A Small World, Indeed

It's the Summer of 1964 I think; I was in the US Navy at COMTRAPAC COMMUNICATIONS in San Diego, California and sometimes I'd drive my black '60 Chevy Impala up to Cabrillo Monument (sometimes referred to as Point Loma). This is one of the highest points in the San Diego area, and overlooks the bay and Pacific Ocean. At the time, I was a US Navy Radioman, and ran a Heathkit Twoer mobile... yeah, real hot setup, huh? I'd put an Antenna Specialists quarter-wave whip on top of the "Black Mariah", and SOMETIMES... I could work into Los Angeles and Santa Barbara from up there. The ham "world" was heading towards FM, but many AM guys were still on the air, as not many were willing to put a Motorola or GE "suitcase" (a REAL boatanchor) radio in their trunk... one needed a DeSoto or Buick for such loads.

(Overland Park ran '60 Chevy 4-doors as police cars, and when I was back home with the car, with that 1/4 wave 2m whip on top... NOBODY messed with me)

It was a lovely day, and as I pulled into the parking area, I noticed a Johnson County Kansas license plate nearby - as one didn't see many of those in San Diego, I couldn't resist and walked over to the couple who were in the car, introduced myself, and indicated that I was from Overland Park, KS but stationed out near Shelter Island at the Fleet Anti-Submarine Warfare Center. We spoke some, and figured out that we were both hams, and that they were out for a vacation from KC. I bade them a good vacation and we waved goodbye, figuring our chances of crossing paths again was hopeful, but not very likely.

Orlan (WØOYH) used to work on electronic musical instruments, to wit... electric organs. He was good at it, and was often in demand. Okay, so what? Well, my Mom had one of those critters in her dining room, which she'd taught herself to play, and when it began giving her some difficulty, she called the repairman that was suggested by Jenkin's Music (remember them?). A very polite "older" man rang the doorbell, and indicated he was the repair guy, and where was the patient? As Mom opened the door to invite him in, he happened to glance at a picture of a young sailor, sitting on a small table in the living room.

"Hey, I know that kid!", said Orlan... "I met him in San Diego!" Mom said "Well, that's my son!"... he asked if I was a ham operator, and she said that yes, he'd been the kid who was always tinkering with something that made funny burning smells, ignored his homework, and strung wires all over the place that she'd run into (I wasn't very tall, so neither were the antennas!). They both got quite a laugh out of it, so when I was home on leave, some time later, I got to meet ORLAN COOK in person.

Imagine that... 1,800 miles from home, a chance meeting between two hams.... from essentially the SAME CITY....... who would have an amusing connection through a musical instrument by total happenstance.

January 4, 2010