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Preserving a piece of ham radio history
CELEBRATING OUR
1987 27th ANNIVERSARY
2014
NET HISTORY
Ken-W5NKT, started the Wisc. SSB Net (1961) as well as the North Stars Net. In 1987 he instituted the Midwest Classic
Radio Net. He did it in an effort to revive interest in old boat anchor gear that at that time was near worthless.
He relinquished control of the net about a year later due to health reasons and also because he felt that a station
more centrally located would serve the net more effectively.Ken thought Mark-K9FBX, would make a nice choice as he was in
the Chicago area and ran decent power.
(Thanks to Kevin-KD0KME, for providing the info on Ken)
Mark-K9FBX, ran the net for a few years. Mark reportedly was known for his casual operation of the net. Ken reportedly
returned to running the net again for a while after Mark.
He was followed by Rob-WA9ZTY (SK). Roberta, Rob's widow, recently found an early log entry by Rob stating
he ran the net on March 31, 1996. Rob ran the net for about 13 years. Rob was extremely proficient in boat anchor history
and technical knowledge.
In May, 2008 Harry-N9CQX assumed the NCO duties. He decided to manage the net by scheduling volunteer operators. Currently
there are four additional operators who share the net control duties: Rodger-WQ9E, Dave-N9WQ, John-KE9KU, Tom-W9QI
and Dave-W9WRL. Frank-W0KH was also on board for a while.
PRENET: DAVE, W9WRL, CONDUCTS PRE-NET ACTIVITIES STARTING
AT 0645 HRS. DAVE KEEPS THE ROTATION IN ORDER FOR THOSE STATIONS WHO LIKE TO CHECK-IN EARLY.
PLEASE LISTEN (AND DO NOT TRANSMIT) UNTIL DAVE CALLS FOR NEW CHECK-INS PERIODICALLY. AFTER
NET: A NUMBER OF STATIONS OFFER THEIR VEIWS ON VARIOUS SUBJECTS. SEE THE TECH SESSIONS PAGE. ******************************************
EVERY SATURDAY
AT 0730 CT
ON 3885 KCs
AM FONE
TO MY FELLOW HAMS:
Back in 2001 the 9/11
twin towers disaster occurred. On that date Jim Jorgensen (K9RJ-SK) came on 75 AM fone and announced to me and others
who were having a leisurely round-table to check the TV reports because the tragic event was just unfolding. Rob (WA9ZTY-SK),
Bruce (W9QAH-SK) and Chuck (W9UB-SK) were on the air with me that morning.
For the grace of God,
I survived a massive heart attack on January 12th, 2009. Do I cherish my extended time on this sphere? You better
believe it my fellow hams.
Always remember our
departed brethren and their contributions that have enriched our lives and live your lives, don’t just mark time.
Harry, N9CQX
How many marbles do you have left?
The older I get, the more I enjoy Saturday
mornings. Perhaps it's the quiet solitude that comes with being the first to rise, or maybe it's the unbounded joy
of not having to be at work. Either way, the first few hours of a Saturday morning are most enjoyable.
A few weeks
ago, I was shuffling toward the garage with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and the morning paper in the other. What
began as a typical Saturday morning turned into one of those Lessons that life seems to hand you from time to time. Let me
tell you about it:
I turned the dial up into the phone portion of the band on my ham radio in order to listen to a
Saturday morning swap net. Along the way, I came across an older sounding chap, with a tremendous signal and a golden voice.
You know the kind, he sounded like he should be in the broadcasting business. He was telling whom-ever he was talking
with something about 'a thousand marbles..' I was intrigued and stopped to listen to what he had to say....
' Well,
Tom, it sure sounds like you're busy with your job. I'm sure they pay you well but it's a shame you have to be away from home
and your family so much. Hard to believe a young fellow should have to work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends
meet. It's too bad you missed your daughter's 'dance recital' he continued. 'Let me tell you something that has helped
me keep my own priorities.' And that's when he began to explain his theory of a 'thousand marbles.'
'You see, I sat
down one day and did a little arithmetic. The average person lives about seventy-five years. I know, some live
more and some live less, but on average, folks live about seventy-five years.
'Now then, I multiplied 75 times
52 and I came up with 3900, which is the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire lifetime. Now,
stick with me, Tom, I'm getting to the important part.
It took me until I was fifty-five years old to think about all
this in any detail', he went on, 'and by that time I had lived through over twenty-eight hundred Saturdays.' 'I got to thinking
that if I lived to be seventy-five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy. So I went to a toy store and
bought every single marble they had. I ended up having to visit three toy stores to round up 1000 marbles I took them
home and put them inside a large, clear plastic container right here in the shack next to my gear.'
'Every Saturday
since then, I have taken one marble out and thrown it away. I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focused more
on the really important things in life.
There's nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help get
your priorities straight .'
'Now
let me tell you one last thing before I sign-off with you and take my lovely wife out for breakfast. This morning, I took
the very last marble out of the container. I figure that if I make it until next Saturday then I have been given a little
extra time.. And the one thing we can all use is a little more time.'
'It was nice to meet you Tom, I hope you spend
more time with your family, and I hope to meet you again here on the band. This is a 75 Year old Man, K9NZQ, clear and
going QRT, good morning!'
You could have heard a pin drop on the band when this fellow signed off. I guess he
gave us all a lot to think about. I had planned to work on the antenna that morning, and then I was going to meet up with
a few hams to work on the next club newsletter.
Instead, I went upstairs and woke my wife up with a kiss. 'C'mon honey,
I'm taking you and the kids to breakfast.' 'What brought this on?' she asked with a smile. 'Oh, nothing special, it's just
been a long time since we spent a Saturday together with the kids. And hey, can we stop at a toy store while we're out? I
need to buy some marbles.
They say: "....never the twain shall meet!"...but...
they did when Pat, WB9GKZ, net control op of the Vintage SSB Net
came down from Green bay,
and Harry, N9CQX, net control op of the Midwest Classic Radio Net came up from Chicago, well,
Pat was so excited he wanted to show Harry a little affection...
| Pat, WB9GKZ: I love the Midwest Classic Radio Net |
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| Harry, N9CQX : "Don't go kissing me, you crazy cheddarhead!" |
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