Sometimes when I have the urge to leave home (and lately it happens quite often), I feel like visiting hams of other countries. During the years I traveled to far away places and met amateurs in western and eastern Europe; the Scandinavian and the Balkan countries; in North Africa, in South and Central America; in the Caribbean area; in the Far East, in Israel, and in Bermuda. I even went on a West African DXpedition covering 11 countries. I always tried to meet local hams and write about them.

For one of these trips I wanted to cover a special part of the United States, and because in New York City was very hot, I decided to go to Alaska. It would have been easier to go to New Jersey but who wants to know how New Jersey looks like? Alaska, I thought, would be very different from the other 49 states and I was right, and it will be cooler than in New York and, oh boy, I was very wrong.

I borrowed 10 Alaska travel guides from the public library and I read them all. I made a tentative itinerary which included a couple of cities relatively easy to reach. Several interesting places in the western part of the state as well as above the Arctic Circle were not included because were too far and, according to the Callbook, had very few amateur radio operators.

The Aleutian Islands fascinated my imagination because I read somewhere that "on the Aleutians there is a naked woman behind every tree." I thought that must be an exaggeration but it would be interesting to check it out, purely for scientific reasons, and I was ready to buy more film and include the islands in my itinerary when I read the fine print: "there are no trees on the Aleutians." Besides, there is a ferry visiting those islands once a month and anyone who got off there had to wait a whole month for the next ferry-boat. What would I do there a whole month when there are no trees?

My friend Mike N2LMM prepared for me lists of hams for the major cities of Alaska, extracting the data from the Callbook. At the public library I found the phone book for Alaska on microfiche and I copied lots of numbers. I wrote 20 letters to Alaskan amateurs and radio clubs in various cities I intended to visit, asking their advice how to get in touch with local hams, where to find inexpensive lodging, etc. I enclosed a SASE with every letter but only three hams answered. Even the ARRL elected officials for that area ignored my request. When I told about it to a friend he asked me:

"Did you hear about the southern hospitality?’

"Yes,, many times," I answered.

"Did you hear about the northern hospitality?’ he asked me again.

"No," I admitted. "I never did."

"That is your answer!" was his conclusion.

During the trip I often remembered this conversation and I concluded that it must be a different reason because most of the people I met there were not born in Alaska but came from the lower 48 states.

I bought warm clothes which I carried with me for 29 days without wearing them even once; this was in August 1994 and it was hot in Alaska. I took along a two-meter HT which I used in every city to find local amateurs. I carried two sets of cameras, flashes, and 20 rolls of film. I should have taken along a wide angle lens because many ham shacks were very small but I didn’t,
 

I took a late afternoon flight from La Guardia airport in New York, changing planes in Detroit, I arrived to Seattle, WA, around midnight. On the New York - Seattle portion of my trip I used a free ticket given for my frequent flyer mileage, good only for the 48 states. For the rest of my travels with planes, ferry-boats, buses, etc. I paid myself. Because at the check-in counter in New York an inexperienced clerk could not figure out how to check through my luggage from one airline to another, in Seattle I had to claim them and drag the heavy baggage in that huge terminal to Alaska Airlines and check them in again. The old baggage cart with wobbling wheels was not of great help. I was given a gate number where I waited for a long time but seeing there only a few people I inquired and I was told that they have changed the gate.

I carried again my heavy carry-on bag full of essentials like cameras with their accessories, a radio, a Quantum battery, a sleeping bag, etc. to the other gate, far away. I preferred to carry with me those items. Otherwise, I wonder what would I do if I check them in, and I may go to Alaska but my cameras and film my wind up in Alabama.

A passenger asked me why I don’t travel with my wife. I used to. When I was younger I traveled with her. Now that I am older I travel alone. I should have done it the other way.

In the morning I arrived in Anchorage. In the borough of Anchorage, much bigger than the city itself, lives half of Alaska’s half a million people. I was wearing a tag as well as a cap with my call and name on them. As soon as I stepped off the plane and entered the terminal, I spotted with relief a man wearing a cap with NL7DK on it. It was Harvey sent by Bill KL7ITI, one of the three hams who answered my letters. First Harvey NL7DK took me to the youth hostel where I checked in and dropped my big baggage. The hostel was my home while in Anchorage, and is conveniently located in the downtown area and costs $15.00 for a night, for a bunk bed in a room with another 6-10 men. In the summer, even the most modest hotels charge from $60-70 and up for a night.

After I assured my lodging I went to see Harvey’s station and I photographed him. Harvey, a retired surveyor, was licensed in 1984. He is a member of the Anchorage Amateur Radio Club, KL7AA, and is the editor of the club’s Newsletter. Members of this club meet the first Friday of every month, at 7 PM, at the Alaska Pacific University.

Next to visit was Bill KL7ITI, the trustee of the KL7AA open repeater, operating on 146.76- MHz. There are a couple of other repeaters in Anchorage, KL7ION for example operating on 147.30+; others need tones to open them. Bill KL7ITI, a civil engineer, was born in Pittsburgh and came to Alaska in 1971; he was first licensed in 1963. He is involved in club work, participates in the radio communications support of events such as the "Fur Rendezvous Sled Race" and the "Walk for Hope" charity event. His daughter, Carol, is KL7IZF, but is not active.

Next, Harvey took me to Gil WL7EC, originally from Alabama, a civilian safety manager working for the US army. He first came to Alaska in 1978. Gil WL7EC lives in a motor home and does satellite work.

John W4IGM/KL7 was the next to visit. He came to Alaska from Tennessee in 1962 and he is an engineer for the military. John operates on all bands and is often on two-meter packet.

The fifth ham to visit on my first day in Anchorage was John KL7GNP, the QSL manager for Alaska. John, now retired, was an iron worker, electrician, and electronic technician. He got his Novice license in 1969 and a year later was already an Extra. He was visited by Bob VE3CTT from Ontario; they met by chance on a campground in Yukon when Bob spotted John’s callsign on his truck.

Later in that evening I made a few contacts from the hostel on 147.57 simplex and Del KL7HF, one of the hams I talked to, came to visit me.
 

I took the famous Denali Express and for $125.00, after a 12-hour ride, passing in the vicinity of Mt. McKinley, the highest mountain in North America, I arrived to Alaska’s second largest city: Fairbanks. The train is called Denali Express because it stops at Denali National Park but I could not figure out why is called Express when it takes 12 hours for a 350-mile ride. Every car has a tour guide and when he mentioned that bears and moose can be seen from the train, all the German and Japanese tourists stayed for 10 hours glued to the windows with their cameras and camcorders ready, missing even their lunch, but they couldn’t see even a frog. I enjoyed seeing them run from one side of the train to another, when pointing to the horizon I was yelling: "There, there!" A big guy from Hamburg got very excited and kept asking, "Aber wo ist der grosse Grizli?" I told him to keep photographing everything in sight and at home he will find in his pictures many "grosse Grizlis." He used up all his 10 rolls of film and I certainly don’t want to meet him again.

Before leaving Anchorage, waiting for the train at the railway station, I made a few QSOs on 147.30+. I talked with Jim KB4SSO/KL7 from Florida who was just leaving Fort Richardson, on his way to the airport; with Tony KL7AF/M, who remembered (or used computer logging) that we worked 20 years ago; Sharon KL7VL/M on her way to work in Anchorage; Dana WA6KNL/M also going to work; and Dan KL7Y/M, the known contester with whom I had a QSO from New York and I received his QSL.

From the train, despite the metal enclosure, I could talk with Roger NL7RY/M; Ken WB7SFO/KL7/M; and Bill KL7ITI, whom I visited earlier. Then for about 10 hours nobody answered my occasional calls.

