From bmarx at bellsouth.net Fri Jun 3 13:25:21 2022 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Fri, 3 Jun 2022 13:25:21 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Car Wash Coming... References: <178eebed-c15e-2fa7-4433-3f5ce2fb4700.ref@bellsouth.net> Message-ID: <178eebed-c15e-2fa7-4433-3f5ce2fb4700@bellsouth.net> /From Kai KE4PT:/ 5:52am Click on the map at: https://www.nrlmry.navy.mil/tc_pages/tc_home.html to see when your car wash is scheduled. Cheers Kai, KE4PT -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bmarx at bellsouth.net Fri Jun 3 13:40:31 2022 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Fri, 3 Jun 2022 13:40:31 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Brooksville SuperStation - For Sale In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <12d2b5c0-fe55-18a0-b97f-d55aa0a2919c@bellsouth.net> We've decided to put our Florida QTH/Station up for sale. We bought this QTH from Bill, K4XS back in 2015 and have made major improvements to the station as well as the property. Of course we'd like to see it go to a Ham but the market is still hot here in Florida, so we might be removing the towers soon. If your interested or know someone who might be interested, please let us know. Here is the link to the "QTH.com, Ham Homes For Sale" - which has more photos and links to the Realtor listings. https://www.hamradiohomes.com/listings/brooksville-florida/ 73, Bruce W8RA & Linda K4YL -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bmarx at bellsouth.net Sat Jun 4 13:16:15 2022 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Sat, 4 Jun 2022 13:16:15 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] HOW TO SOUND LIKE A LID References: <4c417410-3f76-01ad-bf76-3f5b0f54687e.ref@bellsouth.net> Message-ID: <4c417410-3f76-01ad-bf76-3f5b0f54687e@bellsouth.net> /thanks to TZ:/* HOW TO SOUND LIKE A LID* Step One: Use as many "Q" signals as possible. Yes, I know they were invented solely for CW and are totally inappropriate for two meter FM , but they are fun and entertaining. They keep people guessing as to what you really meant. I.E. "I'm going to QSY to the phone." Can you really change frequencies to the phone? QSL used to mean, "I am acknowledging receipt", but now it appears to mean, "yes" or "OK". I guess I missed it when the ARRL changed the meaning. It is also best to use "OK" and "QSL" together. Redundancy is the better part of Lid-dom. Step Two: Never laugh when you can say "HI HI". No one will ever know you aren't a long time CW rag-chewer if you don't tell them. They'll think you've been on since the days of Marconi. Step Three: Utilize an alternative vocabulary. Use words like "destinated" and "negatory". It's OK to make up your own words here. I.E. "Yeah Tom, I "pheelbart zaphonix" occasionally myself." Step Four: Always say "XX4XXX" (Insert your own call) "for I.D." As mentioned in Step One, anything that creates redundancy is always encouraged. That's why we have the Department of Redundancy Department. (Please note that you can follow your call with "for identification purposes" instead of "for I.D." While taking longer to say, it is worth more "LID points". Step Five: The better the copy on two meter FM , the more you should use phonetics. Names should be especially used if they are short or common ones. I.E. "My name is Al... Alpha Lima" or "Jack.. Juliet Alpha Charlie Kilo." If at all possible use the less common HF phonetics "A4SM... America, Number Four, Sugar Mexico." And for maximum "LID points", make up unintelligible phonetics. "My name is Bob... Billibong Oregano Bumperpool." Step Six: Always give the calls of yourself and everyone who is (or has been) in the group, whether they are still there or not. While this has been unnecessary for years, it is still a great memory test. You may also use "and the group" if you are an "old timer" or just have a bad memory. Extra points for saying everyone's call and then clearing in a silly way "K2PKK, Chow, Chow." Step Seven: Whenever possible, use the wrong terminology. It keeps people guessing. Use "modulation" when you mean "deviation", and vice-versa. Step Eight: If someone asks for a break, always finish your turn, taking as long as possible before turning it over. Whenever possible, pass it around a few times first. This will discourage the breaker, and if it is an emergency, encourage him to switch to another repeater and not bother you. Step Nine: Always ask involved questions of the person who is trying to sign out. Never let him get by with just a "yes" or "no" answer. Make it a question that will take him a long time to answer. Step Ten: The less you know on a subject, the more you should speculate about it in the roundtable. Also the amount of time you spend on the subject should be inversely proportionate to your knowledge of the subject even though you have no damn clue. Step Eleven: Always make sure you try to communicate with only a handheld and a rubber duck antenna. Also, make sure you work through a repeater that you can hear very well, but it cannot hear you. This will put out a kind of "LID mating call": "Well, Joe, I can hear the repeater just fine here. I wonder why it can't hear me?" You will score maximum LID points if you are mobile, and with the radio lying in the passenger seat. Step Twelve: If you hear two amateurs start a conversation, wait until they are twenty seconds into their contact, and then break in to make a call, or better yet to use the auto-patch. Make sure you keep the repeater tied up for at least three minutes. This way, once the two have re-established contact, they won't even remember what they were talking