User:Jim Thompson, VE3BCA
Biography
Jim Thompson, VE3BCA worked at Canadian Comstock Frequency Conversion Division after getting out of bed, and Howard Cowling, VE3BTI, also worked there in another section as well. I was head of the Power Division, which handled all the heavy, large industrial equipment and determined the inventory of the plants large electrical items. They came back to the Office and another outfit, Engineering I think, decided if they had to be changed replaced or rewound or whatever, and I think Howard was in that section or Radio Frequency might be closer to where he was. Anyway one time the engineers were deciding if the rewinds were radiating RF when they finished the rewinding, and figured that they would have to purchase some new expensive equipment to determine that. Howard overheard the problem and went and picked up a fluorescent bulb and held it beside the equipment and it lit up like a Christmas Tree. He showed the engineers what a ham could do without expensive equipment.
I later got a job at Thompson Products Ltd. And worked with hams like Del Spaetzel, VE3AYS, Ivan Hall, VE3FTZ, Ed Welch, VE3CBG and others I cannot remember. After leaving TP in 1972, I went into Real Estate Sales and retired in 1991.
Harry Borsato, VE3BSA was another individual that worked at Foster Wheeler and married Irene who also worked there with Arthur Smith a chief Engineer. Harry's amateur days started when he lived with his parents on Niagara Street. He had his "shack" on the second floor of that large house and when I visited him I can remember as he tuned up the transmitter he would have to run to the window at the end of his bedroom where he had a pi network antenna tuner mounted on a breadboard base, and peak it up and back to the transmitter and re-adjust etc. until he got it right. He was always a good operator on CW and later when he got on AM modulated phone, he was able to contact many of the countries of the world. I can remember a couple of hams complaining of his signal as he was prone to over modulate when he got a new country and in his excitement would up the volume of his voice considerably. That in turn would end up splattering over their close signals and infuriated them somewhat. I think that some of the older hams will remember him for that alone and not that he was also a working Bulletin Editor of the Club from 1956 to 1959.
I remember one time he came over when I was confined to bed and we worked one of the CW contests and even had a reasonable score to boot. We sent in the log but were not in any way close to a winner. Harry was always a neat and tidy individual and his "shack" is still the same today at 439 Scott St. He has helped many of the local hams in the area with his expertise in radio and carpentry, plumbing and building knowledge. I know he helped Jack Moneypenny, VE3ASI, and also Jack and Jean Hawkins, VE3BXQ and VE3BVJ. They lived beside the canal across from the Pt. Weller Dry Docks. When Jack died, Harry helped Jean (who was confined to a wheelchair all her life) and assisted with the maintenance and repair of the house and the disposal of Jack's equipment.
He also helped her when she moved to London On. a year or so ago. Harry became a great friend of Al Ford, VE3AGE and they still get together once a week to talk about computers mainly as Ham Radio is passe'.
