[Elecraft] re: crossmode SOS contact

[Bruce Prior]

In my "K1 and KX1 Comparison" piece, I wrote, "Since my life was once saved 
by just such a cross-mode contact, I'll admit a personal bias strongly in 
favor of the KX1 because of this feature."   "Steven J Baumrucker, MD" 
<author@xtn.net> then issued this plea: "Ok, you can't just let that 
statement slip by!  Is this something you wish to elaborate on?  It sounds 
like QUITE a dramatic story!  (and it might help in our argument to preserve 
morse code as well!)"

Well, it was a long time ago and it was a hypothermia situation.  It's 
written up in L. Peter Carron Jr.'s book, Morse Code:  The Essential 
Language, published by the ARRL, pp. 1-5 to 1-6, but that write-up contains 
some inaccuracies.  I was operating as VE7CKF at the time, and was I using 
my first rather than my middle name.  The cartoon shows me in shorts and 
tee-shirt, which isn't quite accurate!

Here's the story:  I was on a solo snowshoeing trip to the Five Fingers 
Range west of Pitt Lake, British Columbia, not very far from Vancouver.  
Pitt Lake is one of the very few tidal freshwater lakes in the world.  At 
high tide the Fraser River level rises and backs up through the short 
channel of Pitt River, becoming an inlet into the large fjord Pitt Lake, and 
at low tide the Fraser River level goes down so that the current in Pitt 
River reverses, draining Pitt Lake.  I chartered a float plane to take me 
near the northern end of Pitt Lake and made arrangements for a pick-up five 
days later.  I had my Ten-Tec Argonaut along, but it was too heavy to carry 
into the mountains, so I left it at the lakeside in a garbage bag at the 
lakeside.  My only radio was an Icom IC-2AT, which was only useable when I 
got high into the mountains.  During my first night camping on a mountain 
side, it began to snow.  By morning the accumulation was substantial and I 
got concerned about avalanche hazard, so I decided to retreat as the 
snowstorm continued.  By the time I reached sea level, the temperature was 
just above freezing, and the heavy snow had become heavy rain.  I was 
completely soaked.  I spent a miserable night in my tent on the shore of 
Pitt Lake.  My only decent insulation was a pile inner sleeping bag.  My 
main sleeping bag, although made of artificial fiber insulation, was too wet 
to be effective.

I don't know why I didn't have the presence of mind to build a fire.  Even 
in the wet forest, I could have done so, since I still had white gas for my 
camp stove.  I think my hypothermia was effecting my judgement.  When the 
light of morning finally arrived, I considered my options.  I had a tiny 
dingy along, and I thought of using it to travel a short distance to a dock 
at a cabin, where I thought I might be able to break in and later compensate 
the owner.  If the dingy capsized, I would surely die, so I abandoned that 
idea.  The clouds were pretty low, but it looked like the ceiling was high 
enough for a float plane to fly above the lake.  I decided to set up my 
Argonaut.  I had a simple 20 m halfwave dipole and an RG-174 feedline.  I 
could only manage to toss the dipole over some low tree branches.  I tuned 
around and heard VE6BLJ in a USB QSO with a Vancouver station which I could 
barely hear on 14.140 MHz, the Canadian 20 m calling frequency.  I quickly 
scribbled out a message in ARRL format, then I interrupted Jean Ness' QSO 
with an SOS.  She stopped talking and asked me to repeat my transmission.  
When I repeated my SOS, she asked for details.  I sent her my message in 
what must have been very shaky CW.  I heard her then relay it to the 
Vancouver amateur, who then phoned the float plane company.  I didn't have a 
microphone along, just a momentary switch which I used as a straight key.  
It was very hard to send in my cold state.  In about 90 minutes I could hear 
the plane.  During the mad scramble of packing up my gear, I actually warmed 
up a bit.  When it came into sight, I fired a flare, since I was on the 
other side of a large creek from where the pilot had dropped me off.  I was 
soon inside a warm cockpit, headed home.  Nowadays, of course, I always 
carry a QRP rig (or two!) whenever I go into the wilderness.  At the moment, 
that would be a KX1, plus a DSW-80 modified to hear LSB, since I consider 
the ability to connect with 80 meter traffic nets is important for routine 
contact with the outside world.  The KX1 alone can do the same job that the 
Argonaut did, since it is specifically designed to allow CW/SSB crossmode 
communication.
72,
J. Bruce Prior N7RR
Kairos Research
853 Alder Street
Blaine, WA  98230-8030
360-332-6046

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