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.
Tag Archives: QSL
QSLs and kayaks
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.
Hank Hill as a ham radio operator?
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.
- Hank Hill would be an Extra-class licensee, club president and area EC. He’d get misty-eyed when the ARRL was mentioned. He’d have the tightest, best-built station in town, much of it homebrew – powered by propane, of course.
- Boomhauer would be the club vice president. He wouldn’t be much on phone but would be an ace at CW.
- Dale Gribble is the ex-CBer who’d have his ham license lifted quickly when the FCC discovered he wasn’t really Rusty Shackleford.
- Hank’s wife, Peggy Hill, would get her Tech license just to be with Hank. She’d then chair the Field Day committee and totally screw it up. Hilarity would ensue.
- Bill Dauterive would join the club and get a license just to be close to Peggy. Yet more hilarity would ensue.
- Hank’s son, Bobby Hill, would also get his Tech license, then tie up the club repeater with comedy routines. Even more hilarity would ensue.
- Bobby’s girlfriend, Kahn Jr., would ace her Extra test on the first try after being pushed into it by her parents. She’d operate for just a little while – but only because it looks good on college applications.
Do these people look familiar? What kinds of ham would other cast members make? Feel free to discuss amongst yourselves.
Offroad QSLing
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?
To serve and protect …
Nathan, N7NAN, wanted a QSL that showed both his sons and his longtime profession as a police officer, so I came up with the idea of making his call sign into a badge. Nathan is also big into emergency communications and is president of the National Tribal Amateur Radio Association.
Constitutional QSL
Since the U.S. Constitution was signed by a majority of convention delegates on this day in 1787, I wanted to share a QSL I created in 1988 to commemorate the constitution’s bicentennial as law of the land. That year, the FCC allowed ham stations to replace the number in their calls with “200” if they wanted to celebrate the event. My friend Bill Ronay, KM4LS, commissioned me to illustrate this special QSL for the Atlanta Radio Club. Not only did I draw the cartoon (love that brick-size handi-talkie!), but I also hand-lettered everything, including the report form on the back.
Hot rod QSL
When John, W7SAB, told me he wanted a picture of his 1929 Nash hot rod on his QSL, I knew immediately how I would play it: His QSL would be an homage to Ed “Big Daddy” Roth, creator of Rat Fink and king of the hot-rod cartoonists.
Drawing this card presented three challenges: Getting John’s likeness right, getting John’s car right, and making it look as if Roth might have drawn it. I think I got close.
John’s reaction when he saw the finished product: “Awesome!!!” This one was a lot of fun to draw.
Truckin’ with ham radio
Raymond, KB8ILD, is a long-haul trucker who wanted his semi — not just any semi, but his semi — on his QSL card. Easy, right? Well, sort of. While there were plenty of reference images on the Internet to help me get the the general dimensions correct (and he did send me a picture of his truck), a rig like this doesn’t easily fit onto a postcard. To balance it out, I moved the call sign above the trailer rather than placing it on the trailer itself. I also hand-lettered the entire card, something I do from time to time. I worked for years hand-lettering comic books for Marvel, Dark Horse, First and other publishers, so I’ve had plenty of practice.
KK4AGN and her RV (and Skipper, too)
My latest cartoon QSL commission was a lot of fun. Margie, KK4AGN, and her husband Gerhard, KF4GGK, travel the country and the hamfest circuit in a Winnebago — that is, when Margie’s not editing the club newsletter for the Anderson (S.C.) Radio Club. That’s why she wanted the Winnebago on her QSL — along with her dog Skipper. (We’re going to assume Gerhard is in the back, operating mobile.) This commission required drawing a specific vehicle in cartoon form, along with likenesses of both Margie and Skipper. I think Margie liked her caricature. If Skipper doesn’t like his caricature, he’s not saying.