"CQ, CQ - Kilo, Echo, Zero, Golf, Papa"
Okay dad, you are going to need a Kleenex for this one… Nope, I've decided dad you might want to grab the whole Kleenex box;
I'll wait…..
"KE0GP" - This was the call
signal my dad used for his amateur radio (ham radio) when I was growing up. I
swear the entire neighborhood knew his call letters! "Back in the
day" his ham radio equipment was in my brother's childhood bedroom (my brother's
bedroom moved downstairs until he graduated high school). The wires were strung
up a tower in the backyard and onto the roof of our house. Now I'm sure Carl,
my dad, would love to tell you all about the strength and watts for everything
and what direction everything could go, but as a teenager all I cared about was
being able to hear my phone, TV or radio. You see, his hobby hampered with my
teenage social life and to this day I can still hear "Kilo, Echo, Zero,
Golf, Papa." All of this was because the technology was "lacking a
bit" in the late 80's, early 90s. Interference from the ham radio signal
would travel into the TV, radio, or phone and anyone watching said TV, etc,
could hear my dad loud and clear: "Kilo, Echo, Zero, Golf, Papa." This
interference wasn’t only just into our house, sometimes it would overflow into
our neighbors as well. I don’t think the kids of 2020 would stand for this
interference with their electronics; heck I doubt I would!
"CQ, CQ - Kilo, Echo, Zero, Golf,
Papa - KE0GP, Come In"….
Watching my dad with his headphones on, talking to someone across the world always fascinated me. When he talked to someone in another country it was special because it was hard to reach that far with the equipment he was using. The conversations would be short and sweet due to the fact the signal would fade in and out and would generally disappear within 5 minutes or so. Remember, this was before the internet (yes prehistoric years, I know - gasp!). At times, I would sit on the floor and watch him do Morse Code (which is still a foreign language to me). He would press on the steel hammer-like bar to make the "dits and the dots" somehow putting together words for a conversation. Ham radio does not use the internet or access to a phone; it's done via radio frequency bands which the FCC has allocated to be used by amateur radio operators. In years past, reaching the other side of the world, using a wire on top of our house (which was a bit susceptible to lighting strikes) all seemed a bit alien-like to me. There was even a certain glow from the vacuum tubes of the receiver. Yet there's something about the ham radio community; they are genuinely nice people. They will have a short and sweet conversation and wish you well and off to the next person they go, looking to see who they can talk to next. They are made up of both young and older people wanting to talk to someone across town, across the state, across the world or even into outer space (yes, you can talk to astronauts on the ISS in space).
"CQ, CQ - Kilo, Echo, Zero, Golf, Papa - KE0GP, Come In"….
I recall going to the mailbox and
bringing the mail into the house as a teenager. I would see my dad receiving
all kinds of postcards from places all over the world from people he talked to
on the ham radio. The postcards were not terribly fancy and only a few were
funny to me (normally the humor of an engineer is not intriguing to a teenager).
The postcards were signed with just call letters, stamped with the time and
date of when they chatted and simple message. My dad was always proud of the
postcards he received - almost as if it was his award - for talking near and
far away. He'd show them off and identified it on his map; marking every city,
states and even countries he was able to reach. He would then store the
postcards in a shoebox. Then in another week or so my dad would get more postcards
and we would look on the map together and repeat this process. Some of the
postcards would be even be displayed on the wall. I recall thinking I wanted
the postcards to be fancier or prettier or something more my style - but they
weren't about me, they were about his group; about his friends and his memories.
Yet those postcards impacted me .. leaving memories in my mind as well.
"CQ, CQ - Kilo, Echo, Zero, Golf,
Papa - KE0GP, Come In"….
Postcards are kind of like ham radio
operators; they are becoming more and more rare as time goes by. The rise of
the internet in the 1990s has affected the 106 year old amateur radio industry.
In an ever changing world, instead of competing with the internet the Amateur
Radio Organization has created educational courses that can be taken online to
get a license. Yes, you do have to have a license approved by the FCC. There's
also training for emergencies, for contests, and now high school clubs to
promote interest within the "younger crowd." Electronic engineering
has benefited tremendously from the activity of ham radio and in times of
disaster ham radio operators are very valuable to a community. They were used
during emergencies like 9/11 and hurricanes such as Katrina. Operators are
involved in climate change groups as well as events like city marathons. In today's
society their postcards might be sent electronically but some are still sent
the old fashion way.
"CQ, CQ - Kilo, Echo, Zero, Golf,
Papa - KE0GP, Come In"….