about. Step Thirteen: You hear someone on the repeater giving directions to a visiting amateur. Even if the directions are good, make sure you break in with your own "alternate route but better way to get there" version. This is most effective with several other "would-be LIDs", each giving a different route. By the time the visiting amateur unscrambles all the street names whizzing by in his mind, he should have moved out of the range of the repeater. This keeps you from having to stick around to help the guy get back out of town, later. Step Fourteen: If an annoying station is bothering you, make sure your other "LID" buddies have a "coded" frequency list. Even though "CODES" are strictly forbidden on Amateur Radio, it's really neat to practice "James Bond" tactics. Step Fifteen: Always use the National Calling Frequency for general conversations. The more uninteresting, the longer you should use it. Extra points are awarded if you have recently move from an adjacent frequency for no reason. Make sure when DX is "rolling" in on 52.525 that you hang out there and talk to your friends five miles down the road about the good old CB days! Step Sixteen: Make sure that if you have a personal problem with someone, you should voice your opinion in a public forum, especially a net. Make sure you give their name, call, and any other identifying remarks. For maximum points, make sure the person in question is not on the repeater, or not available. Step Seventeen: Make sure you say the first few words of each transmission twice, especially if it is the same thing each time. Like "roger, roger" or "fine business, fine business". I cannot stress enough about encouraging redundancy. Step Eighteen: If you hear a conversation on a local repeater, break in and ask how each station is receiving you. Of course they will only see the signal of the repeater you are using, but it's that magic moment when you can find a fellow "LID", and get the report. Extra points are awarded if you are using a base station, and the repeater is less than twenty-five air miles from you. Step Nineteen: Use the repeater for an hour or two at a time, preventing others from using it. Better yet, do it on a daily basis. Your quest is to make people so sick of hearing your voice every time they turn on their radio, they'll move to another frequency. This way you'll lighten the load on the repeater, leaving even more time for you to talk on it. Step Twenty: See just how much flutter you can generate by operating at handheld power levels too far away from the repeater. Engage people in conversations when you know they wont be able to copy half of what your saying. Even when they say you're uncopyable, continue to string them along by making further transmissions. See just how frustrated you can make the other amateur before he finally signs off in disgust. Step Twenty One: Use lots of radio jargon. After all, it makes you feel important using words ordinary people don't say. Who cares if it makes you sound like you just fell off Channel 19 on the citizen's Band? Use phrases such as "Roger on that", "10-4", "I'm on the side", "You're making the trip" and "Negatory on that". Step Twenty Two: Use excessive microphone gain. See just how loud you can make your audio. Make sure the audio gain is so high that other amateurs can hear any bugs crawling on your floor. If mobile, make sure the wind noise is loud enough that others have to strain to pick your words out from all the racket. Step Twenty Three: Start every transmission with the word "Roger" or "QSL". Sure, you don't need to acknowledge that you received the other transmission in full. After all, you would simply ask for a repeat if you missed something. But consider it your gift to the other amateur to give him solace every few seconds that his transmissions are being received. Step Twenty Four: When looking for a contact on a repeater, always say you're "listening" or "monitoring" multiple times. I've always found that at least a half dozen times or so is good. Repeating your multiple "listening" ID's every 10 to 15 seconds is even better. Those people who didn't want to talk to you will eventually call you, hoping you'll go away after you have finally made a contact. Step Twenty Five: Always use a repeater, even if you can work the other station easily on simplex ... especially if you can make the contact on simplex. The coverage of the repeater you use should be inversely proportional to your distance from the other station. Step Twenty Six: When on repeaters using courtesy tones, you should always say *"Over"*. Courtesy tones are designed to let everyone know when you have unkeyed but don't let that stop you. Say *"Over", "Back To You" or "Go Ahead"*. It serves no useful purpose but don't worry, it's still fun! Step Twenty Seven: Use the repeater's autopatch for frivolous routine calls... especially during morning or evening commute times. While pulling into the neighborhood, call home to let them know you'll be there in two minutes.... or, call your spouse to complain about the bad day you had at work. After all, the club has "measured rate" service on their phone line so they get charged for each autopatch call. Your endeavor is to make so many patches in a year that you cost the club at least $20 in phone bills. That way you'll feel you got your money's worth for your dues! Step Twenty Eight: Never say "My name is ....." It makes you sound human. If at all possible, use one of the following phrases: a) "The personal here is ..." b) "The handle here is..." Step Twenty Nine: Use "73" and "88" incorrectly. Both are already considered plural, but add a "s" to the end anyway. Say "73's" or "88's". Who cares if it means "bests regards" and "loves and kisses." Better yet, say "seventy thirds"! (By the way, seventy thirds equals about 23.3). Step Thirty: ?If the repeater is off the air for service, complain about the fact that it was off the air as soon as it's turned back on. Act as though your entire day has been ruined because the repeater wasn't available when you wanted to use it. Even though you have never paid a penny to help out with the upkeep of it. These easy steps should put you well on your way to "LID-Hood". I hope these helpful hints will save you some time in your quest to sound like the perfect "LID". I should also note that these steps need not apply to simplex operation, as nobody really gives a crap because that HTX-202 isn't going to get out too far with just a rubber duck. