Dear Dave,
I hope all is well on your end. It's been a while since we've communicated, and I just wanted to say hello. I've learned that can be a very important thing.
What prompted this was the unfortunate loss of my good friend, Lance Adair, operator of W8OD, now a Silent Key. His QRZ.com page is still up, you can see his fine station there. I also listed him in the Silent Key forum on QRZ.com. Lance was an honest man and the most reliable man I knew in the U.S. Marine Corps; also a highly competent operator. He was a 2621, just like I was, and he was my watch supervisor.
I have been slowly collecting parts to put a modest, low power CW transmitter on 40 meters. I have the NS40 transmitter and yes, it really does develop 10 watts. Quite an amazing little circuit. I hope to accomplish that soon. The reason I was doing it, though, is because I wanted to meet Lance on the air. I was thinking about him on the 2nd of April, so I went to QRZ.com only to learn that he died unexpectedly on March 4th of this year.
I've been very sad since I've heard the news. It means I will never get to talk to Lance, in person or via radio, again. When this happens, you wish you would have picked up the phone and called. Why didn't I? Now, it's too late.
So, I say hello to you now. Thanks for all you do to preserve our telegraph history. I know you've put up with a lot in connection to your list, yet you keep going. Also, thanks for that time you tried to help me with the code machine. I won't forget that, Dave. I never could get back on your list, but that's ok. I read it from time to time and enjoy it.
I think I should get a CW signal on the air again, to honor my old friend Lance. Maybe I'll call you on HF some day! My callsign is now WD5IOI, which was my original Novice callsign in 1978. I've also spruced up my QRZ.com page, anticipating the day I'm on the air again.
73,
Rich Monjure