[TVARC] Antennas and such (from Ken P ... a new member)

[Ken Peters]

Hi 73, Pete, K2PS, 
Thank you and many others for replying to my antenna question; and to many of you who welcomed me. You asked for my former call letters. I don't recall. However, since I have time on my hands ... and at the risk of being blackballed before even attending a meeting - a funny story about my HAM experience.
  First, my dad was a radioman during WWII and served aboard ship in the N Atlantic, N Pacific and S pacific from July ‘41 to Nov ‘45 (yes, that’s right). He had tons of security clearances and became an engineer on the GI bill.  He had an FCC broadcast license and operated a major TV station in Baltimore. He was also responsible for Civil Defense Emergency transmission in Balto-Wash from 1952 until sometime in the 60’s or 70’s?
  So, I grew up with this stuff. Built my first radio about 7 or 8 yrs old in the cub scouts. At 13 a few of us guys (from Boy Scouts) learned morse code (probably radio or signaling merit badge) and we were building Heath Kits, Channel Masters, etc. I got my CW FCC license. It was either 5 or 15 wpm, but eventually most of us could key 15WPM. We had fun with that for a while. We also went with FM broadcasting. You could legally find some frequency or the other with x watt output that would legally broadcast a couple blocks. So we went to voice on the FM. Well, all of us were farther away than a mere couple blocks. We needed a solution so one of the guys raised his backyard “T” shaped clothes-pole to 2nd floor height and strung an antenna from his bedroom window, back and forth several times. We did a lot of group studying to get it right.  We all knew my dad but did not ask for advice because we had more sinister ideas in mind. 
   Eventually we could talk to each other over about 3 or four miles. Well, the guy with the antenna (now a retired PHD in Chemistry who worked for DOW and a Professor at Princeton - saw him a couple years ago - lots of laughing) started a radio station, at our urging of course. It was station WFAG. I am not goin to give you our introduction when getting on the air. He would broadcast on Tuesday nights, between 7 and 830, on an FM frequency. We eventually reached out from far West Baltimore all the way to Sparrows Point in eastern Baltimore County.  We were all raised R.Catholic and one of the 6 parish priests was - well, the name of the radio station. He, the Priest, developed lung cancer so we offered a do-it-yourself lung replacement kit on the radio; a knife, needle and thread and balloons. 
   Bear in mind, these were different times. Well, over a few weeks, news spread far and wide and we had quite a listening audience. So, one night, in my room, I was tuned in on my Channel Master home made radio and mom walked by and listened. I didn’t know she was there until I heard her giggle. So, she came in. “Who is that Kenny, it sounds like Bob Exxxx.” So she calls dad “Johnny, come up here quick!” Me, I am trying to tell mom, “NO!”.  Dad comes up, the whole family is now listening to WFAG. Dad tells me that it seems like an awfully strong signal and Bob lives on Tremont Ave ( 3-4 miles away). “You guys are going to get into big trouble if the FCC catches you. I want you to cease and desist.  You may even put me in jeapardy” or something to that effect. 
  By now we are probably 15 or 16 yrs old.  Accordingly, we didn’t always listen to our parents - why should we, we often knew more than they did. Right? 
  Well, after a few months of broadcasting all over Baltimore CIty and part of Balto County, yup, you guessed it. Bob got caught by the FCC. In no time we were all in trouble. It was, after all, a joint effort both financially and technically. I remember Bob calling me (using the telephone, not the radio): “we’re in deep s**t!“  And we were. We thought we would not only lose our licenses but get fined, possibly be kicked out of school. All of us were in a Private Catholic all boys HS in the “A” program. Right, our parents were paying tuition. The bigger fear: The Wrath of Dad”. 
    We were gathered together and met by some guy from the FCC. We were read the riot act, scared s**tless, and made to promise to dismantle certain equipment and never do this again. Of course, we did what we were told and kept our promises. 
    At our 50 year class reunion five years ago, we talked about this and deduced that my father (who ‘everyone’ knew - civil defense , FCC bigshots, etc) probably met with the FCC guy and convinced them not to do anything harsh but scare the crap out of us! We will never know. BUt he did scare the crap out of us.
   From there I later went on to major in physics (light, waves and particles) but majored in parties and had to change majors and finish 4 years in 3. Ultimately I became a CPA with a fairly strong understanding of broadcasting, electricity and physics.  I ended up with TS clearances for 25 years in the defense industry. I was a good match in that industry - during the cold war - a fun job! 
   Now, I am sort of retired in the Village of Collier with my wife, loving it here, I have become re-interested in HAM radio.
   I look forward to meeting many of you if I am not black-balled due to my creative politically incorrect youth.
   Till then,
Ken 
 
 
 
> On Tue, Apr 21, 2020, 12:47 PM K2PS Pete Stafford <psk2ps at gmail.com> wrote:
Hi Ken,
 
I can’t offer any expertise on flagpoles – I’m a horizontal guy, myself – but I do want to welcome you to the club and wish you good luck on getting your ticket.  BTW, what was your callsign way back when?
 
73, Pete, K2PS
 
From: tvarc-bounces at mailman.qth.net [mailto:tvarc-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Ken Peters
Sent: Tuesday, April 21, 2020 11:06 AM
To: k2te at juno.com
Cc: tvarc at mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [TVARC] Flag pole verticals
 
Thanks for the info.  I will be picking a lot of brains after we resume to normal life here.
   I very much appreciate you getting back to me thank you again.
Ken
 
> On Tue, Apr 21, 2020, 10:19 AM <k2te at juno.com> wrote:
Ken,

There is a lot of flexibility in what you can do.  Yes, any vertical wire
with a radial field counterpoise will work.  The height restrictions here
usually means adding coils and a tuner to the antenna to make your rig
happy on the bands you want to use.  How many radials you use depends how
much time and wire you want to expend.  Don't fret if they are various
lengths; the home lots in TV are not ideal for uniform, circular radial
fields.  

Check out the club's website (K4VRC.ORG) for antenna suggestions.  Lot of
"stealth" ideas if you have a tree or wall around the place to run an
antenna.  

73 de Ed

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