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bmarx at bellsouth.net Sun Jun 5 07:51:00 2022 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Sun, 5 Jun 2022 07:51:00 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] How did the word "lid" come to mean "poor operator References: <44e2f592-ccf6-78a2-7923-9e3ed3edb4c8.ref@bellsouth.net> Message-ID: <44e2f592-ccf6-78a2-7923-9e3ed3edb4c8@bellsouth.net> /The question came up as it does often about the term "lid" and where it came from. I sent out one set of ideas once before and I did some more digging. The usual reference to the can of Prince Albert is found and then I found this interesting blog of thoughts. So interpret it in whatever way you like. Thanks to Elliot KB2TZ for getting this ball rolling...I think. And Kai? for asking the origin. Below is the blog of ideas and another I found also. I included a couple of other interpretations on various sites at the bottom. You can Google the term and read a bunch. I liked these two best...so fa. -Bill W2CQ/ How did the word "lid" come to mean "poor operator" (in the context of telegraphy and amateur radio)? This sense of /lid/ is still common today in Amateur ("Ham") Radio (in the United States, at least), usually as "they're a lid", meaning "they're being a rude or unobservant person." It doesn't refer to new operators, usually, as much as someone who is willfully ignoring convention. I can't really see how this originates from any meaning of lid ; the most plausible origin to me seems the phrase "put a lid on", because as an operator, a lid "silences" others or "puts a crimp" in their operating. Boys' Life, Feb 1932 is one of the earliest mentions I can find of a /lid/ in radio: "...taking care not to play the lid?" "Lid?" questioned Soc. "A *lid* is a radio operator who is either fresh from school or hasn't taken the trouble to learn to use his head and his fist at the same time." Popular Science, Feb 1933 also shows /lid/ used around the same time for the telegraph: He uses a bug, but it runs away with him. As a sender he's a *lid*. He can't read ahead and has combinations. This discussion about "lid" in amateur radio references some of the popular origin theories, such as the idea that operators would put the lid of a tobacco can on the mechanical sounder to make it easier to hear and also references a 1919 letter published in QST, from W. L. Matteson. Multiplex Plant Dept. W. U. Tel. Co., that suggests /lid/ came into the amateur radio vocabulary from telegraphy. So, then, it makes sense for the meaning to carry over from telegraph to ham radio. But how on earth does a "lid" come to refer to a person in the first place? asked Jun 27, 2011 at 22:58 * It occurred to me that early use of "lid" isn't really about personal character - it seems to be saying someone is a newbie or has bad operating technique. The way I hear it used today is more about being a jerk (for example, a fellow ham remarks, "What a lid!" in regard to a guy who complains it's difficult to copy one of our female operators' voices compared to a male one). This mention from early 1900s , though it seems to paint all hams with the same brush, does seem to show a bit of that "unsophisticated/ignorant jerk" connotation. 1912 antedating I couldn't find an origin but did find a slight antedating of the 1919 letter . /The Railroad Telegrapher / in 1912 printed a humorous poem/prayer. Here's an extract: And if some "Ham" who sounds insane, Should move me to say things profane O stay my hand upon the key And may I not get "H" for "P." May I refrain to ope my door And kick through it some tedious bore. Who brings to me his half-wit kid To be transformed into a *lid*. A slight variation appears in /Telephony / of 1913, which gives us the full text and quotes around jargon terms, and a source: *Help ! Help !* Poetry will out, sometimes in the most unexpected places and occasionally from unusual sources, says the Los Angeles (Cal.) Times. One of the latest devotees of the muse and one who has been creating considerable comment around the Alexandria is little Miss Vivian Ewing, Postal Telegraph operator in the hotel. After months of viccisitudes and troubles caused principally by the patrons of the little station in the marble corridor, Miss Ewing evolved the following prayer to assist her through her hours of toil: Help me this day, O, Lord, to be Kind and gentle with my key. Help me earn my wage this day And tempt me not to ask more pay; And if some man who sounds insane Should move me to hot things profane, O stay my hand upon the key And may I not make "H" for "P". May I refrain to open my door And kick through it a weary bore Who brings to me his darling ?kid? To be transformed into a *?lid?