In the summer of 1988, Denise and I moved to Crystal City, Virginia. We selected an apartment on the very top floor – the 12th - just so I could operate ham radio.   For a few years I operated on two meters and 220 Mhz using the ICOM 3200A and an old crystal controlled 2 meter radio to work the local repeaters.

This station was in a small bedroom, which faced west. We also used that room as the TV room, with the big RCA TV against the far wall. The ham radio antenna was in the large glass window. It hit all the repeaters very well. But, when I pushed the mike button while the TV was on there was a terrible arcing of sparks from the TV. The RF from the ham transmitter had caused the TV High Voltage power supply to arc over. I had to lug the TV down to the car and drive it to the repair shop in Laurel. Cost $150. Then I put a metal window screen across the windows and put the ham antenna outside the window and everything was OK.

Out of the other bedroom in that apartment I set up a little Scout HF radio. I wedged a car battery, a power supply, and the radio into an 18" space between two bookcases. From there I ran the antenna cable out the window and over to the adjacent balcony where we grew four Japanese cherry trees in big pots. I strung a 20 meter dipole antenna across the tops of the trees and it worked real well. Now I could work DX on the HF bands.