I am very sorry to report that Chuck Ralph W3CR G#1923 D#226 became a silent key on February 18, 2021.

Chuck was also a very active mobiler and county hunter for many years and earned the CQ Magazine USA-CA Award #955 on September 15, 1998.

News of Chuck’s passing may be viewed here:

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/qconline/name/charles-ralph-obituary?n=charles-ralph&pid=197809158&fhid=19019

73 Barry K2MF G#325 D#739

As part of our ongoing series on the 50 states, this POST will cover the state of New York, which was the 11th state to formally ratify the United States constitution, following Virginia and just ahead of North Carolina.

New York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Great Lakes region of the Northeastern United States. It was one of the original thirteen colonies forming the United States. With a total area of 54,555 square miles. New York is the 27th largest state. Its population of more than 19 million as of 2019 makes it the fourth most populous. Sometimes referred to as New York State, it is the home of New York City.

The “Statue of Liberty” is in New York. The statue is a symbol of the United States and its ideals of opportunity, democracy, and freedom. Did you know that the “Statue of Liberty” was a gift to the United States from France ? Did you know that the seven spikes on the crown of the Statue of Liberty represent the seven oceans and the seven continents of the world, indicating the universal concept of liberty? In 1886, it was the tallest iron structure ever built.

New York had been inhabited by tribes of Algonquian and Iroquoian-speaking Native Americans for several hundred years by the time the earliest Europeans came to New York. French colonists and Jesuit missionaries arrived southward from Montreal for trade and proselytizing. In 1609, the region was visited by Henry Hudson sailing for the Dutch East India Company.

Niagara Falls, one of the most famous waterfalls in the world is located on the border of Ontario, Canada, and New York, United States.

The New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ both call the city their home. And mind you, these are the world’s two largest stock exchanges by total market capitalization of their listed companies. Big Board is a nickname for the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).

Some additional FUN FACTS about the state of New York:

• Toilet paper was invented by Joseph Gayetty of New York City.
• The first American chess tournament was held in New York in 1843.
• The New York State Canal System consists of four canals – the Erie Canal, the Oswego Canal, the Cayuga–Seneca Canal, and the Champlain Canal. The system which is 525 miles long is located in 17 counties in upstate New York (excluding New York City). The system sees very less commercial vessels and is primarily used for recreational and flood control purposes.
• There is a secret train station (known as Track 61) below the Waldorf Astoria, which is the most famous historic hotel in New York City. During the 1930s the train station was built for the secret entrance of former US president Franklin Roosevelt to the hotel
• New York City also houses the world’s largest railway station – the Grand Central Terminal. Its construction was completed in 1913. The station has 44 platforms, situated on two underground levels. The station covers 48 acres of land.
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art is the largest art museum in the United States and also one of the most visited art museums in the world.
• Did you know that the Hudson River flows two ways? Because of the low and hide tides, which the river usually experiences twice every 24 hours, the direction of its flow reverses. A rising tide causes the river to flow towards Troy (northwards) and a falling tide causes the river to flow seaward (southwards).
• New York is the only state that borders both the Atlantic Ocean and the Great Lakes.

Feel free to add any comments you have about New York, especially any personal stories you have about New York, or any additional Fun Facts.

Regards, Kevin N1KL

From: AA0ZP – Frank; GERATOL Secretary

As required by the club by-laws, a meeting of the GERATOL Board of Directors was called to order by the Chairman W0FP, at 0100 UTC on 12 Feb 2021. 

• Present were W0FP, AA0ZP, KJ8V, KJ8W, and N1KL
• There was a quorum present
• There was no business to discuss
• Chairman, W0FP, adjourned the meeting at 0102 UTC
• Respectfully submitted, Frank Taylor, AA0ZP, GERATOL Secretary

To all GERATOLers, there will be a GERATOL Board Meeting this week.

