[CQ-Contest] KB1H SK

[Douglas Ruz]

A great contester passed away. Dick, KB1H.

RIP Dick !!...We will miss you.

73...Doug, CO8DM


----- Original Message ----- 
From: Jay Corriveau W1UJ 
To: Kim Provencher ; Walter KA1MM ; Dave AA1CE ; Dallas K1DW ; Paul KE1li ; Tom W1TJL ; Vinny KB1JDX ; Marcel EA3IN ; Derek KB1SBC ; Ed` K1ZE ; Jay W1UJ ; Paul K1GX ; James K1SD ; Ken WB1DX ; Douglas Ruz ; Roger KA1LMN ; Ken K1RAX ; Frank K1EBY ; Paul KE1LI ; Dima UA3AGW ; Alan W1CCE ; Eugeni EA3QP ; Chris N1XS ; Tad KT1NG ; Don K1IN ; Bob N1BU ; Chris Terkla ; Dave NN1N ; Dave KB1EDE ; Bob KM1X ; Dick KB1H ; Ed K1ZE ; Allan NR1X ; Mark NB1U ; Walt KA1MM ; Ralph K9ZO ; James Setzler 
Sent: Tuesday, February 24, 2015 5:32 PM
Subject: Fwd: ARRLDX CW KB1H M/2 HP




---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: <webform at b4h.net>
Date: Tue, Feb 24, 2015 at 5:29 PM
Subject: ARRLDX CW KB1H M/2 HP
To: 3830 at contesting.com, w1ujay at gmail.com


                    ARRL DX Contest, CW

Call: KB1H
Operator(s): KB1H K1EBY NB1U
Station: KB1H

Class: M/2 HP
QTH: CT
Operating Time (hrs): 41

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
  160:   58    47
   80:  414    74
   40:  691    99
   20:  817    93
   15:  989   110
   10:  722    96
-------------------
Total: 3691   519  Total Score = 5,737,545

Club: Yankee Clipper Contest Club

Comments:

A Brief History of KB1H/NZ1U, The Contest Station…

http://www.qsl.net/kb1h

Preface: As you may know, on Feb. 23rd, 2015 the contesting community lost
great friend and competitor, Dick Pechie, KB1H, now a silent key. He founded
the Barnstormers Contest Group (aka “BCG”) and was affectionately known to
us as “The Captain”. Dick made more than 1,300 q’s this past ARRL CW
Contest M/M effort. Thanks to Dick we have a comradery that transcends amateur
radio.  We love and miss him…

The Barnstormers Contest Group

The following was penned (with a few updates) by Dick describing the building
of the KB1H superstation.


I guess it all started around 1983 or 1984.  Having changed my call from WA1DWF
to KB1H I became interested in DX contesting.  I had always been active in Field
Day and Sweepstakes.  For the first time I had a tower with beams!!  Until
around 1983 all I had were wire antennas.  A KT43XA tribander and a Mosley
S-402 made me feel loud.  My QTH was about three miles from where I am now.
The shack was in the basement of my log cabin and I had made a soundproof room.
 If you have ever contested with me, I need to be in a sound-padded room!

The first crew that did Multi-Op contesting with me was WA1RLV (now W1MKM, SK),
WA1HYN (now K1ZE), WA1DCP, WA1BZS (now KR1U), and a few visitors.  Some calls
were quite familiar even though I had a very small station.  Ralph K9ZO, who
was a member of a team at WRTC-2000 and frequent DXexpedition member, helped in
a few contests and also enjoyed east coast propagation many weekends in my
basement.  There weren’t many highlights to talk about in those days but we
had fun!

