As I type this, I am one-handed. I just had surgery on my left wrist.
In the last three years, I have had seven surgeries. Three are the result of an auto accident that I was injuried in, during March, 2005. This accident was caused by a driver of a small truck owned by a drilling company. The driver was "looking out over the water for the boat" that was causing the Hood Canal Bridge to be open. When there is marine traffic through the bridge, the bridge opens up, allowing the ship to cross through the open bridge. This is sort of like a draw bridge, but it opens differently. The end result of such an opening is that all the traffic is stopped on either side of the bridge's marine opening.
Well, we were the last vehicle in the stopped line of west-bound traffic. We were sitting there, waiting, like all of the vehicles in front of us. The driver of the drilling truck, however, somehow did not comprehend that we were all stopped, and was looking leasurely out over the water to the south of the bridge, when he plowed into the rear of my vehicle at about 40 miles per hour. This then caused my vehicle to crash into the vehicle in front of us, causing us to go under the back of that vehicle. This double-impact caused the air bags to deploy on the second impact.
There were three of us in my vehicle. My wife, my youngest son, and myself (driver). We are all alive. However, my wife has already had to have neck surgery where they had to remove a disc, and then replace that with a cadavior bone, and then fuse all that together. She got screwed - literally - with four titanium screws and a plate. She is coninuing to have issues, with the low back. This might result in another surgery.
I have had three surgeries (knee and hands). The other surgeries are to help me breath (sleep apnea, etc.).
I am no longer the State Director for Washington State Army MARS. Due to medical issues, I just could not do that volunteer work any longer.
I will update the news, again, soon.
May, 2003
I was assigned the role of the Washington State Army MARS Emergency Operations Officer, AAM0EWA. This includes establishing training for the MARS membership in Washington State for emergency communications preparation, procedures, and so forth. And, when a real emergency takes place, to help facilitate the Washington State Army MARS response.
I was diagnosed as having Type II Diabetes! This explains a lot of the difficulties I have had in the last few years. It also is quite a shock to discover that I have this health issue. The learning journey is intense. But, so far, I am doing well with medications and a diet change.
January, 2003
My wife, Leigh, and my oldest son, Atreju, both obtained their Technician Amateur Radio License. Leigh is now KD7TZR, and Atreju is KD7TZQ. Congradulations to both of you!
July, 2002
Check out the October 2002 Issue of Popular Communications. It will contain the first of my monthly Propagation Corner articles.
May 16, 2002
Do you have a Cell Phone that has WAP capabilities? If so, you can get the current Propagation conditions with your cell phone by directing your WAP-enabled Cell Phone or Cell device to http://wap.hfradio.org. This only works with a WAP device. I will expand the features as time moves forward.
New Web Resource:http://shortwave.hfradio.org - Check out the NEWShortwave Radio Resource Center. This is my new area where I will collect and share everything that has to do with the excellent Shortwave Radio Listening Hobby.
March, 2002
Please check out the JUNE 2002 issue of Popular Communications. I have another propagation article due to be published.
September 17, 2001
CQ Communications, Inc. / 25 Newbridge Rd. / Hicksville, NY 11801 / USA
Phone: 516-681-2922 / Fax: 516-681-2926 / e-mail: cq@cq-amateur-radio.com
NEWS RELEASE
For release: Immediate (9/17/01)
For more information, contact:
Rich Moseson, W2VU, Editor
516-681-2922 / w2vu@cq-amateur-radio.com
George Jacobs, W3ASK, to Step Down as CQ Propagation Editor Tomas Hood, NW7US, Takes Over Column in January, 2002
(Hicksville, NY) -- After more than a half century of writing CQ magazine's monthly Propagation
column, George Jacobs, W3ASK, will be stepping down as the magazine's Propagation Editor at the
end of the year. Jacobs, who celebrated his 50th anniversary in the position last March, will
remain on the CQ staff as Contributing Editor Emeritus and will continue to author feature
articles about radio wave propagation as well as personal reminiscences of his more than 60 years
as a leader in both amateur and broadcast radio. Jacobs will be succeeded as Propagation Editor by
Tomas Hood, NW7US, as of the January, 2002, issue of CQ.
