[CQ-Contest] re: N8SM remembered

[ku8e at bellsouth.net]

  Reading K3LR and N9RV's comments about N8SM brought back some great
  memories that I have of Steve.... Like everyone else I was shocked when I
  first heard the news of his death.  

   I first met WD8IXE in the early 1980's when we were both members of the Mad
 River Radio Club. We only lived about 15 miles apart so I would see him on a 
 regular basis. Over the years we operated together at many multi-ops from 
 KW8N,KS8S and W8FN. I remember one year we even did FD together from my 
 parents backyard.

  Steve had a modest station at his parents house back in those days. I remember
 he did many single-ops at KW8N and I think he still might hold some of the 8th 
 call area records in CQWW and ARRL DX from his operations at Bob's. Before he
 moved to Texas he was a regular at the K3LR M/M operations too..

   The both of us attended Ohio State during the mid to late 1990's. Those
 were the glory days for contesting at W8LT.  N8VW, W4EF, K3JT, W8LX, KC5R
 (ex KC3N), Steve and myself were all members of the radio club during those
 years. We had some memorable FD operations as W8LT/VE3 on Pelee Island in the 
 middle of Lake Erie... Getting their was have the fun. He also had fun hanging
 out and doing all the things you do when you are college age....

    I also remember the fun we had during the mid 1990's doing K3UA June
 VHF Contest operations. A bunch of HF contest operators ( K3LR,K3UA,KU8E,N8VW,
 N3RA,WD8IXE and KD8NS came from WPA and Ohio and WW2Y,KA2AEV,N2NT,KR2J(N5NJ)
 and KZ2S (N2NC) from the east)  met up at a hilltop in central PA to try our
 hand in VHF contesting. It was cool to just "hang out" and talk contesting 
 during the slow periods that you get in a VHF contest. It was like a mini 
 Dayton contest suite ! 

   In the late 1990's I was also fortunate to join Steve on one of the J6DX 
 contest expeditions. I remember all the fun we had and believe this was was the
 first time I met a cocky young contester named Paul Gentry - who we all know
 as K9PG.  

  As you can see I have many great memories of the times I was able to spend
 with Steve and I am glad that I got to know him during his life. We lost touch
 somewhat when he moved to Texas and started a family. Every once in awhile we
 would work each other on the air or exchange an email and would update each 
 other about what was going on in our life's. I remember from our last 
 conversations that he was living his dream of building a contest station that 
 he could call his own.

 Steve was not just a fellow contester and a super operator but a great friend as well. He will be sorely missed.


                               Jeff  KU8E