From n8pr at bellsouth.net Wed Sep 5 12:58:38 2018 From: n8pr at bellsouth.net (Pete Rimmel N8PR) Date: Wed, 5 Sep 2018 12:58:38 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Ham radio Auction Message-ID: Ham Radio Equipment Auction The West Palm Beach Amateur Radio Group, Inc. (WPBARG) is sponsoring an equipment auction and everyone is invited to buy, sell or just enjoy the event. When: Wednesday, September 26, 2018 at 6:00 PM Where: South Florida Science Center and Aquarium, 4801 Dreher Trail N., West Palm Beach FL 33405 > All items are sold ?as-is?. No warranty is implied by anyone ? Sellers may set a minimum price on each item > Any disputes are to be resolved between the seller and buyer > WPBARG assumes no responsibility for the transaction > The selling price is to be paid directly by the buyer to the seller. The method of payment (IE. cash, check, etc.) may be negotiated > The seller pays 10% of the sale price (in cash) as a donation to WPBARG > The direction of the auctioneer is final and all sellers and buyers must agree to this > Unsold items must be claimed by the seller by the end of the auction and removed from the building In order to generate interest before the auction, sellers with items having an anticipated minimum price of $50 or more are asked to register these items with: Steve Ikler KS3K ks3k at arrl.net 561-738-1251 No other items need to be registered. All items offered for sale must be labeled with the seller?s Name, Callsign and Minimum Price. This event promises to be a fun event for all. Please join us! From bmarx at bellsouth.net Sat Sep 8 15:22:18 2018 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Sat, 8 Sep 2018 15:22:18 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Why You Should Backup Your Log - NOW! Message-ID: <0300cbc7-f7fb-9831-4d1f-db619a1c3a43@bellsouth.net> https://w8tn.blogspot.com/2018/09/why-you-should-backup-your-log-now.html From bmarx at bellsouth.net Tue Sep 18 07:43:03 2018 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Tue, 18 Sep 2018 07:43:03 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Candidate release WSJT-X 2.0-rc1 In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: WSJT-X 2.0 will be a major program release with many new features. The first candidate release, WSJT-X 2.0-rc1, is now available for download and use by beta testers.? This candidate release is your first chance to test the new features and provide feedback to the WSJT Development Group. New features and enhancements since Version 1.9.1 are summarized here: http://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/k1jt/New_Features_WSJT-X_2.0.txt The WSJT-X User Guide has not yet been upgraded for Version 2.0.? If you plan to use the beta-test release candidate, be sure to read the "Quick Start Guide to WSJT-X 2.0" first: http://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/k1jt/Quick_Start_WSJT-X_2.0.pdf Further details and a download link to the Windows installation package can be found on the WSJT-X web site: http://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/k1jt/wsjtx.html Installation packages for Linux and macOS should be available in a few days. We look forward to your feedback on WSJT-X 2.0-rc1.? Reports should be sent to the wsjt-devel email list, wsjt-devel at lists.sourceforge.net. You must subscribe to the list to post there. ??????? -- 73, Joe, K1JT (for the WSJT Development Group) From bmarx at bellsouth.net Fri Sep 21 22:04:54 2018 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill Marx) Date: Fri, 21 Sep 2018 22:04:54 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Fall 2018 Classic Exchange CW References: Message-ID: <88EFB60A-EC5F-492E-8EC5-EBAFDE67FAED@bellsouth.net> > The Fall 2018 Classic Exchange CW "CX" will take place on > Sunday Sep 23 1300Z to Sep 24 0700Z > and Tuesday Sep 25 1300Z to Sep 26 0700Z > > The CX is a no-pressure contest celebrating the older commercial and Home Brew equipment that was > the pride and joy of ham shacks many decades ago. The object is to encourage restoration, operation > and enjoyment of this older Classic equipment. > > Suggested CX Frequencies (+/- QRM) > CW > 160M 80M 40M 20M 15M 10M 6M 2M > 1.810 3.545 7.025 14.045 21.045 28.045 50.095 144.100 > > Bonus Points for the Fall 2018 CX: > Bonus #1 2000 points for qualifying a crystal controlled transmitter. > Bonus #2 2000 Points for qualifying a home brew transmitter (crystal or VFO). > > For the 1st bonus, any crystal controlled transmitter can be used -- HB, kit, store bought etc -- as long > as you make the 3 contacts using crystal control. > > For the 2nd bonus, the home brew