Photo: W4RL and his grandson, Callan. The majestic sailing ship in the background is the Juan Sebastián de Elcano of Spain, the Royal Spanish Naval Academy training ship. Here to honor and celebrate the visit of the King and Queen of Spain in Pensacola Florida, June of 2009, in celebration of the founding of Pensacola in 1559 by Spanish explorer Don Tristain De Luna. Of note, the night the King and Queen's aircraft entered the controlled air space approaching the US Navy's Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola (Home of the US Navy's Blue Angles Flight Demonstration Team), a very heavy line of severe thunderstorms was passing through their final flight plan's path from flying in from across the Gulf Of Mexico from the Carribean. Their pilots were extremely busy in their 'front office' while chasing the runway strobe lights, and on through to final. With the mains down and three greens locked they finally made touchdown after passing though that heavy line of rain squalls and cross winds. This all heard on my aircraft receiver here in the shack along with my grandson. From experience as with some ouf you, I know it must have been a bone jaring ride down to the outer marker and strobe lights in the pouring rain with the King's pilots when touching down, going full reverse thrusters on the turbines and, having to tap toe lightly on the brakes and teasing the rudder while hydroplaning. I am certain that the 'left seat' planted that nose wheel on the runway as soon as possible to have the King's A/C to lose lift and do a 'stuck on concrete' routine a few seconds afterwards. It was a 'thumbs up' landing in my book. I believe the Pensacola area received over two plus inches of rain that night with some roads and local river flooding. But what the next day brought with clear skies and sunshine with the Royal ceremony in our City's Square was an experience in fanfare for this old deep South city's heritage and a grand event.

First licensed in Sept 1964 when a junior in high school as a novice with the callsign of WN4VDZ. Tested again in 1965 for Technician as my father would not let me skip a day from high school to travel to the FCC office in Mobile, Alabama from Pensacola, Florida for General. Received the call sign WB4BSZ with the late Mr Vernon Colley W4QK giving me my test for Technician in his radio shack here in Pensacola. Mr Colley was also my Sunday School teacher. Very much 'old schoo'l as one Sunday morning in his class he asked me if I had studied my lesson the night before. Knowing he would be able to detect a little white lie being so formadable in experience both religiously and electronically I answered with the truth, "No Sir, I forgot, but I did work Alaska on 40 CW". At that very moment I concluded with my teenage reasoning ability, I should have sinned and lied asking forgiveness later. My father who was the minsister of music at the church found out about that and ham radio time was marked off my Friday and Saturday nights' social schedule for a month in 1964 as a Novice. As such being such a normal young man, I concentrated all my energies on the young ladies. In doing so I forgot to upgrade and I lost my Novice call sign by one month. Note: Yes, it was worth it overall in one sense. As I mentioned previously I tested locally for Tech in 1965, obtained General at the FCC office Mobile, AL in 1970, and soon afterward Advanced. Yep, both times at the Mobile FCC office the examiner wore a thin black tie, white shirt, dark pants, white socks, black lace up dress shoes, and of course black framed glasses, pocket protector, and a flat-top haircut. Didn't they all back then? The office secretary who read aloud the pass/no pass list with her words being echoed by the plastered walls, high ceiling, and hardwood floors had a personality that could have frozen tropical waters in summer. Her monotone voice was akin to a 2000 cycle nasal saw tooth sine wave. Bless her heart. Even though my last name begins with a letter in the middle of the alphabet, I thought then everybody in that room had a last name starting with a letter before mine. Then all of a sudden out of the saw tooth nasal sine wave noise level came my name and "pass". I just sat there for a while composing myself before leaving the room. I don't remember my 60 mile drive home. After an undergraduate degree, service in the US Navy, marriage, first home mortgage, two new little people now living in my house and life that referred to me as 'daddy', new car payments (new mini-vans for mama and the little people, and a forever '69 VW Bug self maintained and repaired on weekends by yours truely, graduate and post graduate schools. Lots of parenting activities with my little people then years later with my former babies now teenagers with intities of questional mood hormonal changing identities living in my house, and work. Working at the office ong hours and thusly becoming totally exausted when arriving home to my sweet bride and questiobable teenage brood, I finally obtained 20 wpm Extra in 1985 and received the call sign W4RL in 1996. Note, now my grown children give me proper advice keeping me on the 'straight and narrow' along with my bride of 42 years with their common sense input and staunch logical advice of me with which I take. As such, my retirement life is good and welcomed.

Popular Electronics Short Wave Monitor Call Sign WPE4FGR July 1962 receiving signals with a Hallicrafters S-53A that I still have in working order. My father bought it for me for Christmas 1961.

ARRL Rag Chewers Club.

WAS 6 meters April 1980 with 27 countries.

42 year member of the ARRL.

Founding Member of the Gulf Coast Mullet Society and trustee of W4GCM the Society's club call sign.

Founding Member of the North West Florida Amateur Radio Weather Association and trustee of the association's call sign, W4NWF.

Member of AMI and the Southeastern AM Radio Club.

SMIRK # 812 10-10 International # 9123 SKCC # 1355

Present interest: My now seven year old grandson growing up so quickly, VHF/UHF weak signal DX, SSB/CW 160 throught 432MHZ, AM mode Boatanchors, APRS weather stations, NOAA APT weather satellites picture reception, salt water fly fishing, RC sailplanes, digital photography.

Present profession: None/Retired. During my working years I was a State licensed mental health counselor/psychologist for 32 years. Now I spend time as being a full time grandfather. Oh, it almost slipped my mind, I'm also a Senior Honey-Do Operator Technician (SHOT) w/full company benefits employed by my bride of 42 years, and a member in excellent standing with the IBSHOT (International Brotherhood of "SHOT"). Note though, that all my anual job performance reviews by my Supervisor (XYL) seem to state: "Although this employee cleans up well in his personal appearance with his supervisor's (XYL) directions for special ocassions when threatened, he could stand for vast improvements in completing his work orders on time given to him by his supervisor (XYL) as he is known to take unauthorized extended lunch times and unscheduled breaks on company time in his ham radio shack & shop either on the air or taking naps with his dog Willie (Chief Engineer/Maintance Op of W4RL) next to him doing the same. Therefore close hourly day by day supervision and frequent instructions is highly recomended, well actually absolutetly needed and thus to be continued with obvioulsy female adult supervison".

73 de Robert de es W4RL, WPE4FGR, previously 8Q0124 unit 4 and later KEA0130 (from reading his monthly Boys LIfe magazine articles on electronics and back pages ads as a Boy Scout), and FCC Licsened WN4VDZ, and WB4BSZ in one or the other point in times past respectively in my home town of Pensacola Florida.

Gentlemen/Ladies, I do perfer LoTW but will exchange DX cards via the ARRL QSL incoming and outgoing Bureau. VHF/UHF cards via direct mail.