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QRV IN YUMA AT NEW DIGS.  K3 Line to the first two antennas strung: 80-10 fan vee up 60 feet on the Palm tree directly above the black jeep in the house pix (DESERT TOWER), 30/17 fan vee up 35 feet on the shorter Palm. More antennas to follow over time on the 1.3 acres. Towers, beams and verts still on the ground.       DM22TQ

                

   

 

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     Gag photo by my electrician shipmate friend.  Note the WESTCLOX hand key on my "portable desk".  It eventually retired (along with me,  the watch clock and the lifeboat radio) in Ocean Park after the 500 KHz CW safety watch requirement and CW HF traffic were eliminated.

      

 

  ​​How many Hams have used a USN Signal Light?  I used to practice with whatever ship was in while I was going to USN Sonar A- School in San Diego circa 1962.  Occasionally got called to use a portable flashing light when I was on subs.. But ended up 45 years later using a light as a prefered secure communication link instead of voice  (on a USN  LMSR [per QSL above], leased to the Army and run with a civilian crew) with our escort vessels during the Kuait theater (transiting the Med, through the canal, Persian Gulf, Red Sea).  And as a nod to all us CW Ops, most of the escort vessels (whatever country Navy Destroyer type vessels) had little or no English Language skills.  We did just fine with Q and Z signals.  CW rocks and blinking light  should be on every ham's bucket list! 

Geoffrey (Jeff) Morse originally licensed Novice KN7HOZ in 1958 at the age of 13 (Brookings, OR), Conditional six months later in 1959 (K7HOZ), Extra 1977 (K7GA 6/14/77). 30 years total Sea Service - 8 years in USN Submarines (almost all SWL years - underway and under water most of the time), 12 years in USCG (lots of /MM and some island ops), retired military combined 20 years; retired again - for the last time  (10/01/07) after 17 years as a Merchant Marine Radio Officer (had my Drake Twins or IC-706MKIIg most of the time) on tankers, ro-ro's, containerships and LMSR's (USN Heavy Lift Cargo). Ham radio is a family affair for us. My OM (SK) was K7YFP and my son Glen in Ohio is N8NGA.

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​NOTE OF INTEREST ABOUT MY K7GA CALL: I am perhaps one of few K7(x2) call holders (still living and current)  with an original not previously issued callsign (unless there are a few more that fall under the Alaska/CONUS rule) ​Recently discovered a ham who is doing marvelous things with old callbooks and history.  Pete "The Greek" NL7XM delights in searching out info on old or present calls..  I asked him to find info about the previous owner(s) of K7GA (one of the perks in the 70's - pass your extra class and make a request for three callsigns you desire - one of which the FCC will issue if available).  Pete astounded me with the info that my 1X2 had never been issued - I am an original holder.  Amazing since the K7 1x2 calls were issued starting in 1929 in Alaska and later in the western region of CONUS.  It never got issued and was passed over numerous times. Decades later it was given to me. Needless to say I am honored.....  Contact gentleman Pete on QRZ if you have any questions about your present or past call(s). 

​MORE INFO ON OLD K7/W7 CALLSIGNS came in from Pat K7VAY:

"My Dad was K7EUQ in Anchorage from 1934 to the end of the war and years later in 1959 he explained the K7/W7 situation to me.  He was issued K7EUQ and that meant that W7EUQ would NOT be issued in the lower 48 as the suffix would be issued in one place or the other but NOT both.  K7GA was never issued in Alaska because W7GA was aleady issued to a ham in Seattle.  After the war when our family returned to the Seattle area, Dad automatically became W7EUQ but he let it expire in 1947 or so and didn't get back on the air until 1958."

 

Ham Radio steered me to my lifelong occupations in electronics and communications.

Favorite mode on HF: CW... Have enjoyed maintaining and operating vintage equipment, especially working others with old or Home Brew gear, since much of my gear (including me) is also old vintage. But it works, is semi-easy to maintain and I've managed to keep it all on the air so far, most of the time!

FISTS 9397, SKCC 4850, CW OPS 1422

ARRL, W5YI, SANDARC (San Diego) Volunteer Examiner

DXCC (MIXED 200+, CW 200+, 40M, 20M, 17M, 15M, 10M), WPX (CW), WAC (CW), WAS

 

YUMA SHACK, UNDER CONSTRUCTION​

 

  

FUTURE SITE FOR THE 40/30 YAGI, BACK THERE SOMEWHERE