*. And may I gently treat the cranks Who, after spoiling twenty blanks, Fold up a lot of callow slush And sternly bid me, ?send it rush". And when the clock points five to eight, O, help me then to calmly wait While some proud dad leans on the booth And wires baby has a tooth. In short, pray make me what I ain't, An understudy of a saint, That I may hold this job of mine Till time gives me the "30" sign. C. A. Shock, of Sherman, Texas, sent this to TELEPHONY with the suggestion that variations might be rung on it to make it apply to the telephone operator. So, ?potes," sharpen pencils and have at it! These are from snippets, so the years could be wrong, but it appears to have been reprinted in other magazines published between 1912-1914. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lid operator A /lid operator/, or /lid/, was originally a novice operator, rather than any poor operator. Some quotations: /Telegraph Workers Journal /, 1924: Did you see Joe McKenua's *lid*? Some plush. Bill Hartley is still ... /QST/ , 1925: The *"lid" operator* can be told very quickly when he makes a mistake. He does not use a definite "error" signal but usually betrays himself by sending a string of dots. The good operator sends "I ?" after his mistakes and starts sending again with ... /QST/ , 1927: When you have traffic and want to get it off, DO NOT give it to a *"lid" operator*. If you do, the chances are that It will die right there. Many times I have become QSO with several stations in one direction, with the intention of QSRlng, only to find ... /QST /, 1928: We plead guilty to "getting quite a kick out of" operating our radio phone sets. The idea seems to prevail that no one except a *"ham", a "lid" or a rank beginner* even fools with phone. Unfortunately this is true to some extent but there are old ... And: ... I flatter myself that I have become more than just a *lid operator*. I hold a commercial license, am an ORS and have made a fair showing in traffic, and to you, OM, I owe a great part of my success. You were my first schedule and I have tried to ... And: ... gave several humorous anecdotes of his first trip as a *"lid" commercial operator* on the Great Lakes. /Telegraph Workers Journal/ , 1930: Can it be a New Year's resolution, and that he is starting at the bottom like an *inexperienced "lid"*? Two nasty accidents occurred in "Mu" since the advent of the New Year. Andy and Archie fell off the booze-wagon. Nothing serious happened ... However, /Popular Science / (1933) quoted in the question is all about trade jargon, and includes an English translation of "Telegrapher's Lingo". The full description is of a novice, but specifically translates /lid/ as poor, showing the meaning is changing: He uses a bug, but it runs away with him. As a sender he's a *lid*. ... Translated, this queer language means: He uses a semi-automatic key, but keeps it adjusted at a speed greater than that at which he can manipulate it properly. As a sender of messages he is *poor*. It goes on to praise him for being able to receive at the fastest speeds and for never interrupting. (It also explains what "30" means, as mentioned in the 1919 poem.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sitting on the lid This may be unrelated, but I'll include it on the off chance. /The Railroad Telegrapher/ included reports of union members' work situation ("In 1920 , there were 78,134 telegraphers on all railroads represented by The Order of Railroad Telegraphers. Membership in the union had peaked."). Some of these would include the phrase "is sitting on the lid". Here are some examples. From the preceding 1913 /Telephony/: I. S. Johnson and Leo Smiddy are working extra there, while Bro. Bob Fountaine *sits on the lid*. /The Railroad Telegrapher/ in 1911: Bros. Packard, Wilson and Nickel *sat on the lid* while Bro. Hook attended the TOI'0.'ll0 [?] convention and took a trip through the East. He was relieved by Bro. _l. L. Druley, from the \'abash [?]. And here: ... rear brakeman on the division correspondent's motorcycle for several miles. I introduced him to the high and low crossings at a speed of 30 miles per, when we stopped he had both legs wrapped around the gas tank, and was *settin' on his lid*. And here: Mr. John Dalzell, Chairman of the Rules Committee, *sat stubbornly "on the lid"* and refused to budge. He believes that free trade in labor is the safest bulwark of tariff protection for employers. /The Railroad Telegrapher /, 1914 (date verified): Two operators taken off at Merino, making it a one-man station, with Bro. Johnson *on the lid*. Bro. Doherty to second Brighton, bumping Bro. Baker to second Carr, vice Bro. Seeley bumping Bro. Rotenbaum; Dent nights to the extra list. I'm not entirely clear what this /sitting on the lid/ refers to, but for the work reports, I get the impression it's similar to /sitting on the bench/, being held as reserve. One of these is not a work report but a political report: "Mr. John Dalzell, Chairman of the Rules Committee, *sat stubbornly "on the lid"* and refused to budge." This has a political meaning, according to /A Desk-Book of Errors in English/ (1906, 1920) by Frank Horace Vizetelly: *lid:* A slang term for cover, hat, etc., used especially in the phrases *keeping the lid down, sitting on the lid,* political colloquialisms for closing up places of business, as pool-rooms, saloons, etc., or keeping a political situation in control. This fits for the stubborn chairman of the rules committee, and speculating, perhaps this "keeping control" sense was applied to reserve workers patiently waiting their turn. Or perhaps the union work reports are telling us those workers were taking care of union business and keeping their local situation in control. In any case, the political phrase "sitting on the lid" originated or was at least popularised by President Theodore Roosevelt when describing Secretary of War, William Howard Taft : Taft as Secretary of War became the administration's "trouble shooter" at home and abroad. During the years between 1904 and 1908 Taft had direct charge of the construction of the Panama Canal. Roosevelt considered Taft one of his most valuable assets, so able was Taft that Roosevelt felt free to leave the capital whenever he wished, because he had *"left Taft sitting on the lid."