One hour before reaching Fairbanks I contacted John NL7HW and Joe WL7BR on the 146.88- open repeater. Joe was kind enough to make a phone call to Bob KL7AM, who knew that I was coming. He waited for me at the railway station running back and forth near the incoming train and waiving his QSL card. Bob KL7AM, a retired scientist, and his wife Luisa WL7BNX, organized the Worldwide World Peace Net. He started experimenting with spark transmitters in 1916 and was first licensed in 1925. I spent the night in their house because it was too late to look for the local hostel.
 

In the morning Bob took me around his house showing me his antennas and his dogs (I think he had seven). I don’t remember their names but I recall stepping from one dog dung to another. The Chuck K7JUT/KL7 came to get me and we went to see his setup. Chuck, a retired Master Sergeant, was first licensed in 1938 in Mississippi and he received his first Alaskan call at Fort Greely, in 1955. I asked Chuck if he knew what is the difference between a civilian and a military. Chuck said he doesn’t know. "A civilian can be militarized - I told him - but a military can not be ... civilized." Chuck was not amused. He is active in traffic nets and does a lot of public service work like running phone patches; he provided a valuable link with Art KL7RL, member of one of the North Pole Scientific Expeditions; ran patches even for the Bird Station located at the South Pole; and provided radio communications for the Yukon Quest Sled Dog Race.

Chuck took me to North Pole to see Eric KL7AJ, the president of the local amateur radio club. To avoid any misunderstanding I have to point out that the city of North Pole is located about 10 miles southeast of Fairbanks, and about 100 miles south of the Arctic Circle, therefore far away from the real North Pole. I learned that there are three North Poles: the geographic North Pole; the magnetic North Pole, and the city of North Pole. Why was needed a third North Pole? I can only guess that Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus did not like the climate up north so they moved their official residence to a better neighborhood.

Eric KL7AJ, a missionary, is a broadcast engineer for a religious radio station. He was first licensed in 1972 in California and he received his Alaskan call in 1977. His 16-year-old son David is WL7NK.

Also in North Pole I visited Joel WL7AI, an electronic technician specialized in installing and maintaining satellite dishes and related equipment for TV reception. Joel took me to the house of Ed KL7XD and his son Bill KL7TC. They came from the state of Washington. Ed, a DXer, was licensed in 1982; Bill, also an avid DXer, received his Novice ticket in 1984 and a year later was already an Extra. There is a real family of hams: Bill’s mother Sandy is WL7PQ, his brother Mike is KL7YY, and his sister Danielle is WL7QW.

Finally Joel took me to Chena Hot Springs, about 30 miles northeast of Fairbanks, to the 20-acre estate of Rich KL7RA. Rich, a radio astronomer, was first licensed in 1960 in Nebraska and got his Alaskan call in 1971. His tower farm looks like the one of the Voice of America broadcasting simultaneously on various frequencies. The saying "you have to see it to believe it" does not apply here; I saw it and I still don’t believe it. Seven tall towers, some of them around 200 feet high, each for a different band, having several stacked and interconnected Yagis. The station located in a little building, separate from the main house, is a multi-multi contest station; on the wall several plaques attest the results of various international contests. Photographing all the towers at once was impossible because of the big distances between them and the tick forest surrounding them. While I was moving in the tall underbrush trying to get acceptable angles to photograph some of the towers, Rich kept following me spraying me constantly with bug repellent; I was literally covered with mosquitoes. According to reliable sources, the mosquito is Alaska’s state bird.

Afternoon I spent a couple of hours at the Tanana Valley Fair but I had more fun at any New York area hamfest and flea market than at the fair. John KL7ELR, at a campaign booth for one of the several politicians running for Governor, recognized my callsign on my cap, introduced himself and started to explain the virtues of his candidate. I told him that I don’t vote in Alaska, and I am still worried about the gubernatorial race in my home state, because I see in the news media that a George Pataki is running for Governor and I am afraid that soon people will come to me to kiss their babies and give them fat jobs in the state government.

I spent a hot night at the youth hostel in Fairbanks, I mean hot as in climate not hot as in passionate; remember the gender segregated dormitories.

In the morning while waiting for a taxi to take me to the airport, I made a QSO on two meters with Wayne KL7HHO, who was in Tok, about 150 miles away. How could this happen? They have three or four connected repeaters between Tok and Fairbanks. The flight to Anchorage took less than one hour and costs about $55.00, thus is cheaper and much, much faster than the train. I did not do my homework and taking the train to Fairbanks I wasted an entire day and a bunch of dollars.

After arriving back to the hostel in Anchorage I started looking for hams using my HT or calling them on the phone. First I found Chuck KL7PJ, a DXer licensed in 1948, and his wife Marge KL7YG, licensed in 1949. Chuck was one of the six operators of the Pribilof Island DXpedition in 1983.

Then I visited Jim KL7CC, who owns a computer consulting company. Jim was first licensed in 1958 in California, came to Alaska in 1970 and received a KL7 call. He does satellite communications using the Oscar 13 system with 432 MHz uplink and 146 MHz downlink. Jim loves cats and has 11 of them. I suppose he does not have any mice. He does experiments with antennas, likes to build things, and enjoys helping and teaching newcomers to amateur radio. In his shack I met Len WL7IM, a CW man licensed in 1993.

I traveled through many states of the US but I never saw so many RVs (recreational vehicles) as in Alaska. It seems that is one parked in front of every house. There is no shortage of boats, either. I think the Alaskans like to be everywhere but at home.

From the hostel I made a few QSOs on 147.30+; I talked to Dave KL7M/M, who is a taxi driver and operates his ham radio while on the job; with Norm WL7BER, a professional fishing guide, and with Hap KL7UPS, who operates a tourist lodge in the mountains, near Palmer, about 30 miles north of Anchorage. The most useful contact was made with Rick KL7YF, an electronic technician, who was walking in Anchorage with his hand held. He put me in touch with his wife Lil NL7DL, born in Norway and licensed in Alaska in 1984. Lil is a school teacher and is the vice-president of the Polar Amateur Radio Club, which runs the KL7ION open repeater on 147.30+. Lil made a few phone calls and lined up a couple of YL operators for me to visit.

First we went to see Arlene KL7HO, a retired teacher licensed in 1980, and Harley KL7IZZ, a retired carpenter, licensed in 1977. As a public service, Arlene and Harley participated in the communications support for the famous Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. They initiated the radio club participation in a project called "Adopt a Highway" when various organizations adopt a portion of a public road and keep it clean.

The next to visit was Lynne KL7IO, in Eagle River, a bedroom community 12 miles northeast of Anchorage. Lynne is the president of the Polar Amateur Radio Club of Alaska, KL7ION, which is a YL club. She is mostly a CW operator and keeps in touch regularly with her father Conrad KL7JKE and her mother Lucy KL7LH, now living in Montana.

Lil took me then to Hannelore NL7EA, also in Eagle River. Hannelore was born in Germany and got her license in 1984. Her husband is Mark KL7TQ. They often fly their plane to their log cabin 90 miles northwest of Anchorage, and operate their rig powered by batteries, charged with a generator or solar energy. Hannelore participates in the radio communications support for the Iditarod Trail Sled God Race which runs in March, more than 1,000 miles, from Anchorage to Nome, and for the Walk for Hope charitable fund raising project. By the way, I saw T-shirts proclaiming: "Alaska, where men are men, and women win the Itidarod." Indeed, years in row, this famous and difficult race was won by a woman.

We returned to Anchorage to visit Jana NL7WV, a 16-year-old high school student. She was licensed in 1990. Jana keeps in touch with her father Fred KL7VC and her mother Joan WL7IB, while they are mobiling. She in involved in ARES emergency communications drills and other public service radio coverages.

From the hostel I talked with Jim KL7CC, on 147.57 simplex, a frequency often used by DXers to report DX, openings in propagation, etc. It is a kind of poor man’s DX cluster.

