This
week we turn the ARMS Member Spotlight on David Hoff,
WB9GGK, from Barron, Wisconsin. David was first licensed in 1971
and currently holds an Advanced Class license. He's an oldtimer
in ARMS as he joined up in 1972.
David
credits his oldest son, Brent (WB9GGL), for getting the two of
them started in ham radio. As a United States Coast Guard
engineman, David was required to learn blinker light and, of
course, Morse Code. When his son heard about ham radio and the
Morse Code, he asked to learn it too. As David says, "The
rest is history."
With
his Yaesu FT757 GXII transceiver and 20-meter attic dipole,
David enjoys CW, contesting, DX, nets, and QRP among other
things. He especially enjoys the fellowship of the ARMS
Christian Fellowship.
David
shares a great story about his CW. He says, "Of late my CW
was when I was coming out of heart surgery and was on a
breathing tube. My XYL was holding my hand and I wanted her to
know I was OK (in my mind) so I tapped out code on her wrist.
She knew at once what I was doing but my youngest son, Bard, copied
and told the rest of the gathered family what I was sending.
So if this happens to you, it's a great way to communicate when
your mouth is full of tubes."
After
leaving the U.S. Coast Guard, David worked at a municipal
electric utility. He spent nineteen years as chief engineer and
eleven years as administrator for the combined electric, water,
and wastewater utilities.
David
has been married to his wife, Marjory, for fifty-three years.
Marjory is a wonderful Christian lady who stuck with David
during the years he was in the North Atlantic patrol. And, when
he volunteered for Antartica, she was on the dock when he
returned. Together they have four sons, three of whom are
licensed hams (he working on his grandsons). Two of his sons are
electrical engineers, one is a missionary pastor in a
church-planting ministry, and one is the senior editor and
general manager of a weekly newspaper.
David
and Marjory attend and are members of First Baptist Church of
Barorn, Wisconsin. He testifies, "The Lord has been
precious to me for as long as I can remember. It was at Bible
Camp I learned to trust Him as Savior and made Him Lord of my
life at my High School (secular) baccalaureate address.
Psalm
107:23-23 (NKJV) are David's favorite Bible verses. "Those
who go down to the sea in ships, Who do business on great
waters, They see the works of the Lord and the Wonders of the
sea." He says, "As an ol' sailor who sailed from
Greenland and Iceland waters to the Antarctic, I can attest to
His Wonders." Indeed!
In
closing, David adds, "I've appreciated the radio
communication and the eyeballs over the years." He calls
them "precious times."
[
POSTED ON 06-JAN-2007 ]
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