Captain Don(ald) Alan Miller W9WNV (AE6IY)

Work in progress - full version on Geman pages

The Don Miller Story

Exclusive interview for the Documentary Archives Radio Communications

The Don Miller Story, as told by himself
Recorded 31. December 2002

Highlights, with narrator Kerry Skyring (19:08) [MP3 , 3.4 MB]

Full story, hosted by OE1WHC, Part I [25:51] [MP3 , 4.6 MB]

Full story, hosted by OE1WHC, Part II [26:10] [MP3 , 4.7 MB]

The Rise and Fall of an Outstanding Personality

The Rise and Fall of an Outstanding Personality Captain Don(ald) Alan Miller, W9WNV (AE1Y), a medical doctor by profession, is an outstanding personality in more than one respect: He is unsurpassed as a CW operator - he keyed with his left hand and simultaneously added the qso data to the logbook with his right hand. He was one of the first DXpeditioners travelling around the globe, carefully planning and preparing his journeys down to the seemingly smallest detail. He introduced a number of "first ones" to the list of DXCC entities in many a daring operation - some faked included (a fact that was revealed in a somewhat dirty campaign). Don not only lost his reputation as a first class and top gun DXer, he also experienced a private desaster that brought him behind bars for many years. He was eagerly trying to rehabilitate himself as a private person and as a ham operator.

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List of Home and Expeditionary Calls

List of Home and Expeditionary Calls Some operation were not Don Miller's but also sponsored by the "World Radio Propagation Study Association". They are, however, included below. A number of Gus Browning's (W4BPD) DXpeditions (July 1963 - February 1964, from
AC8PN Bhutan until XW8AW/BY China) were also sponsored by the "World Radio Propagation Study Association". For full details see our Gus Browning page.

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W9WNV/KG6R - Rota - "A legendary DXpedition"

6 - 23 Februar/y 1963

27.10.10

A selection of a slide show / Auswahl einer Fotoserie ext. Link
by/von Jose Bendana, NH2HP & Kevin Tai

Ed Poppe, K2QGC (now KH2L) - Ray Husher, K5LXZ/KR6BH (now W5EW), Ernie Tougas WA6ROP/KG6 (callsign reassigned), Don Miller, W9MNV/HL9KH (now AE6IY) - 5.242 QSOs, 80-10m, CW & SSB

: Ed, K2QGC/KG6

In the barracks rooms at AAFB / Auf der AAFB (American Air Force Base)

: Rota expedition gear

Total gear for four people and ten days / Gesamtgepäck für vier Leute und zehn Tage

: W9WNV

with baggage / mit Gepäck

: Ed, K2GGC/KG6

with baggage / mit Gepäck

: KG6R antenna/Antenne

finally erechted / endlich aufgebaut

: The shack

Die Funkbude

: 'Wedding Cake'

from the beach on the East side / Die 'Hochzeitstorte' von der Ostküste aus gesehen

: Antenna down/geknickt

in an overnight windstorm / durch einen nächtlichen Sturmwind

: Mariana Trust Territory

Members/Mitarbeiter - Center/Mitte: Mr. & Mrs. Tewksbury; left/links: Father Cania

: Ray & Don

at the departure / vor dem Abflug

: Departure

Abflug

QSL Gallery

Don was repeatedly accused of an unethical QSL policy. He allegedly submitted cards against payment without a real contact. Don denied such accusations, claiming that there were just two different legal sets of QSL cards: "Sponsor Cards", sent direct and confirming donations, and standard cards cards via his QSL manager, Ack.

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Ted Thorpe and Chuck Swain

Lost at sea

In the early morning of 28 January 1966, Edmund "Ted" M. Thorpe, ZL2AWJ, and Charles "Chuck" N. Swain, K7LMU (K4GTZ, F7DD, 5A1FF...), set sails again on board of their ketch "Marinero" after their very rewarding DXpeditions to Niue and Wallis. Charles had been in Indonesia, Burma, Thailand, Spratly, Ebon and Cormoran gewesen and reunited with Ted. Both friends were lost at sea, without a trace ever since.

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Herb Kline - CR9AK, K1IMP

Herb joined Don at two expeditions, both resulting in bitter controversies. Don was forced to confess, finally, that he and Herb had faked the alleged St. Peter & Paul operation. But he insistited, until today, that their Navassa operation was a legitimate one. In an exclusive interview for the Documentary Archives Herb explains why he took part in the P&P swindle, supports Don's Navassa claim - and deeply regrets his youthful mistake.

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The K7LMU-TI9C Cormoran Reef Story

According to Jim Cain’s Yasme book, in mid-1965 Chuck Swain – K7LMU and Don Miller claimed to discover a map that showed Cormoran Reef as being under the jurisdiction of Costa Rica (and Ebon Atoll of Ecuador). On the basis of this information, the Consuls of the two countries in Los Angeles issued authorisation for operations using the callsigns K7LMU/HC8E and K7LMU/TI9C.
ARRL’s Awards Committee duly accepted both as potential new DXCC entities and announced that QSLs would be accepted from March 1966, in parallel with these happenings. Lloyd and Iris Colvin were also on the scene. They apparently received similar Ecuadorian related authorisation for operation from Ebon and a race was on to be the first to put it on the air.
K7LMU/HC8E appeared on the bands during October 1965 closely followed by K7LMU/TI9C in November 1965. The Colvins arrive on Ebon in November and by then the Ecuador connection was being questioned. They operated under the permit issued by the Trust Territory as KX6SZ. While there they obtained fairly firm evidence that their operation was the first from the atoll. And that no-one had been there during the previous month.
The issues surrounding these two spots rumbled on throughout 1966. It was eventually determined that neither Ecuador nor Costa Rica had never had any territorial claim and, taking the most charitable interpretation, it came down to a misunderstanding by the Consulates in Los Angeles.
Although the entities had been placed on the Countries List, QSLs were not accepted for credit and the two were eventually removed in December 1966, ending a very controversial episode in DXCC history and paving the way for a revision of the qualification criteria.

Don Miller reappiering

01 - In 2015 Don visited the Dayton Hamvention (left, with W4NN, © ÷HG)
02 - where he was invited to give a talk in the Forum - The winner of the Icom transceiver at the DX Dinner was David Collingham, K3LP. He donated the transceiver to Don. Maybe we will hear him at last on the air as AE6IY.
03 - Don at the IDXC, 2015 (photo ©N6PSE)
04 - Don at the WRC in Thailand, November 2019, with Franz, DJ9ZB, and Champ © E21t1EIC