With the speed of technology getting a hand written note is becoming a thing of the past. Walking to my mailbox as an adult is a case of wondering if it's really worth the effort. Power bill. Water Bill. Car payment. Insurance. Doctor Bills. More Doctor bills. Why do I even have a mail box?! Can I please make my mailbox disappear? With Covid-19 getting the mail can seem even more redundant. There's something special about opening up the mailbox and finding a postcard from the other side of the world, another state, or right down the road.
Think about it; pen pals (I had one in 4th
grade) were the first global social network. I've always enjoyed opening my
mailbox and receiving handwritten notes from friends or family. This may all
seem old fashioned - maybe it is. Maybe that's the secret to deepening our
connections with the people we care about. At least 97% of Americans text once
a week; several text once a day; quite a few text once a minute. With the flick
of a finger and a the press of a button (half the time I have to check twice to
make sure I sent the text to the right person) even then I still find I have
misplaced texts and misspelled words, short hand messages and half texted
words. Memes, Emojis and Bitmojis are all fun, yet they can all disappear.
"CQ, CQ - Kilo, Echo, Zero, Golf,
Papa - KE0GP, Come In"….
Postcards are a physical object that adds another dimension that
emails cannot; the power of an object is stronger and we remember it longer
than an email or text. Picking out postcards involves a few more steps than
sending a text: first you have to pick out a card - will it be funny &
whimsical, a pretty landscape, somebody in a swimsuit, a "wish you were
here," a vintage postcard, so many to pick from; then one must hand write a
message and know the address, then get a stamp and mail the postcard. These
small gestures can make a huge impact for the person on the receiving end. A
quick hello from far away or near makes the reader want to immediately turn it
over and see who it is from. Your handwriting is on the postcard. Okay so maybe
your handwriting looks like a messy squirrel's nest, but trust me your loved
ones will be thankful for it. On the upside, you can only fit a few words on
them.
What does one say on a postcard? Anything that will fit! Well,
keep in mind anyone with access to the card can still read it but you can give
a quick update. Ideas include lines of a poem, mantra, recipes, an art design,
description of the weather, or just say "I'm thinking of you" or "Wish
you were here" or "I made it safely", "Saw this flower and
thought of you" or "Did you see the Dodgers game yesterday?" The
point is the very core of connectivity - I am thinking of you. In an era of
broadcasting every feeling on social media there is something more personal
about a handwritten note.
"CQ, CQ - Kilo, Echo, Zero, Golf,
Papa - KE0GP, Come In"….
Postcards last a lifetime and they are
special - a kind hearted gesture because they are personally picked out by you.
Postcards are easy to fit into a suitcase and they are easy to find - most
souvenir shops, truck stops, hotel lobbies, newspaper stands, antique shops,
vintage stores, etc will carry them. Postcards look great on the wall, as a
bookmark or as fridge art. Postcards can inspire others to want to travel or to
feel included in your travels. They can make people feel important and loved. Postcards
may be small and flimsy but don’t under estimate their power.
"CQ, CQ - Kilo, Echo, Zero, Golf,
Papa - KE0GP, Come In"….
Postcards provide a glimpse in time and can keep track of travels.
Before the times of social media, people used postcards to relish the
highlights of their trip. As a child I would buy postcards and send them to
friends and even to myself. We often camped in South and North Dakota or in
Colorado. Occasionally we would make the car trip to California. During those
travels, I always enjoyed picking out some funny postcard or even a book of
postcards. I would sit backwards with head resting on my mom's headrest of her
seat and my feet up my seat (no seatbelt - gasp again!) and I would journal and
write postcards home. Yes, I wrote a lot back then too. I guess, once a writer,
always a writer. I am a sucker for the pretty postcards or ones with an animal
or a map describing the area. I would pick one out, write how much I loved this
place, maybe writing a simple date and time and send it home to myself. I'd
often forget about it. Two weeks later the postcard would be waiting in my
mailbox when I got home from vacation. Sometimes the postcard provided the best
picture of the sunset at the ocean or the lion yawning at the zoo. It always
helped that postcards have the best artwork and beautiful design. At least I
knew I had one good picture giving justice to whatever place I was at,
especially in an era when I couldn’t see the picture on my phone before being
developed. Our travel habits and style have really changed. We now look to our
smartphones and cameras to take photographs as travel souvenirs.
"CQ, CQ - Kilo, Echo, Zero, Golf,
Papa - KE0GP, Come In"….