can not be a kit. For example, an HW-16 or Johnson Valiant do not > count. Yes, Valiants came in kits as well as assembled. > > > For full details, rules, and logging submissions, visit the CX website: > http://classicexchange.org/sep18/Fall_2018_CX_Rules.pdf > Fall 2018 Classic Exchange (CX) Rules > classicexchange.org > Fall 2018 Classic Exchange (CX) Rules For the 2nd bonus, the home brew can not be a kit. For example, an HW-16 or Johnson Valiant do not count. > Questions? Contact: > Mark k3msb at arrl.net > Ron k2rp at arrl.net > (or you can contact me WB2AWQ at arrl.net) > > > __,_._,___ From bmarx at bellsouth.net Sun Sep 23 15:40:59 2018 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill Marx) Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2018 15:40:59 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Spray-on antennas could unlock potential of smart, connected technology Message-ID: <44903EEA-CE57-44C8-A9A0-A58D249BDB27@bellsouth.net> https://m.phys.org/news/2018-09-spray-on-antennas-potential-smart-technology.html?utm_source=nwletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily-nwletter Spray-on antennas could unlock potential of smart, connected technology September 21, 2018 , Drexel University Researchers from Drexel University's College of Engineering have developed a way to "spray paint" invisibly thin antennas from a type of two-dimensional material called MXene. The antennas perform as well or better than the ones currently used in mobile devices and RFID tags. Credit: Drexel University - Kanit Hantanasirisakul The promise of wearables, functional fabrics, the Internet of Things, and their "next-generation" technological cohort seems tantalizingly within reach. But researchers in the field will tell you a prime reason for their delayed "arrival" is the problem of seamlessly integrating connection technology?namely, antennas?with shape-shifting and flexible "things." But a breakthrough by researchers in Drexel's College of Engineering, could now make installing an antenna as easy as applying some bug spray. In research recently published in Science Advances, the group reports on a method for spraying invisibly thin antennas, made from a type of two-dimensional, metallic material called MXene, that perform as well as those being used in mobile devices, wireless routers and portable transducers. "This is a very exciting finding because there is a lot of potential for this type of technology," said Kapil Dandekar, Ph.D., a professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the College of Engineering, who directs the Drexel Wireless Systems Lab, and was a co-author of the research. "The ability to spray an antenna on a flexible substrate or make it optically transparent means that we could have a lot of new places to set up networks?there are new applications and new ways of collecting data that we can't even imagine at the moment." The researchers, from the College's Department of Materials Science and Engineering, report that the MXene titanium carbide can be dissolved in water to create an ink or paint. The exceptional conductivity of the material enables it to transmit and direct radio waves, even when it's applied in a very thin coating. "We found that even transparent antennas with thicknesses of tens of nanometers were able to communicate efficiently," said Asia Sarycheva, a doctoral candidate in the A.J. Drexel Nanomaterials Institute and Materials Science and Engineering Department. "By increasing the thickness up to 8 microns, the performance of MXene antenna achieved 98 percent of its predicted maximum value." Preserving transmission quality in a form this thin is significant because it would allow antennas to easily be embedded?literally, sprayed on?in a wide variety of objects and surfaces without adding additional weight or circuitry or requiring a certain level of rigidity. Using a conductive ink made from a type of two-dimensional material called MXene, developed at Drexel, researchers can "spray paint" antennas on a variety of surfaces. This discovery could help unlock the potential of smart technology and expand the Internet of Things. Credit: Drexel University - Kanit Hantanasirisakul "This technology could enable the truly seamless integration of antennas with everyday objects which will be critical for the emerging Internet of Things," Dandekar said. "Researchers have done a lot of work with non-traditional materials trying to figure out where manufacturing technology meets system needs, but this technology could make it a lot easier to answer some of the difficult questions we've been working on for years." Initial