1981: DVRA AMATEUR OPERATORS' "FIELD DAY"

"Old Friends are the Best Friends." Above is a photo of two of my friends from the "DVRA;" (Delaware Valley Radio Association) during my 15 or so years as a member of that organization. An unfortunate and UN-deserved personal email attack some years ago effectively severed my relationship with the group for which I still hold great respect. I fondly recall the wonderful "Hamfests" we had over in the Lawrence National Guard Armory where I was the official sign-maker and general "helper outer." During those pre-cell phone years, I was part of the W2ZQ "commuters' net" which met each morning on the way to work, and each evening on the way home. We came from all points of the compass: Hopewell, Ewing, Hamilton Bucks County, Bordentown and other Burlington County areas. "K2AAR," "AB2F," "K2ZSY," "K2ITX" "W2SVV," "WB2EIZ," "WA2BOO," "W2AEI, K3MNX," "W3ZLP," "WA2JZF," "KA2BJC," "KA2DHA," and I could go on and on. All were a part of a very wonderful era in my life. How time has flown! I was in my 40's when I became a licensed amateur back in the mid 1970's. Today happens to be my 78th birthday, and the memories of the wonderful years I spent communicating with all those wonderful "hams" are indelibly imprinted in my memory. I fully intend to keep my WA2RU amateur license and at some point, I hope to pop up a vertical antenna in my back yard and go international. (Thanks to my dear friend W2AEI who gave me a Kenwood TS820 "work horse," I hope to one day get back on the "DX" trail as I become less and less physically active.)
As a personal observation, amateur radio will still prove to be the saving grace for any terror attacks or other disaster that could come at any time,any place. There will always be those of us who know the Morse code, and those dedicated hams who practice emergency message handling on a daily basis in the event of a national disaster. We seldom hear of them in the local press now that the cell phone has become fashionable. However, during any real emergency, cell phone phones become virtually useless as lines become overloaded. Fortunately there will always be the ham radio fraternity standing by to fill the communications void. We have all heard of the the lack of communication during 911 when the New York Police Department and the New York Fire Department had communication problems. Such would not be the case with amateur radio should a national disaster occur. These dedicated hams are quietly standing by, ready to spring into INSTANT action!

That's what the above field day illustrated above is all about!

JoeZ said...

A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOM WITH MANY MORE TO COME. STOLAT

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Ralph Lucarella said...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOM....BIRTHDAYS ARE OCCURING RAPIDLY FOR BOTH OF US. LET'S HOPE WE'RE STILL AROUND WHEN THINGS IN THIS WORLD AND IN THE TRENTON AREA GET BETTER FOR EVERYONE. BEST WISHES

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Anonymous said...

Tom - Have a happy and very blessed birthday! Hoping the next year is all you want it to be!
Lakeside Girl

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Steve Csorgo Jr said...

Happy Birthday Tom - sorry I'm a little late but busy day on Thursday! Love reading your blog! On vacation next week and hope to stop by the library to give you some more stuff I found. Take care and have a Great Weekend.
Steve Jr

Friday, September 30, 2011

1979: DELAWARE VALLEY RADIO ASSOCIATION CHRISTMAS MESSAGES

Can it be that nearly 30 years have gone by since we DVRA members trudged over to Quaker Bridge Mall and set up the annual amateur radio station? Mall walkers from all over the area stopped by to send a message to that relative, whether in nearby Princeton, or on the other side of the world in Australia. This photo brings back fond memories of the late Leon "Robby" Robinson (K3MNX), and the late Ernie Forte, whose call sign I can't seem to recall even after all those daily conversations we had on the W2ZQ repeater of the Delaware Valley Radio Association. Thankfully, Bob Schroeder is still with us. He has changed call signs from that old familair WA2JZF to today's N2HX. Mark "Markie" Holcombe (Wa2DWY) is also alive and well, even though he has moved out of the area. Those years I spent as an active member of the DVRA are full of very pleasant memories with amateur colleagues who were absolutely the very best. I will keep and treasure those memories until I become what we hams call a "silent key."

1947: DVRA AMATEUR RADIO CLUB

BACK IN TRENTON'S GLORY YEARS, THE DELAWARE VALLEY RADIO ASSOCIATION HELD A DINNER MEETING IN THE HOTEL STACY TRENT IN DOWNTOWN TRENTON. THE LATE ED RASER, MENTIONED IN THE ARTICLE ABOVE, WAS A TRENTON RADIO PIONEER AND A REAL GENTLEMAN.

1927: AMATEUR RADIO AT THE READY

AS USUAL, THE AMATEUR RADIO FRATERNITY WAS AT THE BECK AND CALL OF UNCLE SAM SHOULD THERE BE ANOTHER WAR. WITH THE ARRIVAL OF THE CELL PHONE AND COMPUTERS, AMATEUR RADIO HAS LOST SOME FUNCTIONS WHICH IT DID SO SPLENDIDLY FOR OVER 100 YEARS. HOWEVER, IF THERE IS EVER A 9-11 TYPE DISASTER, THE AMATEURS CAN BE DEPENDED UPON TO SUPPLY EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS WHEN THE CELL PHONES ARE SWAMPED. EVEN TODAY, OUR LOCAL GUARDIANS OF THE RADIO SPECTRUM HOLD REGULAR ON THE AIR EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS PRACTICES, ASSISTING POLICE AND FIRE, AND PASSING MESSAGES TO VICTIMS' FAMILIES. IT'S COMFORTING TO KNOW THAT THESE DEDICATED FOLKS ARE LIKE OUR VOLUNTEER FIREMEN, READY AT THE FIRST SIGNS OF A DISASTER.

1931 AND 1932: THE DELAWARE VALLEY RADIO ASSOCIATION

I WAS A MEMBER OF THE "DVRA" FOR MORE THAN 25 YEARS. DVRA IS THE TRENTON AREA AMATEUR RADIO CLUB WHOSE CALL SIGN IS W2ZQ. CEASER ARENA, LEON ROBINSON, ERNIE FORTE, SID DIETZ, PAUL, TIM, AND BILL WOOLVERTON, DICK AMRICH, ROBIN HORSNALL, BOB SCHROEDER, JACK BROWN, AND MANY OTHER INTELLECTUAL AMATEUR RADIO OPERATORS FROM MY YEARS ON THE DAILY "COMMUTER NET" PROVIDED VERY ENLIGHTENING AND ENJOYABLE CONVERSATIONS AS WE DROVE TO AND FROM OUR WORK PLACES.

2007: ATTENTION FELLOW RADIO AMATEURS

ABOVE IS AN EXTRACT FROM NJ S1099, A RECENTLY PASSED N.J. LAW WHICH EXEMPTS AMATEUR RADIO OPERATORS FROM THE NEWLY PASSED LAW WHICH PROHIBITS "HANDS ON" COMMUNICATION AND TEXT MESSAGING.

"Field Day" Ca. 1950

From the Steve Csorgo collection comes this news clipping which shows members of a local amateur radio group participating in "Field Day." This is an annual June affair, where amateur operators take to the wild outdoors to test their craft. In times of emergency, amateur radio is an invaluable communication tool, in many cases providing the only method of contacting the outside world in catastrophic earthquake, terror attack, or other life threatening events.

Delaware Valley Radio Association

Through 74 years, the amateur radio operators from DVRA have been ready, willing and able to provide emergency communications whenever and wherever disaster strikes. DVRA Headquarters is in West Trenton at the Bear Tavern Road Exit of Route 95 South. They can be contacted at www.w2zq.com