The AM Forum

Bob - N2HM, formerly WA3JYT and I had a nice visit with Bill - W3DUQ yesterday at the Hickory House Nursing home.  Bill's brain was as active as ever thinking of all kinds of new inventions.   We then drove by his old QTH and it has changed quite a bit. 

73,
Joe - W3GMS 

Not sure what the situation is, but can he not be provided with a laptop & a wifi connection?
Or, lacking that the wireless phone providers also sell a USB dongle that gives internet connection just about anywhere...

I know if I was in such a situation, I'd want it. Not to mention there are online receivers to listen in with.

                    _-_-

A fellow ham here who is now an SK was in the nursing home for a while and was allowed to have a transceiver in his room and a dipole out the window.  Don't know if that is an option in this case.

I've heard of that too. The maintenance man was friendly about it and oversaw the putting up of a dipole between two trees and as long as no damage was done to the roof  or window the facility management was happy to go along. There have also been cases of facilities having a donated ham station, although space is always at a premium. Something like that could serve many over time. The worst thing about nursing homes for those with still active minds is the boredom and loneliness.

I sure miss him on the "whatz fah dinnah" net! Him and Ralphie were the ones that started it by discussing what 2 old bachelors were going to make for their dinner that evening.........

Frank

I go back to 1966 when I first talked to Bill and the QSO's over the years were great!  I remember when Bill was operating from his parents place before moving to Icedale.   The first thing he did when he got the Icedale property from his Dad was to string up some antenna's.  He would then drive up and connect his mobile lash-up to the new wire antenna way up in the tree's.  The mobile rig was an Elmac AF-67 and I do forget what receiver he used. 

As an SWL in 64 and 65, I use to listen to Bill and he was always one of the big guns on 75.  W3DUQ and W3FDY were definitely the "Tall Ships"!

The "Whats for Dinner Net" is still on from what I hear!  The last time I tuned in, Bert - WA3JYU was talking to Karl - KD3CN.   When Bill was on the WFDN I always remember him cooking some dinner in his microwave oven.  I am not sure he ever used a "real oven"!       

Joe, GMS 

I first heard Bill around 1968 as an SWL and then started talking with him when I got my advanced ticket in '73. He used to run a net on 3870 every Sunday afternoon that discussed alternative theories of reality, philosophies, religions, and even the paranormal. Miss his presence on the air. He and I share a liking for M.C. Escher and Salvador Dali.

All the best,


Kevin, WB4AIO.

Bill always did enjoy the paranormal. I've had quite a few memorable discussions about things that go bump in the night.

It was 1976 for me. This is when I first tuned into DUQ. I was just a SWL JN and didn't even know amateur radio existed. But it sure sounded cool when listening to Bill and others. Not long after, I got my license. So it's his fault!  ;D

I really miss yapping with Bill. We would get on the Future Net every Sunday afternoon on 3872. Many interesting QSOs.

Future Net, that's the name of the net. I forgot what the name of it was. I was too piss weak to join the net but remember listening on the outside speaker.. :)

I first met Bill on 75M AM in 1972.  He was running an "upside-down" tube rig using 6DQ5 finals and 4CX-300 modulators. (I think)      High level balanced modulator, really.  He had huge audio peaks and smooth hi fi audio.

He hand-drew me a schematic of his rig, mailed it and I built one. Worked FB.  Visited him in Icedale once back in the 90's.


The acceleration of time is quite shocking and it's sad to think that so many things that seemed would last forever are now gone or going away. Bill was one of those never-ending institutions on the air that I took for granted.

We must all strive to get on the air and have some fun as often as we can.

T

 

Maybe I missed it tl;dr, but why is Bill in hospice care?

That would be the year I tried for my ticket the first time. I passed the written easily but the code eluded me so I gave up for a while. I retried in 92 for a no code and got it. It was the AMer's that inspired me to get the code and join them.

Bill is not under Hospice care but is in a nursing home.  He has some mobility issues and he finds it very comfortable to be where he is.  The name of the facility is "Hickory House" and its located probably less than a mile from where Bill's old Icedale QTH.

Tom,
Don't forget the big amplifier that he ran the upside down tube final into!   The framework for the upside down tube final was a reworked Heathkit Apache.  No matter what transmitter Bill was on he always sounded the same! 
Joe, W3GMS     

Back in 1966, I repaired an old Delco table radio (1949 vintage) that included shortwave coverage. Tuning across the 75 meter amateur band, I heard lots of slopbucket...and this beautiful AM signal with pear-shaped tones...it was Bill, W3DUQ. He was talking about UFOs and played a speeded-up (a la Alvin the Chipmunk) countdown ("10, 9, 8," etc.) with a sound of a rocket taking off. Another station in the roundtable asked, "What was that?" and Bill answered, "Just something that got into my audio". 'DUQ sounded like an excellent broadcast announcer from such legendary stations as WNEW (AM) and WOR.

It would be great if he could be set up with some kind of amateur station at the nursing home.

Wow... never heard that one! He did sound like an announcer, and better than most. Not like a screaming Top 40-type jock, though. Bill spoke the most amazing and radical ideas with patience, warmth, and calm serenity -- along with a mischievous "twinkle in the eye" -- that had to be experienced to be understood.

All the best,

Kevin, WB4AIO.

CQ100 would be a perfect match for Bill.  Very easy to set up and someone outside could set up a simulcast so Bill could get on the air via the internet

http://www.qsonet.com/

I manage a SSB net and plan on using it to reconnect some folks - one moved to a condo and has high level interference while another retired and moved out of the 75 meter coverage area.  Both will benefit from the simulcast connection

It's greatly under utilized and is a perfect match for many who are RF challenged.

Al