Date: Thursday evening February 11th (Zulu, Feb12)

Time: 8PM Eastern (0100Z), prior to net starting

Where: 3.668 Mhz

I am very sorry to report that the following three Geratolers are being reported by QRZ as Silent Keys:

Peter von Chrustschoff W8US G# 308

John Henderson N4NAB G# 1345

Dan Clevenger WØVD G# 2225 – Dan was also active with the Straight Key Century Club #2515

We will miss them!

73 Barry K2MF G# 325 D# 739

I am very sorry to report that Urb LeJeune W1UL G#253 D#686 became a silent key on January 22, 2021.

Urb was active with the Straight Key Century Club (SKCC #6668) and a regular on the Geratol Net at different times over the years.

News of Urb’s passing may be viewed here:

https://obarc.org/index.cfm

73 Barry K2MF G#325 D#739

As part of our ongoing series on the 50 states, this POST will cover the state of Virginia, which was the 10th state to formally ratify the United States constitution, following New Hampshire and just ahead of New York.

Quite often, as we work the fifty states for awards and/or endorsements, we may not be aware of some of the fun facts associated with those states. This series focuses on some historical, as well as fun facts about our fifty states.

Virginia is one of only four states called a “Commonwealth”. The four US states whose legal names include the term Commonwealth are: Kentucky, Virginia, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania. However, this term does not affect laws or life in these states today, nor did it when they were first created either.

Virginia is home to the largest “office building” in the world, better known as “The Pentagon”. The Pentagon serves as the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense including all branches of our military services. The Pentagon, however, has a Washington, D.C. mailing address. The building was designed by American architect George Bergstrom and built by contractor John McShain.

Virginians were instrumental in writing the United States Constitution. James Madison drafted the Virginia Plan in 1787 and the Bill of Rights in 1789. Virginia ratified the Constitution on June 25, 1788.

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, with 17.6 miles span (shore to shore), is the world’s largest bridge-tunnel complex. Its official name is Lucius J. Kellam, Jr. Bridge-Tunnel.

Other Fun Facts about the Commonwealth of Virginia:

• Virginia was named after Queen Elizabeth I, who was called the Virgin Queen.
• Virginia was one of the 13 Colonies in the American Revolution.
• The Virginia General Assembly is the oldest continuous law-making body in the New World. And it prohibits the governors from serving two consecutive terms.
• Naval Station Norfolk, in Norfolk Virginia, is the world’s largest naval base. For those ex-Navy GERATOLers, perhaps you spent some time in Norfolk. I recall the sign posted in the park, which read: “Sailors and Dogs, keep off the grass” I was glad my stay there was temporary (TAD baby) !!
• In some terms, Virginia can also be given the title of the “Home of the Internet.” Loudoun County hosts data centers that are responsible to cater to almost 3 quarters of the web’s traffic. The County has more than 10 million square feet of building space and more than 100 massive data centers. And there is no sign of this growth abating.
• In 1607, Jamestown–the first English colony in what would become the United States–was founded in Virginia. Jamestown was also Virginia’s first capital. The town was established on the bank of the James River.
• Bourbon, also known as American Whiskey, is often considered a Kentucky drink, but bourbon’s roots are actually Virginian; Fayette County was in Southwest Virginia, but in 1792, county lines were redrawn and the area became part of the new state of Kentucky. 
• Both wars fought on American soil, the American Revolution and the Civil War, ended in Virginia; the Civil War at Appomattox Courthouse National Historic Park, where Generals Grant and Lee would meet to sign the surrender, and the American Revolution in Yorktown, where the combined forces of the French and American armies would defeat General Cornwallis for a final victory in the war. 

• Virginia contains 544 miles of the Appalachian Trail, more than any other state. Virginia also boasts the most photographed spot on the AT, the picturesque view from McAfee Knob. 
  

That’s it for now, hope you find some of the facts about Virginia interesting, and thanks to those Ops who put VA on the net each season !

Kevin N1KL Site Administrator

Hello fellow GERATOLers. I know many of you have posted “Comments” to several posts. We have had an issue with some of the security settings, and have discovered the COMMENTS that many of you have made, were ending up in a “pending” folder.

