I used to work him regularly on 40 CW. He had a beautiful fist on his Bug. We never met for an eyeball QSO, but we developed a warm relationship over time.
He was a retired maritime operator and we enjoyed swapping sea stories. We had some real long rag-chews. We certainly weren't QRQ ops. Most commercial maritime ops weren't. I'd putter in the shop while he regaled me with the details of an long-ago exploit, then I'd pour a fresh cup of Java and take my turn. Sometimes we wouldn't work each other for a few months. We never kept a sked. We just bumped into each other on the band from time to time, recognizing each other's fists instantly while tuning around. One day he answered my CQ. I didn't recognize him at first. His fist was not right. Indeed, it sounded far too mechanical. He explained and apologized. He had suffered a stroke. In spite of physical therapy he had not recovered enough control over his hand to operate a key, not even a straight key. So, to get on the air, he bought a keyboard and was poking at it with one finger - the best he could do with his crippled hands. Of course I was simply glad he was still on the air. If I were to run across him on SKN, I would not vote for him as "best fist". That'd be an insult, But I'd likely vote for him as "best QSO" and mean it from my heart. I hone my skills on my straight key and my bugs every chance I get. I'll enjoy the keys just like every other part of life to the extent I am able. Especially those parts of life that touch and encourage others. It's what he taught me to do. Ron AC7AC _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [email protected] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
