[K6NCG] Field Day on Treasure Island.

[Dave Sublette]

DC, et. al.....

I don't know about the government callsign, but there was another 
amateur radio station on the island. They were K6USN, U.S. Naval reserve 
unit club. Every night they would start transmitting code practice and 
go from 5 wpm to 35 or 40 wpm. I know, because I used them to study for 
my Extra Class license in 1962, while I was there. Since the stations 
were on the same island,  I could turn the RF gain down on whichever 
receiver I was using and it became a code practice oscillator with zero 
QRM on the frequency.  They gave the Extra test every Friday in the 
Federal building in SF. I knew that if I tried to take the exam, I would 
have to get permission to get a day off from School and take the bus 
over for the day. I copied K6USN every night for six weeks until I could 
copy 30 wpm solid and get 4 out of five at 35 wpm. I did NOT want to 
flunk that test after going through all that was necessary to get a day 
off from the Navy.

When I arrived that Friday morning, I was the only candidate to take the 
exam and nobody ever took the extra exam anyhow, sine this was 
pre-incentive licensing (that started in 1967).  The FCC District 
engineer HIMSELF gave me the test. They all treated me like royalty. He 
started the code machine and left the room.  I copied every character 
from the opening VVV to the ending AR in neat, block letters. When the 
machine shut off, the engineer came into the room and said, " I'll give 
you a couple of minutes to dot your i's and cross your t's. In 
otherwords he was going to let me "fill in the blanks" in case I needed 
to reach the one minute solid necessary to pass the test.  They were 
bending over backwards to help me pass. I said, " I don't think that 
will be necessary", and handed him the paper. He looked at it, grinned, 
and said, "I guess not", and stamped it "passed".  I think I had two or 
three hours to take the written part. In those days, it was a one 
hundred question test  and you had to do things like draw a complete 
schematic of a transmitter with oscillator, power amp, and plate 
modulation.  Evidently I passed, because my certiificate came in the 
mail, dated, February 1, 1963. The serial number is AE12-95E, which 
seems to indicate that it was only the 95th Amateur Extra Class License 
issued in the twelfth radio district. No wonder my beard has so much 
gray in it.  :-) .

Wish I could work FD on TI.

73 all,

Dave Sublette, K4TO

TI ET "A" School
July, 1962--May, 1963

Desmond wrote:

> TC,
>
> Thanks for the perfect compliment!
>
> When was the last time the club had a new member?  I'm "stationed" on 
> Treasure Island, I'm with the Coast Guard Auxiliary, (even though I'm 
> not 6 feet tall!) and I've got a general class call.  I'm also a 
> member of the TI Yacht Club, which is what's left of the MWR Sailing 
> Club.  All that's missing is the Navy.
>
> I don't know about the dorms, and just about everything is falling 
> apart out here that isn't already being lived in.  We could get some 
> tents and RV's at the spot which would do it.  I'd be honored to use 
> K6NCG, but without at least one or two of you guys out here, it 
> wouldn't seem right.   The whole point is to get as many of you out 
> here as possible and have a great time.  I got a kick out of all of 
> the stories from the various websites and I'm really dying for a 
> government clock that runs backwards... that's beautiful!  I gotta 
> tell you, I love telling people that I'm on T.I. when I'm working HF.  
> 3 out of 4 times someone comes back to me saying "I used to be 
> stationed there!" and there's always a great story.
>
> I'm working on those pics you asked for.  The problem is that you have 
> to catch it when the shadow is just right or you can't see the letters.
>
> I had a fun contact this Saturday, the USS Pampanito during Submarines 
> On The Air Weekend.  Sure they're just across the bay, but when I 
> called from Treasure Island they jumped to get back to me, even in the 
> huge pileup.  I decided to finally visit them today and got a nice 
> tour of the boat.  Unfortunately, the radiomen were only there on 
> Saturday.
>
> I've got an interesting question and I'm not sure if any of you can 
> answer it.  Did Naval Station Treasure island have a government radio 
> callsign, like NMC (Coast Guard CAMSPAC Pt Reyes) or NAA (Cutler, 
> Maine) If so, what was it?  I've heard that they identified as "Peach 
> Fuzz" on some nets but I've never heard of a N call for the station.
>
> b.t.w.  If you miss the view from out here, try my webcam... 
> http://www.opg.org/ti/94130cam.html  it's pointed out the window away 
> from the island, but I think you'll like it.
>
> DC
>
>
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