Al and I prefer to err on the side of site safety, and hence, keep your email accounts safe and secure from any SPAMMERS. Now that we know what the issue has been, PLEASE don’t be bashful about placing COMMENTS on any of our POSTS, and we will see to it, they get attached to the POST ASAP.

Sorry for the inconvenience. Keep those “COMMENTS” coming guys…

Kevin N1KL

To all GERATOLers far and wide, we would like to wish you a Happy, and above all, Healthy New Year !! For many of us, we can’t wait to put the year 2020 in our rear view mirrors !!

Here’s to a great 2021, without pandemics, pestilence or poor propagation !!

Since we are celebrating the coming of a new year, and the passage of time, here are some photos of some Ham Radio gear from years gone by. See if you can identify any of the following rigs, and/or manufacturers.
(There is a description of the various rigs shown, following the last picture)

Details for Rigs listed above, starting with Rig # 1:

RG # 1 Drake R4C; Manufactured by the R.L. Drake company.

This receiver was used in tandem with the Drake T-4XC Transmitter. It was capable of receiving SSB, CW, AM and RTTY. It was the third generation of the receiver; it’s predecessors were the Drake R4, R4-A and R4-B.

Rig # 2 Johnson Valiant Transmitter; Manufactured by the E. F. Johnson company.

This transmitter was manufactured circa 1955-1962 and was capable of Modes: AM/CW, Bands: 160 – 10 meters, Input Power: 200 watts (AM), 275 watts (CW), VFO: Internal, Power Supply: Internal
Final Tubes: ( 3 ) 6146 parallel, Modulator: ( 2 ) 6146 push-pull

Rig # 3 Ameco AC-1 Transmitter, manufactured by AMECO Company

This transmitter was sold as a kit, and was a popular rig for Novice operators, looking to terrorize the HF bands on 80 and 40M CW. I bought mine at Lafayette Radio in Natick, MA for around $25.00 Wound my own coils, and found the Novice band crystals at local ham fests ! What a blast.

Rig # 4 Heathkit SB101 Transceiver; Manufactured and sold as a kit by the Heathkit Company out Benton Harbor, Michigan

Heathkit rigs were designed to emulate the look and feel of the more expensive, Collins equipment. The SB-101 was an 80-10M CW/SSB Transceiver. 180W PEP on SSB, circa 1967-1970

Rig # 5 Collins KWM-2 Transceiver; Manufactured by the Collins Radio Company. Today, known as Rockwell Collins Inc.

This transceiver is still sought after by many old time radio enthusiasts. I got my first chance at using one, while stationed at NCTC Naval training center in Pensacola, FL. What an amazing rig it was, and still is to this day. It operated 80-10 Meters, with SSB and CW. Output was 100W PEP (nominal)

Rig # 6 The Yaesu FT101 Transceiver; Manufactured by Yaesu Corporation

This transceiver was a solid state rig, except for the finals. It also employed the use of various modular elements, which could be removed from the rig for repair, and/or sent back to manufacturer for repair. Upon graduating from college, my wife purchased this rig for me, as a graduation present, and I used it up until I purchased an ICOM IC-735, at which time, I gave it to my Dad, WA1EJY who used it for many, many years. The rig had an output of around 130W PEP, and was extremely rugged and forgiving. It operated 160 through 10, on SSB, AM and CW.

Rig # 7 Heathkit Apache Transmitter, Manufactured by the Heathkit Company of Michigan. The rig operated AM and CW, and was sold circa 1958-1960 and sold at the time for a whopping $230.

It had input of around 150W on AM and 180W on CW and the transmitter weighed in at a hefty, 103 lbs. !!! I saw one of these in MINT restored condition at the Tampa, FL Hamfest a few years ago, and was tempted to barter with the owner, but remembered I only had so much room in our car for the return trip to MA !! LOL !