* As Roosevelt's personal emissary Taft was sent on many diplomatic assignments. /The New York Times/ , April 1905: It was suggested to the president that things would go along in a smooth manner, even if he was absent. Oh, things will be all right," he said. "I have left *Taft sitting on the lid* keeping down the Santo Domingo matter." Roosevelt commented in a May 1905 letter to his son: Yes, I have been much amused with the cartoons about my remarking that I had *"left Taft sitting on the lid"*. Some of the cartoons about the bear and wolf hunting have been really funny. A /The Evening News/ of 1922 commented: This phrase went around the country at the time, and the fact that Mr. Taft's physical weight was such that we all had a feeling that if he were *sitting on the lid*, the lid must be geld down pretty firmly, undoubtedly had much to do with the success of the great phrase-maker's remark at that time. More speculation: "sitting on the lid" was a metaphor for "sitting on a hat" meaning "keeping control" and the meaning passed to "sitting as a reserve on the bench". Operators sitting in reserve are often novice operators, or "lid operators". A lid operator was then originally a novice worker, and as novice workers would make more mistakes, the meaning then changed to refer to any poor operator. * Thank you so much for all the research! It didn't even occur to me that QST might be in Google Books. It's fascinating to see the evidence that "lid" meant "newbie operator" almost a hundred years ago. The truth is that nobody knows. It /is/ an inherited title from the land-line (wired) Morse telegraphy days; that much is certain. But why "lid"? I find the tobacco lid explanation unconvincing. The need to bring the annunciator's click frequency down using a mechanical resonator may indicate aged or damaged hearing, but it doesn't even /imply/ incompetence on the operator's part. The most convincing explanation I've heard is that a sender with poor rhythm sending "dd" (a common double letter, and the commonest with possible ambiguity) would send something that sounded like /dah...dit-dit...dah-dit-dit/ ("l-i-d") rather than /dah-dit-dit...dah-dit-dit/ ("d-d"). But that's just conjecture with a bit of history behind it, just like the Prince Albert tobacco theory. * It does seem plausible that lid could be mistaken for dd and vice-versa in American Morse : L in this alphabet is a double length 'daaah' that doesn't exist in the International Morse used today. Now at least I don't have to worry whether you said daaah dit dit or dah dit dit :) Many answers, and probably most of them right, in context of their times and origins / applications. Just as a throw-in, there was a phrase, "sitting on the lid of the chanty", which referred to doing something as much use as perching on the cover of the lavatory. Another one might be relating to 'lid' as a cover, in that a 'lid' operator is assuming the cover and appearance / behaviour of a competent keyer, but his/her operating deficiencies soon betray him/her, and I'm sure we've all known bluffers like that. It could boil down to a particular case. It could be one operator was known as a jerk, and also well known for using the tobacco lid trick. The person known as "lid" could have become an archetype for idiocy, just like Einstein is an archetype for genius. Again, this is conjecture without some record of such a person. https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/31818/how-did-the-word-lid-come-to-mean-poor-operator-in-the-context-of-telegraph /*AND FROM:*/* * *HAM RADIO HISTORY* http://w2pa.net/HRH/liberty/ Posted on 2005z - 24 February 2013 QST, Nov. 1919, cover.Finally, nearly one year after the armistice, a breakthrough: A single, tacked-on page, after the end cover of October QST, a hastily added special announcement proclaimed:? ?BAN OFF! THE JOB IS DONE AND THE A.R.R.L. DID IT. See next QST for details? The HR Hick cover drawing for the November issue depicted a joyous ham bursting from the top of a can, popping off the lid (which, just to make sure the metaphor was understood, is labeled ?the lid?)?he clutches a copy of /QST/ in one hand, a certificate in the other. The can?s label reads ?LIBERTY NUMBER? in big letters. The issue opened with Maxim writing on the importance of organization, citing both the establishment of the League and radio clubs^1 as prime examples. Only by having a national organization were hams able to influence the government on the one hand by preventing legislation that threatened amateur radio?s existence, and assist it on the other by providing wartime operators on very short notice. ?It was a noble effort for all concerned, and lifted amateur radio from the realm of toyland to the dignity of a valuable National asset.? Aside from self preservation, another benefit of organization was to enable doing momentous things, such as the transcontinental relay work, impressive to outsiders. ?Up to the time that we amateurs began relay work, the limit which one could transmit intelligence without paying tribute either to the Government or the Western Union or the Postal Telegraph Company, was the distance one?s voice would carry.? QST, Nov. 1919, p. 5 (top). William S. Greene Amateurs also had received help from friends in Congress. William Steadman Greene, the 78-year-old Chairman of the House Committee on The Merchant Marine and Fisheries, representative from Massachusetts, and ?loyal protector of amateur rights,? was credited with the successful reopening.