[Boatanchors] Ashtabula Bill W8VYZ SK

[D C *Mac* Macdonald]

Didn't know or work him, but his history and station was probably like
that of Harry Steffan, W8RHZ (Red Headed Zebra) of Twinsburg, OH.
 
Full KW on AM with beautiful audio and four half-waves at 60+ feet
on 75 meters. Harry held court every night around 3960, IIRC. His
signal was so stout that NOBODY even bothered to try to operate on
"HIS" frequency, but he did NOT ever jam his way onto the spot.
 
His signal was so stout that low powered stations could get in to
have a contact. Even my little Globe Scout was heard by Harry!
 
He and wife Winnie kept track of EVERY contact he ever made and he
could pull out the three-ring binder with YOUR call in it and bring
back whatever you had talked about, even from years previous!
 
He was a printer and owned Steffan Print.  He made QSL cards under
the "RHZ Print" name.
 
Harry and I shared the same birthday, 16 April; Harry in 1893 and
I in 1938.
 
* * * * * * * * * * * 
* 73 - Mac, K2GKK/5 * 
* (Since 30 Nov 53) * 
* Oklahoma City, OK * 
* USAF, Ret (61-81) * 
* * * * * * * * * * * 
 
 
 
 
 

> Date: Thu, 29 Sep 2011 19:19:32 -0400
> From: anchor at ec.rr.com
> To: ka1kaq at gmail.com
> CC: Boatanchors at mailman.qth.net; rkofler at aol.com
> Subject: Re: [Boatanchors] Ashtabula Bill W8VYZ SK
> 
> click here to see a video of him & his shack
> <http://www.amforever.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1074#p4606>
> 
> 73,
> 
> Al, W8UT
> www.boatanchors.org
> www.hammarlund.info
> 
> "There is nothing -- absolutely nothing -- half so much
> worth doing as simply messing about in boats"
> Ratty, to Mole
> 
> On 9/29/2011 6:20 PM, Todd, KA1KAQ wrote:
> > Bill ran primarily HB transmitters and tuners of 40s-60s vintage,
> > along with his beloved BC-348s and their outboard slicers. Not much to
> > look at really, but that's not what mattered to Bill. His signal
> > sounded like a million bucks and folks could hear him easily. That's
> > what counted, and that's how most folks will remember him: a
> > rock-crushing signal booming through their speaker or headphones.
> >
> > ~ Todd/KAQ
> >
> > On Thu, Sep 29, 2011 at 4:41 PM,<bavarianradio at comcast.net> wrote:
> >> I never spoke to Bill, but remember listening to him late at night, He had a great voice on the air. Wasn't he operating a 20's vintage homebrew station?? Thanks, Ross W1EKG