Earlier this year, Jacobs was honored by the Dayton Hamvention as its "Amateur of the Year," in
recognition not only of his contributions to amateur radio but to broadcasting as well. Jacobs was
instrumental in building the Voice of America's worldwide shortwave network as well as other
shortwave broadcasting facilities. A world-renowned expert in radio wave propagation, he runs a
broadcast consulting company in suburban Washington, DC.
He became CQ Propagation Editor in March, 1951, and has produced a column every month since, never
missing a deadline, even while traveling to distant countries. Jacobs was also one of the fathers
of the OSCAR amateur satellite program and served as CQ’s Space Communications Editor prior to the
launch of OSCAR-1 in 1961. Jacobs says he's giving up the propagation column because he and his
wife want to travel without the restrictions imposed by a monthly deadline.
Hood, a resident of Brinnon, Washington, is founder and CEO of AccessNow! Interactive Services, a
computer and internet consulting firm. He has been a ham since 1989 and holds an Amateur Extra
Class license. Hood's interest in radio propagation predates his amateur license and he currently
runs a comprehensive propagation website on the internet at http://www.hfradio.org/propagation.html.
"George Jacobs is an institution at CQ and in amateur radio," commented CQ Editor Rich Moseson,
W2VU. "Over the past 50-plus years, he has helped demystify propagation for amateurs around the
world, and has a prediction accuracy record that can't be beat. We're sorry to be losing his
monthly input, but we're glad he'll still be sharing his knowledge and experiences with our
readers. I am confident that Tomas Hood will be a worthy successor, based on my discussions with
him and on the clear explanations of propagation-related phenomena on his web page."
CQ Publisher Dick Ross, K2MGA, has worked with Jacobs for more than 40 years. "It's always been
quite awe-inspiring to work with a giant in the telecommunications industry like George," he
noted, "and I look forward to many more years of his continuing contributions." Jacobs announced
the changes in his column in the October, 2001 issue of CQ.
The International Broadcast Search is online. Now you can search a database by frequency, and find out which International Shortwave Broadcasting service is on that frequency. In addition, I've added a lot of other little features to aid your search for information (like prefix's).
January 30, 2000
The Ten Ten International Club is making a challenge to all amateurs, to make 2000 contacts on 10 meters during the year 2000. If you would like to see my log of all QSO's which I've worked on 10 meters during the year 2000, check it out here online!
December, 1999
You can now look up call sign prefixes (at the moment, only current ones, not historic). Hope this helps!
September 10, 1999
Hey! I have placed the NW7US Total Ham Radio Book Store online now. Check it out. I am adding more books and categories as time goes forward. If you have suggestions, let me know.
August 21, 1999
The Magazine, Radio and Communications is reviewing this site in their October issue.
Thomas R. Sundstrom, W2XQ, a Contributing Editor for Radio Netherlands' Media Network, and for Radio and Communications magazine, took the time to review this site and share his finding with the readership. Many many thanks to Thomas and to the magazine!
UPDATE: We've now appeared in several other magazines and several newsletters. The word is getting around! Thank you for being a part of this website. Don't forget: Your input is helpful.
August 21, 1999
NOW AVAILABLE! Sign Up Now!Propagation Reports via Email -- This first version will email to those who have subscribed a report containing the Flux, A index, and K index, with trends, and forecast. This is taken from the same report broadcast from WWV. I use this, for instance, to page me. Whenever the Flux or A index change, I get an Email to my pager, which shows me the new information. Information here.
May 25, 1999
New! The first version of the NW7US Swap and shop here at hfradio.org! This first version will take us to the point where we have a lot of entries. For now, it lists both wants and for-sales on the same page. But there is programming in the works to fully database this. That will enable searching and easy browsing. In the mean time, post your entries today!
May 22, 1999
Just got the guest book online. Please take a moment and sign the guest book.
May 17, 1999
We just got the DX News automated. Now, as DX bulletins come in, they are added to the page (old ones will scroll off). I am working, as well, on getting a DX cluster interface set up. Watch for that. For now, check out the DX section.