[K6NCG] The Pre ET School nightmare

Thu Jun 27 19:19:16 EDT 2013

Before the official enlistment ceremony in Portland Oregon I was tested for
the standard abilities and ended up with a "guarantee" to attend ET-A school
as the deal maker. Plus if I were to enlist while still 17 years old I would
be eligible for the 3 year enlistment program called the Minority Cruise,
but actually called a "Kiddie Cruise." It was Friday September the 13th,
1963 that I enlisted in Portland and was soon headed to San Diego on my
first airliner trip to Boot Camp. Soon I was herded into Recruit Company
412.

At the end of boot camp when orders were handed out I was shocked to see
that I was headed to the fleet. I went to the USS Estes, AGC-12 that was in
dry dock at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard. It turns out I was on a 6 month
program called Pre School Indoctrination. After several months in 1st
Division running a paint chipper on deck a guy in personnel discovered I had
the highest combined GCT and ARI score on the ship. Then I was whisked away
to OE Division where my duties changed to compartment cleaner and colonel of
the urinal. Then the bad hand of a card draw (Ace of Spades) sent me to
Chiefs Mess for 2 months of Mess Cooking. That was fun and I had great food.
At the last month of the tour one of the ET-2s discovered I was a ham
operator and knew how to operate a voltmeter and oscilloscope, so I became
his personal gofer as we worked on the new SPS-30 radar system being
installed.

On July 10, 1964 I reported to TI and soon discovered the Ham Station and
the much better watch duty over at the station. As a General, K7LNQ there
were plenty of chances to handle traffic and MARS phone patches from the
fleet on 20 meters. Also the special berthing with the Hams and the Band
members was great.

More stories to follow. My TI photos are hosted at
http://www.ussstoddard.org/k6ncg.htm  

Dan Withers - then K7LNQ (Salem, OR), now WM7W (Port Ludlow, WA)

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Today's Topics:

   1. Fwd: National HRO-60 (billgibson at fuse.net)
   2. Jon Blackmon's Website (Michael S. Mitchell)
   3. K6NCG Names and Faces (Michael S. Mitchell)
   4. Ham Shack Photos (Bob Snyder)
   5. Re: Ham Shack Photos (dcrisis at desmondcrisis.com)
   6. Re: Ham Shack Photos (TC Dailey)
   7. Re: Fwd: National HRO-60 (TC Dailey)

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Message: 1
Date: Wed, 26 Jun 2013 12:30:07 -0400 (EDT)
From: billgibson at fuse.net
To: k6ncg at mailman.qth.net
Subject: [K6NCG] Fwd: National HRO-60
Message-ID:

<813949019.23471030.1372264207372.JavaMail.root at md08.cincibell.synacor.com>

Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8

----- Forwarded Message -----

From: billgibson at fuse.net
To: "TC Dailey" <daileyservices at qwest.net>
Sent: Wednesday, June 26, 2013 12:27:39 PM
Subject: Re: National HRO-60 

That HRO-60 is almost as old as I am?but speaking singularly....better
looking than me for sure. Did you use a polishing wheel on the?cabinet?
Beautiful. 
The real art is "under the hood" and I'm sure you tweaked it very well.
Yeah, too bad about?Frank, the good ones die young - he must not have?been
very old. 
My dad is a WWII vet still doing well. That reminds me, I'm leaving tomorrow
with my dad (and mom) for?a week, traveling to the Mayo Clinic. It's time
for their?annual "tune-up." 
? 
P.S. Hey Tom, where can I find new metal-can chassis-mount
electrolytics....or do you "wire around" the old stuff with new axial lead
capacitors underneath? 
? 
Bill - K4UC 

----- Forwarded Message -----

From: "TC Dailey" <daileyservices at qwest.net>
To: billgibson at fuse.net
Sent: Wednesday, June 26, 2013 11:01:05 AM
Subject: Frank 

? 

