[Hallicrafters] Green Insulators

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

On 3/8/06, TC Dailey <daileyservices at qwest.net> wrote:

> In 1962, at K6NCG, the club station on the US Naval Schools Command,
> Treasure Island (SFRAN), we had several positions, but the S-line, going
> into a Johnson Thunderbolt desk-mount was the best.  We regularly used it to
> run phone patches for an installation in Antarticia, into the USA.  One
> afternoon, we disassembled the Mosley (pronounced moss-lee on a local Denver
> swap net - arghh) TA-33 and cleaned all the joints and reassembled it.
> Unfortunately for us, we installed the traps HOLE SIDE UP, and that night as
> it rained profusely, our beam failed to perform in the proper manner for our
> sked with KC4USA (So. Pole).  One of the guys took a 14.5 foot piece of iron
> pipe (not exactly a quarter-wavelength radiator for 20m), placed it's end on
> a COKE BOTTLE, and fed it with unknown-impedance coax.

Now, this is good stuff! Make it work, worry about making it pretty
later. Reminds me of the first tower and tribander I had up: first
contact was somewhere in 4-Land (before the vanity call system messed
up call areas), second was to Chile, third was to Antarctica. KC4AAC,
Palmer Station. Used to talk with Pete regularly, found out a friend's
brother (JC Meyers) was there also. Later I worked KC4USA,
Amundsen-Scott Station and McMurdo (KC4USV?), the Greenpeace station
(ZL5BA, I think), and a C-130 pilot who was laid over at Williams
Field. His QSL was the best, with the orange-tailed LC-130 on it.
Never got a card from 'AAC, despite talking with them regularly.
Apparently Pete was just a worker there, electrician or such. Not a
ham, but enjoyed using the gear anyhow.

All this with a little KWM-2A, about 120 watts out on a good day.
Didn't have any Hallicrafters rigs left then (mid-late 80s), but I'm
sure they would've made the trip just fine. Especially with the
sunspot cycle in good shape.

de Todd/'Boomer'  KA1KAQ