testing of the sprayed antennas suggest that they can perform with the same range of quality as current antennas, which are made from familiar metals, like gold, silver, copper and aluminum, but are much thicker than MXene antennas. Making antennas smaller and lighter has long been a goal of materials scientists and electrical engineers, so this discovery is a sizeable step forward both in terms of reducing their footprint as well as broadening their application. "Current fabrication methods of metals cannot make antennas thin enough and applicable to any surface, in spite of decades of research and development to improve the performance of metal antennas," said Yury Gogotsi, Ph.D., Distinguished University and Bach professor of Materials Science and Engineering in the College of Engineering, and Director of the A.J. Drexel Nanomaterials Institute, who initiated and led the project. "We were looking for two-dimensional nanomaterials, which have sheet thickness about hundred thousand times thinner than a human hair; just a few atoms across, and can self-assemble into conductive films upon deposition on any surface. Therefore, we selected MXene, which is a two-dimensional titanium carbide material, that is stronger than metals and is metallically conductive, as a candidate for ultra-thin antennas." Drexel researchers discovered the family of MXene materials in 2011 and have been gaining an understanding of their properties, and considering their possible applications, ever since. The layered two-dimensional material, which is made by wet chemical processing, has already shown potential in energy storage devices, electromagnetic shielding, water filtration, chemical sensing, structural reinforcement and gas separation. Naturally MXene materials have drawn comparisons to promising two-dimensional materials like graphene, which won the Nobel Prize in 2010 and has been explored as a material for printable antennas. In the paper, the Drexel researchers put the spray-on antennas up against a variety of antennas made from these new materials, including graphene, silver ink and carbon nanotubes. The MXene antennas were 50 times better than graphene and 300 times better than silver ink antennas in terms of preserving the quality of radio wave transmission. "The MXene antenna not only outperformed the macro and micro world of metal antennas, we went beyond the performance of available nanomaterial antennas, while keeping the antenna thickness very low," said Babak Anasori, Ph.D., a research assistant professor in A.J. Drexel Nanomaterials Institute. "The thinnest antenna was as thin as 62 nanometers?about thousand times thinner than a sheet of paper?and it was almost transparent. Unlike other nanomaterials fabrication methods, that requires additives, called binders, and extra steps of heating to sinter the nanoparticles together, we made antennas in a single step by airbrush spraying our water-based MXene ink." The group initially tested the spray-on application of the antenna ink on a rough substrate?cellulose paper?and a smooth one?polyethylene terephthalate sheets?the next step for their work will be looking at the best ways to apply it to a wide variety of surfaces from glass to yarn and skin. "Further research on using materials from the MXene family in wireless communication may enable fully transparent electronics and greatly improved wearable devices that will support the active lifestyles we are living," Anasori said. More information: A. Sarycheva el al., "2D titanium carbide (MXene) for wireless communication," Science Advances (2018). advances.sciencemag.org/content/4/9/eaau0920 Provided by: Drexel University From k.siwiak at ieee.org Sun Sep 23 16:15:54 2018 From: k.siwiak at ieee.org (Kai) Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2018 16:15:54 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Spray-on antennas could unlock potential of smart, connected technology In-Reply-To: <44903EEA-CE57-44C8-A9A0-A58D249BDB27@bellsouth.net> References: <44903EEA-CE57-44C8-A9A0-A58D249BDB27@bellsouth.net> Message-ID: <9c6fc376-e429-1dd6-9316-f421a8777ff7@ieee.org> Hi Bill, Exciting development for that new material! Of course, they are not the first to use "spray-on conductive material" for antennas and for shielding, not by at least 40 or 50 years!? There are conductive sprays (copper and aluminum) that I used for this purpose in the 1970s when I was at Raytheon. The application then was to aerodynamic surfaces on high-Mach-number and re-entry vehicles. Back then we called them "conformal antennas and arrays". Another use was for shielding on complex surfaces. You can