[K6NCG] Brian Satterlee KD6SC (WA5GEW on TI)

[Michael S. Mitchell]

For those interested, here is web page of Brian Satterlee KD6SC who was WA5GEW while on Treasure Island:

     http://satterlee.us/KD6SC.htm

I always liked Brian while I knew him on TI and remembered reading an article about him in QST as a bicycle mobil operator. Brian left TI shortly before me to go to another school and during the first week of my duty on the NATO base in Naples, Italy a ran into Brian on the steps of the barracks. He was stationed at the Naval Communications Station on the NATO base. We hung out a lot together in Naples.

The NATO base had a ham club station which was I1DFA and I think Brian and I were the only members. I had my Swan 3 band tranceiver and we put up dipoles for the 3 bands. We were on the top floor of I believe a 5 story building and had access to the roof. When we put up the dipoles, we found several pieces of tower section on the roof and one day we decided to make a wide spaced 5 element 20 meter yagi using some of the tower sections to make the 48 foot boom some for the elements and others to hold it up. It was a monster. We pointed it long path to Southern California and it worked great. Then one night a wind blew it over onto the high voltage power lines that fed the NATO base, which shut down the power at the base for awhile and fried my transceiver. Members of the Southern California DX Club sent us parts and Brian and I rebuilt the Swan.

While in Naples, Brian and I went on 2 mini dxpeditions to HV3SJ at the Headquarters of the General of the Jesuits in Vatican City. We had a great time.