03/05/99

BOL ... CUL ... GB

Ray's first recollections about wireless communications take him back to Camp Phillips, Kansas, where he was stationed in the US Army. The few recruits who scored well on the code test were sent to code school, which was fine as far as Ray was concerned because it precluded him from objectionable chores like KP or guard duty. He ultimately served as a radio operator (OP) on a forward observation (FO) crew in WWII, carrying a 36-pound radio on his back across France, Germany, Belgium and Czechoslovakia.

The crew consisted of an officer, a radio op and a messenger, in case radio communications went dead. Each FO crew acted as the gun sights for a group of six 105mm howitzers with a range of 5,000 yards. The FO crew operated in front of the front lines, to observe the enemy and its equipment (from high ground but under cover.) The guns were usually placed as close to the front lines as possible to afford coverage against as much of the enemy as possible. FO crew casualty rates were high, because Ray and other crew members had their heads up when others' heads were down, so they could mark the targets signaling where to aim the howitzers.

After discharge, Ray did nothing with his radio training. He had graduated high school and decided to enter industry as a tool and die maker, his profession for 42 years. His brother's interest in CB radio communication sparked Ray's entry into amateur radio training. He quickly passed the Novice exam in 1976, flunked the General exam a couple times, studied hard and passed the Advanced exam in 1978, which is his licensed level to this day.

Licensed amateur radio operators, so-called "hams" to each other, form a loose international rag-chewing network. To most of them it's an enjoyable hobby that sometimes leads into situations where they can provide an important public service, because of their ability to run telephone line patches for missionaries, servicemen or various and sundry others.

One time a few years ago when Ray was net control on a morning session of INTERCONTINENTAL TRAFFIC NET, a novice operator broke the net with a MAYDAY call, which is an international code word for "serious threat to life or limb." The man and his wife were on their boat sailing from Alaska through the Panama Canal to the Virgin Islands. Just off the coast of Mexico, two Mexican nationals, feigning trouble with their small boat, came aboard and tried to steal the couple's sailing vessel. The caller's wife was able to pass a 12 gauge shotgun to her husband, who shot and killed one of the Mexicans. The other jumped overboard.

The couple called by radio to ask for help because they were heading into a Mexican port with a corpse on board and, as most everyone knows, in Mexico you are guilty until proven innocent. As luck would have it, Ray was in possession of an emergency phone number for the American Consulate in Washington, D.C. He called and the Consulate arranged for a government official to meet the couple's boat at the dock in Mexico. Two days later they were safely on their way, profusely thankful for Ray's help. He still receives postcards from them once in awhile.

To the uninitiated, an amateur radio hobby might seem too technical or expensive, but when Ray compares it to other hobbies or vices, like smoking, drinking or gambling, it seems cheap and easy by comparison. His license allows involvement in slow scan television, AM and FM radio and FAX. A ham can build or buy a unit which makes it possible to patch into the telephone system and match electrical impedance's of the two circuits, thus allowing cross conversations between radio ops and telephone callers. The Federal Communications Commission issues an amateur license for almost any amount of expertise, so finding one's level of interest and ability is quite easy.

Ray recommends hamming to people of all ages, because he says, "It can do nothing but lead to a better outlook on life. It leads to interactions with many wonderful people, and there's not much more to life than interacting with people."

Signing off, Ray says in Morse Code:

BOL ... CUL ... and GB

Best of luck, See you later and God Bless.

LINKS:

The Intercontinental Traffic Net, serving the amateur radio community around the world, complete with "ham links" and great music.

Please send questions or comments to bbruno@snet.net.