Amateur Radio Trivia in Americus
Over the Past 45 years
by: K4VBH-jim poole
Americus Amateur Radio Association
2
meter @ 147.27 t(131.8)
This
is a page from my 42 yearold official logbook of 1962 back when you had to record
all contacts, beginning time, ending time, frequency, type emission and input
power. You'll note some calls on there that are still active today and in particular
K4JAD Carey & K4PHE Bob worked on AM running 20 watts. They had not gotten
on the new SSB yet.
There is also another call HC1WU toward the top a bit and that is where our
story begins. It was just an ordinary day that I had some time to actually get
on the air and call CQ. The station that came back to me was HC1WU in Quito
Ecuador. It turned out that it was a ham couple, Gladys and Frank. That day
it was Gladys on the mike and we both were floored when she told me that they
had relatives in Americus (small world!) and I had a phone patch. So I dialed
up their folks here , let them talk back and forth..and that is what began a
long series of regular contacts on 20 meters letting them talk back home to
their relatives here.
After several months they told me that they would be visiting stateside to see
family and would try to look me up. That they did, it was good to meet them
and put faces with calls...and we got on the air and they made a few contacts
from my station. Time went by and we continued running some patches, but over
time sorta lost touch with them completely.
In 1977, we found a house in town so wife ,Charles and our infant daughter Carmen
& I moved in. It had a nice backyard for antennas. Also Dixie Hills is on
an elevation as well! While taking a break from moving stuff, I walked out in
the back yard only to be met by my backdoor neighbors who walked out as well.
Not knowing who they might be, I introduced myself and they said....(cue up
the Twilight Zone music) "Well, hello Jim, we're Gladys and Frank HC1WU
from years back do you remember us?" Wow!
I can hardly believe it even today !
73,
Jim K4VBH
