I've been reading these memories with some interest. But, coffee made with
yellow snow trumps almost anything and it has burned a place in my memory.
I'm glad you're still with us, Jeff!
73.,
Fred/NA2U
CWMAN...I'D RATHER WORK CW!!!
"Je mange donc je suis."
"Good wine is a necessity of life for me."--Thomas Jefferson
-- K1ZM@aol.com wrote:
Hi Gang
There is more to the story of the 1977 W1RR operation at Ted Gamlin's place
in NH and I'll relate some more highlights now:
Ted had a very OLD farmhouse with one bath and a tired old septic system to
boot. The shock of 10-12 guys using it soon caused it to totally OVERLOAD -and
I remember ROGER BIRT, N4ZC, literally bailing out the toilet with a ladle at
various points in the contest - plus the well ran dry.
When the well ran dry, we were melting snow to make coffee. Someone handed
me a cup and it tasted kinda funny - and then the room erupted in laughter
around me. My coffee had been made with YELLOW SNOW!
There was a problem with the 40M yagi (SWR was high) and at sunrise W1RR was
SCREAMING W1 radio RADIO - RADIO RADIO - R A D I O!!! at the top of his lungs
to try to work a JA for a mult on 40 phone. His yelling was so loud, I could
not hear the Europeans calling me in my 20M pileup - and I sorta wished John
had just opened the window facing NW in the room - and yelled RADIO RADIO over
there - as it would have probably been more effective at working one (said
tongue in cheek!)
Midway through the second phone weekend, Ted went up the big tower to align a
rotor and managed to actually get the wrench used to tighten the rotor nuts
STUCK TO HIS TONGUE. It was near zero that day, and he mistakenly put it into
his mouth - and then could not pry it off until he came into the house and
poured some warm water on his tongue.
On Sunday morning K1XX came in and said "Hey Jeff - QUICK - look up the big
tower!". I looked and said, "Ok - I see Ted up the tower - okay - thanks."
Charlie then said "put your glasses on and look again - now what do you see?"
I looked again and saw TWO figures at the top of the 165 foot tower. It was
Ted and his NEW GIRLFRIEND - also named KATHY - so we called her from that
point Kathy #2.
Remember, Kathy #1 had split with Ted for allowing the multi to take place
two weeks before - throwing me off the couch where I had crashed - so Ted had
found a replacement - and when she later came down - I saw that she was a real
FOX - and she climbed towers too! Some guys have ALL THE LUCK!!!
After the PHONE contest second weekend, there was supposed to be a CW effort
(the second weekend of ARRL CW) - but it never happened as a guy anchor pulled
out on the 165 foot tower and it fell down - unbelievable? Yep, but true.
Ted collected from his insurance agent for a new replacement tower - then
RE-USED almost all of the downed sections - except for 1-2 that got mangled in
the fall.
Epilogue
About two years later, there was a MYSTERIOUS FIRE that burned down the old
farmhouse. Ted used the monies to build a magnificent new home with skylights
from which all the ops could see their tower tops from their operating
positions in the daytime. While no one knows for SURE - there were rumors
floating
around NEW HAMPSHIRE that summer that Ted actually had set FIRE to the old
farmhouse - in order that he might build a BETTER multi-multi hamshack.
And that's a wrap except to note that one summer somewhere in there Ted and
K1XX were up a new Rohn 45 tower that Ted was erecting. He was holding a rope
with his arm outstretched - and said "Hey Charlie, do you mind holding this
rope for a second?"
Charlie obliged and when Ted let go, Charlie was almost pulled off the tower
from the weight on the rope. He looked down and saw there were (2) two Rohn
45 tower sections at the end of that rope - and Ted had been holding it
effortlessly with one arm - like it was nothing! Man that guy was STRONG!
73 JEFF
K1ZM@aol.com
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