"Whit" lost his battle with cancer in july 2002 i believe it was. he was a nice guy and a real old timer. worked him many times on 6 meters.
73's
I got to work Whit (W5 Gounded Grid) mobile on ten meters a couple of years ago. He was a gentleman and a pleasure to work. Sorry to hear of his passing.
I worked Whit many times over the last couple of years of his life.
I didn't know of his passing until I recieved a QSL from his family. He had a stack of unsent QSL's on the desk ready to be mailed...and they completed the task.
My thanks and thoughts are with the surviving members of Mr. Whittenberg.
I would post a image of the QSL but I don't think it's needed.
Respectfully,
Bob Clermont
ve3akv@rac.ca
Walt was a true friend to the late SK Mr Ed KE5OA of Dallas.
Their kind of breed along with their commitment to bettering one's self,helping others, and to the hobby is a tribute to their generation and a worthy goal of today's hams.
Their voices and comments are still on the airwaves today but are too weak for our present radio technology to pick up the fading signals... but they're still out there and I know we will QSO with them again one day.
I had the pleasure to work Whit (W5 Gounded Grid) one evening on six meters. It was a local contact from Lewisville Texas to his station in Dallas. This QSO will always be with me, you can tell in an instant that Whit was a seasoned Ham and with his knowledge you became mesmerized to listen to him talk. When the QSO came back you just had to ask another question to get Whit talking of his equipment and experience. What even makes this more interesting is the fact the next morning I am with co-workers driving to the Houston area. With me is a man named Tim Green, Tim is not a Ham but is stating he always wanted to get his Ham License and as a youngster lived beside this neat Ham that just happened to be no other then Whit “W5GG” that I had just talk to the evening before . Tim talked for hours on how Whit would teach him things about radio and code. Tim later went by and visited his old mentor. Now you know I just did not happen to turn my rig on and catch W5GG calling CQ on six. God uses Ham Radio too. . . . .
Whit and I would be on 10 meters in the late 60's during the evening hours. He had a 3 over 3 yagi array. I had HB 2 el quad. He always heard or worked someone I had trouble with. I would go to his home near White Rock Lake in Dallas. Marvel at his Drake Line. I recall the green dials, but not if it was B or C. He had an amp too. I would have some barefoot radio, maybe a Galaxy V by then. However we would usually be in the same QSO,s entertaining VK's, ZL's, and whatever else that might come by. Maybe some Central Asia long path.
He worked at KRLD TV as I recall, and I at the old ATT. He also used Gorgeous George, the wrestler, for his call phonetics. I really enjoyed Whit over the years.