[CQ-Contest] Remembering KC1F...

[K1ZM at aol.com]

Hi Gang
 
Like all of you I was shocked to hear this awful news about Stu.
 
I remember the first time I saw him and I am thinking it was 1975.  We needed 
a 40M op at W1ZM for CQWW SSB that Fall and I think Charlie, W1GQO (K1XX) 
recommended him.
 
I'll always remember my thoughts at the time when this guy drives up in a 
little dark grayish car that looked like it would fall apart if you BLEW ON IT!!  
The rocker panels were loose and out steps this guy with long wavy hair (like 
Steven Tyler of Aerosmith) wearing blue jeans laced with holes.  I thought at 
the time that it was WA1 (BEATNIK!) and not WA1LKX who was supposed to 
arrive.  Stu was still a college student in those days - probably 20 or 21 as I 
recall.
 
Well, anyway, we put Stu on 40m SSB and that year we had two 40M xmit 
antennas - a HY GAIN shorty-40 at 65 feet (the Cushcraft 402CD did not exist yet) - 
and a K1THQ 40M sloper system.  Jerry, W1ZM, had hung six 40M slopers from the 
top of the TH6DXX tower and jury-rigged up a stepper switch to electrically 
rotate the thing - connected to a box in the shack with six idiot-lights on it.  
If you hit the momentary-on switch, the stepper switch mounted on the tower 
would advance (you could only advance it FORWARD - not backwards) and the 
lights would blink on the contol box showing which heading the thing was pointed 
at.  It actually worked pretty well and was a fair antenna for searching for 
mults when the yagi was aimed at EU for the EU "runs" - Note that I am using the 
term "run" with tongue in cheek as this was 40 PHONE and this was 1975!!!!
 
I recall sitting near Stu as he operated 40M and all night long he was 
playing with this stepper switch because I saw the blinking lights moving endlessly 
as he kept pushing the momentary-on switch. BLINK-BLINK-BLINK-BLINK and then 
BLINK-BLINK-BLINK. Every now and then I heard a few mumblings from Stew because 
he could not go backwards and if he missed his STOP he had to go all the way 
around again!
 
When the contest was all over, I saw that Stu had worked about 115 stations 
in all which was pretty damned good on 40M phone in those days - W2PV had a few 
more - but not many more.  What really IMPRESSED ME was that this paper log 
looked like it had been carved using a kind of gothic printer - I mean it was 
the CLEANEST log I had ever seen - it was like a form of artwork.  I recall 
hearing later that Stu's logs were usually "as clean as a baby's ass" and that 
was certainly what I remember seeing.  Remember, there were no computer logs in 
those days and memory keyers did not exist yet either.....
 
7 years later, a group of us operated as a multi single at NP4A for CQWW CW 
(1982) and Stu operated next to me on 80M that year.  We set the WORLD RECORD 
for a M/S in that contest and he had close to 2000 contacts on 80CW using a 2el 
diamond quad fixed on Europe placed high on the 3000' mountain top just 
outside Ponce. I recall Stu volunteering to cross-check the MOUNTAIN of paper-logs 
that resulted from that contest - and he did a wonderful job checking to see 
that we were LEGAL as a multi-single - and we were.  But it was a ton of work 
doing that log - we probably had over 7,000 qso's - I cannot remember the exact 
number.
 
Anyway, the last time I think we operated together, was in 1980 at K1OX in NH 
- at Ted Gamlin's place.  We had a fine score and it was great fun operating 
with him again.
 
I also recall some 18 years later running across Stu's kids operating the 
Kid's Day contest and my daughter Lucy worked Stu's kids on 10M SSB that year - 
Lucy loved telling them her favourite color was PINK - which was a part of the 
exchange.
 
We have all lost a good friend this past Friday and a great contest operator. 
 It is a reminder to us all that life is short and very precious - each day 
we get up, feel good and are able to operate in another contest is a GOOD DAY - 
and I am sorry that Stu did not get the chance to enjoy a few more with the 
rest of us..
 
Take care my friend - we will definitely miss your smile and gentle manner...
 
73 JEFF
 
K1ZM/VY2ZM
 
_K1ZM at aol.com_ (mailto:K1ZM at aol.com) 



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