^2 Greene had been the one who introduced the resolution, on the League?s behalf, asking the Navy to supply a reason for the continuing ban. Receiving no reply, he had then introduced Joint Resolution 217 directing the secretary of the Navy to remove the restrictions. The League headquarters staff had to scramble to add the ?ban off? insert to the previous issue when the news arrived just at press time.^3 It would now take some hard work to get everything and everyone up and running again. ?The days of real sport are at last with us,? noted ARRL secretary Kenneth Warner, directing readers to ?Come on, fellows, and get into the air again.? An incredible array of new gear developed and manufactured during the war was becoming available, and that meant increased advertising revenue for /QST?/its life blood. The editor predicted a day when /QST/ could be 132 pages long?twice the size of this issue. It would actually take until September of the following year for the magazine to again reach 100 pages, a size previously seen in April 1917, nearly three and a half years earlier. Getting back on the air meant everyone had to be relicensed. Though some still had unexpired commercial licenses which the government would count as operator licenses, all amateur operator and station licenses had expired.^4 As before the war, a Second Class license would be granted without examination to applicants located more than 50 miles from a district office. One could take a test given by the district inspector by appointment, and receive a First Class amateur license on successfully passing it. The new test format was a bit different, requiring longer answers from the applicant to demonstrate depth of understanding. The government published a document called ?Radio Communication Laws of the United States,? containing the regulations one must know for the test. On receiving an operator license you could next apply for a station license using a form to describe various aspects of your station. That information, and how well you had complied with the law in building it, determined whether or not the license would be granted. Radio Inspectors were authorized to disclose the call sign that an applicant would be issued once a station license was granted. The licensee would then be permitted to begin operation without waiting for the actual license to arrive in the mail. Hams were encouraged to send their new call signs to ARRL as they were issued so that they could be published and help everyone to once again recognize one another on the air. The first directory of calls appeared in December, listing only new first district stations, apparently the only district reporting new licenses to that point. The list included the Harvard Wireless Club, 1AF, M.I.T., 1AN, Maxim, 1AW and Tuska, 1AY. Some stations in other districts had been given permission to use their old calls, possibly because they held unexpired commercial licenses. Some of these stations were prominent pre-war relayers, organizations, and operating department officers, including Mrs. Candler, 8NH, F. H. Schnell, 9AH, R. H. G. Mathews, 9ZN, J. O. Smith, 2ZL and Charles Service, 3QZ. On the air, things were still very quiet even though the winter, the prime radio season, approached. The Atlantic Division manager reported hearing mostly silence on the first night of reopening, and only a few locals. Activity returned gradually as everyone worked to connect equipment and erect antennas. Licensed or not, amateurs had refrained from reassembling their stations before the reopening, perhaps due to uncertainty about when it would occur given the long delay, or perhaps because they stuck to the letter of the law that prohibited even assembling a station during the shutdown. ?In Memoriam? for December listed 11 more amateurs, some killed while serving in the military. BT sep sm WCC on Cape Cod had a long history in a medium with a short one. Wired telegraph services such as the transatlantic cable were Marconi?s natural initial competition. In 1914 he established a station at Chatham, Mass., to replace his earlier one in Wellfleet. That one had made history in 1903 by relaying a message from President Theodore Roosevelt to the King of England directly via wireless using its 35-kW spark transmitter feeding a 200-wire conical antenna supported by four, 210-foot towers.^5 WCC?originally simply ?CC? for Cape Cod?became one of the most prominent wireless stations in the United States, and Irving Vermilya had been a station manager there since early 1916. Answering the Navy?s call for radio operators, he enlisted in 1917, served during the war, and then returned home to Massachusetts and WCC. Feb. 1920 QST page 25 Irving Vermilya in 1920 He was back on the air and in print again in December 1919, publishing another /QST/ humor article, ?S.O.L.? (meaning ?shit outta luck,? though not labeled as such in the article), telling of his early days in the Navy.