[CQ-Contest] W3AU SK

[Tim Duffy K3LR]

One day in September 1976, I got up enough nerve to call Bob, K3EST on
the phone and ask to operate with his crew at W3AU. This was one of
several east coast power house multi multis, other ones being W2PV and
K2GL/N2AA (I would be lucky enough to operate at those stations a few
years later).

Coming off my best ever single op contest in the 1976 BiCentennial
(IARU) contest from WA3WIK, I hoped I was a good enough operator to to
try the "big time" with the big guns in multi multi. There is only one
way to find out.

As a high school teenager with only a home made (wire wrapped) WB4VVF
accu keyer, my favorite mechanical pencil and a few clothes in tow, I
headed to my Aunt and Uncle's house in Bowie, MD for Thanksgiving in
1976. The "real" reason for the trip was to operate my first multi multi
at the W3AU super station.

I remembered WN3UTA using the W3AU station to win the 1973 Novice
Roundup with close to 1000 qsos, where I (WN3SZX) placed 6th or 7th with
wires and my Heathkit station. UTA's picture in the write up was from
the 40 meter operating position at AU where I would spend my time for
the CQWW CW weekend. This was VERY cool!

Bob, K3EST  was living in K3ZO's house at the time and K3TW was there as
well. I remember visiting ZO's house with Dr. Pepper bottles everywhere
and two Drake B-lines that were always lit, 7 x 24. This was the
ultimate place to live!

I had worked less than a dozen Europeans on 40 with my wires and a
vertical from WA3WIK before this trip. Imagine the look on my face at
the view of a full size 3 element beam for 40! Thoughts of 800 QSOs on
40 CW...this was the big time! With almost no experience (I had been
licensed a little over 4 years), Bob, K3EST the ever patient teacher,
gave me all the band tips needed. Hooking the memory keyer up to the
Collins 32V3 (I think...it looked like the mate to the 75A4 receiver)
transmitter was easy...lots of log sheets, a paper dupe sheet.... I'm
shaking badly, but I'm ready. This is a DREAM come true!

With a Collins 75S3C receiver and the old reliable Collins transmitter,
there was no "Transceive option", so calling stations with this set up
was different, but lots of fun. EST rule #1, "You will be very loud. Do
not worry about multipliers, call lots of CQs, stay put, the multipliers
will find you". And they did, just like Bob said...

AU was using a tape loop to call CQ on CW. It was cool to see the meters
of several bands all calling the same CQ using the same generator, all
in harmony. This was a symphony contest and I'm right in the middle of
it. I think I was shaking from nerves all weekend.

Great band memories from that contest:

Seeing the long fingers of W3IN working 160. He tuned his R4B receiver
in what seamed like 10 hertz steps. I think he worked less than 20
stations the whole weekend. He never spoke to anyone in the shack, he
just kept his butt in the chair, head phones on, ever tuning for a
whisper of a signal.

K3TW was on 80. Tom and I passed multipliers and became good friends.
K3EST on 20. Bob was in the chair the whole time, never sleeping. AU
told me that when you have EST on 20....you don't need two operators....

CX1EK on 15. Cool guy....yelled at his CW pile up in Spanish. Ran JAs
like I had never seen before.
WA3TBW was on 10, but the band was mostly dead.

When it was over I think I worked about 700 QSOs. W2PV's 40 meter guy
may of had more, but EST said my band total was good. I was on cloud 9
and EST told me that he wanted me to operate on his team again.

It took 20 years, but in 1996, I invited K3EST to fly from California
and operate multi multi from Western Pennsylvania with the K3LR team for
the CQWW CW contest. Bob and I did 40 meters together. I'll never forget
the shaky hands (now at thirty something years old) while my multi multi
contest elmer (and CQ Contest Director) watched beside me as we worked
some 1800 QSOs together on my favorite band.

When young operators like NI3S, KL9A and K3GJ operate from my station
now, I think think about how much it meant to me to operate at W3AU.

Thanks go to you Ed Bissell, W3AU. You did more for me than you ever
knew. You gave me a taste of multi multi fun that set a personal goal to
build my own dream station some day which would be realized some 16
years later. I would not have been inspired to pursue my contesting
dreams without the chance you gave this young kid in 1976.

73,
Tim K3LR