do the same today - search "conductive copper paint" or "conductive aluminum paint" in your browser - for ham applications. Graphite paint is also available. Still, that recent doctoral work on the new material is very innovative, and I hope the hype gets them some recognition and funding. Cheers, Kai, KE4PT On 9/23/2018 15:40, Bill Marx wrote: > https://m.phys.org/news/2018-09-spray-on-antennas-potential-smart-technology.html?utm_source=nwletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily-nwletter > > Spray-on antennas could unlock potential of smart, connected technology > September 21, 2018 , Drexel University > > Researchers from Drexel University's College of Engineering have developed a way to "spray paint" invisibly thin antennas from a type of two-dimensional material called MXene. The antennas perform as well or better than the ones currently used in mobile devices and RFID tags. Credit: Drexel University - Kanit Hantanasirisakul > The promise of wearables, functional fabrics, the Internet of Things, and their "next-generation" technological cohort seems tantalizingly within reach. But researchers in the field will tell you a prime reason for their delayed "arrival" is the problem of seamlessly integrating connection technology?namely, antennas?with shape-shifting and flexible "things." > > > But a breakthrough by researchers in Drexel's College of Engineering, could now make installing an antenna as easy as applying some bug spray. > > In research recently published in Science Advances, the group reports on a method for spraying invisibly thin antennas, made from a type of two-dimensional, metallic material called MXene, that perform as well as those being used in mobile devices, wireless routers and portable transducers. > > "This is a very exciting finding because there is a lot of potential for this type of technology," said Kapil Dandekar, Ph.D., a professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the College of Engineering, who directs the Drexel Wireless Systems Lab, and was a co-author of the research. "The ability to spray an antenna on a flexible substrate or make it optically transparent means that we could have a lot of new places to set up networks?there are new applications and new ways of collecting data that we can't even imagine at the moment." > > The researchers, from the College's Department of Materials Science and Engineering, report that the MXene titanium carbide can be dissolved in water to create an ink or paint. The exceptional conductivity of the material enables it to transmit and direct radio waves, even when it's applied in a very thin coating. > > "We found that even transparent antennas with thicknesses of tens of nanometers were able to communicate efficiently," said Asia Sarycheva, a doctoral candidate in the A.J. Drexel Nanomaterials Institute and Materials Science and Engineering Department. "By increasing the thickness up to 8 microns, the performance of MXene antenna achieved 98 percent of its predicted maximum value." > > Preserving transmission quality in a form this thin is significant because it would allow antennas to easily be embedded?literally, sprayed on?in a wide variety of objects and surfaces without adding additional weight or circuitry or requiring a certain level of rigidity. > > > Using a conductive ink made from a type of two-dimensional material called MXene, developed at Drexel, researchers can "spray paint" antennas on a variety of surfaces. This discovery could help unlock the potential of smart technology and expand the Internet of Things. Credit: Drexel University - Kanit Hantanasirisakul > "This technology could enable the truly seamless integration of antennas with everyday objects which will be critical for the emerging Internet of Things," Dandekar said. "Researchers have done a lot of work with non-traditional materials trying to figure out where manufacturing technology meets system needs, but this technology could make it a lot easier to answer some of the difficult questions we've been working on for years." > > > Initial testing of the sprayed antennas suggest that they can perform with the same range of quality as current antennas, which are made from familiar metals, like gold, silver, copper and aluminum, but are much thicker than MXene antennas. Making antennas smaller and lighter has long been a goal of materials scientists and electrical engineers, so this discovery is a sizeable step forward both in terms of reducing their footprint as well as broadening their application. > > "Current fabrication methods of metals cannot make antennas thin enough and applicable to any