In Memory of George

K8EFX

Orginally KN8EFX

orginal card

 

 

        On the last day of December 1999, I lost my grandfather.  He was a long time amateur radio operator for almost 50 years.  George introduced me to amateur radio as a small child.  I still remember sitting in his ham shack, watching him write the letters down to the morse code that we where listening too.  I often wondered how he could copy those letters so fast from the sound.  After his death, I have learned that he had difficulty copying code because of first learning the old code.  It seems as though he had an article written in QST about this.  If anyone has any information on this article please pass it on to me.  Grandpa also was involved with skywarn, ARES, and other local events.  As near as I can tell, grandpa, was a member of the Shiawassee Amateur Radio Association, in Michigan, since 1958.  I still remember attending meetings and functions with him way back when I was in high school.  In fact, the two pictures on the beginning of this site where taken during field day 1981 with the club.

        Recently,  while looking though some papers, I found some notes written down by grandpa.  In 1921 he  began to experiment with radio.  His first try at it didn't appear to work real good.  Later in 1923, sometime after the war he purchased a book about radio, he worked all summer to purchase a cx99 tube; the rest he had to make himself.  The coil was made with wire from an old ford coil wrapped around a paper tube.  His condenser consisted of a copper plate over another copper plate with paper slid in between, he used this to tune the coil.  He constructed the grid leak with lead from a pencil and a small condenser made with a gum wrapper.  Other parts of the receiver where constructed from old telephone parts.  The antenna was 212 feet of wire and the rig was powered by throw away batteries from the local telephone company,  in which he would later retire from.  The first signal came from KDKA in Pittsburgh, PA!  He reported that his father thought he was nuts!  Later I may try to post the story that he has written.  Wow, just think what a simple AM radio costs today and how easy they are to get.

        As you can tell, Grandpa was quite handy and is often referred to as a inventor of sorts.  Years past, he had an article written about him and his projects in the local Argus Press.  I will post the article whenever I can locate it.  Here are some of the gadgets that he has constructed.

strawberrybuggy.jpg

 The lazy bones strawberry buggy.  Grandpa got tired of bending over to pick those berries all the time.  Unfortunately, it was constructed after I didn't have to pick those berries anymore.  Only one person working here..........

                   

strberryworking.jpg

strawberrytransplanter.jpg 

This is the strawberry transplanter that he made, again so there is not as much bending over....   Below is his fish scaler, it operates on 12 volts.

fish scaler.jpg

 

generator1.jpgHere is just one of the generators that has done a little something with.  Grandpa had been messing with these things forever, including some rewinding, converting, even converted a 12v car alternator to a 120V AC hand crank version for a demonstration I did in 4-H and FFA.

workingtheriver.jpg   I think this was about 100 years ago, I was helping grandpa with the river race they have every year in Corunna, MI. The local Radio Club, W8QQQ, has always provided the communications for this race.  Nice glasses huh!

 

 

Grandpa was a master at everything.  He could be referred to as being a mechanic, machinist, outdoorsman, farmer, electrician, electronics technician, inventor, cook, truck driver, crane operator, and on and on.....  

George Hasford may have been and done many things in his life, his biggest love, besides is family and friends, was Ham Radio.

He will be missed by many, but most of all by his oldest Grandson....73's Grandpa I miss you    

 John K8EFX

Be sure to stop by and talk to his many friends found on the old buzzards roost net 3.930