I decide to visit some cities in the south and I took a Gray Line bus to Seward located on the Gulf of Alaska. I could have taken a train but I learned my lesson from the ride to Fairbanks. It is said that one can take a train in Alaska but not to Alaska. Indeed, this enormously large state has only two train lines, one goes from Anchorage north to Fairbanks, and the other one south to Whittier and Seward. A third one, more of a short excursion train, links Skagway with Whitepass from where buses connect with Whitehorse in Canada.

While waiting for the bus I worked Pete NL7YH/M, who was on his way to work.

I did not have a list of hams prepared for this city. I called on 146.52, the national simplex frequency and I listened from 144 to 148 MHz but I heard nothing. I went to Radio Shack, the Police Station, the Ranger station, I asked people on the street if they knew any amateur radio operator. Most of them did not even know what I was talking about. Finally a policeman in harbor told me that there is a guy called Brent working for Kenai Fjords Tours who "used to fool around with radios." At the company’s office I was told that they have indeed an employee named Brent but he is on a tour boat and wouldn’t return until late afternoon. At 5:30 PM, when the boat full of tourists docked at the pier, I was there to greet them enthusiastically, and found Brent KL7FLO.

Brent received his Novice license in 1958 and upgraded in 1964. He operated from Adak Island in the Aleutian chain in 1969, and from the Kenai peninsula in 1970-1971, but has not been active for years. Nevertheless we went to his house, dusted off his old rig and I took his picture. He promised to get back on the air.

If there is a single ham alive in a city, I’ll find and photograph him. If the last one passed away, I’ll still find him but I won’t take his picture. I have my standards, you know, he or she should be able to smile.

In the evening I got on the Tustumena ferry for a 13-and a-half-hour journey to Kodiak. On the ferry, I was rearranging the furniture in my bedroom; I mean moving my sleeping bag away from the busiest part in the upper deck solarium, where the fellow travelers kept stepping over or on me, when a huge deckhand spotting my cap with my call on it, approached me with a big smile saying: "Hi, I am Billy KA6NON."

Billy is what is now called African-American. Years ago he was a Negro. We had a long conversation about amateur radio which we continued next morning. Then I went to have breakfast and when I asked for the check the waiter told me: "Billy took care of it." Billy KA6NON, where ever you are, I owe you one!

Later I took five more trips on various ferry boats, I kept conspicuously wearing my cap but nobody bought me breakfast anymore.

From the ferry, approaching Kodiak, using the 146.88- open repeater, I talked with Clem WL7SC and Andy KL7HIX. Kodiak is the home of 1,200-pound brown bears but I much prefer to meet with lighter and probably friendlier amateur radio operators. In Kodiak there is no youth hostel, and the hotels are expensive. Fortunately, in front of the ferry-boat terminal there was a little guy who offered accommodation for $20.00/night in a hostel setting. I was anxious to start looking for hams and did not want to waste time so I went with him. He had a rundown mobile home which was not mobile for decades, outside the city limits. He converted it building small cubicles, every one with bunk beds and he waited the arrival of every ferry trying to pick up paying house guests.

Billy KA6NON from Tustumena told me that the chief of the fire department in Kodiak is a ham so my first trip was to the firehouse. The chief, Mike KL7JBV, had the day off but they called him at home, I talked with him and he came at once. Mike showed me a communications trailer setup by the local hams for use in all types of emergency drills, then he took me to his house to show his station and his antenna. Mike KL7JBV was licensed in 1975 and participates in public safety communications.

Mike took me to Chuck WL7EM, a retired electrical power-house operator, he also prospected for gold, did commercial fishing, and worked as a carpenter for awhile. He was born in the state of Washington and he was first licensed in 1975. Like most Alaskan hams, Chuck in involved in emergency communications; while I was preparing to photograph him, he answered an emergency call from a ham on the road who found a lady in a car with broken axle. He relayed the message to a repair service and the help was on the way in minutes.

Chuck WL7EM took me to Henry KL7ALJ, who was first licensed in 1926 in Oklahoma, and in 1950 he got his Alaskan call. Henry is a retired electrical engineer and a retired navy officer. His Yagi is installed on the top of a 70’ telephone pole. He operates SSTV and uses his computer to store both received and transmitted images. During the 1964 big earthquake, Henry handled hundreds of emergency messages.

The next ham to see was Clem WL7SC, whom I contacted earlier on two meters. Clem is from Wisconsin, came to Alaska in 1992, and was licensed in 1994. He is a Lieutenant Commander in the US Coast Guard.

Clem took me to KL7HKX, the Coast Guard Amateur Radio Station, where a big, beautiful station can be operated by licensed Coast Guard personnel. The Yagis on the top of two tall towers are connected with the station with underground cables. The club station has 4-5 operators and I met John NL7WA, Radioman First Class, the most enthusiastic one. John was first licensed in 1985 in North Carolina and is a DXer. The club operates in contests, runs MARS phone patches, or works DX.

In the morning, being Sunday, the little guy in whose "hostel" I stayed asked me if I want to go to church. That was an unexpected question from a Jewish person who was born in Yemen and lived many years in Israel. I told him that I have to meet some people and started to walk towards the city. A trucker stopped and asked me if I need a lift. I accepted the offer and after a couple of minutes he asked me if I want to go to the church. I told him that I have some chores to do and got off in the center of the town. I sat down at a street corner and making calls on the 146.88- repeater I talked with Joe WL7AML, who maintains the repeater; with Mike KL7JBV, the fire chief; Curt AL7LQ/M; and Alesia WL7RL, arranging to meet them later. I talked again with Clem WL7SC from the Coast Guard, who asked me, guess what, if I want to go to the church. I began to wonder what kind of bonus is in Kodiak for bringing a sinner to the church. I continued to call and when nobody answered me I was watching the dusty and rusty pickup trucks go by, everyone with a fierce looking dog on the back, hoping to find one with call-letter license plates. I noticed that Kodiak has only one traffic light and even that one was not working properly; it was just blinking instead of switching from one color to another.

Later I met Curt AL7LQ, a communications officer in the US Coast Guard. Curt is from New York; he was first licensed in 1973 and got his Alaskan call in 1989. He likes to fix electronic equipment, works on packet, and is a Voluntary Examiner for Kodiak.

I also met Joe WL7AML, with whom I talked earlier. He is from North Carolina, was first licensed in 1962, and got his Alaskan call in 1980. Joe is an electronic engineer, works for public broadcasting, produces radio and TV shows, and he is an on-camera personality. His house is 80 feet from the Pacific Ocean, which helps in radio communications. He does satellite work and runs a bulletin board on packet.

Joe took me to the top of 1,275-feet high Mt. Pillar, where the 146.88- repeater is located. Also, in a 60’x60’ dish abandoned by the military, the local hams installed a vertical dipole which can be used to communicate with the hams in Homer, 140 miles north of Kodiak.

Finally on the Coast Guard Compound I met a family of hams: Dean WL7RK, is a helicopter pilot; Alesia WL7RL, is his wife; and Brian WL7RJ, their young son. All three have their dune buggies and while riding them they can keep in touch using their HTs.

In the evening I boarded the Tustumena ferry for a 10-hour journey to Homer, and met again Billy KA6NON. This time I slept on a bench, on the lower deck, and stepped over and on other people sleeping on the floor

As the ferry-boat approached Homer on the Kenai peninsula, I called on 146.91- listed in the little ARRL Repeater Directory as the repeater frequency for this city. I was lucky because the information was correct, the repeater was in working order, and from the very few hams in Homer, one happened to monitor the frequency. In several instances the information was outdated (I have an older edition of the Repeater Directory), or the repeater was down, or required a tone to open it (my HT doesn’t have one), or nobody listened on the frequency.

