KD4GYM 1940 Swan Island

Steve Paull KD4GYM, W9FPF, N4SP
assigned to the Swan Island Weather Bureau Station

Outside view of the operating position at KD4GYM

The operation position at KD4GYM. The two tall rigs to the left are CW transmitters for Navy schedules.
Next, on the operation table is a a 100 watt HT-9 transmitter that was used on 20 meter phone. The two AR-77 receivers are on the right.

Some of the power supply equipment of WWI spark station, call letters "US", found on the island.

Living quarters of the Weather Station staff and of some of the United Fruit Company employees.

Another view of a beach on Swan Is.

The sailing lighter in which supplies for the camp were taken ashore from visiting ships.

Stephen Paull, age 90, of 451 E. Michigan St., Marquette, died Tuesday evening, December 28, 2004 at his home.
Mr. Paull was born on August 17, 1914 at Laurium, Michigan to the late Frank O. and Lina (Dyruff) Paull.
He was a 1931 graduate of John D. Pierce High School and a 1936 graduate of the former Northern State Teachers College in Marquette.
Immediately after receiving his teaching certificate, Stephen took a position in Baraga, Michigan where he taught chemistry and physics at their high school.

In September of 1941, he was ordered to active duty in the U.S. Army Signal Corps at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey.
He was eventually dispatched to England where he was assigned duty to British Army anti aircraft units for training and experience as a radar technician.
During World War II, he also saw duty in North Africa, Sicily and Italy, before returning in 1945 to Washington, DC where he was assigned to headquarters of the Army Signal Corps.

Mr. Paull later worked as an electronic engineer with the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC from 1945 through 1959.
In 1960 he joined NASA where he worked at the Goddard Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, retiring in 1978.
After retiring, Stephen moved to Marquette in 1979 and had lived here ever since. His favorite past time since being in high school was being a ham radio operator.

QSL from the estate of W5BGP, W5IO
QSL, Info courtesy of W5KNE
Photos courtesy of K6VK
Photos from "Radio" magazine, July 1941, courtesy of California Historical Radio Society Maxwell Library