My latest QSL commission came from John, K0WIT, whose Colorado QTH is practically in the shadow of Pikes Peak. That meant I had to draw the mountain from a specific vantage point — as it would be seen from Woodland Park – to keep the card accurate. I also drew his specific antenna, an Alpha Delta Fan Dipole.
I got to cut loose and cartoon in the lower left corner, where his shack (literally a shack) is guarded by one of his three cats – saying “MEOW” in Morse code, of course.
Actually, he’s not a lumberjack, but David, VK2CDG, does chop wood for a living. David’s business card has cartoon clip art on it showing a man madly chopping logs, and he wanted it adapted for his QSL. This seemed like the obvious way to draw it. Note the sulphur-crested cockatoo and the koala, both native to Australia and both suggested by David to give his QSL some local flavor.
What do ham-radio operators do when watching TV and movies? Why, we look for ham radios used as props, of course!
In this week’s episode of “Marvel’s Agent Carter” titled “Life of the Party,” Peggy Carter and SSR Chief Sousa monitor an undercover operation from inside a van filled with retro-looking radio equipment – including two Astatic D-104 microphones.
Using those microphones as props actually makes sense: First manufactured in the 1930s, the Astatic “lollipop” microphones were used by the military during World War II and for decades afterwards by hams. They could have been used by Agent Carter, too.
But then Peggy reaches to flip a switch on some radio doohickey that’s actually an old piece of Heathkit test equipment – and you’re reminded that this is a TV show based on comic-book characters.
It’s a pretty good show, actually. My XYL and I watch it religiously. For now, it airs Tuesday nights on ABC. You can catch up with it on Hulu or Netflix.
The operating position of Joe, KN2A, is half radio, half workbench. I’m not sure I did justice to the workbench part, but I made sure his latest radio acquisition — a Heathkit HW-8 — was front-and-center at his operating position. Joe liked it; as he said they say in the Bronx when he saw the finished art, “You the MAN!” Thanks, Joe.
This cartoon QSL was fun to draw. Pete, K0BAK, operates a lot from the road and wanted an all-purpose card usable for any activity from any QTH. Because it’s best to operate from as high as possible, I placed him and his Honda van on top of a plateau. Maybe the mountain goat on the other plateau knows how he got there.
When Kuwaiti ham-radio operator Bader, 9K2BM, asked me to draw a QSL that showed his shack in detail and him drawn realistically, honestly, I hesitated. I’ve always felt cartooning, not illustration, was my strength, and I like to stick to my strengths. But Bader insisted, so I took the challenge and did my best to do him justice. Bader was remarkably patient as I worked through the process, and I’m grateful. It was a pleasure to draw this card.
This illustration was commissioned as a Christmas gift by the daughter of Larry Staples, W0AIB. A respected ham in the Kansas City area, Larry is founder and editor of Larry’s List, a well-known ham-radio email information service.
I had only one problem with the cartoon, but it was major: Larry’s daughter knew almost nothing about her dad’s involvement in the hobby. All Mary knew for sure was that he’d been a ham most of his life and that “he hadn’t bought a new radio since 1984.” No pictures of his shack, no clue as to which modes he preferred … nothing except a picture of Larry.
This cartoon required both a little research and a little imagination. Judging from this YouTube video, Larry’s List clearly was his main ham activity, so I suggested making it the focus of the cartoon as well. And because he’d been a ham such a long time, I drew in a bunch of boat anchors – literally. Oh, and a spark gap transmitter.
Larry sent me an email after receiving his gift to tell me he felt “honored” to have received it. Larry, I feel honored to have been asked to draw it.
To subscribe to Larry’s List, visit the website, or email Larry directly at [email protected] to request subscription information.
Attorney and long-time ham Dan, K0FD, had been off the air for 30 years when the bug bit him again. When he contacted me to create a new QSL for him, he wanted it to show his other passion: kayaking.
Using reference photos Dan sent, I drew him in his specific kayak, albeit with liberties taken for proportions and dimensions to keep it cartoony. His finished cards arrived in the mail just a few days ago, an early Christmas gift.
Recently my XYL (wife for you non-hams) and I have been watching reruns of “King of the Hill,” Mike Judge’s wickedly funny cartoon series about middle-American life in Arlen, Texas. When I watched it the first time, I thought it was one of the best-written sitcoms, animated or not, on TV. Watching it a second time hasn’t changed my opinion.
One thing I have realized since then, though, is how much the cast of “King of the Hill” is like every amateur-radio club I’ve ever belonged to. Just about every cast member could be a ham.
Do these people look familiar? What kinds of ham would other cast members make? Feel free to discuss amongst yourselves.
Shawn, KG7PKA, is a new ham who says his primary station will be in the Jeep Rubicon he drives offroad, so he wanted the vehicle with a map of Washington behind it on his QSL. It was an easy card to compose and fun to draw. I used to spend hours as a kid drawing cars. Can you tell?