John KL7JL was the one who answered my call. He gave me the his phone number from his office at the Pratt Museum, which is a kind of natural history museum, with emphasis on the local flora, fauna, and crafts. We agreed to call him during his lunch break. The ferry docked at the terminal, at the end of Homer spit, a narrow, five-mile-long peninsula. I took a cab downtown and found a pay phone. Calling people from my short list of hams, I found out again that the Callbook is not updated as it should be. The main problem is that people move around during the years but they don’t always send the change of address information to FCC, especially when they are not very active or they are not DXers and don’t expect any QSL cards. The editors of Callbook, QRZ, and Buckmaster take the data from the FCC rosters which is updated mostly when a ham renews his license, once every 10 years.

As I did not find any active ham on the phone, I took a long walk to the Pratt Museum and I found John KL7JL. He lives quite far from Homer so I could not go to his house but I photographed him standing with his HT near his pickup truck, having his callsign on the license plates. John KL7JL was born in Shanghai, China, where his father was a medical missionary, but he spent many years in California. He is active on two meters where he runs a bulletin board, and also on the 20 and 40-meter bands.

Also at the Pratt Museum works Joe WX1C/KL7, freshly moved to Homer from Connecticut. Joe has a temporary lodging but a working station so I could take his picture.

I also visited Clarence W0URD/KL7, who lives a couple of blocks from the museum. Clarence, a retired electronic technician, was first licensed in 1935, and came to Alaska in 1984.

Walking back to the downtown area, checking out a few gift shops on the way, I kept calling on the repeater frequency but nobody answered. I even tried unsuccessfully the 146.52 national simplex frequency. It was very hot, come to think that I went to Alaska to escape from the New York heat. I sat down on the roadside grass, in the shade provided by a tree and called again on 146.91-. John KL7JL answered and asked where I am. I described my location and John told me that he can see me; he was ready to have lunch in a diner across the street. I joined John and he introduced me to a very tasty and inexpensive meat: sourdough pancakes.

After lunch John took me to the marina with hundreds of big and small fishing and pleasure boats. We tried to find a ham who was living on his boat. He was not there but we found Don WL7AU on his boat named "Radio Active." He was resting comfortably, having a beer, while his girlfriend, who doubled as his first mate, was working hard scrubbing the deck. This must be Don’s idea of dividing the responsibilities. Don was first licensed in 1968 and he got his Alaskan call in 1993.

Late afternoon I went to the airport and at the counter of Era Aviation, associated with Alaska Airlines, I asked the clerk how much is a ticket to Anchorage, emphasizing that I am entitled to a 10% senior citizen discount. The clerk played for a while with her keyboard and told me that it would be $52.00 and change. I felt that I was very smart getting the lowest price and I bought the ticket. Walking away, I passed the counter of MarkAir, a competitive airline, and I saw a big sign "Homer-Anchorage $42.00." Somehow I did not feel that smart anymore.

When the plane arrived I had another surprise; It had 17 seats including those of the pilot and copilot. The plane seemed to have been made in somebody’s backyard as a weekend hobby. Before taking off, the pilot stuck out his head from behind a little curtain and gave the passengers safety instructions which could not be understood because of the engine noise, but he fulfilled his prescribed duties. For the first time on this trip I was wondering how would it feel dying and getting buried in Alaskan permafrost, but we got to Anchorage safely.

Back at the hostel while I was checking out my HT, another fellow traveler approached me and introduced himself: "Hi, I am Walter W2RVW, from Long Island, New York." He did not bring a rig with him and did not meet any local hams.

I walked down to 4th and 5th Avenues where most of the gift shops are located and the tourists congregate, and made a few QSOs; some with people I worked before, others with new ones. I was standing on a street corner soliciting. People who agreed to my invitation, came by car, picked me up and took me to their home. After we finished the job they brought me back to the same street corner they took me from. I started to think that there is at least one other profession, a very old one, using the same work method.

My first customer for the day was Don WL7NF, a computer science college graduate, member of KL7AA amateur radio club. He got his license in 1993 as he married in a family of hams; his father-in-law Bob is KL7GIC, and his brother-in-law Chris is KL7BHM. His wife Robynn was studying for the test.

The second one was Simon NL7VR, licensed in 1990, Simon a chiropractor, was born in South Carolina and lived in the state of Washington before he came to Alaska. His wife Connie is WL7KZ; both sons were in college: Bill is WL7MC, and Allan is WL7LA. Simon is a DXer and also works on Oscar 13.

According to its inhabitants, Anchorage is a big, sophisticated metropolis, and compared to the other Alaskan cities, this is true. They say that the best thing about their town is that only half an hour away from Alaska, and this is not true: Anchorage is Alaska and is written all over its face.

I got tired and sleepy but I could not return yet to the hostel. I laid down on the grass in a small park and slept for an hour, surrounded by half a dozen of drunken Natives. While in Anchorage I saw the same panhandlers collecting funds they later deposited in one of the many saloons.

It was the time to fulfill some obligations and started to buy gifts. I found that from all the cities in Alaska the largest selection and the best prices were in Anchorage, and there was no sale tax, what I hate, any place and any time. For more expensive items such as soapstone, ivory, or whale bone carvings there is room for bargaining. I came home with so many T-shirts and assorted junk that I could open a gift shop.

In the morning I took a Gray Line bus to Palmer, 40 miles northeast of Anchorage, about an hour drive. It costs $25.00; it was a nice trip with a guide giving a lot of interesting information on the way. With Alaska Bus the same trip costs $20.00

The Callbook lists about 20 hams in Palmer but I could find only two active ones. The first one was Nate KL7DJE. The meeting with him was prearranged a night before on the phone by Simon NL7VR. At the agreed time, at 10:00 AM, Nate called me on 146.52 simplex and came to pick me up. Nate was born in Palmer so he is one of the few native Alaskan I met. By the way, I read that the word "native" can have two meanings: if is spelled with capital "N" then it means the Eskimo, Indian, Aleut; however if is spelled with lower case "n" that it refers to people born in Alaska but whose parents or grandparents came from the lower 48 states or other continents. Therefore Nate KL7DJE is a "n’ type native. He was licensed in 1959, and handled hundreds of emergency communications after the devastating 1964 earthquake. Nate is a trustee of the 147.00+ repeater and one of the trustees of the 146.64- open repeater. I could not understand why they need two repeaters in a town with just a very few active hams. Perhaps is a matter of prestige.

Nate took me to Bob NL7ZG, the president of the Mat-Su Amateur Radio Club, I saw his antennas but Bob was not home; he was working in Anchorage.

The second person I visited in Palmer was Jack AL7HN, a retired engineer and city administrator. Jack was born in Illinois and is active participant in the Illinai net with people from or somehow connected to Illinois. He does very nice scrimshaw work.

I was kind of disappointed in Palmer because during a whole day I could see only two amateurs. Hap KL7UPS, who runs a lodge up in the hills, tempted me with a free lunch but I did not have transportation to get to him, so I stayed in Palmer and bought lunch myself at an outdoor stand.

The return bus was scheduled for the evening so I had lots of free time but nothing to do. One can take a guided tour of a musk-ox farm but I did not feel any urge to see that. I felt that Palmer is the most boring place in Alaska and I should have gone to Wasilla instead, a couple of miles further on the road, because Wasilla has more active hams than Palmer.

Near the tourist information center, which is a gift shop in disguise, there is a little garden and there one can see a couple of giant cabbages the locals are so proud of. The long hours of daylight makes them grow big but I also saw other kind of vegetables that looked sorrier even the ones in my garden, and I don’t have 18-19 hours of daylight in the summer. Furthermore, in my experience, overgrown vegetable are much better for making the neighbors envy you, than for eating.