^6 By this time he had become well enough known among hams to be often identified by his last name alone. Everyone else in /QST/ was referred to as Mr. so-and-so, or by their complete name?but ?Amateur Number One? was just Vermilya. Everyone finally got a look at him in the February 1920 issue?s installment of /Who?s Who in Wireless,/^7 identified as a shift engineer at the Marconi station. The article paraphrased him as admitting that ?he?d rather fuss with wireless than eat, and his record shows it.? In October, pictures of his station appeared too?he was now 1HAA, ?a good call for a funny man??in Marion, Massachusetts.^8 His antenna was a fan array of vertical wires, narrow spaced at the base and wide at the top, connected to a horizontal wire suspended between wooden supports, very similar to Maxim?s antenna and considered a leading-edge design. Two interior pictures depict a neatly arranged, high-power spark station. Another change in call sign came in July 1921, when he received a special station license and /QST/ announced that ?1HAA is no more. Vermilya is now 1ZE, using 200, 250, and 375 meters.? He continued to work for United Wireless after its acquisition by Marconi, working as manager of WCC until he left the Radio Corporation in 1922 to become manager of the radio department at Slocum & Kilburn, a parts and equipment company. Vermilya would continue to play a role in two camps?as professional and amateur. AR sep sm de W2PA 1. Hiram Percy Maxim, ?The Importance of Our ARRL,? /QST/, November 1919, 3. ? 2. ?The Champion of the Amateurs,? /QST/, November 1919, 5. ? 3. ?At Last!,? Editorial, /QST/, November 1919, 13. ? 4. ?Getting Your Licenses,? /QST/, November 1919, 12. ? 5. ?In Search of Guglielmo,? ARRL Web, 17 Mar 2005 ? 6. Although it was billed as the first of a two-part article, the second part never appeared. ? 7. Who?s Who in Amateur Wireless/,/ /QST/, February 1920, 25. ? 8. Amateur Radio Stations, /QST/, October, 1920, 35. ? http://w2pa.net/HRH/liberty/ MORE: https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-the-use-of-the-term-lid-in-amateur-radio/311139 https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/31818/how-did-the-word-lid-come-to-mean-poor-operator-in-the-context-of-telegraph https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/31818/how-did-the-word-lid-come-to-mean-poor-operator-in-the-context-of-telegraph http://w2pa.net/HRH/liberty/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bmarx at bellsouth.net Mon Jun 6 16:44:17 2022 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Mon, 6 Jun 2022 16:44:17 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] 3D2RRR on ClubLog...Logs now available! References: <519152a6-df10-652a-430a-32cd79d7956d.ref@bellsouth.net> Message-ID: <519152a6-df10-652a-430a-32cd79d7956d@bellsouth.net> 3D2RRR in ClubLog: https://clublog.org/charts/?c=3D2RRR https://clublog.org/charts/?c=3D2RRR -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bmarx at bellsouth.net Fri Jun 10 16:51:01 2022 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Fri, 10 Jun 2022 16:51:01 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Geochron Today In-Reply-To: <1654833694.69616997@f8.my.com> References: <1654833694.69616997@f8.my.com> Message-ID: > > View this email in your browser > > > > > As the world reopens > > ...I?ve taken this opportunity to resume my national tour of 48 > Geochron owners in 48 states on a motorcycle, but this time the trip > ended with me in the back of an ambulance > .??Still, > I wouldn?t trade these customer visits for the world.? 22 out of 48 so > far, and**New England > is > next! > > Read about Louisiana > > below. > > Safely ensconced in a brick building outside Portland, the good work > of our clockworks continued even when I could not ? welcoming visitors > > from afar as they get out to travel as well!? Our shop is a step back > in time, but you?d love it if you own one of our mechanical world > clocks . > > But moving into the future, Geochron is continuing to develop new > features and updates for our digital Atlas > with exactly what you are asking for.?? > Number one?? Zooming.? But behind that screen, I?d be happy to > recommend a tidy bracket to hold that Atlas > > from an inventive Geochron owner. > > See you out there! > > /Patrick/ > Head Wrangler, KJ7ZSU > 800-342-1661 > > /I read all the replies, and I'll respond to the nice ones!/ > > > It's no Apple store! > > ?We?d be happy to have you visit, /but it?s no Apple Store/,? we tell > customers; but seeing where the Geochron clock is built is deeply > meaningful for visitors? and it?s a small miracle that we?re still here! > > Not just the giant forest fire > that came > through last year, but surviving through recessions, inflation, > shortages, and retirements to restore and build what Ronald Reagan > called ?an example of American ingenuity > ?? Well, we are something > special! > > We love visitors, but do call ahead! 800-342-1661 > /(Pictured: Ben, a visiting fan, and Emmelia.)/ > > > A Bloody End to a Convention > > After another leg of my national tour visiting Geochron owners, I > arrived at Hamvention 2022 in Ohio.??If you think tradeshows are > draining as a visitor, try doing a booth!? With a product as > intriguing as Geochron digital, it?s endless five minute conversations > and on your feet for days on end.? While it?s a great opportunity to > connect,*I?m afraid this time I shared more than words with my new > friends! * > > On the plane ride home, my sinuses exploded. Two days later and > completely ill, I shuffled into my kitchen for lunch.? A few minutes > later I awoke in a puddle of blood. > > I had passed out, and broke my > nose > (graphic) > > on the tile floor! ?911? ambulance?. ER? and a positive test for > COVID.? A really bad case of it, obviously. I?m still recovering, but > it would have been worse had I not been vaccinated > . > /(Pictured: Patrick on the phone with the mechanical shop.? "So, a > funny thing happened during lunch....")