In 1988 I moved to my present QTH.  The property already had a finished barn
out back so the second floor was ideal for a contest station.  Thus the team
name of “The Barnstormers”.  Only about 200 feet higher above sea level
than my previous QTH, the slope to Europe is much better. I looked into a hill
at the previous QTH.  The picture at the top of our website is a panoramic view
towards Europe taken from the top of the 155 foot tower (added Summer 2010). It
pans about 345 degrees to 60 degrees left to right.  Though I have many contest
summary sheets from 1988 to 1996, it wasn’t until about July 1996 that I
started to keep good records as to our progress with the station hardware and
contests results.
The real history starts in mid-1996. At that time the crew was AA1CE, K1EBY,
K1DW, and NB1U.  Occasional visits by other well-known operators like N1RR and
KM3T helped out our operating crew. As always, Kim, KB1DFB (now N1WK) helped
out.  We had the Rohn 45 (90’) next to the barn and the trusty old windmill
tower, I actually moved my 80-foot windmill tower on a flatbed!   Help putting
up the first tower came from fellow YCCC’ers like K1EA and K1VR.  How these
“Big Guys” found the time to help me I don’t know.  The Rohn 45 had 10
and 20 meters, the windmill had 40 and 15 meters. No stacks yet, just
monobanders.  Plans were being made for the 80 meter 4-Square and the 3rd tower
which was to be the 20 meter tower. Clearing brush and trees for the 4-Square
and 3rd tower took most of the weekends.  AA1CE developed data files for the
N6BV terrain analysis program and found that any height above 90’ on the 3rd
tower was useless. During the sunspot cycle low of 2008-2010 we wish we had put
another 30 feet on this tower. Results from the CQWW SSB 1995 contest saw us
miss the “box” by 500K.  During the winter we had a serious ice storm and
lost most of the 10 meter antennas on the Rohn 45. It seemed like a good time
to re-configure.

The first annual "Barnstormers Christmas Party" occurred in January
1997. By April we had Tower #3 up 26’.  It was during this spring we added
30’ to the Rohn 45.  Now up at 120’, it was impressive.  N1BU came onboard.
 In August K1EBY located 300’ of 3” irrigation pipe for the 80 meter
4-Square. This was the beginning of a disheartening story.  By CQWW SSB we got
one of these verticals up and all four for the CW weekend. We really enjoyed a
taste of the future. We got Tower #3 up 90’ with the Telrex 20 Meter
5-element on the top.

We lost the elevated 80 Meter 4-Square many times that winter.  I went as far
as hiring a crane which put me up in a basket to assemble the verticals in the
air!  You could tell I was an electrical engineer, not mechanical!  It wasn’t
until October of 1998 that we finally got the verticals up in their present
design (note: we’ve only lost one element since then…).

It was CQWW SSB 1998 that we finally had enough aluminum up to make noise and
get noticed.  With a few monobanders still on the ground, we made a very decent
showing.  By the time CW weekend rolled around we had a few more antennas in the
air.
In March 1998 KB1H hosted a YCCC training operation during CQWW WPX. N1XYS (now
N1XS) came along with Rich, N1IXF and Max, N1LYA. Max is Dave, AA1CE’s XYL and
had contested here before.

January 30, 1999 was the 3rd Annual Barnstormer’s Christmas Party and we
talked over our plans for the remainder of 1999.  The plans for the remaining
stacks were laid out and we all looked forward to better times.  By contest
season October 1999 we were QRV with stacks on 10, 15, and 20 Meters all phased
with WX0B Stackboxes. Since then we have added a few additional antennas,
especially antennas fixed south on 10, 15, 20, the full-size 3-element
“Dallas” 40M yagi @ 155’ and an elevated 40M 4-square.

A big station highlight had to be the joint operation with KI1G when our two
stations were combined for NU1AW during the 2000 IARU contest.  What a blast
being a much sought after worldwide multiplier!
October 3, 2000 we received our club call, NZ1U.  The Barnstormer’s Contest
Group now had our own callsign!

Every year brings new plans and each year no different.  We have added an
Ethernet network, rebuilt a few rotors, and rewired a station or two.
Our crew now consists of KB1H, AA1CE, N1XS, K1EBY, NB1U, KB1DFB, W1UJ, NR1X,
KM1X, K1IN, and W1TJL with part-time help from KE1LI, W1MKM (SK), N1BU, and
K1GX.

We have made many friends around the world with more than 300,000 QSOs uploaded
to LOTW.
Please enjoy our website and we welcome comments. Visit us often as we
continually update the contents.
73,
Dick �" KB1H


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