Unfortunately, Frank is a Silent Key - I only found out in 1974, what he'd
done for me, so called him at his home in Florida... it was Christmas Eve,
and I got to finally thank him - he DID remember me, and was pleased that I
"grabbed" the opportunity.? He told me he'd told the board (and this sounds
JUST like him)... "Hell, he's got a ham license and ALREADY knows the morse
code - damn, don't waste him!" ? He was an old WW-II & Korean War vet, so
didn't mince words much. 
? 
Yeah, when the RMA school instructors were teaching AC theory, they had
those guys doing the phase-angle and total impedance work on GRAPH PAPER...I
was doing the problems on my slide rule (still have it), like I'd been
taught.? I'd almost fall asleep sometimes, so finally tested out of most of
it, and ran the CW practice room for a bit.? I like to joke about the fact
that I was one of the VERY FEW RM's that the ET's "allowed to carry a
screwdriver".. ha ha ha? Heck, I spent a lot of time doing PM's and fixits,
which reduced the load on our ET's a lot - hard to believe the crap I fixed
with a PSM-4 and an OS-8 scope.. most of my "twidget" peers didn't have the
slightest clue about how to use a scope, unless it was attached to a URA-8. 
? 
Yep.. quite a bunch of terrific guys. 
? 
--- 
? 
Yeah, I play with HF mobile a lot, and 40cw... The wife and I are trying to
"get out of Dodge", and move about 40m South of Denver in the foothills (not
in the fire-prone mountains), so I took down many of the antennas I had up.?
I'm still running a little company, doing commercial fire alarm systems, but
also love repairing/restoring boatanchor ham gear (some new stuff, but not
much)...? My pride & joy was totally redoing a 1955 National HRO-60.. all
new caps, and all new RESISTORS, too.? Oh, it's pretty and works doggone
good.. but recently I resurrected a Drake 2B, which I'd forgotten was such a
quantum advance in receivers.? I've attached my story I wrote about it, but
suffice to say, that with it's PTO, that baby is STABLE.. current project is
an old Gonset G-66B mobile receiver... it had a tough life, apparently.? I
got it working, but the BFO isn't cooking right, and boy is that critter
"crowded" underneath.? My original Elmer from WAY back, had the "chrome
Gonset" pai
 r in his '58 Buick with a Webster Band spanner on the bumper - whoooooah..
so VERY cool. 

------------------------------

Message: 2
Date: Wed, 26 Jun 2013 11:21:22 -0700 (GMT-07:00)
From: "Michael S. Mitchell" <w6rw at earthlink.net>
To: K6NCG Treasure Island Alumni <k6ncg at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: [K6NCG] Jon Blackmon's Website
Message-ID:

<15327948.1372270883105.JavaMail.root at wamui-june.atl.sa.earthlink.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8

For those that are interested, I just found Jon Blackmon's website at:

          http://www.jonblackmon.com/AmateurRadio.html

------------------------------

Message: 3
Date: Wed, 26 Jun 2013 11:41:48 -0700 (GMT-07:00)
From: "Michael S. Mitchell" <w6rw at earthlink.net>
To: K6NCG Treasure Island Alumni <k6ncg at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: [K6NCG] K6NCG Names and Faces
Message-ID:

<21391353.1372272109135.JavaMail.root at wamui-june.atl.sa.earthlink.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8

I was stationed on Treasure Island and active with the K6NCG station from
September 1965 through June or July of 1966. I remember a lot of happenings
but am having trouble remembering names and/or faces. Maybe those on this
list can help me. I remember that one of the hams had Oregon licnese plates
on his car, another drove a farily new model Ford Bronco, another was from 9
land and was a friend of Wayne Graff who was a ham friend of mine in So
California that originally was from 9 land and another went to Santa Cruz
with me one weekend and we got good and drunk and threw up a lot.

Great memories were had by all. Any help on names and callsigns?

------------------------------

Message: 4
Date: Wed, 26 Jun 2013 12:34:57 -0700
From: Bob Snyder <bob.snyder at cox.net>
To: Discussion of K6NCG <k6ncg at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: [K6NCG] Ham Shack Photos
Message-ID: <51CB4261.8020404 at cox.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

Fellow TI Hams,

All of the recent activity here on this list appears to be from folks 
who were on TI in the early to mid '60s and my involvement was in 1969 
and 1970, so I don't have much in common with these discussions.

However, while I was there going to ET A and C schools, I took quite a 
few photos of the ham shack (the original one, Bldg 318), both inside 
and out, and of some of the gear and the hams who inhabited it. There 
also some views of TI from the top of the tower. Some of these are bound 
to bring back memories to those who were there at other times as well, 
and I'd like to share them. Of all the photos I have, I've culled and 
scaled a total of 46imagesto be suitable for web pages and I'd like to 
share them with everyone. I also have descriptions of each photo that 
includes the names of the hams if I remember them.

So here's the deal. Does anyone have an interest in hosting this on the 
web? They would have to do the web development and hosting, all I have 
are the photos and descriptions. But these could be added to an existing 
web page without too much trouble and might even justify a new web site. 
I actually did this several years ago but the person who agreed to add 
it to an existing site backed out, so I've been just sitting on them.

Any takers?

73 to all,

Bob Snyder W6CP, but K7YDM at the time of the photos

P. S. Here's a teaser (I hope the list server will allow inline images):

------------------------------

Message: 5
Date: Wed, 26 Jun 2013 14:12:22 -0700
From: "dcrisis at desmondcrisis.com" <dcrisis at desmondcrisis.com>
To: Discussion of K6NCG <k6ncg at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: Re: [K6NCG] Ham Shack Photos
Message-ID: <C6B5700D-7A56-4129-AE8B-A1B6F6D703E6 at desmondcrisis.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

I'm happy to host whatever you like.  I picked up K6NCG.org a while ago and
I'm currently forwarding it to the site on qth.net

I have pretty much unlimited hosting space and can install whatever you
like.  I just don't have any photos or content.  I also don't want to lost
the great stuff that is already posted on QTH.

