FRED THANKS SO MUCH FER ALL UR HELP AND GUIDANCE TO ME AS A BOY WHO EVENTUALLY GOT HIS LICENCE IN 1975 NOTHING WAS TO MUCH FER FRED ANYTIME AT ALL HE WAS ALWAYS THERE HE CALLED ME HIS APPRENTICE.
FRED WAS A BRILLIANT AND KNOWLEDGEABLE MAN WHAT HE DIDNT KNOW ABOUT ANTENNAS WASNT WORTH KNOWING ASK LES MOXON G6XN
ANTENNA ENGINEER EXTRODINARE.FRED DESIGNED AN ANTENNA HE COULD HAVE MADE PLENTY HE SAID TO ME WHAT FER LET ANYBODY USE IT I SEE NOW IT IS COMMERCIALLY MADE HE DIDNT WANT THAT.
FRED THANKS AGAIN FER BEING A GREAT MATE I WILL REALLY MISS A TRUE HAM AND HOMEBREWER EXTRODINARE...73..MIKE.
I met Fred Caton in 1964. I was just getting
interested in Ham radio. Fred was like a
father figure and took me into his home and
family. Many times I lunched in the Caton
kitchen and listened to his wife ribbing him
for being a commo. Calling him Fred the Red.
He used to laugh at it and tell her he was
going to sell up and take her to live in
Moscow. I built my first transmitter on
Fred's workbench in 1964 and worked Fred on
27.125 megs from Carlingford. Later we made
transmitters for two blind friends of mine,
later VK2BIL and VK2AMG who is now silent
key. Fred taught me everything I knew about
radio, which got me the call sign of VK2VK in
1965, which I held until 2002. I passed on
his knowledge to members of the White Cane
Brigade, resulting in the calls, VK2BIL and
VK2AMG. 2BIL is my brother-in-law, living now
in Qld but no longer active. The branches of
Fred Caton's life have spread throughout the
amateur scene and he will be remembered by
all who knew him and loved by most. 73' Fred.
Cliff Coverdale, now VK2CRC