Rig # 8 NCX-3 Transceiver, manufactured by the National Radio Company of Malden, MA.

The rig only operated on 80/40/20 Meters, but had an output of 200W and could operate SSB, CW and AM with the latter output reduced to 30W. It had VOX or PTT, a 5200 KC (now khz) filter and bandwidth of 2.5KC at 6db

Rig # 9 R390A Receiver; The one pictured was manufactured by the Collins Radio Company

For those of you ex-service guys who were in communications, I bet this receiver brings back memories from the 50’s, 60’s and even 70’s era. Total production of the R-390A is over 55,000 units. Initial production started in 1955 and ran through approximately 1970. The receiver was manufactured for our military by a variety of manufacturers including: Collins, Motorola, Capehart, Stewart Warner, Fowler Industries and Electronic Assistance Corp. I recall, as a Navy intercept operator in training, having to spend many hours listening to CW on an R390A

Rig # 10 Gonset Communicator G-50 6 Meter AM Transceiver, Manufactured by Gonset Corp

The rig operated on 6 Meter AM, covering the entire 50-54 Mhz and putting out 50W. The rig was popular during the mid 60’s, when the 6 Meter band was open every day. With openings so regular, I recall having a sked with a fellow ham in Iowa during my summer vacation.

Feel free to place a “Comment” on this POST and let us know what rigs you recall using over the years, and perhaps, which ones you are using today.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL !!!

Kevin, N1KL Website Administrator

Merry Christmas !

First and foremost, may we wish all GERATOLers a very Merry Christmas, and hope that all may engage in some measure of Christmas spirit with family and friends, in this challenging year of 2020.

CHRISTMAS GREETINGS FROM OUR BOARD MEMBERS:

From our Chairman, Frosty – W0FP: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Stay Safe, Wear a Mask and stay 6 feet away from Others

From our Secretary, Frank – AA0ZP: To all GERATOLers, Wishing all of you a big batch of Propagation and a bag full of new contacts.  AA0ZP – Secretary Frank Taylor

From our Treasurer and Awards Manager, Sandy – KJ8W & Dave – KJ8V:
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year from Sandy and Dave !

A Ham Radio Christmas Poem:

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the shack
The rig was turned off and the mic cord lay slack

The antenna rotor had made its last turn, the tubes in the linear
had long ceased to burn.

I sat there relaxing and took off my specs, preparing to daydream of
Armchair DX– When suddenly outside I heard such a sound, I dashed
out the door and looked all around.

The moon shone down brightly and lighted the night. For sure
propagation for the low bands was right.

I peered toward the roof where I heard all the racket and there was
some guy in a red, fur-trimmed jacket!

I stood there perplexed in a manner quite giddy: Just who WAS this
stranger? di di dah dah di dit ditty ?

He looked very much like an FCC guy who’d come to check up on some
bad TVI.

I shouted to him: “Old man…QR-Zed?”
“Hey you by the chimney all dressed up in red!”

I suddenly knew when I heard sleigh bells jingle
The guy on the rooftop was Jolly Kris Kringle

He had a big sack full of amateur gear; which was a BID load
for his prancing reindeer.
Transmitters, receivers, for cabinets and racks
Some meters and scopes and a lot of coax.

He said not a word ’cause he’d finished his work.
He picked up his sack and he turned with a jerk.
As he leaped to his sleigh, he shouted with glee
And I knew in a moment he’d be QRT.

I heard him transmit as he flew o’er the tree
“Merry Christmas to all, and to all seventy-three.”

“Ho Ho Ho” Reporting for Amateur Radio Newsline, I’m Jim Damron, N8TMW.

Author: Unknown; Source; Amateur Radio Newsline

From the Website Administrator and Webmaster:

On behalf of Al, AE2T and myself, N1KL, we wish everyone a Merry Christmas and thank you to all who have registered on the GERATOL Website this past year. Welcome aboard, and to those who have been loyal members, thank you very much !! Kevin, N1KL