Gifted equipment to an old CBer

[FPR1981]

An older gentleman who has lived near me for the better part of a decade used to be an active CBer. Years back, he went through a rough divorce, lost his good job and house and has been scraping by. I ran into him at a convenience store down the road one day and we started talking about radios. He said that he still had his beloved Galaxy mobile, but no good antenna, no power supply or any way to be back on the air. I could tell talking to the guy about radios that he missed it.

On Sunday I was detailing my old OBS Chevy 4wd and he pulled up in the road next to me and asked if his was next, LOL. As I was talking to him, the thought of getting him back on the air crossed my mind. He went back down to his house, and I kept thinking about what I could give the guy.

I had a nice dipole that I had built that wasn't being used. I took it down, then unhooked my 30-amp power supply and started down the road to his house. I gave him both, and I think he was in disbelief. He kept asking me if I wanted money. I assured him I did not. He said, "Well I hate to owe anyone anything." I said that's not how this works. You'll never owe me. I CAN do this and I WANT to do this.

Last night I got a knock on my door, and it was him. He was excited that he got his radio powered up and antenna out on the roof, wanting to know if I'd hop on the radio and give him a radio check. He said he was running to the store and then he'd beep the horn coming by so I could turn my rig on. Before he left he mentioned that he didn't have any meters, and wanted to make sure the SWR was good on the antenna. He went on to the store, and I went back to my graveyard of surplus gear, fished out a Micronta 3-meter array and a patch cord and waited outside for him to drive back by.

I flagged him down, handed him the meter rig and said, "Merry Christmas, now you've got a meter."

He broke down and cried, saying, "Nobody's been this kind to me in a long time. I appreciate this more than I could ever explain."

Last night, he sounded like a kid in a candy store -- on the air shooting skip and making contacts all over our county. He was in awe that two pieces of wire were performing so well. He said he would have just been satisfied to talk on this end of town, much less someone on the other side of the county.

Any of you who follow me, know that I'm constantly coming across free and low-cost gear. I told my neighbor last night that I have never forgotten what it was like to be down on my luck, and if I can be generous to someone with my good fortune, I believe that will keep it coming. I'm always happy to share the gift of radio with someone who wants to dabble.

Sunday night a Tram D201A in the original box, with the original matching D104 walked up to my door for $100. Along with that were many freebies, including an SBE Land Command LCBS-8 40-channel AM/SSB base station. If that isn't a sign to NOT be selfish, then nothing is.

 

[mancow]

That's great, good on ya man.

 

[mitbr]

Sounds to me like you made a new friend!! I work in a local ER as an RN and older people that are alone quite often suffer from depression and loneliness. We need more people in the world like you thanks for doing this for him!!
Tim

 

[KEWB-N1EXA]

The only way to have a conversation is for the other guy to have a radio and antenna too !

Peter N1EXA / KQX9282

 

[N1XDS]

An older gentleman who has lived near me for the better part of a decade used to be an active CBer. Years back, he went through a rough divorce, lost his good job and house and has been scraping by. I ran into him at a convenience store down the road one day and we started talking about radios. He said that he still had his beloved Galaxy mobile, but no good antenna, no power supply or any way to be back on the air. I could tell talking to the guy about radios that he missed it.

On Sunday I was detailing my old OBS Chevy 4wd and he pulled up in the road next to me and asked if his was next, LOL. As I was talking to him, the thought of getting him back on the air crossed my mind. He went back down to his house, and I kept thinking about what I could give the guy.

I had a nice dipole that I had built that wasn't being used. I took it down, then unhooked my 30-amp power supply and started down the road to his house. I gave him both, and I think he was in disbelief. He kept asking me if I wanted money. I assured him I did not. He said, "Well I hate to owe anyone anything." I said that's not how this works. You'll never owe me. I CAN do this and I WANT to do this.

Last night I got a knock on my door, and it was him. He was excited that he got his radio powered up and antenna out on the roof, wanting to know if I'd hop on the radio and give him a radio check. He said he was running to the store and then he'd beep the horn coming by so I could turn my rig on. Before he left he mentioned that he didn't have any meters, and wanted to make sure the SWR was good on the antenna. He went on to the store, and I went back to my graveyard of surplus gear, fished out a Micronta 3-meter array and a patch cord and waited outside for him to drive back by.

I flagged him down, handed him the meter rig and said, "Merry Christmas, now you've got a meter."

He broke down and cried, saying, "Nobody's been this kind to me in a long time. I appreciate this more than I could ever explain."

Last night, he sounded like a kid in a candy store -- on the air shooting skip and making contacts all over our county. He was in awe that two pieces of wire were performing so well. He said he would have just been satisfied to talk on this end of town, much less someone on the other side of the county.

Any of you who follow me, know that I'm constantly coming across free and low-cost gear. I told my neighbor last night that I have never forgotten what it was like to be down on my luck, and if I can be generous to someone with my good fortune, I believe that will keep it coming. I'm always happy to share the gift of radio with someone who wants to dabble.

Sunday night a Tram D201A in the original box, with the original matching D104 walked up to my door for $100. Along with that were many freebies, including an SBE Land Command LCBS-8 40-channel AM/SSB base station. If that isn't a sign to NOT be selfish, then nothing is.

Glad to see there is still good people in this world! You did a very good thing.

