Topband: VS6DO

[Don K5AQ]

Bill,

I used to ragchew with Paul, VS6DO while in Southeast Asia, part of the time
as 9V1SH. Never got on 160 from there but did do a lot of 80 including
several sessions with Europe. My FT101B did work, but I didn't have  an
"active antenna tuner" like Paul(which I also observed on a visit to his
shack), except for one Chinese New Year's holiday period when it tuned my
antenna for about five days. The Singapore Telecoms people took a dim view
of this addition to the station and it went back to the local dealer.

Sure enjoy some of the inputs from the gang who were on 160 early. My start
came in August, 1982 with the first JA on December 4, JE1SPY. From down here
in Texas JA's are pretty common but still enjoy working them.

My highlight was working UA0ZBP on 1/27/86. He was working JA's simplex up
above 1.9 which, for my loaded tower gave me an unreadably high SWR. I
cranked the power up as much as I dared and called him on his own frequency.
He came back and made my day.

I also had a number of QSO's with a station to the west of me with a big
signal signing W0ZV.

Thanks for the memories from all the OT gang for us relative newcomers to
Top Band.

73  Don  K5AQ