[SEDXC] Curt George, W4SSU

Sat Dec 24 07:06:23 PST 2011

GM John:
Good stuff....I agree that Buck (W4TO) had the big signal....down here in 
Macon
I could always hear him over everyone else...My weenie brain seems to 
remember
that Bob Hudson's dad was the man in charge of the old FCC office in the 
federal
building across from old Rich's downtown. I can't find my Novice license, 
but seem
to recall later, after I met Bob, that he told me it was in fact his 
dad....maybe, M.O.
Hudson? signature on my ticket.
(BTW, there was five of us that rode the old Nancy Hanks train from Macon to
Atlanta in December, 1952 to take our Novice exam....we all passed resulting 
in
WN4YWV (Bill, now SK), WN4YWW (Bert), WN4YWX (N4PN), WN4YWY,
(Bill) and WN4YWZ (Gene). All upgraded and stayed active except for Gene.)
I got a phone call one day, many years ago from Lee, K4RPK, after he had 
been
inactive for years, and we figured out what he had missed out on and what he
needed to get back on the Honor Roll. I remember him telling me about flying
the first 747 from Atlanta to Frankfurt, Germany. He told me the "thing flys 
itself"
and all I have to do play radio. I talked to him more than once on 20 meters
somewhere between the two cities.
The only DXers back in those days here in Macon was Stan Stokes, (W4VZB)
now W4GF and myself. We were the real "lone wolves." We always tried to make
sure we didn't miss a new one....I guess those were the good ole days but 
present
times aren't too bad either....
Have a Great Christmas and a Happy New Year....
QRV for at least one new one this season on 160m - HK0NA.
73, Paul

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "John Harden" <jhdmd at bellsouth.net>
To: "Paul Newberry" <n4pn at cox.net>; <sedxc at contesting.com>
Sent: Saturday, December 24, 2011 8:01 AM
Subject: Re: [SEDXC] Curt George, W4SSU

> Paul,
>
> Gordon Jones (SK and W4COO) lived on West Paces Ferry Road at Northside 
> Drive. In fact one of his children lives in that home now. He was Chairman 
> of the Fulton National Bank. Wallace Carpenter, K4TJL, was a 
> Vice-President of the bank and also lived on West Paces Ferry Rd. They 
> were good friends to say the least.
>
> Wally had a Collins 30S-1 amplifier (and so did I years ago) and he sent 
> it to Collins and said "I need more power out"!! Collins could raise the 
> screen voltage on the 4CX-1000A and get a little more out, but not enough 
> to really make any difference. I substituted a 4CX-1500B and that DID make 
> a difference. The power supply was more than robust enough.
>
> In the old days Bob Hudson (W4HR, and before that W4MCM) lived on Ross 
> Drive in East Point where I grew up. Curtis George (W4SSU) lived on Barge 
> Road in SW Atlanta. K4RPK (Lee Foster) also lived in SW Atlanta. All three 
> were Delta Pilots. They were all DX mentors for K4TEA and I and we used to 
> go to their homes together. I saw my first Collins S-line at K4RPK's QTH 
> in 1960 (75S-1 es 32S-1).
>
> Lee Foster had one of the premier DX signals in Atlanta with his 4 el 
> Telrex monobander on a 36 foot boom. Curtis George had a 5 el 20 on a 
> windmill tower. They all had big signals. Buck Joyner (W4TO &  also in SW 
> Atlanta) had the biggest signal of all. He was an Eimac rep and had a big 
> amp that nobody ever saw that I knew of (I believe a pair of Eimac 
> 4-1000A's). He also had monobanders which very few had in the early 
> 1960's. K4TEA and K4TKM used to play touch football in his yard.
>
> I treasure the memories of those great guys. The rule was big smoke, lots 
> of aluminum and up as high as possible.
>
> 73,
>
> John, W4NU
> K4JAG 1959 to 1998
>
> On 12/24/2011 12:00 AM, Paul Newberry wrote:
>> Dave:
>> I called John, K4BAI, as soon as I got my QST. Shows my age for sure when
>> the
>> "Silent Keys" is where I go first. It's always a shock when I see someone
>> who has
>> touched my life in some way thru ham radio. Curt did.
>> We made several trips together along with his buddy, Bob, (W4MCM) W4HR.
>> It was always nice to have a couple of, and sometimes more, captains with
>> the
>> airlines. Bob and Curt were both captains with Delta. We never worried 
>> about
>> overrage charges with the equipment. John, W4NU, mentioned the "big 
>> signals"
>> out
>> of Atlanta back in the days, but there was another one on West Paces 
>> Ferry
>> Road,
>> that would light up your radio - Wally Carpenter, K4TJL. He was President 
>> of
>> the SEDXC back in the early days. Meetings were held in downtown Atlanta
>> in the old Fulton National Bank building, where Wally was the president, 
>> I
>> think.
>> Again, as I saw that call in QST, it brought back nothing but great 
>> memories
>> of
>> those "good ole days". Sure these guys are having their own hamfest - 
>> W4SSU,
>> W4HR, K4RPK, W4BFR, K4EZ and other OT's.
>> RIP Curt,
>> 73, Paul
>>
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "David Thompson"<thompson at mindspring.com>
>> To:<sedxc at contesting.com>;<sedxc at yahoogroups.com>
>> Sent: Friday, December 23, 2011 8:48 PM
>> Subject: Re: [SEDXC] Curt George, W4SSU
>>
>>
>>> John W4NU advised SEDXC that Curt W4SSU (listed in the January 2012 QST
>>> silent keys) passed away probably last fall.
>>>
>>> Curt as John noted was an early SEDXC DXer and perhaps a Charter SEDXC
>>> member.  I only met him one time at a 1969 Hamfest held at Northlake 
>>> Mall
>>> when I was working between Atlanta and Jackson, MS.  He had moved into
>>> county hunting
>>> along with Paul N4PN and John K4BAI.  He worked all counties (maybe
>>> several
>>> times) and kept his DXCC score up to date at least through the late
>>> 1980's.
>>>
>>> I remember his loud signal on 20 while in Natchez and Jackson.
>>>
>>> RIP Curt
>>> Dave K4JRB
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> SEDXC mailing list
>>> SEDXC at contesting.com
>>> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/sedxc
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> 