RadioBanter - View Single Post

May 1st 06, 04:26 AM posted to rec.radio.amateur.antenna

On Sun, 30 Apr 2006 15:55:15 -0500, (Richard
Harrison) wrote:

Tom, W8JI wrote:
"--Harrison probably hasn`t even owned a bug catcher coil being a
technician class license holder."

You don`t need to own things to understand them.

I have a technician class radio amateur license renewed after its
initial ten-hear term. My First FCC license was a 1st class
radiotelephone license passed on my first attempt at the test in the
Houston FCC Office in early 1949. Shortly thereafter I got a call from
a Houston broadcaster that resulted in employment at a plant housing two
AM atations which shared a common antenna system. From there I went to
work in medium-wave and shortwave broadcasting stations for a dozen
years, got several college degrees including a BSEE.

I took a job with a petrochemical conglomerate which called me in 1960
saying that it intended to "automate" its operations and they thought I
might be helpful. In their employment, I installed low-frequency
aircraft beacons, 6-GHz microwave, shortwave AM, FM, and SSB. Installed
telephones and electric power plants.

The conglomerate found, produced, transported, traded, refined.
manufactured and marketed oil and gas and products made from them. That
was only a start. The company mined materials from the earth and from
the sea bottom. It farmed, manufactured tractors and automobile
components and tools. It built nuclear submarines, surface ships,
natural gas tankers which consumed their own boil off, and it laid pipe
across Canada and the U.S.A. It even consulted for other countries on
the best ways to install and operate pipelines. I worked with a handfull
of others for the subsidiary that did that for awhile. The company sold
insurance because insurance companies have mush of the capital, and for
a similar reason it bought and operated banks.. We made PVC and other
chemical products. I worked in many of the company`s divisions when they
asked for my services. We eventually put the pipeline divison under
computer control from from Houston dispatcher`s office. Hundred of
remotes were involved between Maine and Mexico.

I`ve wound plenty of coils and tuned many mobile whips with my own
hands. We used HF radios from Ecuador to Tierra del Fuego. I`ve worked
on HF and VHF radios in the company`s aircraft. When I retired in 1986,
I was manager of telecommunications.

Best regards, Richard Harrison, KB5WZI

Bravo, Richard!