Topband: Don W6AM

[George Dubovsky]

On Sat, Jul 27, 2013 at 10:33 PM, Tom W8JI <w8ji at w8ji.com> wrote:

>
>
> That, of course, doesn't change how antennas work. I have no doubt a good
> monoband Yagi is as good as or better than a pretty large Ham Rhombic.


Anecdotal information to be sure, but back in the 60's there was a series
of articles in, I think, 73 magazine, that detailed Gus, W4BPD's ham
career. Part of the story described how he prepared for post-WW2 dx-ing by
erecting a bunch of rhombics down on the farm in Orangeburg, SC. When hams
were once again authorized, he was up in the front of the pack for quite a
while. The story goes on to relate how, on a visit to some ham-radio
emporium in Atlanta (Ack's?), he was convinced to leave with a Yagi - 20
meter, I think - and that on the return trip, he serendipitously acquired a
broadcast tower to mount it on. He installed it and, as the story was told,
he started finding more and more reasons to not repair the rhombics as they
succumbed to the elements. Anyone else remember these articles?

73,

geo - n4ua


> But I think we can talk about antennas and amplifiers, and some of the big
> red glowing anodes, without getting in a snit or condemning some old dead
> Ham. After all, most of us are 90% there already, and no one will really
> care who had what first DXCC or country total. They will mostly remember
> the characters that touched their lives. I still can hear W6VSS pounding in
> to Ohio with his 25 watts on 1999 kHz, when I could just barely hear W6YY
> with two half waves in phase on top of a 450-foot tower on some mountain.
>
> 73 Tom
> _________________
> Topband Reflector
>