Welcome! You are now entering
GROUP 7155 in the Morning!
... and now at 4:15( +/-) pm Pacific for Happy Hour!

Start Your Mornings on 7.155

And New! Happy Hour at 4pm Pacific for the ones
who are sequestered at their QTH. Stop by!

Hi Everyone, both New and Long-Term Hams. We want you to know that you are welcome here.

We started out as a party of three around 2010 and grew and grew. My how time flies! We start milling around on 7.155 MHz at approximately 1415 UTC 7 days a week and last about 90 minutes, give or take. We welcome everyone to join in. We use Netlogger and 4 very powerful SDRs (Sedona, Utah, Half Moon Bay and Kiwi - see them below). We talk about lots of Topics: antennas, RF, SWR, SDR, new amps, movies, RV maintenance, towers, masts, 64/1 baluns, new and old radios, amplifiers, how to make coffee, how to make tea, movies, but we have a solid rule, no politics, swearing (which politics can cause), off-color jokes, and no religion which is a wonderful thing but not a good topic for ham radio.

And please don't use our list to fan out political hate mail to our members! We don't want it, we don't need it and it doesn't belong here. We are not looking to be radicalized. Besides, it's just common sense and more importantly, you should know better.

Who do you want to roundtable with?

Okay, whew, sorry about that. Let me get my broom out and dust things off. It's just common sense and it makes it so much nicer to be a part of an easy-going group that you can join in without feeling like an outsider or you need an opinion to belong to Group 7155. We are NOT a Net even though we use NetLogger, we are just a bunch of guys yackin' about a hobby they truly love and every-single-thing that goes with it. When the group gets large we invoke a 2 minute at the mike rule so that everyone can get a turn. When I first joined in 2013 I learned a lot about how to set up my station and trim my antenna, and then so much more. We have nuclear scientists, rocket scientists, ex-ship captains, pilots, RVers, an HRO employee, actors, regular Joes and more. So, start your day here and Join Us! Stop by and see what the buzz is all about. Tell em the Zebra sent you.

Put on some free ears!

SDR IMAGE LINKS (shown below): You will notice they not only take you directly to the SDR, they are already set up for our frequency! Tip: Use Edge, Opera, Safari or Firefox as your browser. If you try using Internet Explorer you will most likely have "no-audio" issues. Now, these SDRs count on donations, so don't forget to make yours to these fine SDR people who work hard so you can hear all the stations in your group.

 

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Internet Explorer will not work because of audio issues.

netLogger: Probably one of the greatest tools for hams yet is netLogger. We use netLogger to aid in making sure everyone gets to have a turn at the mike. netLogger is a great software program, has chat too. So if you don't have it you should get it, and it is FREE. Makes it so easy to follow the Group. Just click the netLogger logo link below.

 

Need NetLogger? Get the latest release at:

And Please if you can:

GROUP 7155 SPONSOR'S GALLERY FOR 2020!

To Sponsor Group 7155
Click the Donate button to Join Us

GREAT VIDEO - JOHNATHAN - AI6NA

THAT IS HIM PLAYING GUITAR IN THE BACKGROUND

AND A TOUR OF HIS RANCH

A Letter to a Friend

Toledo, Ohio
I was a student and friend of your grandfather Louis Galambos. He was a great man and he inspired me, as well as so many others into a lifetime in the communications industry, including telecommunications and the space program at Vandenberg AFB, CA. I met Lou first in January 1953 at Macomber High School, Toledo(photo, left), in the Radio and Communications class. I was 14 about 5'0" and 85 pounds, the smallest and youngest of the class. The days in his class started with 5 minutes of Morse code and then into the basics of electronics. In the summer of 1953, we were living on Lewis Avenue, across from Whittier School (Where Danny Thomas went to grade school) and he would pick me up in the mornings and then on to school. Under his coaching, I built and tested a simple 25-Watt radio transmitter.

Macomber High School

1953 & Off to the FCC!

I also learned basics of sheet metal work, components and how to solder correctly etc. What a feeling of ecstasy when it worked and did. I learned a lot!

In the fall of 1953, I practiced Morse code more at home, using makeshift equipment as I could not even afford a telegraph key. I also studied for the Novice written exam. The big day came, and I traveled to Detroit by Greyhound, took and passed the test. In those days traveling from Toledo to Detroit for a 15-year-old was a big deal and I had to be at the FCC office by 8:00 am. Lou was quite proud of me.

Unfortunately, my family moved to the Cincinnati area in April of 1954, so I could not continue at Macomber High. I did not let this stop me and I finally came on $25.00 to buy a used receiver and I was soon up and running. In September 1954, I passed the General class license at Cincinnati and began working part time in a television shop. Ham radio operations included lots of television interference those days.

By fall 1955 we moved back to Toledo and in November I was interviewed and hired by AT&T Long Lines, starting to work in June 1956 for $49.50 a week. Multiplex single sideband long distance transmission systems, microwave relay and early transcontinental network television transmission were right down my alley. Thank God for the running start and inspiration that your grandfather gave me. I am certain there are many more of his students who could tell similar stories.

I finished my career, heavily involved in the space program, on the technical side of the ending of the Cold War. The Soviets could not compete with the US Air Force, Star Wars, The Rail Garrison and the satellite surveillance programs emanating from Vandenberg as well as other locations. Vandenberg is known as the Western Missal Test Range and many persons Civilian and Military participated in the effort. I was lead engineer on many of the communications programs, especially Titan IV, working for a government contractor. There were also government program directors which interfaced closely.

I am aware that Lou served in the Navy in WWII, on the USS Denver, a Light Cruiser. Lou never talked of his battle experience and he probably joined the ships company a bit after Pearl Harbor. The Denver won eleven battle stars and participated in nearly every major battle in the pacific. There were several instances of major battle damage, including kamikaze attack. Being the great man that he was, Lou never spoke of his battle experiences.

I gave up ham radio for many years, as it was too like my work and even let my ham license expire while I was working on communications in Saudi Arabia. I retired quite young from Vandenberg and lived in Baja California Sur Mexico for a time, returning to the live in the US in Southern California.

After about ten years of retirement, I realized that I missed the technical side of life and went back into ham radio in a big way. I obtained the Extra class license in a short time and proceeded with not just operating but teaching and helping others into the Hobby. I moved to Florida several years ago and live in the beautiful area of Rainbow Springs, near Ocala. I have a super high-tech Soft Ware Defined station and communicate around the world on a regular basis. For young people, ham radio is a wonderful gateway into a life of engineering and science.

Today, I contacted another of Lou's students and a friend of mine since the late 1940's. He lives in the general area and we will have lunch next week. We had not spoken in about sixty-five years. I met him in the 4th grade, Wayne Heter is his name, W8PNO. How I located him is a long and very neat story, which I will save for another day.

All of this is a tribute to your Grandad and the great man that he was. He touched our lives and we all miss him. High School teacher, college professor, businessman, husband and family man. They simply don't make that kind anymore!

Phil Hogan,
W8PNZ

more pics to be added in next update

Don't miss your chance for Ham Radio Fun!