howard is also one of those brilliant "antenna gurus"...we all know at least one. (i know a couple of you guys here ARE one). He once built a simple, manually turnable Delta Loop for me. It was one of the best antennas ive ever owned. Sure, if i wanted to turn broadside to EU or AF, i had to go outside to the back porch, untie the anchor wire, grab the handle and turn the 70' tall monster by hand, retie the wire in the new position and go back inside...usually in the middle of a cold, windy Alaskan night...but it was more than worth it. I logged all sorts of great stuff with that loop. I was looking through some old notebooks the other day (i NEVER throw away old notebooks), and found the handwritten diagram for the loop that he left with me. Turns out he had been off the air for a while, is now living amongst the beautiful orchards in wine country and working as a caregiver for older folks...noble occupation. I dont think i ever thought to say thank you for the antenna and felt bad about that all these years...last night, i finally got to say it.
I have had many great conversations over the years with many interesting people. Ive had lots of great battles in pileups, successes and failures in this great hobby...but these kinds of contacts remind me that we get older, we die. There are lots of old friends ive met through the years on the air and in person that are no longer with us. I will never get to run contests with them, tell bad jokes and drink into the night with them or simply enjoy their company again. These moments never get a second chance. So when i am lucky enough to have a second shot at it, it really means a lot.
This is just one more reason why this is a great hobby and one that a person keeps for life. Please, if you have a similar story...tell me about it. I like these stories. :)