Amateur Radio Page

Henry L. (Buddy) Boyd was born on October 8, 1929, the only son of Earnest and Emma Jean Boyd of Tomball, Texas where Earnest was employed by the Humble Oil Company.

Buddy was a happy active boy, totally dedicated to his father, mother and sister Mary Nell. When Buddy reached the age of accountability he was baptized into the Church of Christ and remained a faithful Christian for the rest of his life. He endured unbelievable hardships, but his faith never wavered.

On October 8, 1944 Buddy, now 15 years old, and several of his friends from school where he was active in athletics went swimming in Spring Creek Park just north of Tomball. Buddy dived into the sandy bottom creek and hit the bottom with his head. He told me in later years, he felt a sharp pain in his neck and then nothing. His friends saw him float to the surface and heard him call for help. One of them went to his aid and held his face out of the water so that he could breathe while the others took the rear seat from the car they had come to the park in and eased it under his body and gently lifted him and placed him in the car.

On arrival at the Tomball Hospital Buddy was examined and then transferred to a Houston Hospital some 30 miles away. Not much was known about spinal cord injuries and the treatment at that time, but the doctors did all they could. Buddy was paralyzed from the neck down for the remainder of his life.

Buddy went home to Tomball after several months of treatment and Earnest hired a neighboring young lady by the name of Velma Lee Rudel to help care for him. She went to a special school to learn how to treat and care for a quadriplegic. After Buddy's death she said, "He was the brother I never had, he was the husband I never had." She remained at his side along with his loving mother, turning him in bed every 4 hours day and night for 35 years.

Buddy's father passed away after being transferred to Conroe, Texas. He was sorely missed by and Buddy mourned his passing for many years. In the years to follow Buddy spent his time reading, listening to baseball and football games on the radio, and became an avid CB'er. He talked to the truckers as they went by on first Highway 75 and then when the I-45 Freeway was completed. He became disenchanted with CB when the FCC relaxed the regulations requiring possession of a license and using of call signs. The bands became crowded with users who held no regard for others and the language became intolerable. Buddy hung up the microphone and turned the switch off.

I went to visit Buddy in 1966 at the insistence of my wife, Lois, who had become acquainted with Emma Jean Boyd, Buddy's mother, at the Church of Christ in Conroe. I was reluctant to go because I didn't know what to expect and certainly didn't know what to talk about with someone who could only move his head and whose hands were drawn into a fist and his elbows bent. He was able only to move his arms at the shoulder but was able to mop his brow with a towel Velma had wrapped around his wrist on his right hand.

I came away feeling uplifted and amazed at the attitude of someone as handicapped as Buddy was. He was jolly, talkative and interested in what was going on "out there in the world." He had not been out of his room except for occasional visits to the patio on a cot to get a little sunshine for several years. He asked if I thought he could get to be a Ham Operator. I told him I didn't know how to go about it but I would find out and get back with him.

When I contacted the FCC in Houston I was advised that if I held a General Class or higher license I could administer the Novice Amateur Radio Operator's Test to him. If he could master that and progress to sending and receiving 13 words per minute of International Morse Code I could administer the General Class Conditional License Exam. If I held an Advanced or Extra Class and he could meet the requirements for each of those class licenses, I could administer those exams for him.

Members of the Church of Christ in Conroe donated money for the purchase of a Heathkit SB-101 transceiver, an electronic keyer, a 40 foot Rhon Tower and helped me locate a hospital bed table on rollers to mount the equipment on. Buddy went to work learning the code. By laying the keyer on its side and extending the paddle I was able to make it reach a point where he could grasp the paddle with his lips. By tilting his head up he could send a "dah" and tilting his head down would allow him to send a "dit." Within 2 weeks he was able to send text from a newspaper at better than 5 words per minute and could copy in his head and repeat to me text I sent to him at 10 words per minute.

Buddy took and passed his Novice Test and received the call assignment of WN5VTA. He got on the air as soon as his license arrived and within a month called and advised me he was ready to take his General Class Exam. I knew he was because I had worked him on C.W. and heard him working others. Six months after he received his General Class License, WA5VTA he was calling for a test for his Advanced Class License. He passed that with flying colors. Velma Lee marked his test sheets as he instructed her.