Almost anything can be made into a postcard nowadays. It’s a huge body of work. Postcard collecting is called Deltiology; which might not interest you unless you are going to be on Jeopardy (in which case you need to say hi to Alex Trebek for me). Postcard collecting is the 3rd largest collectible hobby worldwide - only to coins and stamps. Wherever you are, whatever you like, there’s a postcard for it. There are vintage postcards; state postcards with big "Wish You Were Here" letters; picture perfect scenery postcards… Keep spinning that card carousel until you find the perfect one ..There are see-through postcards; Some are made out of cork, particularly from Spain where cork trees are grown. There are novelty postcards made out of copper, wood, aluminum, linen or silk. You can find googly little eyes moving on some postcards. In Salt Lake City you might find a postcard with a bag of sand attached to the postcard. I've seen hallmark cards cut in half and reused to make into postcards; or Starbucks cup holders with a stamp and note on it to made into a postcard. I've even seen a maple leaf pressed to show off its autumn colors and taped onto colored paper to make it more sturdy. The backside had the address and postage and a message. Online there are a variety of apps and sites one can pick from to help create personal postcards as well.
The largest recorded postcard in the Guinness World Records
was in Hong Kong on Dec 17th, 2014. The postcard was double sided on single
sheet and had images of shoes for a promotion at Christmas time with a message
of "May All Wishes Come True." It weighed 48.7 kg (~107.37 lbs) and was
57.188 sq meters (615.57 sq ft). I don’t think that one would fit in a mailbox
(nor would I want to pay the postage on it)!
"CQ, CQ - Kilo, Echo, Zero, Golf,
Papa - KE0GP, Come In"….
The "Postcards" I am creating for each state are more of a journal artwork of the state to tell a story of the state on one piece of paper. It's what I would love to find on a postcard for that state - but probably isn't available anywhere. I call it a postcard because it will be going in with my collection of postcards coming from each state. It's also a postcard to me because postcards are valuable to me; traveling down my "rabbit hole" of postcard collecting.
When I create a postcard it
releases stress and takes my mind off of everything; I zone out. I'm creating
my own memories. Doing this blog I realized I started collecting postcards when
I was little during our family travels. I also witnessed my dad collecting
postcards; taking pride in talking to people across the United States and
reaching out across the world to anyone he could. I've continued collecting
postcards throughout my travels as an adult. I could never identify my
fascination with them - until now. I'm now sending away for postcards about
different states. I'm also asking for friends and family to send me postcards
from anyplace or anywhere they find interesting. I hope this blog explains why
it's important to me.
"CQ, CQ - Kilo, Echo, Zero, Golf,
Papa - KE0GP, Come In Dad "…
My dad recently found his old postcards in a shoebox in his garage.
It struck a memory of past times of him talking on his ham radio. With
retirement looming he's been inspired to dig out the box with his radio
equipment. He now has a newer, fancier and updated antenna and with less
"umph" he is actually able to talk further than he could in past
years. Technology sure has improved over the years!
My dad recently changed his call signal to his mom's old call letters. His new call is K6ENK. His mom's nickname was "Extremely Noisy Kid" when she was doing ham radio (she has since passed away). This nickname is very appropriate for my dad and his bygone days of rattling the entire neighborhood to talk across the world. Now he doesn’t use the microphone as often as he used to; he mostly does Morse Code. I'm sure by using his mom's call letters my dad can sit and remember his time as a child with his mom (and dad) when they did ham radio back in 1960's. It's a way to feel connected once again to the ones we love and miss…. Yep, finding those postcards does give body to new and old memories.
"CQ, CQ - Kilo, Six,
Echo, Nancy, Kilo - K6ENK Come In Dad " …
YY
I
Y-YY --- YYY- Y
love
-Y-- --- YY-
you
-.. .- -.. / .. / .-.. --- ...- . / -.-- --- ..- / .- -. -.. / -- .. ... ... / -.-- --- ..- / -.. . .- .-. .-.. -.-- .-.-.- / -.-- --- ..- / .- .-. . / .- -. / .- -- .- --.. .. -. --. / ..-. .- - .... . .-. / -....- / .- .-.. .-- .- -.-- ... / .... .- ...- . / -... . . -. --..-- / .- .-.. .-- .- -.-- ... / .-- .. .-.. .-.. / -... . -.-.-- / ... . -. -.. .. -. --. / .- .. .-. / .... ..- --. ... .-.-.- / - .. -. .-
See dad, if you didn’t have the entire
Kleenex box don’t say I didn’t warn you. J
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please note: I've also posted "My Alabama Postcard Artwork" in a separate blog this week to show my artwork to the postcard I created.
If anyone is interested in sending me a postcard please let me know and I'll give you my address.
Thanks!
Stay Safe and Healthy! Much love!
Christina 💜
