We retired in May, 2008 to our country place "Viking West" about 15 miles NW of Port Hope, ON. The rig in use in the photo is the 6V6-6L6 Long Feller (QST, July 1946) sitting on the second shelf and the RX sitting below it is a 13 tube Eddystone 830/4.

My personal sine, HN, was given to me by my dad, Thomas Martin Hamblin, sine Q, during my first shift as an American Morse operator on the CPR in Taber, Alberta in July, 1961. I was a lid but I loved the Morse. I have been the President of the Maple Leaf Chapter of the Morse Telegraph Club since 1987 but I am still a lid in American Morse. Mind you, I could hold a 3rd trick job if there was one to hold!

Other calls presently held: VE3HIE that I use now only for portable operation (dots are lighter than dashes) and VE3TMH that I now use in my QRP and Boat Anchor operating desk.

Former calls: VA3TH dropped in April, 2000 for VA3HN which matches my personal sine, HN. VE2AKI in Montreal from 1972 to 1979 running QRP with a Ten Tec PM3A. VE6TM, my first call in 1958 at age 15, running a WRL Globe Trotter Tx and an RCAF AR2 receiver.

I have been strictly a CW operator for 50 years, ragchewing on 80 and 40, now mainly using an Omni C, Argosy 2, or Century 21D. When the bands are reasonable, I work some QRP with my K2, K1, K0 (NorCal 40A), Argonaut 509, or Heath HW348DR Usually there are five keys on the desk at VA3HN: a left-handed F. A. Wilcox plus three right-handed J36 bugs (Bunnell, Lionel, and Vibroplex), and my dad's Bunnell Double Speed Key. I copy CW on an Underwood manual ALL CAPS mill that was surplus from the Philippine Air Force. It is installed in a homebrew well that I cut into my $10.00 desk.See my ARRL website article, "Putting It Down."www.arrl.org/news/features/2008/12/22/10519/ I have a CNR dispatcher's speaker on a scissor arm that I pull out towards my left ear when I am copying on the mill.

Memberships: Durham Region QRP Club (VE3QDR). Life member ARRL and AWA. Member QRP ARCI, Pickering Squash Club, Clarington Squash Club, and the Toronto Orienteering Club.