Gm Gang
I have just returned to NY from up North on VY2 and wish to report on
something from a couple of week's ago....
I was outside doing antenna work in the yard on the morning of the 20th when
a car came down the laneway. I wasn't paying particular attention at the
time as I was busy with some coax, but when the driver got closer to me he
called out: "So how's DX?!!"
Now, lots of cars come down the laneway, but few of their driver's ask about
DX - so I took a closer look at this one.... I couldn't make out the driver
of the car as he was wearing a baseball cap and he was still too far away
from me to see without my glasses. So, I did what I often do when I don't
wish to embarass myself and replied "And, who might that be over there coming
to pay me a visit?"
The driver said "It's "ZZ" - but it still didn't register fully with me...
But, then he got out of the car and I glanced at the license plate and it
said Nova Scotia and I knew in a moment it was Jack Leahy, VE1ZZ!
Well, I can tell you that from that moment forward (and for the next several
hours) we had some great fun talking about good times on 160M, about some of
the rarest of the very rare countries that Jack has managed to work that
no-one else has logged and just exchanging the kind of 160M cameraderie that
only 160M diehards enjoy talking about.
Jack was interested in the new 160M layout and shared experinces between some
of the differences between his QTH on the head of Jeddore (near Halifax) and
my new place on the Gulf of St Lawrence. Jack's place looks out to the South
over salt water across the harbor (which probably explains why he continues
to do so well compared to my signal in that direction) - and my place has an
edge compared to his when looking into Europe (which he spent a LONG time
gazing at......)
We went inside and had a cool drink and it seemed like only minutes - but
soon nearly two hours had passed. We did a tour of the shack inside and then
enjoyed a lunch together down the lane at a local seafood spot I frequent
occasionally.
At the end of our time together, I could only marvel at some of the stuff
Jack has worked on Topband that most of us in North America can only dream
about:
EP2BK
EP2BQ
DS4CNB (on the SE path at Sunset)
YB5ASO (same path)
FR/T
9U5D (Gus when he was there several year's ago).
There were many more he mentioned but I cannot recall them all.....
Jack commented about my place on Cape Cod saying "Well, that's a pretty good
spot Jeff - but it ain't like it is ***UP HERE!***..... I guess you finally
figured that out EH?"
We both got a good chuckle out of that one........
At the end of our visit, I asked Jack if I might return the visit NEXT summer
and drive down to see his place. We set a date to do it and I fully intend
to make the trek next summer - it's on my calendar for sure.
As Jack was leaving driving up the laneway, my daughter Lucy leaned over and
asked me "Dada, just who was that guy? Why did you tell him it was an HONOR
to have him come to visit us today?"
I replied "Lucy, Jack Leahy is the fellow I have always told you and Mama
about. He was working stuff on 160M that no one else could hear long before
I could even send my call correctly on a straight key..... He drove over
several hours of dirt road in Nova Scotia yesterday, then took the ferry over
here to the island - and then drove two hours more just to find where we
lived. And, he wasn't even sure we would be home either once he got
here....Now that's a REAL honor..!
Lucy added, "So, he is one of the really special people on 160M Dada?"
I noted, "Yup - I'll say - he's the BEST and today was a really special
occasion that we both can remember for a long time Lucy........!
73 JEFF
K1ZM@aol.com
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