One thing, however, made me wonder. Near the tourist information center a.k.a. gift shop, there is construction with many wooden arrows pointing to various directions with names of places around the globe, and the distances to them. I could not find New York City but I found "Sing Sing, NY" Perhaps they expect more tourists from that respectable institute than from the Big Apple. Anyway, there is no such city as Sing Sing. The town where this famous educational facility is located is called Ossining; "Sing Sing" is just a nick name used affectionately by some happy residents who probably like to sing.

When a tour bus full of Japanese tourists came to Palmer for a pitstop on its way to Anchorage, an hour before my bus was due to arrive, I said "arigato gozaimasu," smiled broadly to everybody and made myself very little on the back bench. I became a stowaway on a JA bus and I prayed they will stop someplace before Yokohama.

Arriving at Anchorage I jumped ship, I mean bus, and visited Mike KL7X. He was born in Oregon and licensed in 1965. Mike is a student counselor at one of the universities and he is one of very few moon bouncers (EME) in Alaska. His antenna is very large and impressive with a gain of 22.5 dB. He is using 1.5 kW on two meters, worked more than 30 countries, and almost finished his Worked All States.

I started the morning working a couple of hams from the hostel on 147.30+ and 146.49 simplex: Tom WL7KJ; Courtney NL7OM/M; Bob AL7MH/M, in Eagle River on his way to Anchorage; and again Bill KL7ITI, who seemed to be very active.

I went to my favorite street corner near the Visitors Information Center and made a QSO with Neil KL7BGZ, who said that he was coming to pick me up. While talking with Neil, a ham from Arkansas approached me and introduced himself as Don KG5WF. His wife was in a gift store nearby and Don was waiting for her. Many gift stores have inside or right in front on the sidewalk a bench labeled "Hubbies Bench" for the tired and often exasperated husbands waiting for their wives gone wild on shopping sprees.

I also talked with Joe NL7RX/M, who was driving a tow truck and was picking up a wreck. I also had a QSO with Jim AL7IX/M who was driving on Glenn Highway. Then Neil KL7BGZ came and took me to the Pioneers’ Home, a retirement and nursing home for people who lived at least 30 years in this state, where there is a club station used by resident hams. The equipment is installed in a big closet in a hallway and there is a 3 element Yagi antenna high up on the roof of the five story building. The station doesn’t have its own callsign; each resident uses his or hers. The home is beautiful, the little apartments are very nicely furnished, the food is excellent, and the residents are really well taken care of. Allen KL7GU, a retired lumber company manager, has his own station in his room and is connected to the big beam on the roof. He works lots of DX, mostly on CW. There are also two other active hams in the home: Mary KL7BJD, and Grace KL7DLA.

Neil KL7BGZ, took me to his house and I photographed him with his station. A retired engineer, Neil was first licensed in Maryland in 1949. When I asked Neil what likes most in amateur radio, he said that he likes to yak. I know, however, what he doesn’t like: to finish a project he started. I saw in his shack about a dozen pieces of electronic equipment he started to work on but on the way he lost interest in them and they just sat there waiting for other unfinished jobs to join them. I guess is hard to yak and work in the same time.

Back at the hostel I made one more QSO with Roger KL7HFQ/M, then I started to pack because it was my last day in Anchorage.

In the morning I took a taxi to the airport to fly to Juneau, the state capital, where the government workers hang around. Alaska Airlines informed the passengers that there is a possibility that the plane can not land in Juneau because of the fog; that happens more often during the winter. In that case, they said, we will fly to Sitka and later try to go to Juneau. We were fortunate that the fog lifted in time and we landed at our destination. With this I started on a journey to what is called the Inside Passage, the panhandle, or southeast Alaska, visiting five more cities.

In Juneau I took a taxi which for $17.00 took me to the youth hostel where I dropped my bag. Then I started to walk downtown, calling on 146.82- and 147.30+, both listed in the ARRL Repeater Directory. I could access them both and on the first one answered Don WL7ME, who was at work as a maintenance mechanic in a large laundromat. I walked across the town to see Don. He checked my list of hams prepared for this city, told me who is active and who is not; who left town and who died and is buried right there. Of those who were still well and alive, almost everybody was out fishing; the Salmon Derby was going on and everybody tried for the $10,000 big prize.

Sitting on the grass, I made QSOs with Robert NL7XZ; Eric N7JYS/KL7; and Bob WL7EA, but none of them was available for photographs. I made a bunch of phone calls from a nearby pay phone without any success until I reached Frederick WA6AXO/KL7 who lives up the hill from Don’s work place. He invited me to come up and I started a difficult journey carrying my bag with the photo and radio equipment, climbing the steep hill. From the Governor’s mansion I still had to take two long sets of sharply rising stairways to reach my destination. Frederick WA6AXO/KL7 was licensed in 1975 in California, and his wife Terry AL7AE got her call in 1978. They own and operate a video equipment service and a low-power commercial TV station on Channel 5. Frederick also works on amateur slow and fast scan TV.

Frederick called up George W3ML/KL7, who came and took me to his house located on the shores of Auke Lake. On the top of a tree nearby I saw a bald eagle; that was the only time that I saw wildlife in Alaska, not counting the stuffed bears, moose, Dall sheep, caribou, and wolves displayed in museums, airport terminals, hotel lobbies, even in some gift shops. It is true however, that I did not look for them.

George W3ML/KL7, a retired Rear Admiral Medical Corps, was first licensed in New York as "CRC." He is life member of ARRL. George is a DXer and a ragchewer. His grandfather on his mother side was a private in the US Army and in November 1894, during the Civil War, was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Don WL7ME came to get me from George’s place and took me to his mobile home to show me his station. He is a member of the Juneau Amateur Radio Club and as a public service he handles communications for the "Ski to Sea" race. He also helps newcomers to study for their licenses.

Still in Juneau, leaving the hostel in the morning, from a downtown street I talked with Jim KL7KH on 147.30+ and latter with Rick N6IV/KL7, who lives on the nearby Douglas Island. Rick agreed to meet me and picked me up in front of the local McDonalds. He was licensed in California in 1975, works for the state government, and rents an apartment with the use of a beam in the house of Herb WL7BIL and Cynthia KL7IZE. His landlords own two cars, one with his and the other with her call on their license plates. Rick would be the adopted amateur radio son of Herb and Cynthia, if it would be such a thing. Rick N6IV/KL7 is a DXer and the only one in Juneau on the Honor Roll. His location, Douglas Island, on the other side of Gastineau Channel, is NA-041 for IOTA. He activated a couple of islands in southeast Alaska. After the 1990 earthquake in the Philippines he handled lots of emergency traffic. Sometimes he uses his two-meter rig while riding his Honda motorcycle. Rick took me to Tim KL7PF, the trustee of both repeaters: 146.82- and 147.30+. Tim owns and runs a building maintenance company. He was first licensed in 1960 in California and he received his Alaska call in 1980. Tim runs a Packet station on two meters (mail box) which is connected through a state-leased satellite to other Alaskan cities but not with the lower 48 states.

Sitting on a bench in front of McDonalds, my favorite work place in Juneau, I contacted Curtis WL7PX, on 146.82-, who talked with a heavy Louisiana accent. He came to pick me up and he told me that he left Louisiana when he was 15 months old. Probably his family packed the accent with the household goods when they moved way up north. Curtis, is the only African-American amateur I met in Alaska besides Bill KA6NON from the Tustumena ferry. He was a CBer for 30 years before his friend and next door neighbor in the mobile home park, Don WL7ME, helped him in 1993 to get his ham license.

In the evening, back at the hostel from my basement room, I called on 147.30+ and Slade KC4WVL, from the US Coast Guard cutter Sherman, anchored in port, answered. He invited me to visit the ship but I feared they might shanghai me.