surface, in spite of decades of research and development to improve the performance of metal antennas," said Yury Gogotsi, Ph.D., Distinguished University and Bach professor of Materials Science and Engineering in the College of Engineering, and Director of the A.J. Drexel Nanomaterials Institute, who initiated and led the project. "We were looking for two-dimensional nanomaterials, which have sheet thickness about hundred thousand times thinner than a human hair; just a few atoms across, and can self-assemble into conductive films upon deposition on any surface. Therefore, we selected MXene, which is a two-dimensional titanium carbide material, that is stronger than metals and is metallically conductive, as a candidate for ultra-thin antennas." > > Drexel researchers discovered the family of MXene materials in 2011 and have been gaining an understanding of their properties, and considering their possible applications, ever since. The layered two-dimensional material, which is made by wet chemical processing, has already shown potential in energy storage devices, electromagnetic shielding, water filtration, chemical sensing, structural reinforcement and gas separation. > > Naturally MXene materials have drawn comparisons to promising two-dimensional materials like graphene, which won the Nobel Prize in 2010 and has been explored as a material for printable antennas. In the paper, the Drexel researchers put the spray-on antennas up against a variety of antennas made from these new materials, including graphene, silver ink and carbon nanotubes. The MXene antennas were 50 times better than graphene and 300 times better than silver ink antennas in terms of preserving the quality of radio wave transmission. > > "The MXene antenna not only outperformed the macro and micro world of metal antennas, we went beyond the performance of available nanomaterial antennas, while keeping the antenna thickness very low," said Babak Anasori, Ph.D., a research assistant professor in A.J. Drexel Nanomaterials Institute. "The thinnest antenna was as thin as 62 nanometers?about thousand times thinner than a sheet of paper?and it was almost transparent. Unlike other nanomaterials fabrication methods, that requires additives, called binders, and extra steps of heating to sinter the nanoparticles together, we made antennas in a single step by airbrush spraying our water-based MXene ink." > > The group initially tested the spray-on application of the antenna ink on a rough substrate?cellulose paper?and a smooth one?polyethylene terephthalate sheets?the next step for their work will be looking at the best ways to apply it to a wide variety of surfaces from glass to yarn and skin. > > "Further research on using materials from the MXene family in wireless communication may enable fully transparent electronics and greatly improved wearable devices that will support the active lifestyles we are living," Anasori said. > > > More information: A. Sarycheva el al., "2D titanium carbide (MXene) for wireless communication," Science Advances (2018). advances.sciencemag.org/content/4/9/eaau0920 > > Provided by: Drexel University > > ______________________________________________________________ > QCWA69 mailing list > SubScribe UNSubscribe or Info: > http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/qcwa69 > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:QCWA69 at mailman.qth.net > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html From bmarx at bellsouth.net Tue Sep 25 15:30:58 2018 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Tue, 25 Sep 2018 15:30:58 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] =?utf-8?q?Sweden=E2=80=99s_Telecomm?= =?utf-8?q?unications_Regulatory_Agency_to_Require_Fee_to_Run_More_than_20?= =?utf-8?q?0_W?= In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <0082ee2c-812f-3e81-4eb6-ff00e0fcd45b@bellsouth.net> From Tony N2MFT: Sweden?s Telecommunications Regulatory Agency to Require Fee to Run More than 200 W 09/24/2018 Effective on November 1, radio amateurs in Sweden who want to run more than 200 W PEP in certain Amateur Radio allocations will have to *apply* for a transmitter license to do so and pay a yearly fee. Sweden?s telecoms agency PTS has announced a modified listing of license-free transmitters that spells out the changes for Amateur Radio and other services. Sweden eliminated Amateur Radio licenses in 2004, and Amateur Radio in Sweden is ?permission free,? but prospective radio amateurs still must pass an examination. A certificate and a call sign, valid for life, are issued without any future fees. Up until now, the maximum permitted power on most HF bands has been 1 kW with no additional authorization required. ?It will be interesting to see how many active [Swedish] operators will apply for high-power permits,? said Henryk Kotowski, SM0JHF, who alerted ARRL to the release of the *official PTS order* . ?I will not. There is a general trend to use less power and smarter, efficient modes.? Under the amended regulations, radio amateurs would have to apply for permission to run more than 200 W on 160 (1,810 ? 