July 18, 2025
David M. Pepper, WA6TWA, on Call Signs
Our July 18 speaker, Dr. David M. Pepper, WA6TWA, has had that call sign since he earned his license more than 60 years ago. Unlike most hams, however, one of the aspects of our hobby that caught his attention was how and why call signs like his (and ours) came into being. That will be the subject of his talk to our group.
(David notes that this talk was originally presented by Mike Ritz, W7VO, who graciously gave David permission to present a version of the material he has revised for us.)
As a young ham David had a lot of interests beyond call signs, such as working AM, SSB, CW and RTTY in the days before FM became the mode of choice on the VHF bands. He recalls with pride earning his Worked All States designation in the early 1960s, when operating a rig required a lot of hands-on attention and making a QSO in states with sparse populations of hams took patience and effort – and in his case, persuading his parents to let him stay up late.
David enjoyed going on 2-meter hidden transmitter hunts, or T-Hunts while in John Burroughs Junior High and Fairfax High in Los Angeles. (His talk to our group in August of 2024 about his exciting T-hunt adventures as a teen is available on video.) After Fairfax he attended LACC and went on to UCLA, where he earned a BS in Physics, Summa Cum Laude, and then to Caltech, where he earned an MS and PhD in Applied Physics.
Professionally, David was a Senior Research Scientist at HRL Laboratories in Malibu, where he performed research on laser technology, including laser communication, laser ultrasound, and adaptive optics, which he explains is taking the “twinkle” out of starlight for astronomical observation and communication.
(The lab was founded by Howard Hughes in 1948 as the research arm of Hughes Aircraft. It became Hughes Research Laboratories in 1960,when it was busy making the world’s first working laser, using a ruby crystal, ion propulsion, and atomic clocks, and was renamed HRL Laboratories in 1997. Still the largest employer in Malibu, it is now owned by General Motors and Boeing.)
David has published several articles on using lasers for communication, imaging and nondestructive testing, and is credited as the inventor on 71 issued US patents.
He retired from HRL Labs after 31-plus years, and now works as a technical consultant, inventor and educator.
Our General Meeting is held at 7:30pm. in the LAPD West Valley Station Community Room, at 19020 Vanowen St, Reseda, CA 91335. (Click for a map or set your GPS to: 34°11’34.4″N 118°32’55.4″W.) Please park behind the library.
Meetings are hybrid, with attendance also available via Zoom. See our Zoom links page.
W6SD Get-Togethers
W6SD holds monthly speaker meetings on the third Friday of each month, at 7:30 p.m., via Zoom. We hold informal social get-togethers every Monday morning via Zoom.
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W6SD – The San Fernando Valley Amateur Radio Club
ARRL Affiliated Club #1684
Founded in 1946, The San Fernando Valley Amateur Radio Club, Inc. (SFVARC) is open to anyone interested in Amateur Radio as a hobby. The Club is affiliated with the American Radio Relay League and the Los Angeles Council of Amateur Radio Clubs, Inc.
San Fernando Valley Amateur Radio Club
P.O. Box 5472
West Hills, CA 91308
info@w6sd.com
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