Talking to Bill, W8VYZ on 40M

[W3GMS]

I am having a nice chat with Ashtabula Bill on 7.290.  He sounds in good spirits.
Joe, W3GMS 

[The Slab Bacon]

I am having a nice chat with Ashtabula Bill on 7.290.  He sounds in good spirits.
Joe, W3GMS 

Kool Beanz! ! ! !  Glad to hear that he is doing well. I havent talked to him in years! !

[W3GMS]

Hi Frank,

I dropped everything I was doing when I heard him fire up.  One never knows how many chance we will have to QSO with him.  He was running about 300W input with his 803 rig.  His big rig is down and from what I understood, it was some sort of power supply issues.  Conditions were fair, but it was still great to chat with the OT'er!

Joe, W3GMS

[The Slab Bacon]

Joe,
      I never will forget one night some years back, Bill used to join us for the "Late night Frank & Gary show" usually around 2:00 AM or so. "Yea, just came down from 20 meters, had a big group up there......." And somehow the topic went to cigarettes. Bill said: " I got one of those Bugler machines, my wife, she uses a Laredo machine, she likes the filters. Both make a pretty good cigarette." So Gary (AA3WH) and myself were teasing him that "If I'm gonna go through all of the trouble to roll my own cigarettes, I want something a little more interesting in them."

It went totally over Bill's head! !  We were laughing our a$$es off! !    

I wonder if he still drives a snowplow?? He was quite remarkable for his age!

God Bless him, good to hear that he is still up and kickin!!

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

He was using one of his tractors to plow when I spoke with him a couple years ago. Another time he was planning to go out back to do some shooting if the grass dried out from a passing rain shower.

Will have to check the log sheets. Not sure if we've worked since the move south. Glad to hear that he's still active, Joe. Need to get the new 40m aerial up soon.

[W3SLK]

I wonder if he still drives his motorhome? I remember staggering out of his rig up at Butler one year. It was difficult but he was smiling as me and Greg (callsign escapes me now), both slid out of his home-on-wheels and back to our perspective vehicles.  Boy was I carrying a 'load' the next day.

[K5UJ]

I am real glad to hear Bill is QRV.   I had been thinking about him lately and wondering if he was okay.  I hope I can have a QSO with him again soon.

[W3GMS]

As George, W1GAC (sk) would say, "old mother time" is catching up with everyone!  I urge you to give Bill a call if you hear him on the air.  I try to roll a little recording every time I catch him. 

Joe, W3GMS