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| Member Profile /
Biography |
 De
Witt Morgan, KM6UK
MARC Board Member
11 Mar 2002
I was born in Atlanta, Georgia. I lived in Atlanta,
Georgia, until I was about 2 years old, when my family moved to
Austell, Georgia, where I went to school. Mostly though, I did a
lot of hunting. Having been born in the depression years,
hunting was a way of putting extra food on the table. I have
eaten many a squirrel. My Dad was an excellent farmer and we
grew most of our own food. I have walked many a mile in furrows.
I thought I was smarter than most other folk, so I quit high
school when I was 17, and joined the US Navy. Boy, when you get
out into the "real" world, you find out real quick how
"dumb" you really are. I started getting an education
real quick, and I "ain't" quit yet.
While I was in the Navy, stationed in San Diego, California, a
buddy took me home with him. That "fool" introduced me
to Anita Rockey. That was in 1953. We were married March
13, 1954. I was still in the Navy, and we got to spend a grand
total of 18 days together the first year we were married. We
will, in a couple of years, celebrate our 50th wedding
anniversary.
Upon discharge, I worked for a while for the telephone company,
and then I went on to the join job that I loved, and that I
worked for 34 years. I joined the LOS ANGELES COUNTY FIRE
DEPARTMENT. There I worked on all the different kinds of fire
trucks used by the department., and always worked in the busiest
stations. I helped put the first Snorkel into service. I even
tried arson investigation. (I didn't like that, I'm too action
oriented) The last three years of my career, I was a Captain in
a 9-1-1 center. Talk about STRESS!!!!!
Anita and I Live in the same house we have lived in for over 28
years in Mission Viejo, California. We have 3 children, Tim,
Jill, and Mike. Tim and Cindi live in San Juan Capistrano, and
they have 3 kids, Carrie, who lives with her mother, Patrick,
and John. Jill and new husband Brian, live in Mission Viejo, and
have 4 kids, Eric, Matthew, Chelsea, and Laci. Mike has a
Significant Other, and they have 3 kids, Zac, and Ian, and Ben.
That makes 10 grand kids if you are counting.
Lucky me, I got to be the Lamaze Coach for 4 of my
grandchildren, Matthew, Laci, Zac, and Ian. Seeing them be born
was one of the highlights of my life. Needless to say, with them
all living so close, I see them a LOT.My entire gene pool lives
within 10 miles of me. There is NO getting Anita to even think
of moving somewhere where there is less traffic.
While trying to do a charity event on my bike using CB, I became
so frustrated with lack of range, that while talking to David
Mofford, KA6NLY, I vented. He suggested ham radio mobile. Thus
was born, MARC the Motorcycling Amateur Radio Club. (MARC) Ray
Davis, KD6FHN, Danny Velderraine, KD6FLP, and I started talking,
why not get our ham license, mount a ham radio, and go
motorcycle mobile.
What a change from those first Radio Shack HTX-202's that we had
mounted anywhere we could get them to stick. Antenna's ranged
from a mag mount stuck and taped to the rear luggage rack, to a
suction cup on the windshield.
I will forever remember the excitement of that first No Code
Tech license, having the first MARC meetings, upgrading to
Advanced, getting a "real" radio mounted, a Yaesu
2400, 2M. (That one did the USA Four Corners ride) Finally
moving on to what I think is the best possible marriage of bike
and radio, the Kenwood 742. I say the 742, because after 4
years, and over 200,000 miles, the 741 exposed control head got
wet and died.
Much debate has gone into, "to integrate, or not."
Many of us chose "not," because we work so many
charity events where non-ham motorcycles also work, and we need
the CB at the same time. I many times broadcast on ham and CB at
the same time.
My, how I glow with pride when I look at the growth of MARC. How
we thought, "heck, there are probably 10 other guys with
radios on their bikes here in Orange County, Ca." Little
did we know..... We are now hovering around the 300-member mark,
with members all over the world. Members who care, and love MARC
as much as I do.
So come on, join us, lets ride, and I'll be talking to you
motorcycle mobile on my YELLOW 2001 GoldWing, which sometimes
pulls my YELLOW Bushtec trailer. (My F250 Ford pick up truck is
YELLOW also)
My call sign is KM6UK. Try me on MARC simplex, 144.370
73's
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