This photo was taken in April 1958. I had KA2ZZ set up in the workshop room of the MARS station. I operated in the evenings and on weekends with my call. I shared the station antennas. The equipment was EF Johnson Viking II,Viking VFO, Viking 250 watt matchbox. I used the Collins 51J-2/R-388 receiver, plus I had my own Hammarlund HQ-100C and Hallicrafters SX-101A. The antenna used here was a Philco designed 3-wire Rhombic mounted on four 90-foot poles, pointed at 40 degrees towards the west coast of the USA. By switching termination, we could reverse direction. This was a superb antenna. We maintained a schedule with Elemendorf and Seattle using a Central Electronics 20A barefoot to the rhombic, until we could get a amplifier built.


 

Well, folks, this is me with hair in 1960! Of course, I kept it short. Johnson AB, Japan.


 

Sue and I with my first SSB rig. Picture taken late 1958, Johnson Air Base. I was running a Lakeshore VFO, Central Electronics 20A and driving a Johnson Viking Courier (pair 811A). Receiver was the Hallicrafters SX-101A. Antenna was a homebrew 2-el 20 meter beam.

At the beginning of my 2nd tour in the Air Force, I was transferred to Johnson Air Base, Japan. The base was about 20 miles NW of Tokyo. I worked at the base MARS station from October `57 until the summer of 1960, when we deactivated KA2RB/AI1CW. The base was being turned back to the Japanese Air Self Defense Force, except for the family services. Unfortunately, the MARS station was on the air base operational area and had to be moved or closed.
 

We built up a fairly nice station. We built a rhombic pointed on Seattle and passed large amounts of traffic on voice and tty. We also had monoband beams on 20, 15 and 10 meters. We used the old workhorse BC610 and R388 and R390 receivers. We later obtained an Hallicrafters HT-32B and modified a 610 to run as a linear. I had my personal equipment, which consisted of a Viking II, Matchbox and the SX-101 receiver. ;
 

We enjoyed our stay in Japan and our first child, David Jeffrey, was born there. His birth was well documented: Department of the Air Force, State Department, the base and later the State of Oregon! Sue and Davey returned to the States in early 1960 when Sue's grandmother became gravely ill. I batched until October, when I returned to the States.
 
 

In June of 1960, I was one of a group of five hams that did an expedition to Marcus Island. None of us had done this thing before and I am afraid we only made a couple of thousand contacts in 2 weeks. Expedition operating was not the fine tuned science it is today! When Marcus was turned back to Japan, the name of the island became Minami Tori Shima (JD0).
 
 

I was stationed at McChord AFB, Tacoma, Washington from November 1960 until discharge, June 1962. I had spent 10 years on active duty.

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August 1997. Updated November 2001.