Youth hostels are inexpensive places to stay overnight, usually $10-15, but everybody has to do little chores in the morning, like sweeping, vacuuming, or washing a few dishes. There are segregated men and women dormitories and bathrooms, a kitchen and a living room. From 8:30-9:00 AM to about 5.00-6.00 PM (this varies from place to place), the travelers have to leave the hostel, and there is a three-night limit. Therefore during the day, rain or shine, everybody is politely kicked out. That was okay with me because anyway every morning I was ready to look for new hams. They are called Youth Hostels but everybody, regardless of age, is accepted.

Around 9:00 AM, walking on the street I triggered the 147.30+ repeater which answered "Good morning, this is KL7PF repeater, the temperature is 51 degrees." It did not say that is was raining but that I figured out myself. In Juneau the yearly rainfall is about 90" and it seems that the clouds had some catching up to do.

I went to see Slade KC4WVL. He could not get off his cutter but I photographed him with his HT. Even the vessel was anchored, I stayed all the time to what I consider the most important part of a ship, and every time I travel on the sea, I keep very close to it: the life preserver.

While I had breakfast at McDonald’s, I talked with Curtis WL7PX, and then from the street I had a QSO with Bud KL7CQF, in Haines, about 50 miles away.

Several times during this trip I was approached by other fellow travelers who were amateur radio operators. Some carried with them their HT and made a few contacts, others just concentrated on their wives’ shopping excesses. Here in Juneau, I met Perry N3AXJ, from Pennsylvania who was sailing on the cruise ship Rotterdam. Perry was nervous because his wife entered a gift shop with all their credit cards and had not come out yet.

In the evening I boarded the ferry Le Conte and after two stops and about 14 hours we arrived to Sitka. I did not take a state-room and I slept on floor in my sleeping bag, as I did on all ferry-boats.

While Juneau is on the mainland, Sitka, the former capital of Russian-America, is on Baranof Island, of the Alexander Archipelago. Here again I stayed at the hostel. On the way downtown I called on 146.82- and got an answer from Hal KL7BCS, who gave me the names and phone numbers of a couple of active local hams.

I called up Wally NL7GJ, who picked me up and took me first to Larry KL7FNH. Larry was born in the state of Washington and was first licensed in 1962 in Alaska. He received two Public Service Awards from ARRL. At Larry’s place we met John K8TVO/KL7, a DXer, originally from Ohio.

Next to visit was Hal KL7BCS. Born in Washington, licensed in 1954, he is the dean of the Sitka hams. Hal is a retired commercial fisherman and he also worked in a pulp mill. He is the temporary custodian for the 146.82- repeater and is a DXer with over 300 countries confirmed.

Wally NL7GJ then took me to his house. He was born in Alaska; his father was Chinese and the mother Tlingit Indian. Wally is a retired commercial fisherman and carpenter. He was licensed in 1964 and is active in the Alaska Pacific net for emergency communications. He lives, by coincidence, on Tlingit Way.

In Alaskan cities I saw many churches of all kind of denominations but I believe that there are more liquor stores and bars than houses of worship. "Heaven can wait" seems to be the state slogan.

In the morning I called up Sal KL7BJC, and he picked me up in front of the St. Michael Russian Cathedral and went to see his station. He owns and operates a mobile-home park right near Jamestown Bay. Sal was born in Brooklyn, NY, and was licensed in 1954. He is a DXer, is active on two-meter packet, and runs phone patches as a public service.

Sal invited me and his friend Leo NL7XW to dinner and we had a tasty halibut, the only time I ate fish in Alaska. Then we went to see Leo’s station. Leo was born in Colorado, and came to Alaska in the 1940s, therefore is considered a "sourdough," one with many years in this state. A newcomer in Alaska is called a "cheechako." He is a retired air traffic controller, started as a CBer but got his ham ticket in 1984. Leo NL7XW, is a DXer and likes to talk with his friends.

In Sitka was raining on and off. I could not go back to the hostel till 6 PM. Standing on a street corner in a pouring rain, nobody answering my radio calls, I asked God: "Why me? I live a clean life; I don’t drink and I don’t smoke; I seldom lie; I never called a DX station out of order and never made any insurance QSOs; why me?"

A loud thunder was the answer.

"Okay, God, I admit, yes, I had sometimes naughty thoughts about the hams who did not answer my QSLs, and the managers who were asking for two bucks or more, but are these enough reasons to drench me to the skin?"

The storm seemed to ease up a bit and when I spotted a parked pickup truck with the call letters KL7FBU on the license plate, I knew in my heart that I was forgiven. I looked up the call on my list, found the phone number, made a call and talked with Paul, arranging a meeting for the next day.

In the morning I met Bill AL7KX, a retired chief warrant officer in the USCG, presently piloting a small freighter named "Eyak." Bill was born in California, was licensed there in 1962 and he got his first Alaska call in 1967. He sometimes operates on 20 and 80 meters from Eyak as well as from his own boat "Mirth." Bill has a powerful home station; if you heard of "California kilowatt," you should see an "Alaskan kilowatt," big as the state itself. He works on six meters and prefers Pactor from the digital modes. He is active in the Alaska Emergency Preparedness Net on 14.292 MHz and works VHF packet on the "Iceworm" net sharing the state of Alaska’s satellite.

Later I met Paul KL7FBU in front of the Centennial Building. He was licensed in 1959 in Washington and came to Alaska in 1963. His father was WA6EDX in California. Paul worked as a broadcast engineer and later for the Alaska Pulp Corporation, from where he retired. Now he is a tour guide and he showed up in the uniform of the Sitka Tours; a red jacket with many colorful pins, he looked like the last of the Russian czars. He is inactive for years, doesn’t have a station set up so I photographed him in front of his pickup truck spotted a day before, with his call KL7FBU on the license plate; the sign of heavenly forgiveness.

Not much to do, I walked up and down the main street tens of times; I already knew the entire inventory and all the sales ladies of every gift store. Here the stuff was more expensive than in Anchorage and they also charged sales tax.

I went to see a half-hour show with the Tlingit dancers who jumped around and yelled a lot, then another half hour show with the New Archangel Russian Dancers for more jumping around. These at least kept quite while dancing. The Russian dancers had only female performers but some of them could very well pass for men, even without too much makeup. I also went to see the totems at the Sitka National Historical Park where in 1867, when the United States bought Alaska from Russia for 7.2 million dollars, the formal transfer took place. I did not go inside the St.Michael Russian Cathedral because of the tone of a sign at the entrance saying that "a donation of $1.00 is requested." I felt that if they want my dollar, they should ask for it nicely rather than request it. Besides I was already in good terms with the Heavens; I had no need to go to a Russian church.

One of my calls was answered by Neal KM6UB, a passenger on the cruise ship Westerdam. It was 12 noon and I could hardly copy Neal because of the bells of St.Michael’s rang non-stop and very loud for 8 minutes. I am sure they did it on purpose.

I had my last QSO with Hall KL7BCS, then picked up my bags from the hostel, went to the ferry terminal and boarded Taku for a 10-hour sail to Petersburg.

In Petersburg, located on Kupreanof Island, there is no youth hostel. Therefore I had to stay in a hotel which cost me $120.00 for two nights and this hurt both my packet and my sensitivity. However they provided free transportation from and to the ferry terminal. In this town two repeaters are accessible: 146.96- and 147.36+, but both of them are used mostly for autopatches rather for traditional amateur radio communications. People away from home, on their boats or in their cars, call their families and friends. I called often on these repeaters but never got an answer; I monitored the frequencies and did not hear anything else than autopatched phone conversations.

