Midi Playing is " Waves of the Danube"

Ted ( Taito ) VE3DXG

        Thanks for dropping in to my new Web Site! I figured it was time to update things since leaving Beaver Lake, Ontario west of Sudbury back in July of 2002.

        Here you will find my favorite stories, poems, photos, music etc. Use the Menu on the left to navigate the site and enjoy various selections of music playing in the background as you move from page to page.

        A separate photo gallery has numerous photos taken over the years at various ham radio functions that Chris and I have attended. Have fun and Enjoy !

        When you are through Browsing Please  Sign my Log Book with any comments as to what you found interesting or whatever. It is always nice to hear from friends old and new !  Also check out the entries in my Old Guest Book which I had to close  down due to Spamming.      

        Due to my mishap of breaking my femur, etc as a result of that infamous 30 foot fall from a spruce tree at Beaver Lake, our kids kept bugging Chris and I to move closer to them in southern Ontario, until we decided perhaps it would be better for all concerned.

        This was our QTH 40 miles west of Sudbury at Beaver Lake. Barn in foreground, milk house visible over barn roof, above that, a heated garage and workshop and then the storey and a half 3 bedroom home, with full basement. Highway is # 17 looking east toward Sudbury.

        We made the move to Stoney Creek, Ontario and Chris settled in like a duck to water, enjoying all the shopping malls and other essential services being only minutes away as compared to the north country where we were located 40  miles from Sudbury out in the country.

        This was our new QTH  in Stoney Creek, Ontario. Chris was checking out the grounds.

       NOTE! We have moved to another QTH  in Hamilton just a couple of miles north of where we were. Not having too much luck in getting  a signal out, as a matter of fact not hearing much either due to power line hash. Still working at it.  The mobile works OK from the parking lot but not on the street in front of the building.

        The transition from two and a half acres in the country to a 1 bedroom apartment was a real downer for me as far as Amateur Radio was concerned. I missed my radio room, my electronics shop down in the basement, my garage and workshop with a lathe, drill presses and all the other tools that were always there to tinker with. Most of all I miss the open spaces to hang antennas!

        I was told that no antennas were allowed on the roof or anywhere else in this apartment complex, however, after thinking about it and being subjected to a substantial rent increase after being here for one year I decided to try the waters and get an antenna of some sort going. I first tried a random wire thrown up over a tree that is on the east side of the balcony. It is about 55 feet long with an onion tied to one end to keep it taut as it goes up at a 45 degree angle and then straight down through the tree. The onion hangs down about 10 feet off the ground. Some people have noticed it and asked  what it is for. I just tell them that it is for feeding the birds! That has raised some eyebrows! Using an MFJ tuner, it worked fairly well but not to my expectations.

        Therefore, I started experimenting and installed a homebrew screwdriver antenna on the balcony which works very well and I am able to get out on all bands, with good signal reports.

Here is the DK3 Screwdriver Antenna mounted on the Balcony railing at the first QTH. My favorite band is 40 meters so that is where it sits most of the time!        

        At the present QTH we are operating from the computer and you can find me on EchoLink most evenings. It is a great Free ham  program for those whose QTH may have restrictions on antennas ( Apartments, Condos, etc ) and will  allow you to work the world from your computer!

        Also on Skype which I consider as one of the best chat services on line featuring live Video, telephone service to the world, file transfers of document and photos and text messaging. It is Free program that is easy to download and get operational in minutes.

About Us

Update! On May 10, 2008 we celebrated 50 years of marriage and am pleased to say that we are both in good health and able to get around and about. The girls and their families took us out for a nice dinner and then pesented us with various gifts including a cheque for $1000 to be spent frivolously. Chris could not get over the fact of so much money as a gift. Our son in law said it was really nothing as it only amounted to $20.00 for each year we had been married and they had been saving for it, for years! By the way, the money is still in the bank 4 months later, as Chris and I can not agree what to spend it on!

        When Chris and I celebrated 45 years of marriage on May 10, 2003  we completed a CD of our experiences since we first met 50 years ago.

        This CD contains over 200 Mb of stories, poems, songs, music and photos of our trip down memory lane as a lasting memento to our children and grand children. We mailed out 20 CDs to our kids, grand kids and other relatives for Christmas gifts. Portions of that CD are included on this site as stories, etc

        Ham radio has been my main hobby since 1958 as I began to study Morse Code and the theory on my own while stationed in North Bay with the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).  Ham radio has allowed me to meet and visit with people in every village, town or city that I have had the pleasure to spend time in.

        Chris has always been very supportive of my ham radio activities for 44 years, always having the last word when other wives would say "How can you put up with all that radio stuff and wires all over the place?" Without hesitation she would reply "At least I know where my husband is at all times, do you know where your husband is ?"

My Personal Favorites

Music: Waves of the Danube or The Anniversary Waltz as it is known now.

Book: Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand), How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World (Harry Browne)

Songs: Have I Told You Lately That I Love You, Harbour Lights

Female Singer: Anne Shelton (British)  Jane Froman (US)

Male Singer: Bing Crosby

Sport: Hockey

Quote: If You Can't Say Something Nice About Someone, Don't Say Anything

Hobbies: Amateur Radio, Photography, Pistol Shooting, Computer related activities...

Car: 1961 Buick LeSabre

My Favorite Pastime:  It was tinkering with wire antennas up north and also making and trying out new versions of the screwdriver antennas. I have been mobiling nearly 40 years on HF, and in that time have tried nearly every antenna, but nothing beats the DK3 Screwdriver by Don Johnson W6AAQ