...looking back: Armed Forces Day

by N6XN, Society Historian

From the SARS Newsletter, June 1968

SARS was in there pitching at Skaggs Island on Armed Forces Day, May 19th 1968.  There were nine positions and of the nine SARS had their share.  Although there was some criticism heard that people didn't get to operate because the positions were already filled, nevertheless, some of the SARS people had an opportunity to pound brass and hoot-n-holler on SSB.

NPG made 2175 contacts for the twelve hour period from 7AM PDT until 745PM PDT.  That's a little over 12 hours but to be sure to those who stuck it out for the entire period it seemed like eleventy-seventy hours!  We didn't beat NSS, but we gave them a run for their money.  On several occasions during the day we were ahead of them but it was impossible to maintain the lead.

The 20 meter CW position had difficulty again this year with a Canadian CKN39 with his RTTY blasting away on RY's to hold the channel.  If they had been passing traffic we certainly would have little to scream about.  But it wasn't very neighborly of them to keep the testing going on all day long with no TFC.....when we could have used the frequency to a good advantage.  After 330PM when they finally cleared off....after we gave them all we had with the good old FRT40 transmitter....we had contacts stacked high and wide.  We at least made second place in the lineup at NPG.

The 20 meter SSB really gave us a cleaning....they made about 500 plus contacts against the CW position's 365!  They got first place! And the 40 meter CW position was 3rd!  So all felt they had done a good days work and NPG was vindicated!  We didn't beat NSS  but good old Air Force AIR did!  So we at NPG felt considerably better....NSS can not brag they were undefeated!  WAR had the worst CW operators we ever heard in all the years of operating.  Much criticism is being heaped on  WAR (Army).  AIR had good operators and so did NSS!

It was a wonderful day.  Too bad you all didn't show up!

RM

Editor's notes:

RM was Ron Martin, W6ZF, Colonel, USAF ret'd.  and an excellent CW operator.  He wasn't always objective!

Even though we would show up at 7AM there was very little operating before 8 or even 9AM  The equipment was scattered about and usually had technical problems.  The Navy thoughtfully provided memory keyers for us but we could never find the instructions.  We always brought our own keys and had to adapt the keylines to the circuit.  The actual transmitters were located in Dixon California and were keyed from Skaggs over telephone lines.  Once we got things rolling though, we were able to work pileups!  As RM hinted, it was a long, tiring day but we went back year after year until just before the base closed in 1993.

 N6XN