The Montana boy who was fascinated with his dad’s two-way radio went on to build a crystal radio in his days at C.M. Russell High School in Great Falls. But then life got in the way, and it was not until he was a broadcast journalist working at KGGF Radio in Coffeyville, Kansas, that Fred was introduced to amateur radio by an engineer at the station. This friend had a beam antenna, and he let Fred talk to a ham in Japan. Fred was hooked! He went out and bought a used Swan transmitter and receiver and earned his novice license in 1978. His call sign was KA0AHO. Fred enjoyed being a ham until one day he got a letter from a monitoring station. He had been transmitting CW out of band! His engineer friend helped him respond, but Fred was decided CW was not for him and sold all his gear.
Ten years later, working at KTWO radio and television in Casper, Wyoming, the chief engineer pointed out to Fred that his novice license had not yet expired. He could renew it, and he did. This friend showed him his 2-meter radio and using a repeater with auto-patch made a telephone call. Again, Fred was fascinated.
Fred had been in the Navy during the Vietnam War. He was a 3rd class Petty Officer RM3 on the LSMR 409 USS Clarion River, a rocket-firing ship that rained rockets into the interior of Vietnam. Fred was a radio man who had been taught at RM school to transcribe Morse Code on the typewriter. He could do 32 words per minute. (On the ship, their means of radio communication was classified RTTY.) But years afterward, when he wanted to take the Technician test while living in Las Vegas, he drove to Victorville, California for the exam, and the examiners would not let him transcribe CW on a typewriter. He had to learn to transcribe Morse Code by hand, and eventually got his speed up to 21 words per minute. His Technician call sign was KA7YRQ. Still in Las Vegas in 1991 he earned the General and took the call sign he still has, N7MNY. Appropriately enough for Las Vegas, the last three characters spell money without the vowels. Fred earned the Extra in 1995, and the Advanced in 1996, in Great Falls.
During his years in Las Vegas, one of Fred’s ham friends was Larry Dorn N7MRN. Larry never let being blind stop him from doing anything. He set up his own base station and installed his own antenna. He had nailed down lifting shingles on his house one day when Fred came over. Fred put tar over the dozens of exposed nails, and they remain friends to this day.
Fred was active in the Great Falls amateur radio club for almost 30 years, serving as treasurer, secretary, and newsletter editor. He also served a year on the board of directors of the Glacier-Waterton Hamfest. Fred and his wife Vi KC7CMH moved to the Helena North Hills almost two years ago in September of 2018, and Fred joined CCARC that December.
You have probably seen Fred on television. He was the weather forecaster on KXLH from 2009 to 2012. At the same time, he spent 15 years as weather forecaster and reporter on KRTV in Great Falls. Now retired, he had an exciting life in broadcast journalism. David Letterman is only one of the many celebrities he interviewed. Please look at his website: https://montanafred.wordpress.com/ Also be sure to check out his YouTube channel. Here he reports on Field Day at Kings Hill (Great Falls) in the 1980s: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nywFaiHTtU
He installed a G5RV and a dual band on their property this year. As someone who used to enter the RTTY contests, Fred now wants to learn more about all the digital modes. He is also interested in exploring the area on his ATV.
July 2020
Ten years later, working at KTWO radio and television in Casper, Wyoming, the chief engineer pointed out to Fred that his novice license had not yet expired. He could renew it, and he did. This friend showed him his 2-meter radio and using a repeater with auto-patch made a telephone call. Again, Fred was fascinated.
Fred had been in the Navy during the Vietnam War. He was a 3rd class Petty Officer RM3 on the LSMR 409 USS Clarion River, a rocket-firing ship that rained rockets into the interior of Vietnam. Fred was a radio man who had been taught at RM school to transcribe Morse Code on the typewriter. He could do 32 words per minute. (On the ship, their means of radio communication was classified RTTY.) But years afterward, when he wanted to take the Technician test while living in Las Vegas, he drove to Victorville, California for the exam, and the examiners would not let him transcribe CW on a typewriter. He had to learn to transcribe Morse Code by hand, and eventually got his speed up to 21 words per minute. His Technician call sign was KA7YRQ. Still in Las Vegas in 1991 he earned the General and took the call sign he still has, N7MNY. Appropriately enough for Las Vegas, the last three characters spell money without the vowels. Fred earned the Extra in 1995, and the Advanced in 1996, in Great Falls.
During his years in Las Vegas, one of Fred’s ham friends was Larry Dorn N7MRN. Larry never let being blind stop him from doing anything. He set up his own base station and installed his own antenna. He had nailed down lifting shingles on his house one day when Fred came over. Fred put tar over the dozens of exposed nails, and they remain friends to this day.
Fred was active in the Great Falls amateur radio club for almost 30 years, serving as treasurer, secretary, and newsletter editor. He also served a year on the board of directors of the Glacier-Waterton Hamfest. Fred and his wife Vi KC7CMH moved to the Helena North Hills almost two years ago in September of 2018, and Fred joined CCARC that December.
You have probably seen Fred on television. He was the weather forecaster on KXLH from 2009 to 2012. At the same time, he spent 15 years as weather forecaster and reporter on KRTV in Great Falls. Now retired, he had an exciting life in broadcast journalism. David Letterman is only one of the many celebrities he interviewed. Please look at his website: https://montanafred.wordpress.com/ Also be sure to check out his YouTube channel. Here he reports on Field Day at Kings Hill (Great Falls) in the 1980s: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nywFaiHTtU
He installed a G5RV and a dual band on their property this year. As someone who used to enter the RTTY contests, Fred now wants to learn more about all the digital modes. He is also interested in exploring the area on his ATV.
July 2020