DC
KC6VHG
Treasure Island, now.

On Jun 26, 2013, at 12:34 PM, Bob Snyder <bob.snyder at cox.net> wrote:

> Fellow TI Hams,
> 
> All of the recent activity here on this list appears to be from folks who
were on TI in the early to mid '60s and my involvement was in 1969 and 1970,
so I don't have much in common with these discussions.
> 
> However, while I was there going to ET A and C schools, I took quite a few
photos of the ham shack (the original one, Bldg 318), both inside and out,
and of some of the gear and the hams who inhabited it. There also some views
of TI from the top of the tower. Some of these are bound to bring back
memories to those who were there at other times as well, and I'd like to
share them. Of all the photos I have, I've culled and scaled a total of
46imagesto be suitable for web pages and I'd like to share them with
everyone. I also have descriptions of each photo that includes the names of
the hams if I remember them.
> 
> So here's the deal. Does anyone have an interest in hosting this on the
web? They would have to do the web development and hosting, all I have are
the photos and descriptions. But these could be added to an existing web
page without too much trouble and might even justify a new web site. I
actually did this several years ago but the person who agreed to add it to
an existing site backed out, so I've been just sitting on them.
> 
> Any takers?
> 
> 73 to all,
> 
> Bob Snyder W6CP, but K7YDM at the time of the photos
> 
> P. S. Here's a teaser (I hope the list server will allow inline images):
> 
> 
> 
> ______________________________________________________________
> K6NCG mailing list
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> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
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> 
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> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

------------------------------

Message: 6
Date: Wed, 26 Jun 2013 16:34:14 -0600
From: "TC Dailey" <daileyservices at qwest.net>
To: "Discussion of K6NCG" <k6ncg at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: Re: [K6NCG] Ham Shack Photos
Message-ID: <B805ED91FB444BFBBC822172382A48DB at w0eaj>
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
	reply-type=response

Right on, Bob.  I, for one, am quite pleased to SEE all the activity, and 
would love to see those pics on the site.  I left around December of 1962, 
so remember the "OLD" building for sure.

Tom Dailey - W0EAJ - Denver 

------------------------------

Message: 7
Date: Wed, 26 Jun 2013 17:01:53 -0600
From: "TC Dailey" <daileyservices at qwest.net>
To: "Discussion of K6NCG" <k6ncg at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: Re: [K6NCG] Fwd: National HRO-60
Message-ID: <F43F4B86491446079D184BCEC43BC3C3 at w0eaj>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"; Format="flowed"

Believe-it-or-not, the HRO cabinet was DIRTY, but after I washed it with 
dishwashing soap & water (and a toothbrush), then rinsed carefully.. I 
polished it up with Mother's Car Wax, and it came alive.  The knobs, I give 
the same wash with a toothbrush, then spray some (regular) Pledge in my 
hands and "fondle" the knobs to make 'em not only clean, but look new too. 
There are "some" Nationals with grey knobs that aren't really GREY.  I found

that out as I was washing some, and they were coming out BLUE.... guess, 
left over from a '270 or '155.

On the can-type electrolytics, I don't even bother to try and restuff 
them... I leave them IN PLACE,  cut the lugs off, and put new caps (much 
smaller) under the chassis.  There are ALWAYS spare screw studs or holes you

can use (the HRO power-transformer studs are just long enough, past the 
nuts), and I mount threaded-metal standoffs (spacers) on those, then mount a

terminal strip on top of THOSE.  It makes great place to put the caps, then 
just move the wires from the old cap, to the new ones.. The beauty of it, is

that you haven't physically changed much, so the "purist" COULD put it back 
to original, if they're that anal.  There IS some guy in ELECTRIC RADIO 
magazine who offers to restuff old cans.. I restuffed one of my own (by 
myself) for a SWAN 350, and all the new "sections" fit in it, but it wasn't 
nearly as pretty as the original.  Interestingly, I've begun to use PC mount

caps (leads out of the bottom) too, as the leads fit the terminal strip much

better.  I buy 'em all at MOUSER.

----

the alignment of the HRO is pretty straightforward BUT, the real "fun" comes

when you align the coilsets.  Those are "cut n' try", as you CANNOT align 
them IN THE RADIO.  You must make an adjustment, then plug it back in.. try 
it.. then make another adjustment... and on, ad nauseum.  There are about 16

adjustments on each coilset,... some have less.

Tom 

------------------------------

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End of K6NCG Digest, Vol 31, Issue 21
*************************************