/ > > > Part of an ongoing series of Patrick's journey to visit a Geochron in > every state. > > > A Quiet House in Louisiana > > The roads in Shreveport were the worst I?ve ridden on.? All concrete, > it was bumpity-bump for miles! Now I was getting into the South I had > so wanted to see ? where the disparity between people rich and poor, > old money and new money was obvious.? In a very fine gated community > where they took a photograph of my drivers license to enter, I pulled > into Wes? rounded driveway. > > I knew he was a ham radio guy, but where were the antennas?? Wes was > the homeowner association president, and instead of flying oversized > antennas that would eclipse the landscape, he had hung them on the > magnificent pine trees in his backyard (pictured). > > Wes had retired as a forensic computer analyst, but his house was not > full of old computer parts. Beautiful original paintings and prints > hung on the wall, over a Steinway piano in the Great Room.? He was > delighted to show me all of it.? There was a splendor to this that?s > hard to find on West coast where I?m from. ?My wife picked out most of > these.? She really had a great taste for it," he said. > > The mechanical Geochron was recessed in a wall in his office, and this > was the room that was full of computers, mostly hidden away from the > rest of the well-appointed house that was now quiet and dark. > > Leg 4 of the tour is this Summer, and I need a Geochron installation > in Delaware, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Anyone? > > > A Creative Fix > > For a time, Geochron offered a 3D printed bracket for our Atlas 2 > units until we sold out, but Geochron Digital owner Henry Martinez has > taken over with a small bracket that works. We?ve tried it, and like > it!? You can find his Ebay store with the Atlas bracket here > . > > > __A Free Premium Layer? > > > If you have an Atlas, you can look at Ham Radio transmissions, global > pollution, and real time earthquakes through our Premium Layers > .? Atlases that are purchased > *directly through our website* will receive a coupon for a year-long > subscription for one premium layer!? That's up to a $69.99 value. You > can find it here > , and > please ask us questions > . > > /New purchases only. / > > > Fantastic Installations! > > /Send yours to patrick at geochron.com/ > > /(Pictured: K9EBV in Kansas, and a library in Oregon)/ > > *Questions? We're ready for you at 800-342-1661 before 4pm PST, or at > sales at geochron.com > * > > > Useful Links > > > *Rebuild Program* > Need some TLC? > > > *50 Years of History* > A diplomatic gift... > > > *Buyback/Trade-in* > Newer than 1973... > > > *Awesome Videos* > See behind the map.. > > > > *Optional Maps* > _Topo, Geo, Premium.._ > > > *Digital Atlas 4K* > A clock for everyone.. > > > *Ham Radio Bundle* > DX, Solar, and more... > > > > *Specialty Clocks* > Ham , Live Edge > , Ltd > > > > *About Us* > All six of us... > > > *Support Documents* > What you can do... > > > *Premium 4K layers* > For special audiences > > > *Factory Specials* > Our most affordable.. > > > > > > > > > /Copyright ? 2022 Geochron, All rights reserved./ > > > Want to change how you receive these emails? > You can update your preferences > > or unsubscribe from this list > > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bmarx at bellsouth.net Sat Jun 11 10:22:13 2022 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Sat, 11 Jun 2022 10:22:13 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] No Kids No Lids No Space Cadets No Phonetics In-Reply-To: <2d361882-ba47-be65-523c-4de2033dd662@bellsouth.net> References: <2d361882-ba47-be65-523c-4de2033dd662@bellsouth.net> Message-ID: Just a bit of Ham Radio History from the 50's... I was always afraid to call W2OY myself. I was a kid and I took him seriously. His signal was loud and he was intimidating. A voice recording is attached. From: http://hamgallery.com/dx1960/ Bill W2CQ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: No Kids No Lids.mp4 Type: video/mp4 Size: 333684 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bmarx at bellsouth.net Fri Jun 17 10:08:12 2022 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Fri, 17 Jun 2022 10:08:12 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] D-star, DMR, Fusion, Which is right for you? Updated version References: Message-ID: Rich, W4RQ, posted this on the DARC groups, as they weigh out the choices and whether to change or add. This article he posted is one of the best comparisons and explanations I've seen On D-Star DMR and Fusion. - Bill W2CQ D-star, DMR, Fusion, Which is right for you? Updated version http://www.mikemyers.me/blog/2016/2/19/d-star-dmr-fusion-which-is-right-for-you-7nhdl -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bmarx at bellsouth.net Sun Jun 26 08:21:35 2022 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Sun, 26 Jun 2022 08:21:35 -0400 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Albert Fratini I1QOD...Keymaker References: Message-ID: I found this Morse Key Maker on the ZA/IK3RLM website. They are as nice as any I've seen: https://www.i1qod.it// // //Here are just a few . He makes covers too. The logo on top is reminiscent of the Mercury Paddle/ On his site are pictures of his lab and tests he does. I could not find a price but I guess /if you have to ask.../- Bill W2CQ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: UCrncey3lsDvbB5R.png Type: image/png Size: 100697 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... 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