Anyone want a 26' dish? :)

[JAS]

I'm not sure of the size of the one I posted the picture of either. But I do know it's 25 to 30 feet. I'm in Nevada so, as SpiffWilkie stated it's not the same one.

 

[spacebug42]

It sounds like a great offer, but I don't know where to put it. I'm a ham myself and I used to have the dream of doing EME, but not any more.

 

[SpiffWilkie]

Turns out that this is the same dish. From an email I just received:

It belonged to Paul Wilson - W4HKK. He passed away a couple of years back, and was one of the first, if not the first, to work amateur radio on moonboounce, or EME(earth-moon-earth). It was given to him as military surplus, and all he had to do was pay the shipping. It came in as I am told by rail.

He also gave me the address which matches up to the location that was mentioned earlier. I guess the size was exaggerated a bit (never happens in this hobby, I'm sure )

He was quite well known in the radio community, it seems. From this page:

ZCZC AX10
QST de W1AW
Special Bulletin 10 ARLX010
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington CT December 1, 1999
To all radio amateurs

SB SPCL ARL ARLX010
ARLX010 VHF-UHF Pioneer Paul M. Wilson, W4HHK, SK

VHF-UHF pioneer Paul Wilson, W4HHK, of Collierville, Tennessee, died
November 29. He was 75.

A stalwart in the 144-MHz and Microwave Standings, Wilson remained
active right up until his health deteriorated earlier this year. In
early July, he completed his VUCC on 10 GHz. He celebrated his 75th
birthday in September by making his first contact on 24 GHz.

''Paul's life should inspire every amateur to strive to always try
something new in Amateur Radio, regardless of age or health,'' said
ARRL Vice President Joel Harrison, W5ZN--a friend of Wilson's. ''He
has definitely been an example for me.''

Wilson got his ham ticket in 1941 at the age of 16. While still in
high school, he began experimenting on the old 2-1/2 meter band (112
MHz). After World War II, he rekindled his interest in VHF and UHF,
becoming a major figure on the then-new 2-meter band.

During the 1950s, he got involved in meteor scatter propagation. In
1954, W4HHK and Tommy Thomas, W2UK in New Jersey sent and received
reports via 2-meter meteor scatter over a 950-mile (1520 km) path--a
first! W4HHK and W2UK won the ARRL Technical Merit Award for 1955.

Wilson took on the challenge of Earth-Moon-Earth propagation as
well, and in 1961 he began work on an 18-foot dish. He was among
those making their first 70-cm EME contacts in July 1965. From that
frontier, he moved on to attempt 2304 MHz moonbounce, and he won the
ARRL Technical Merit Award for 1969 for his work on that band. In
1970, W4HHK and W3GKP claimed a new record--the first 2304-MHz EME
contact.

In 1972, Wilson used his 18-foot dish to monitor the Apollo X
command module on 2.2 GHz as the astronauts orbited the moon. He
received a NASA confirmation of his reports in the form of a
photograph signed by all the astronauts on the mission.

Noted VHF-UHFer Al Ward, W5LUA, called Wilson ''a true VHF pioneer
and said he would be missed. ''Paul's signal on 2304 EME was like a
beacon station, and his presence will be missed by all who have
worked him in the last 29 years off the moon,'' Ward said.

Wilson retired in 1980 after 30 years as an engineer for TV station
WMC in Memphis. His wife ''DB''--to whom he was married for 54
years--is W4UDQ. His son, Steven, is N4HHK.

A staunch League supporter and ARRL Technical Adviser, Wilson was
frequently in the pages of QST over the years--both as an author and
as a subject. In his December 1999 QST ''It Seems to Us . . .''
editorial, ARRL Executive Vice President David Sumner, K1ZZ, singled
out Wilson as an Amateur Radio hero for his pioneering
accomplishments.

The Central States VHF Society awarded Wilson its Chambers Award in
1986 for ''his continuing technical contributions to UHF, especially
EME on 13cm.''

 

[14karat]

Well there it is... finally got a period on my post from a year ago...
I'd love to have time and $$ to be able to put that monster to good use... just no way I could justify it at this point in time...

 

[SpiffWilkie]

Picture of the same dish (18' apparently).

 

[14karat]

So Steve - when are you scheduling the dismantle and transport?
I wouldn't mind getting my hands on the dish & mount... but I wouldn't want anything to do with that platform...
Just the upper part with the dish would be neat to have -- at ground level.

 

[SpiffWilkie]

So Steve - when are you scheduling the dismantle and transport?
I wouldn't mind getting my hands on the dish & mount... but I wouldn't want anything to do with that platform...
Just the upper part with the dish would be neat to have -- at ground level.

You can have the dish, I'll take the platform. My 5 year-old has been bugging me for a treehouse!

 

[14karat]

Ok - another interesting link on this...
QRZ.COM Callsign W4HHK

 

[SpiffWilkie]

Today I went to see the dish and take some photos. I talked with Paul's widow for a little while and I'm kicking myself for not taking a voice recorder. She had some very interesting information about the dish and Paul. Although, I'm sure the bulk can be found on the internet.
He did get the dish as part of a military surplus program back in the 50's. However, the dish and the platform came dismantled completely. She said the yard looked like a junkyard. He spent three years with a blueprint putting together the dish and platform, sometimes searching for days for one piece amid the pile of metal. He put the dish together on the ground and finally had to call in a crane to set it on top of the platform.
She talked about his poring over maps and papers trying to figure out the position of the moon so that he and another ham in Japan could do an EME experiment. Both had to be pointed at a precise position at a precise time in order to get the bounce to work correctly.
She also lamented at the fact that nowadays people don't experiment on their own. They just buy equipment and plug it in (side note: That's why I like this forum. There are a lot of folks who take time to experiment and try new things. Maybe not to the extent of this man, but this isn't a plug and play hobby for many of us). Her husband, however, spent years testing and building.
The dish hasn't been in use in years.
Also, check out the mailbox! What a good idea for a waterproof yet easily accessible place for switches and other connections.

Anyhow, talk about an understanding wife. I know mine isn't crazy about the idea of a 10'er in the yard. Imagine asking your wife permission to put this monstrosity out back!

 

[putney]

Great pics, thanks! I'm sure his wife had great stories.

 

[phlatwound]

What an amazing guy, and what a great story, thanks for sharing.

 

[SpiffWilkie]

One more item to note is that I REALLY wanted to get on the platform and take some pictures, but Mrs. Wilson understandably was not too keen on that idea.

...sigh...

 

[toucan-man]

...Anyhow, talk about an understanding wife. I know mine isn't crazy about the idea of a 10'er in the yard. Imagine asking your wife permission to put this monstrosity out back!

As the ancient wisdom goes, beauty is in the eye of the FTA'er.

For comparison, here's a 16 footer on the ground in some guy's backyard. It's a famous landmark in Madison Wisconsin, right next to a major thoroughfare. You can't miss it.