N0ETJ Stories
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Cpl, 9/69 - 6/71 |
Upon arriving in Okinawa after being pulled out of Vietnam being in the 3rd Marine Division in September of 1969---I had noticed a 3 element tribander on top of a brick building. Having been a ham operator back when I was a civilian before joining the Corps--I asked them if their service was Special Services and could we operate the station on our off hours and they very belligerently said “NO--THIS IS THE MARS SYSTEM”, which I replied "Well excuse me ! I am a Ham Operator back in the States and I was just wondering.” They immediately asked me if I would like to be part of their system which I replied “Yes” and they immediately transferred me into the system so I stayed the remainder of my tour operating the stations at the three bases I mentioned above and proceeded to volunteer my last year in the Corps staying over there performing that duty. I had a personal Okinawa call of KR6PC with a stateside call of WB6ZAW at the time----I am now AC6UQ-- Yes----I loved being able to make it possible for loved ones to talk to one another along with typing thousands of MARS grams and sending and keeping skeds with the Philippines, Vietnam, Japan, Guam and Camp Pendleton----we were considered "The gateway to the Pacific hi hi I would just like to be able to get in touch with my fellow operators at the stations while I was there if it would be at all possible-----names of some of them Russ Burgess from California Steve Patton from California and Ken something from LaCrosse, WI those are all I can remember this all took place back in 1969, 70 and 71. Back to top |
| Mike Malsbury |
As a kid I
scrounged old Philco shortwaves from repair shops. I hung out with the old
brass pounders who formed the club in Griffin, Georgia. A fella named
Henry Ammos tought me and a few other Scout buddies Morse Code. We got to
be pretty good. He would rattle along at 34-40 wpm I'd guess, cigarette
burning under his lamp in the dark of his shack. His gear was home made
and reception was sharp as a razor. Q filters, double conversion all the
magic that strained in those rare DX stations. John Howell was another
senior, a former Naval officer, who taught me Amateur Radio. I'd stay up
all night when I became a novice, and later a General Class operator
K4CWN, chasing DX, which was really Ohio, or on a good night California.
My first transmitter was a Globe Trotter, from Globe Radio. Once we went
on a field day, hauled out an old military generator way up on a hill in
the country. We were in high school then and we were all slide rule
carrying college bound radio geeks. It was about one or two in the morning
and the generator was grinding away, exhaust blowing red and three or four
guys pounding away on the keys and bugs making contacts. I was fooling
around with a flash bulb and a 6 volt battery when I made contact right in
front of my face and a flash lit up the whole tent. I sat there stunned
and these guys were running every which away. They thought the generator
had lit the whole place up. I still howl when I think of that. Scared the
hell out of 'em. I ended up joining a few good men after a few semesters
in college and each tiny increment of duty moved me closer and closer to
my service with 3/7/7 81 mortars in SVN. I was on the ground during
Operation Starlite in August 1965 and after some S&D, headed up to Phu Bia
where I rotated back up to Okinawa to take over my old TAD station KR6MB.
I was so glad to get back there. Soon after Will Dunn and Dick Stulz and I
were shoulder to shoulder putting up N0EFD on a cliff over looking the S.
China Sea. We handled some tough calls from that station.
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