On my list I found Dan WB9TEQ/KL7, a broadcast engineer, who came to get me from the hotel and took me to the local AM broadcast station where he works, and where the 147.36+ repeater is located. Dan was first licensed in 1977 in Illinois and came to Alaska in 1980. He operates mostly 75-meter phone and teaches classes for would-be hams.

Next I visited Andy NL7BT. He works for the city of Petersburg, which by the way, was founded by the Norwegian Peter Bushman who built a there cannery and a sawmill. Andy runs his transceiver on a car battery, charged when necessary, to avoid the power surges and occasional blackouts. He works mostly on 75-meter SSB.

The most interesting visit was at the home of Ed KL7DYS and his wife Mildred WL7ALG. Ed is a commercial fisherman, born in Alaska of Norwegian parents; his son Arne WL7CFT is also a fisherman. Ed was licensed in 1955, Mildred in 1978, and Arne in 1992. Ed’s fishing boat the "Kamilar," is equipped with a HF rig and he works Maritime Mobile, region 2, from California to the Bering Sea. At home they operate SSB, RTTY, and packet. Ed took me to his fishing boat which had his callsign KL7DYS painted on the front with big letters. When I left for Wrangell by ferry two days later, I passed their house built right near the water, and his tall tower with a big beam antenna.

In Petersburg, called "little Norway," I met another ham of Norwegian origin: Bernie NL7TQ, and his wife Caroline WL7EX. Bernie was first licensed in 1979 in Utah, came to Alaska in 1986, and he received his NL7TQ call in 1989. He is the president of the Petersburg amateur radio club, so his wife Caroline WL7EX, licensed in 1992, is the "first lady’’ of the Petersburg hams.

Working from my list of local hams I found Harvey KL7FFP, the trustee of the 146.96- repeater. I went to his place of work, Alascom, a long distance telephone company; Harvey maintains a large part of the network and he has to travel a lot. While on the road, when-ever possible, he calls home using, what else, the repeater and the autopatch. Harvey took me to his house where I saw his motor home with his call on the license plate, and an HF rig which he uses when traveling, together with his two-meter HT, and even a CB radio. While I was in his motor home a call came through on 146.96- repeater from Eric N7JYS/KL7, who was on Mt.Juneau. I also talked with Eric, the only contact I was able to make in Petersburg.

I called up Matt WL7LX, the manager of the local public radio station. Matt told me that he would meet me at 12:00 noon in front of my hotel right after a scheduled parade. I was afraid that I won’t find him with the parade and the crowds but he assured me that it will be a very small parade. I don’t care too much about parades, I got sick of them while I was living in Romania where the people were forced to participate in all kind of political parades. I wanted to find Matt so I went to watch the parade. Minutes after minutes passed and I did not see any parade or crowds. I thought I may have blinked and missed the very short parade. No, I did not miss it, after some delay came the parade; about 20 people dressed in funny customs marched on the main street. Other 20 watched them. The cutest thing was a little girl, pushing a toy carriage with a doll inside and throwing kisses left and right to the very few spectators aligned along the road; it happened that she was Matt’s daughter.

Matt WL7LX came to Alaska from Washington to work in 1977-1981, then settled down in 1984, and he received his license in 1993. He uses his two-meter HT for public service, to report road accidents, as well as on his little boat or when he goes hunting. I guess on a hunting trip his HT can be very handy when he meets a big, bad bear; he can say his prayer in it.

He gave me a tour of the harbor on his boat and I took some photos of him with his HT, on front of fishing boats of various sizes, and the snow-covered mountains in the background.

The last to see in Petersburg was Ed WL7CFZ, a semi-retired insurance salesman. Ed said that he was born in the state of Washington and came to Alaska at of age of two. To be more accurate I suppose he was brought and not came by himself. Ed was licensed in 1991 and enjoys keeping in contact with friends on two meters. I don’t know how much joy can he get because I did not hear anybody on two meters. Ed provides radio communications for running races and emergency drills.

In Petersburg at the Harbor Lights diner, I ate the best pizza I ever had. Correction: later in Ketchikan I found another Harbor Lights with the same delicious pizza. Alaska, generally speaking, is an expensive place but at these diners for $2.00 plus tax I got a large slice of excellent pizza with a choice of three toppings; I asked for pineapple, anchovies, and hot pepperoni. I know these three things don’t go well together but still they tasted good. The toppings were thicker than the crust. Every time I am thinking of it, I get hungry. Why do I give you this trivial information? Not to create publicity for Harbor Lights but because I don’t have too much to write about day 23.

Very close to this diner, right near the Sons of Norway Hall, is a replica of a Viking ship, a reminder of the founders of this town.

Another piece of useless information: in Petersburg there is no mail delivery as we know it; people rent mail boxes, and the post office is a place for social gatherings, news exchanges, and gossip.

Around 4:00 PM I boarded the ferry Matanuska and at 7:00 PM I was in Wrangell. After arrival, I placed my heavy bag in a locker at the ferry terminal and I walked to the hostel located at the Presbyterian Church to check in, and to make sure that I have a place to stay for three nights. Here it costs $10.00 per night and they don’t kick you out during the day.

I did not have any information on local repeaters so I started to use the telephone and the list prepared by my friend Mike N2LMM. First I contacted Alan WL7CG, a harbor master, and I found out that they use the 147.36+ repeater, located at the Duncan Canal, the same used in Petersburg. Alan picked me up but first we had to go to the harbor because it was a little emergency there, and he was on standby. After Alan fixed the problem we went to his house to photograph his station. He is from Arizona, operates mostly on 40-meter SSB and on two-meter FM. He helps others to become hams and is also a VE.

Wrangell, named after the Russian Baron Von Wrangell, is located on Wrangell Island, what is convenient for those who don’t want to remember many names. It is not a tourist town; it has a few gift shops near the ferry terminal, and it rained a lot while I was there.

At one moment, to my big surprise, I hear Harvey KL7FFP calling me from Petersburg on his 147.36+ repeater. He knew that I’ll be in Wrangell.

The first ham to meet on this day was Bob KL7JCZ. Originally from South Dakota, Bob was licensed in 1975. He is a charter boat operator, installs satellite dishes, and builds aluminum boats. One of his creation, a boat not a dish, was on the water, behind his backyard and I climbed on it. It was small like a satellite dish, perhaps he mixed up the blue prints. Bob KL7JCZ is a DXer, and experiments with antennas. Bob’s daughter, Kathy, was licensed in Oregon but is married in Japan and her name now is Sekioka.

The second ham to meet was Tom WL7KO. He was born in Washington state, and was licensed in Alaska in 1992. Tom and his brother run a fleet of four boats for fishing and sightseeing tours. He and his wife took a two-year trip around Pacific Ocean, on a 40-foot sailing boat equipped with ham radio and operated as WL7KO/MM. After his wife left the boat to give birth, Tom sailed alone from Hawaii to Washington, keeping in touch with his wife and friends via ham radio. Visiting one of Tom’s boats I noticed in the harbor some wooden poles covered with barnacles up to about 20 feet. I asked Tom how did the barnacles get up so high and he told me that when the tide is in, the water, the boats, the boardwalk, and everything tied to it rises over 20 feet. That is not even a record: the water of Turnagain Arm near Anchorage varies up to 38 feet.

Tom took me to Doug WL7LR, a US customs inspector. He was licensed in 1993; his son living in the state of Washington is Duane KI7UF. Doug enjoys making QSOs on 40-meter SSB.

All day long I tried unsuccessfully to find hams until finally in the evening I found Jack KL7GOG and his wife Kandy KL7HMG. Both are from the state of Washington and came to Alaska in 1962. Jack worked for years in logging camps, and ran phone patches for loggers and fishermen. Now he is a heavy equipment operator, and Kandy works in a hospital. Jack KL7GOG was licensed in 1968; Kandy KL7HMG got her ticket in 1969. They own a private plane, what is not uncommon in Alaska, and they just flew back from an extended trip.

