Remembering a Silent Key. Name someone you miss.

W6ARK Al Rovelli. Always making home brewed straight keys out of miscellaneous junk and poker chips to give away to his friends. Made some cool flame proof straight keys with the contacts inside of a small vertical pipe (in case you ever found yourself on board a ship). He even perfected home brewed bugs. That took a while. He said that it was difficult to get a piece of flat vibrating
spring with just the right
properties. Al served as ships radio operater in the 30's and 40's. He was a good friend and mentor and I
think of him often. Al passed in 2002 at the age of 91.

 

Robert (Bob) E Blair, K5AY, friend, neighbor, Elmer, and CW operator extraordinaire.

 

Dick Sloan W8EPD Long Time Friend

 

Stag K8MKA and Rich K8III Long Time Friends....R.I.P.

 

Carl Martin, K0JHS, SK

Carl befriended a young, buzz-cut Airman (and freshly minted ham) who appeared on the 147.015 Aurora Repeater Club (ARA) repeater one Saturday in the summer of 1980, looking for directions to a Denver amateur radio store (at the time there were two, plus a Heathkit outlet store). Carl wasn't very active on the local repeaters, but for some reason, he took a liking to me, told me how to get to the store from Lowry AFB, then invited me over to his house, that he and his father had built by hand, for supper and radio time on his Kenwood TS-850 on a tribander (way better DX than my HW101 loading up the apartment window frame). Carl and I chatted up VHF and UHF, he even rejoined the ARA to help defray the maintenance costs of the repeaters we used, as that was his way. He challenged me to take (and pass) the Advanced and Extra class tests at the Denver FCC field office. The two of us built his HyGain HyTower, and the two of us pushed it up and got it on the air.

I remember how Carl and his xyl Sara would ride over the mountains on an early 70's BMW R70 touring bike that they had bought new. Just before one of their many weekend day trips, he called me and said "Mike, the BMW isn't running very smooth, and we're headed to Aspen, can you take a look at it?" Naturally, much to my wife's chagrin, I left the house (after half-pinning the baby's diaper) and drove over to find the R70 with it's original plugs and points still installed, along with the 73,000 original miles that he and Sara had put on the clock. We found the parts across town, and put the BMW right so they could make their trip. I wouldn't have trusted my work on anything but a Briggs and Stratton, but that was his way.

Much later, Carl found a way to check up on me while I was in Saudi Arabia for Desert Shield/Storm - via a MARSGRAM. Carl was a quiet, unassuming man of some letters, who worked at the Rocky Flats plant. He had a short list of friends, and it was an honor to be on that list. A casual repeater contact led to a long friendship, even from afar. Carl passed away in his 80s, Sara not long afterwards. I miss them both in this life, and look forward to seeing them again, but not too soon. Carl would get it.

73 Carl. CU agn.

 

Carl Mitchell, KA9DOT (09/12/2012). We went through ham radio classes together given by a local minister ham in 1979. I was KA9DOO and my wife KA9DOP. Carl was a groomsman at our wedding in 1975. Though our lives went different directions, he staying in our small hometown, and we moving away, he remained a friend of whom I have fond memories.

 

Mark Dabish K8MD May 8 2013 Good Friend And Avid VHF OP.....Miss you Mark ..

 

My good friend Dennis Moore VK2XAR 26/8/46 - 6/9/14

 

Miss my Dad, gone ten years now.

 

my friend, neighbor, and elmer K5AY, Robert (Bob) E Blair SK Jun 19 2016

 

W5FOA Mac and AA7QJ Bob. Both very good men and highly intelligent. It was an honor to know both of them.

 

Hello from Claude N5WV. When I was licensed back in the mid 80s I would listen to the OM on the QCWA nets with envy. One day I will be there. But I never had a clue that about the time I get 25 years plus of RF I would have lost some good friends. I'm sort of the quiet type and mainly just kick back and listen. Shortly after getting licensed I found a group of OM rag chewing on 20 meters about antennas , amps and equipment. And at times some DX would stop by to say Hi. These OM had been licensed for many years and knew a great deal about HF directional antennas. They would meet on or about 14.183 at around 0100Z. I couldn't wait to power up the rig and learn something night after night. I wish I could spend one more evening with Ray W6ZR " Raymondo Zipper Ripper " , Dr Seymor W6CCP " This Is California W6CCP Calling And By " . And others that would stop by 14.183 .
73 , de Claude N5WV

 

I liked to listen to Bill W2ONV . " On The Other Side Of The Rivva de W2ONV In Saddlebrook New Jersey "
73 de Claude N5WV

 

Yes those were some fantastic old time radio men. I posted a bit ago about Ray and Dr Seymour. But forgot about the OM that gave me a taste of 75 / 80 meter DX. Otto W5YU. " Helloooooo Radioooooo de W5YU In Farmington New Mexico. I wanted to meet him one day while passing through Farmington but he was at his other QTH in Colorado. I believe his call is now held by the Tulane University Amateur Radio Club. Tulane had that call many years ago and after loosing it Otto got it. I learned a great deal from those radio men.
73 , de Claude N5WV