1,850 kHz only), 80, 40, 20, 17, 15, 12, 10, and 2 meters, as well as 70 centimeters, and the 1.2, 5.6, 10, 24, 47 GHz, and higher Amateur Radio allocations. Power restrictions would continue to apply on the 2,200 and 630-meter bands (1 W ERP), on certain segments of 160 meters, and on 60 meters (15 W EIRP), 30 meters (150 W PEP), and 6 meters (200 W PEP). The new regulations would require contesting and moonbounce enthusiasts to register their fixed installations in order to use a high-power amplifier. The annual fee to operate with more than 200 W PEP would be approximately $32 US. Permits will be issued for 3 years and renewed automatically, assuming the conditions for granting the permit are still met and complies with all rules. Individuals or clubs may register up to five different fixed locations. The PTS agency has published a *summary* of the new regulations (in Swedish). http://www.arrl.org/news/sweden-s-telecommunications-regulatory-agency-to-require-fee-to-run-more-than-200-w From bmarx at bellsouth.net Sun Sep 30 11:47:48 2018 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Sun, 30 Sep 2018 11:47:48 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] =?utf-8?q?W6CBA_-One_of_FBI?= =?utf-8?q?=E2=80=99s_first_female_dispatchers_continues_to_bust_stereotyp?= =?utf-8?q?es_from_her_living_room?= Message-ID: From QRZ... I ran across this story and thought it ought to be shared here too. The society of Amateur Radio never fails to impress with its diversity and depth. 73, John, W?PV One of FBI?s first female dispatchers continues to bust stereotypes from her Fullerton living room Walk into Vi Barrett?s living room and you walk into an era when FBI guys were called ?G-men,? women were ?dolls? and a ?dame with good gams? might be favored over other ?skirts.? At least that?s the stereotype. Fortunately, Barrett was around in the 1940s to set people straight and continues to explode stereotypes today. But these days, it?s more about blowing up perceptions over age ? she?s 89 ? than busting gender barriers. On a desk in a corner of her living room in Fullerton, there is a contraption the size of a fist made of chrome and two tiny Lucite paddles. Barrett reaches out and with her thumb and forefinger and bats the little paddles back and forth. Instantly, the unmistakable dit-dit-dit-dah-dah-dah of Morse code fills the room. Next to the ultra-modern chrome gizmo, Barrett picks up a little brass, steel and wood machine called a ?straight key? that her father gave her more than 70 years ago. Barrett, you see, is a long-time expert in Morse code, can still tap 15 words a minute. And when you discover her background, it all makes sense. As a teenager in Los Angeles, Barrett fell in love with ham radio and became one of the few women to enter what was then considered a man?s world of electronics. After much conversation, I discover Barrett also was a G-man of sorts. Electric avenue When her uncle first showed off his ham radio, Barrett was a 14-year-old Girl Scout and music major growing up in South Central. Back then, she didn?t give a whit about the dials, knobs and meters that attracted some guys to ham radio. What Barrett saw was a way to communicate with the world. ?I thought it was so exciting to be able to talk to someone in a different city or a different state,? Barrett recalls, her eyes dancing at the memory. ?Right away, I started saving my babysitting money. I wanted to buy a receiver so bad.? Barrett heard about amateur radio?s annual event where hams gather, set up antennas and invite the public. In 1946, Dad agreed to take her to Baldwin Hills where ham operators carried their rigs. ?Are you a ham?? one gentleman asked. ?No,? Barrett confessed. ?Would you like to be?? ?Oh, would I!? At that moment, Barrett found her first mentor. Then she found another. And another. The teenager studied theory, how to operate a receiver, how to use a transmitter. She mastered Morse code. In 1947, she sat next to the ham radio operator who patched Thor Heyerdahl?s location aboard the Kon-Tiki to Washington, D.C. The following year, at age 17, she made her way to the Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles and took her ham test. She was the only female in the room. A few hours later, she also was the only female to walk out with a ham radio license, call letters ?W6CBA.? A few days later, Dad climbed onto the roof and set up an antenna. Barrett?s first call went to Colorado Springs. As far as Barrett was concerned, it felt like reaching Antarctica. Inside the FBI Wrapping up her senior year in high school, Barrett took a ham radio class. Soon, the instructor asked Barrett to teach Morse code she was so good. After high school, Barrett heard the FBI was hiring and convinced her mother to take her back to the Federal Building. She was hired for the clerical pool and sat before a big Underwood typewriter. But that was only the beginning of what became a meteoric rise with the FBI. Word got out that the young typist was a speedster with Morse code, that she had a ham radio license and was fast and efficient with radio voice communication. Soon, she was called to the office of the big boss, the agent in charge. Unsure what the meeting was about, Barrett stood her full 5-foot-1 height and waited for the chief to talk. ?Would you,? he asked, ?like to try the radio?? Barrett knew the offer meant she would become one of the first female FBI dispatchers in history. She remembers, ?Those were wonderful words for me. ?A bank robbery is a lot different than chatting with somebody. It was a wonderful, exciting job.? Her favorite case was the Max Factor extortion scam in which the suspect demanded money in exchange for not blowing up a store. The blackmail money was left in an orchard by an agent who resembled the tycoon. When the suspect grabbed the dough, agents jumped down from trees and nabbed the man. Barrett recalls the perp walk in the hallway and laughs, ?He was a pipsqueak.? Global connections After getting married in 1954, Barrett left the FBI, but not her beloved ham radio. Like his father-in-law before him, soon her husband was on the roof erecting an antenna. ?Don knew that if he married me, I was going to have my ham radio station,? Barrett chuckles. ?He knew he was getting a double package: wife and radio operator.? While her husband ran his and his dad?s service station in Los Nietos, Barrett worked as switchboard receptionist for the East Whittier School District and raised the couple?s two sons and daughter (today, there are four grandchildren, all boys). For two decades, the couple also volunteered with the Whittier Police Department while Barrett continued to volunteer as a ham. In Whittier, she allows, ?I did everything but carry a gun.? During the 1984 Olympics, she used her ham radio to help agencies connect. During the 1987 Whittier Narrows earthquake, she ensured hospitals coordinated. ?They call us a backup communication system,? she allows, ?but we often end up being the primary with our radios.? She?s helped thousands of patients aboard hospital ships connect with relatives. She?s helped soldiers talk to their parents. She?s also shared grief. Barrett recounts the time one young man aboard a hospital ship in the South China Sea talked to his parents. ?They were so thrilled to hear from their boy in Vietnam.? Later, Barrett called back the parents and asked if they?d like another patch to their son. The father quietly answered, ?Our son was killed in action.? Still, for Barrett service never stops. In her living room, she has her transmitter, receiver, microphone and that chrome Morse code key ready. But it?s what?s hidden above that impresses. It?s no coincidence that Barrett is on the top floor of her building, just as it?s no coincidence that there?s a 62-foot wire antenna strung in the attic. Today, perhaps Barrett will connect to places she?s already electronically visited, countries such as Greenland, Tanzania, Laos. Or maybe she?ll check out Antarctica. Mind you, talking to Antarctica is no longer just a dream. With 194 countries documented, Barrett already has chatted with hams on the world?s coldest continent. Accordingly, I?ll leave you with this: Dit-dit-dit-dah-dit-dah. Morse code for ?end of contact.? Full Story with Pictures: http://forums.qrz.com/index.php?threads/w6cba-continues-to-bust-stereotypes-from-her-living-room.629273/ From bmarx at bellsouth.net Sun Sep 30 11:59:50 2018 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Sun, 30 Sep 2018 11:59:50 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Elizabeth Wilson K4GHT - "The First Lady of AM" - SK In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <4e8161e2-8b15-ad71-d507-7bce66e01169@bellsouth.net> On a sadder note... https://www.qrz.com/lookup K4GHT Elizabeth Wilson K4GHT - SK