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K1SRE Mark F. Reinen Phippsburg, ME QCWA # 38445 Chapter 134 |
Life in the fast lane!
My interest in radio started in the 50's. I would listen for hours on end to short wave broadcasts and the local or distant hams on my fathers Hallicrafters SX42 receiver. In 1962 I joined my high school radio club and passed the novice test and then let it lapse,by not upgrading. My '53 Chrysler Saratoga and the other activities got in the way of my new hobby.
In 1965 I joined the US Navy as a Hospital Corpsman. During my four year hitch with the USN I spent two years at US Naval Hospital Yokosuka Japan. The main communication station for the west Pacific was located across the street from the 2000 bed hospital, where I worked in the lab. As I walked by the COMSTA every morning, seeing the large and multiple antennas, would spark my desire to RE-UP my Amateur Radio license.
After I was discharged from the USN I continued my education and went back to college to study Biology. It was there I met Jim, WA2OFI. Jim and I, WB2OFG, had similar hobby interests and he also was licensed back in the '60's and did not continue. So we decided to go for it. In 1974 we studied and took the novice exam at a local ham radio club and soon after we both passed the general and then onto the advanced level. Jim, now K2GMT, and I now K1SRE- best of friends for 40 years.
My main interest in ham radio tends to be towards boat anchors, repairing and refurbishing. I collect Hallicrafters receivers and transmitters. I also enjoy operating high fidelity AM on the 160,75 and 40 meter bands. I also operate CW.
I recently changed my callsign to K1SRE. K1SRE was a callsign assigned to Frederick Grindle ( Hank). On one of my many visits to Bar Harbor Maine I met Hank on two meters. He was usually talking to his friend Vern in Gouldsboro. I enjoyed listening to Hank and his Down East accent. Hank invited me to his home and I would visit him at his home near Hadley Point for several years. Hank was an ex US Navy CPO and was stationed at Otter Cliffs Radio NBD 1917-1921 . Hank was an easy going likable guy with a lot of down to earth wisdom. He was a CW operator and had the straight keys to prove it , maybe fifty or so, lined up around his shack. When Hank was stationed at Otter Cliff NBD, He was in-charge of the new high speed Hoxie Radio Recording Machine that could copy CW speeds up to 900 wpm. Hank received a commendation letter from the Commander of Naval Communications Command Washington D.C. for "pioneering achievements , exceptional skill , imagination and dedication to service".Well done, Hank! Other notables stationed at Radio NBD were Edmund Bruce of the Bruce Array, and H.H Beverage, who ran experiments on his new Idea of the multiple wave length antenna and counterpoise.
After the Armistice, the radiomen of NBD with the use of their 12 KW spark gap transmitter and Alexanderson Barrage Receiver, handled thousands of welfare messages from the returning troops. On November 11,1920 Lieutenant Allessandro Fabbri (the commanding officer of Radio NBD) received the Navy Cross.
Fred Grindle ( Hank) passed away in 1988.
Fred (Hank) Grindle
March 20, 2021