DAVE mitton W7MIT
Dave and his rig.
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“Dave, don’t you wish you could talk to your wife every night?” said Mike N7FFM. This conversation took place in the 1980s when Dave and his cousin Mike were on a two-week hunting trip. Cell phones were not yet around, and Mike was a ham. He could call his wife by radio every night. Thanks to Mike’s constant prodding, Dave began to study for and passed the Technician Plus license, which required the code test as well as the written exam. A few years later Dave’s wife Evonne KD7BIF was helping their son get ready for the ham exam. Reading the questions and the multiple choice answers to him familiarized her with the material so much that she took and passed the test, too. Dave still holds the Technician Plus and Evonne the Technician license.
After Dave got out of the Army, he became a horologist, or watchmaker. He worked for Eaton Turner Jewelers for 21 years, making and repairing watches and clocks. Although he could easily have moved into digital time-keeping, Dave decided to retire just as watchmaking changed forever.
Never one to let a disability stop him, Dave’s favorite activities today include four-wheeling and family camping trips. He especially enjoys four-wheeling the trails around Park Lake and in state parks. An auto accident in 1960 left him unable to flex his ankles. He can lift his lower leg, however, and drives his car, truck, four-wheeler, and motorhome without any special adaptations. Of course he has mobile radios in all of his vehicles.
Evonne still uses the radio when Dave is out of cell range. Dave, however, loves listening to 2-meter and DMR radios all the time. He talks on MPRG1 and on the Hytera net. In his shack are an Icom 751 and an Icom 2710. He has 3 Yaesu mobile radios, 3 Motorola handhelds (loves the HT 1010), and 4 DMR radios. Dave is never without a radio, even when in his power chair. At one time he was net controller for the Butte Net, but when they changed their antenna, reception in Helena changed.
With friendly greetings for everyone, Dave and Evonne are regulars at Saturday coffee.
Photo by Evonne KD7BIF
March 2019
After Dave got out of the Army, he became a horologist, or watchmaker. He worked for Eaton Turner Jewelers for 21 years, making and repairing watches and clocks. Although he could easily have moved into digital time-keeping, Dave decided to retire just as watchmaking changed forever.
Never one to let a disability stop him, Dave’s favorite activities today include four-wheeling and family camping trips. He especially enjoys four-wheeling the trails around Park Lake and in state parks. An auto accident in 1960 left him unable to flex his ankles. He can lift his lower leg, however, and drives his car, truck, four-wheeler, and motorhome without any special adaptations. Of course he has mobile radios in all of his vehicles.
Evonne still uses the radio when Dave is out of cell range. Dave, however, loves listening to 2-meter and DMR radios all the time. He talks on MPRG1 and on the Hytera net. In his shack are an Icom 751 and an Icom 2710. He has 3 Yaesu mobile radios, 3 Motorola handhelds (loves the HT 1010), and 4 DMR radios. Dave is never without a radio, even when in his power chair. At one time he was net controller for the Butte Net, but when they changed their antenna, reception in Helena changed.
With friendly greetings for everyone, Dave and Evonne are regulars at Saturday coffee.
Photo by Evonne KD7BIF
March 2019