In Wrangell one day would have been enough to meet all the active hams I could find but, as in the other cities in the Inside Passage, I was tied to the ferry-boat schedule because I bought all the tickets in advance, so even when I finished my job, I could not leave until my ferry came along. Again, as in the other cities, the list extracted from the Callbook was useful but many people listed there were not available anymore, because they moved, quit amateur radio, or simply passed away without turning in their licenses.

The telephones in the entire state of Alaska have one single area code: 907. The cost of making a local call varies from city to city, from 10 to 25 cents.

From a pay phone I called up my wife Eva WA2BAV, in New York City, and told her that I rubbed my nose with a young Innuit (Eskimo) girl, and preparing for the very long night we started to build an igloo together. Instead of being worried, my wife sounded relieved and said that she always believed that I should go on a fish diet. I wonder why did she say that?

Not having much to do, I visited twice the tiny Chief Shakes Island where are a couple of nice totem poles, and a ceremonial house which is just a barn with not too much in it. I also saw the petroglyphs: mysterious drawings or symbols carved thousands of years ago on some rocks on the beach, north of the ferry terminal.

In the morning I boarded Columbia, the largest ferry in the Alaska Marine Highway system and after six hours I should have been in Ketchikan, the last stop on my long and exhausting journey, searching, not for gold as tens of thousands of prospectors did, but for active amateur radio operators. With all the little mishaps, I can say that I was more successful with my two-meter HT than most of the fortune hunters with their shovels and pans.

One of the little mishaps I am talking about is that the Columbia, after it left Petersburg, was delayed in the Wrangell Narrows for more than four hours because of fog and low tide. Finally it recovered part of the lost time but we have arrived to Ketchikan about three-and-a-half hours late. Not knowing that there was a cheaper bus going my way, I took a cab and went to the local youth hostel, located in the basement of a Methodist Church, which opened at 6 PM.

The Ketchikan repeater was suppose to operate on 146.79- but had an intermittent defect and did not work most of the time. It is installed at the airport on the other side of the canal and it can be reached only by a short ride on a ferry-boat but it seems that nobody likes to take that ride.

Again I relied on the list made by friend Mike N2LMM and, with the help of a phone book, I made a few calls. First I found Evard KL7ST who was born in Wisconsin and came to Alaska in 1924. He is a retired electronic engineer, and worked for Alaska Airlines. Evard was licensed in 1981 and operates on CW, SSB, and packet.

Evard took me to Gary NL7LL, an oceanographer working for the fishing industry. Gary was licensed in 1987, he is a DXer, and does a lot of public service emergency communications. He is also a VE. Gary NL7LL was fortunate and skillful enough to contact the Atlantis shuttle on two meters, as well as the Discovery on packet.

I met Chris KL7GIH in the morning when he came to get me from the hostel. We went to his house and I was amazed to see so much radio equipment in his shack. The explanation is that besides being a telecommunications specialist for the US Forest Service, Chris runs his own business of installing and maintaining two-way commercial radios. He was born in Alaska and received his license in 1968. Chris is active on two difficult bands; six and 160 meters and he operates RTTY, CW, and SSB.

Chris KL7GIH took me to Hank KL7IBG, who was born in Vermont and got his license in 1976. Hank retired from the US Coast Guard where he worked as a radio technician. Hank operates packet and RTTY and is active in the Alaska Pacific net and in the YL International Side Band System.

Hank KL7IBG took me to Tom NL7ZR. This is the way my quest generally happened: in every city it was difficult to find the first active ham; once he or she was located, I was passed to the second one who passed me to the third one, and so on. Tom was born in New Jersey and licensed in 1991. He is the captain of the ferry-boat Taku on which I sailed a couple of days earlier from Sitka to Petersburg. Tom NL7ZR is active on packet and two-meter FM.

The last ham I saw in Ketchikan and also on this trip was Lew WL7AZM. I found him by calling up the Ketchikan Daily News; Tom used to be its publisher. Now the paper is run by his son Lew III, WL7AZO, and his two daughters. Lew was born in the state of Washington and was licensed in 1982. His mother used to be an amateur radio operator; she started in 1916 as "7FG" and was the first YL in the Tacoma area. Tom’s favorite ham activity is talking with his friends.

It rained a lot in Ketchikan but I had nice weather too. Here the average rainfall is 165 inches a year; that is almost 14 feet of water falling from the sky. The local people say: "We don’t tan, we rust." When tourists ask the locals: "it always rains in Ketchikan?’ the answer is, "Oh no! Sometimes it snows!" It is located on the island of Revillagigedo, not to be confused with the one belonging to Mexico, XF4. It was named by the explorer George Vancouver in the honor of the Viceroy of New Spain (Mexico), the Count of Revillagigedo, Don Juan Vicente de Guemes Pacheco di Padilla y Horcasitas. I guess the map makers couldn’t find room for his entire name so they called the island simply Revillagigedo. The locals shortened even more to Revilla.

I couldn’t find any more hams so on my last day in Alaska, I became a tourist. I ate pizza three times a day at the Harbor Lights, I saw a bunch of interesting totem poles right in the town, then at the Totem Heritage Center, and I went to a little park at Saxman Indian Village for more totems. I saw the salmon hatchery and I visited Creek Street, built on stilts over water, formerly the red-light district where fish and fishermen went to spawn, nowadays full of gift shops and tourists. Ketchikan is called "Alaska’s first city" only because the big cruise ships coming from south stop here first.

From all the bear stories I hear I recall two. One cheechako (newcomer) asked a sourdough (long time resident):

"If a bear is running after me, how do in know if is a black bear or a grizzly?"

"It is easy," answers the sourdough, "Just climb a tree. If the bear climbs after you, then is a black bear. If it knocks it down, then it is a grizzly."

The other one is about two tourist running from a bear and one says to the other:

"I really don’t have to outrun the bear, I just have to outrun you!"

And here is a fish story I saw on a T-shirt: in a bar a boy fish is talking to a girl fish. Both are holding drinks in their fins. The boy fish is asking the astonished girl fish:

"I understand you don’t want to dance, but does that means that spawning is out of the question?"

In the morning I took a taxi to the little ferry which for $2.50 took me across the Tongass Narrows to the airport located on Gravina Island. I checked in at Alaska Airlines and flew to Seattle where I changed planes and continued to Minneapolis, changed again, and arrived to New York late in the evening. There is a four-hour difference between Alaska and New York time.

Not much happened on day 29 so I’ll tell you some ham stories.

A dealer is trying to sell a very big tower to an elderly amateur. The ham is undecided.

"What are you saving your money for - asked the dealer - you can not take it you."

"I neither can take the tower" replied the angry amateur.

Here is another one:

An amateur placed an order for an expensive amplifier. The dealer said:

"I can not fill your new order until you pay for your previous purchase."

"Cancel my order - answered the ham - I can’t wait that long."

And the last one, I promise:

An amateur made a big hole in the wall of his shack for his antenna cables.

To cover the ugly hole he hang over it a picture of his wife. Then he found out that the hole looked better.

It was fun but physically a difficult trip. I lost about eight pounds without doing any aerobics. In 29 days I did not have a decent meal, except for the pizzas, and that includes what I got on the airplanes. I mailed 17 rolls of film for processing and when I received the pictures, a tedious job of identifying over 600 photos followed. I had to write captions one every one before I can submit them for publications.

Once I asked my loving wife:

"Did you read my last travelogue?"

"I certainly hope so!" was her honest answer.

The Alaskan trip was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. That sounds great, but what I really mean is that I wouldn’t do it again. I would rather go to Tahiti where I know for sure that unlike on the Aleutians, there are plenty of trees, and who knows what is hiding behind them.