[SCCC] W6VSS K6UA Dale Hoppe

[Dennis Younker NE6I]

That's a great story, Tom.

I never met Dale, but about 20 years ago now while living in northern Los 
Angeles County, I used to listen to Dale on 75 meters.  I would hear him 
almost every morning working long path. He would call CQ LP and work 
stations that I could not hear at all. Sometimes he would work them until 8 
or 9 am local time, several hours after our local sunrise. Then he would 
compare notes with a couple of other So Cal low band DXers.  I was 
mesmerized listening to him.  A time or two he let me butt in and work the 
station he had just worked.  That of course, was only IF I was fortunate 
enough to even HEAR the station he had worked. :)  I don't remember now the 
specific station, but one morning there was a pretty rare DX station on 75. 
He was weak at my QTH but workable I thought. Dale worked him easily of 
course, and after a few others called and worked him, I was still calling. 
Dale piped in and told the DX that I was there and asked him to listen a 
little closer for me. It took a few more calls but the DX station finally 
heard me, confirmed my report and name and got me in the log. To this day, I 
don't know what prompted Dale to help me out. He didn't know me from Adam, 
but I think Dale reveled in others working DX on 75/80 just as much he 
reveled in it himself. In this case, a little nudge of the DX station helped 
this little pistol get him. Being one of fairness, Dale did not divulge my 
full call nor name to the DX station, just that a "six india" was calling. 
"Please listen for him", he said.  Thanks Dale!

I didn't hear Dale on 75 in the evening much. Sometimes, but not often. 
Perhaps he was on 160.  If I ran across him as late as 10 pm, he was usually 
wrapping things up and getting ready to hit the hay. No doubt he was wanting 
to get some shut eye so as to be fresh for long path the following morning.

Definitely, Dale inspired me to chase DX on 80 and 75. I really had no 
interest in the band until listening to him those mornings 20 years ago. If 
not for him, I probably would not have pursued DXCC on 80.

I always admired him.  Cool, calm and collected. He seemed to never strain 
nor yell into the mic to get the DX.

I would often crane my neck while driving along interstate 15, attempting to 
catch a quick glimpse of his antennas while I was driving past Fallbrook. 
You were lucky to get a two or three second glimpse, and only if you timed 
your glance to the west just right.

In 1998, Dale wrote the following article that was published in CQ Magazine. 
It was about an 80 meter two element yagi. Naturally!
http://techdoc.kvindesland.no/radio/antennas/20061010170506657.pdf  Of 
course, he had been running directional antennas on the band way back in the 
1980's.

See you on 75 in the heavens, Dale!

--Dennis, NE6I


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tom Rauch" <w8ji at contesting.com>
To: <sccc at contesting.com>
Sent: Thursday, December 27, 2007 8:00 PM
Subject: [SCCC] W6VSS K6UA Dale Hoppe


> It was a real bummer to hear about Dale's passing a few
> weeks ago.
>
> Dale was my first west coast contact on 160 meters. This is
> all by memory...
>
> I remember reading a CQ magazine back in the early 60's.
> They had a blurb about W6YY. W6YY was going to be on in the
> CQWW 160 running two half-waves in phase on top of a 450 ft
> tower on Mt. Wilson.
>
> Back at that time stations in Ohio were allowed 25 watts
> plate INPUT power at night on 1800-1825kcs.
> Stations in California were allowed the same on
> 1975-2000kcs. That limit varied over the years, eventually
> increasing to what we have today.
>
> It was a local joke about working California on 160. Local
> Hams would laugh and poke fun, and sometimes call CQ
> California from their mobiles running 25 watts of AM on
> 1812kcs. After reading CQ I wondered if the locals were
> wrong, and it was possible to work California.
>
> I tuned in late at night to the frequency promoted for W6YY
> and copied their weak CQ quite well. Then I tuned just a few
> kc further and heard a very strong signal. It was sending
> W6VSS over and over again, with a QSX on the low end of 160.
> I called and W6VSS came right back for my first California
> QSO ever, something most locals swore could never be done.
>
> That signal of Dale's was forever etched in my brain. I
> still have the receiver, VFO, and transmitter I used to work
> Dale. When I walk out to my storage building and look at the
> receiver I can still hear Dale's strong signal. Somehow
> looking at that old gear keeps a little bit of the wonderful
> people I met over the years alive forever.
>
> http://www.w8ji.com/boatanchors.htm
>
> http://www.w8ji.com/160_history.htm
>
> I'm wondering if anyone has a CQ from back then?? I'd like
> to know the CQWW contest scores for 160. As I recall the
> W6YY thing was in the text with a picture of the tower.
>
> 73 Tom
>
>
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