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 Previous: ARISS Team Looking for Ground Stations |  Next: Satellite Serves as Voice Repeater -- Uplinks on FM, Downlinks on Sideband |
By Mark J. Tharp, KB7HDX
kb7hdx@arrl.org
January 23, 2008
A little preparation can be a big help.
Scott, N7FSP, a friend of mine, called recently after he nearly died due to a misdiagnosis and shared a few thoughts with me. His story is not as important as the message he wanted to share with others in the amateur community and that is just what will happen to our stuff when we are gone. I don’t want this to appear to be all gloom and doom, but let’s face it, we are all going to become a silent key (SK) at some point. If that were to happen unexpectedly, do you have your shack in order? This article is to promote a bit of thought process when you are sitting in the shack, and the bands are a bit slow.
What Is This Stuff?
We recently lost a fellow here, and he, like many of us, was a total pack rat. It appears that he was not able to walk through a hamfest, flea market, yard sale or any location related to acquiring stuff without bringing some of it home. He passed away quietly in his sleep, and his daughter was left to dispose of his “stuff.” I have been involved in a number of SK estate sales, and know first hand what can happen when the survivor, be it a daughter, son, wife or husband, has no idea what things in the shack even are let alone what they may be worth. And I think we have all seen at some point what happens when the “vultures” move in after the death of a ham. Items that may be worth thousands of dollars are let go for pennies. I was fortunate to have been called by the widow of another local ham who told me she would like to just give the stuff away to Goodwill. I talked her out of that, and after taking an inventory and making a trip to a local swap meet, she was shocked when I was able to hand her a check for nearly $5000.
Some Things to Think About
Now as I write this, I am guilty of not being prepared myself, but I felt it more important to share this information with others, to get folks thinking about this before another untimely death leaves a survivor wondering just what to do with it all.
So, here are my suggestions, but I think they are sound ideas.
1. Like the title of this article states, designate a friend or two who can help if something were to happen to you. Ask them first, of course, and make sure others know about them. Perhaps even name them in your will. (You might check with your lawyer about this.)
2. Make an inventory of everything in your shack that you feel is worth more than a buck. Okay I know this may take some time, but you can work on it waiting to nab that “rare one” or while listening in on the local net. If you have a box of things that are just miscellaneous items list them as such, but if you repack or rearrange them later, make a note in your list.
3. For all the items that are higher dollar amounts, list the price you paid and the amount it is worth now. You may need to update this every few years, but it will help those who need the help when the time comes. Just because you paid $800 for it new does not make it worth that now. Many estate sales fall into this trap in that “well we paid that much for it.” We all know that the value of gear drops pretty fast for most items, so let’s give our survivors a good head start on the price.
4. Towers, masts and feed lines: If you are the only one on the planet who knows how you got that 85 foot tower up in your 60 x 20 back lot, let someone in on the secret. I have helped to take down many towers over the years and some of them were real buggers until we figured out how they were put up. Hams are very creative at tower installations, and when the procedure is lost with the original installer, things can go wrong. A map or diagram of how the feed lines and control cables are routed out of the shack and out to the antenna support is very handy as well.
5. Repeaters and packet nodes: These are another whole problem, if you are a packet sysop, or repeater owner, do you have a plan so your most often used equipment will continue to serve the amateur community? Does anyone know who your leases are with? Are they written or verbal? If verbal does anyone know whom to contact to make arrangements to take over the lease? And then what becomes of the equipment? Are you planning to donate it to a club or group if you depart this world? Or will someone be forced to have to deal with it after you’re gone? I hold two leases for packet nodes with thousands of dollars worth of equipment. Do I have a “successor” for these sites? No, but I am working on it now. Do you have a written plan for your site?
This could go on forever with things to think about, but is intended to get your thought process going on just what will happen to your gear. I know I am going to work on mine so if anything happens, those who live on will not be left with a burden to remember me by. Much of this could have legal implications, so if you do have a will it would be beneficial to talk to your lawyer to insure what you have stated is what will actually be done.
Mark Tharp, KB7HDX, has been licensed since 1989. He is involved in search and rescue as well as other service organizations in the Yakima valley. He has served as president of both the Yakima ARC and Yakima County Radio Amateurs. He is currently ARRL Eastern Washington Section Manager.
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