 

[WB9YBM]

An older gentleman who has lived near me for the better part of a decade used to be an active CBer. Years back, he went through a rough divorce, lost his good job and house and has been scraping by. I ran into him at a convenience store down the road one day and we started talking about radios. He said that he still had his beloved Galaxy mobile, but no good antenna, no power supply or any way to be back on the air. I could tell talking to the guy about radios that he missed it.

On Sunday I was detailing my old OBS Chevy 4wd and he pulled up in the road next to me and asked if his was next, LOL. As I was talking to him, the thought of getting him back on the air crossed my mind. He went back down to his house, and I kept thinking about what I could give the guy...

Great story, and well-written! Might even make for a nice human interest piece in a magazine or newspaper! (I haven't found any CB specific magazines out there but there's one ham radio magazine ["CQ: Amateur Radio"] that carries news on things other than ham radio--like SWL & scanning--I can't promise anything, but that magazine might be a good place top at least try...)

 

[mmckenna]

That's awesome, and so easy to do.

I often run across old radios and will grab them and give out to hams and others. Being in a position to find radios and get them free/cheap should come with a requirement to share that with others in need.

 

[K4EET]

Someone long ago told me to "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." I know that I've read something like that somewhere that some very famous person said on a hilltop somewhere... ... ...

 

[mmckenna]

Someone long ago told me to "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." I know that I've read something like that somewhere that some very famous person said on a hilltop somewhere... ... ...

Yeah, it would be nice if more people actually understood what that really meant.

 

[slowmover]

Met a genuinely hard-working 30-ish truck driver (ex-Marine) with a wife and 3-4 kids. Think I was in South Carolina. He was pretty excited at the new-to-him DX-94 he’d bought from a friend. Knew nothing about him, was just returning to my rig at the truck stop and saw him struggling with an antenna.

Went and dug my SWR meter out of the sleeper plus a 5’ Firestik bought earlier that trip ($30?). Sold it to him for ten bucks as it solved his problem.

And we fell to visiting. I’ll leave out the details of WHAT convinced me he was hard-working as it’d take awhile. Or much about the family he proceeded to tell me about. Humility, exactly the guy you’d be proud of being in the same family.

So back to the Peterbilt I went and got out the transport case that carries my backup radio and all it’s gear. Cut some Velcro strips: Got a half-dozen zip ties from the toolbox and went back and gave him the Kenwood KES-5 external I’d finished fixing up for my own use (split-loom wire cover, fat MIX-31 Toroid wrapped near base and adapter at other end to plug into a CB). Told him how and where to mount it.

Surprised him with that. Me, too. As I’ve come across ingratitude in making gifts of CB gear. A few dollars makes that a little better, in general.

But I know for a fact his job doesn’t pay what it should. He almost refused me. I replied to him that his family needed him to get home and that gear coming together in his truck to have an adequate radio rig was no mistake.

That my earlier suggestions and phone links I had him save were part of it. (Better install guidelines).

Our meeting wasn’t coincidence, and that this speaker had never really been mine, anyway (I now “saw”)

I’d tested it, sure. Prepped it. And then it rode with me to it’s destination. I’d done my part.

We shook hands, and in the morning when I awoke he was already gone.

 

[Littlecloud319]

Met a genuinely hard-working 30-ish truck driver (ex-Marine) with a wife and 3-4 kids. Think I was in South Carolina. He was pretty excited at the new-to-him DX-94 he’d bought from a friend. Knew nothing about him, was just returning to my rig at the truck stop and saw him struggling with an antenna.

Went and dug my SWR meter out of the sleeper plus a 5’ Firestik bought earlier that trip ($30?). Sold it to him for ten bucks as it solved his problem.

And we fell to visiting. I’ll leave out the details of WHAT convinced me he was hard-working as it’d take awhile. Or much about the family he proceeded to tell me about. Humility, exactly the guy you’d be proud of being in the same family.

So back to the Peterbilt I went and got out the transport case that carries my backup radio and all it’s gear. Cut some Velcro strips: Got a half-dozen zip ties from the toolbox and went back and gave him the Kenwood KES-5 external I’d finished fixing up for my own use (split-loom wire cover, fat MIX-31 Toroid wrapped near base and adapter at other end to plug into a CB). Told him how and where to mount it.

Surprised him with that. Me, too. As I’ve come across ingratitude in making gifts of CB gear. A few dollars makes that a little better, in general.

But I know for a fact his job doesn’t pay what it should. He almost refused me. I replied to him that his family needed him to get home and that gear coming together in his truck to have an adequate radio rig was no mistake.

That my earlier suggestions and phone links I had him save were part of it. (Better install guidelines).

Our meeting wasn’t coincidence, and that this speaker had never really been mine, anyway (I now “saw”)

I’d tested it, sure. Prepped it. And then it rode with me to it’s destination. I’d done my part.

We shook hands, and in the morning when I awoke he was already gone.

Sounds like an old country song off an old big rig record.

 

[merlin]

Radio shack 40 channel emergency citizens band (TRC-463) complete in its little carry box.
Like new//works. (Manual water damaged)
"free" to any one that would appreciate having it.

 

[Blackink]

Thank You!!! Your story not only made that person feel better, I feel a whole lot better just from reading it and the kindness you displayed.

Well done

 

[iMONITOR]

Last night, he sounded like a kid in a candy store -- on the air shooting skip and making contacts all over our county. He was in awe that two pieces of wire were performing so well. He said he would have just been satisfied to talk on this end of town, much less someone on the other side of the county.

You probably helped that guy start a whole new social life and he'll most likely find a few new friends...like you!