[sarex] TAPE TITO - ITS HAM RADIO HISTORY LOST!

[BillWA6ITF@xxxxxxx]

Maybe I am far to wrapped up professionally in the TV news business, but I 
cannot for the life of me understand why nobody has had a tape recorder 
sitting by their rig to record Denns Titro's ham radio operation from the 
ISS.  

Ever since I got on the air on 6 meter AM in the 1950's I have had some sort 
of tape recorder tied to my receiver(s) to capture anything that might be 
deemed important to preserving our past.  I have audio of the late Jean 
Shepherd K2ORS "roasting" a repeater owner in NYC as only "Shep" could.  I 
recorded the very first contact on 6 meter AM between a lady ham on Long 
Island and a ham in Osaka Japan -- triple hop F2.  I recorded the first words 
of Owen Garriott W5LFL from the shuttle Columbia using an IC-2AT hand held 
hard-wired to a Panasonic cassette portable -- stabding on the roof of 
Metromedia TV in Los Angeles -- etc.  

And as I sit here, I have inexpensive recorders (mostly Sony) connected to mt 
FT-847, FT-4700, Sangeean ATS-806, and several other pieces of gear.  Had 
Tito operated over California -- we would have his words for posterity.  But 
he did not, and it appears as if nobody else in hamdom recorded them either.  
As a result, now they are lost in the sands of time -- and lost with them is 
a bit of the realism of our own ham radio heritage.

May I suggest to each and every one of you involved in any area of VHF -- be 
it space -- FM -- weal signal -- or what have you.  Go out to your local 
Wal-Mart, K-Mart, or wherever; spend $20 on a standard size cassette 
recorder, some batteries and a few C-90 cassettes.  Keep it next to your 
radio -- resady to go -- just in case another bit of ham radio history -- 
like the foirst words of Dennis Tito from space -- come our way.  These 
moments tend to be few and far inbetweenand those who come after you will 
truly apreciate the legavy you have left for them.

de
Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF
ARNewsline
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