Buddy spent many hours working Hams all over the world after other Hams in the area and from as far away as Houston, Beaumont and Austin converged for an antenna party and erected a Cubical Quad on the 40 foot tower. Among those who spent tireless hours putting up antennas and running cables and building radio kits for Buddy were John Warren, WA5QHX, David Harris WA5BMO, Bob Burkes WA5VYD, Jay Smith, W5DN and Gene Whitehurst, WA5GZX (himself handicapped). There were others that I cannot remember and I apologize to them.

Buddy ran phone patches to Bolivia for a lady who had married a man from Conroe but was a native of Bolivia and her family was still in Bogota. He visited with missionaries who had family and friends in Conroe. One of those was 9Q5PA, Paul Alexander and CX5DV in Uruguay whose sister lived in Conroe. He played chess with WA5IJK who lived in Warren, Texas and was equally handicapped. A whole New World was out there now for Buddy and he was "traveling" all he could.

In February of 1969 I received a phone call from Buddy and his question was, "How do I start a net to get able bodied Hams together to help handicapped people become Hams?" I told him all he had to do was pick a frequency and time, get on the air and call "QST, QST, this is [give the net a name]. My name is Buddy Boyd, WA5VTA located in Conroe, Texas. If you would like to check in, come now." His reply was, "Listen on 7270 tomorrow at 2 p.m."

On the next day, as promised, Buddy was there calling "The Handicapper's Information Net." I have lost or misplaced my logbook with the exact date but I do remember some of those who checked in. There was WA5QHX (now K5QX), WA5AMN (now W5DN), Bob Burkes (I can't remember his call - he is SK), WA5IJK, WA5UNW, Walt Stout (now WQ5R) and WA5QKE. There were others, but I can't remember who they were.

The Handicapper's Information Net became known world wide and many, many handicapped people have been helped in obtaining their licenses, loaned radios, had antennas installed and received instruction from those who are members of the Net and able bodied. Buddy remained manager of the net until his death on December 3, 1979. A memorial was held at 2 p.m. on 7270 December 4, 1979. The net has missed one day of operation Monday through Friday since its inception and that was December 5, 1979 when it was not held in honor of Buddy as he was laid to rest in Conroe.

I have a tape of the memorial held on the air for Buddy of the 28 Hams who made comments that day I can find only 9 still listed on the QRZ CD-ROM. Of course some have changed their calls, but many are SK. The net was called that day by WB5QMA. Scriptures were read by K5KXD, WB5YRV and W5KLV (Jerry Sears held that call which is now held by Jerry Coleman of San Antonio) - all are SK. I found these call signs still listed. WB5FLV (who read scripture that day), N5AWD, WA5UNW, W5HJN, WB5GSG, N5AUP, WA5UYL, K5SXJ, K5KXG and WB5SSB. I assume all of these are still on the Ham Bands.

The Handicapper's Information Net is a living memorial to Buddy Boyd, WA5VTA. I am proud to have known him and to have had a part in his becoming an Amateur Radio Operator. The net meets daily, Monday through Friday at 2 p.m. Central Time on 7270Khz and all hams are still welcome. Many of the Hams who fill the duties of Net Control are handicapped and beneficiaries of the love and concern of WA5VTA, phonetically, Whisky Alfa 5 Very Tired Amateur.

This is a picture of Jimmy's Ham Shack which was a third bedroom in his home when he lived in Fairfield, Texas. It also doubled as his office (note the computer which is really the center piece of the room) where he did Computer Consulting and conducted other business.

He has been active in Ham Radio since 1965 when he got his present Ham Call.

Before retiring in 1987 he was involved in management of Mobile 2-Way Communications out of Beaumont, Texas and managed shops in Liberty, Conroe and Huntsville as District Manager.

Jimmy moved to Fairfield in 1993 and after his first wife Lois' death he was remarried to Mary Jo (Allison)Shoemake in March of 2000 and moved to Woodville, Texas and has his Ham Shack setup in their motorhome. The motorhome is parked under a RV Port beside the house and he uses a Screwdriver Mobile Antenna. While on the road on trips he stays in touch via Email using Winlink on Pactor.

Update 1/11/09

On March 16,2007 Jim and Mary Jo moved to Fairfield after she sold her home in Ivanhoe, Woodville, Texas and purchased on in Fairfield. We have a quiet location on a dead end street and spend our time working on scrapbooks of our travels. We have now been in all 49 continental states of America and use the motorhome to visit friends and kin as well as a backup for the house. As I write this Mary Jo is 12 days away from her 84th birthday and I am a month and 12 days away from mine. God has been good to us. We are happy back "home" near where we entered life in this world and hope to remain here until we leave it.