I was a naval pilot at the end of WWII, then became a civilian test pilot. My job was to test fly ex...

1. Ten Things To Love On The Subject Of 10 Gauge Radio
I was a naval pilot at the end of WWII, then became a civilian test pilot. My job was to test fly
experimental F4U Corsairs as well as production models off the assembly line. "Test pilot" is an
exciting name that can be given to pilots, like Chuck Yeager, who was first to break the sound
barrier as well as to many unrecognized people who test aircraft, small or large, off of production
lines every working day. My duties required both. Most of my associates and I flew production
testing; five of us also flew experimental (the Chuck Yeager types).
10:10 is an organization that calls itself a network of icom 2 way radios buffs. Their self-proclaimed
mission is to meet new friends. That sounds like a social network until you realize it's actually a
group of sick, over-the-top, unscrupulous, environmental whackos hell-bent on getting their alarmist
global warming message out how ever they can.
She has created the Sally Ride Science, which was created to introduce young girls to the field of
science and math. It has been one of her lifetime goals regardless of the age group she was
teaching. The Sally Ride club is especially geared to upper elementary and middle school girls in an
attempt to get them interested in science, math and technology.
Learn some weather prediction skills. One of the biggest dangers on the water is sudden wind
changes. Wind can make kayaking very difficult to impossible at times. Learn how to view the clouds
and what they mean. Pay attention to the stories from your area about what to look for for wind or
for rain. Get licensed for icom marine radio to listen to the forecasts and be able to communicate to
other mariners about the weather. Local kayak centers often provide short courses in the local
weather patterns and what to look for.
Getting to some missions when I'm not doing in-town comm duty. I don't drive so I have to rely on a
team member to pick me up if they're going through the area. Once there, the hardest part is first
steps towards mission organization. Once that's done though, and training kicks in, the searchers
fall into line. It's like going to school and getting out for the summer. Over the summer you might
forget a bit of what you learned, and your body is not back on the rigid schedule required of school,
so the first week or two of returning can be quite an adjustment.
There was a time when we had a radio mast that included mounting of a Shortwave Ham antenna, a
CB Radio antenna, and our Television antenna together. It was quite the sight in our neighborhood
when dad's friends; Jocko and Claude, on a Saturday morning, brought that mast in on a company

2. truck. Dad had built it himself and meant it as a surprise for all of us kids. He had made a decision to
involve us in icom communications as a shared hobby. The mast was triangular, built of 1.5 inch
thinwalled square stock aluminum, and was 35 ft. in height.
The squelch control on your radio's console is designed to remove all the annoying static etc when
no signal is coming through. Turn the squelch down to the point where the static just disappears and
no further or you won't be able to hear a breaker coming through.
The Chesapeake Bay has a muddy bottom almost everywhere, and so do the tributaries draining into
it, which makes them a stubborn enemy for a keel-boat but forgiving none-the-less. I learned my
lessons well, though, and knock-on-wood I haven't run aground since - - - and Davie Jones, Poseiden
and King Neptune willing, I won't again, soon.