Surfin': Tackling Stacking

I do not have a fear of heights. In fact, I love the view from heights like the view from the top of buildings and mountains and airplanes, but I do have a fear of falling from heights.

A ladder collapsed under me once; I fell about five feet and broke two ribs. I don't want to think about falling from higher heights and that's why I don't like working on my 55-foot tower much. It telescopes down to about 20 feet, but that is still something to be wary of, so I pray for a future son-in-law who owns a bucket truck.

KB2HZI  doesn't need no stinkin' bucket truck. Lori Higgins builds Yagis and stacks them on the two towers at her contest station in New York's Catskill Mountains. The photo above is the view from the top of one of Lori's towers and this set of photos shows her working on the stack of her 60-foot tower without chipping a nail!

According to Ray Higgins, W2RE, who alerted me about Lori, "Not only does she do tower work, she runs marathons, bike rides 100 miles a week. Her full-time employment is a nurse. She works part-time for RemoteHamRadio.com. She also operates at multi-ops during ARRLDX and CQWW.

Until next time, keep on surfin'!

K1EM RIP

I was shocked when I read in Friday's newspaper that K1EM had died on Tuesday.

K1EM, Clem Paskus, and I go back a long way. I first encountered Clem during a VHF contest back in the 1970s and I probably logged him in nearly every VHF contest I participated in after that.

Clem lived in Terryville in my grandparents' neck of the woods and when I moved to Compounce Mountain, we were only four miles apart as the crow flies, but I usually only saw Clem face-to-face at the Dayton Hamvention, 605 miles away as that same crow flies.

Another time I ran into Clem was at a big polka bash here in town, where he was attending with his wife. I was not surprised to see Clem there because Clem and I were Poles; he often called me "Stash" or "Stashu."

Funny how you become friends with someone you meet on the air, but you have no idea what they do in the real world. Back about 15 years ago, I was changing channels on the cabled television and while passing by the public access channel, I noticed someone who looked like Clem. So I hung back to see if it was my old radio friend and indeed it was. Clem was speaking at a town meeting and he was wearing a police uniform. Turns out that not only was he a policeman, but he was the chief of police!

I missed Clem on the air and at Hamvention the last few years. Little did I know he was seriously ill. Now I will miss him forever.

Do widzenia, K1EM.

Surfin’: Finding the Good Stuff

This week, Surfin’ reveals where to find the websites and software that comprise “the good stuff.”

Surfin’: An App That’s Apt for Microwave Contesting

This week, Surfin’ tries out a new app on the iPod Touch and revisits a blog of historic proportions.

Vote for Our Dog

Click here to vote for our dog Q.T. Pie in the Cutest Dog in New England Contest. There is no need to do anything else after you click on the link.

Q.T. Pie thanks you!

Surfin’: Contesting One Extreme to Another

This week, Surfin’ considers contesting from one end of the HF radio spectrum to the other.

Surfin’: Not How to Contest

This week, Surfin’ rediscovers the fun -- and frustration -- of ham radio contesting.

Surfin’: Scheduling Your Contesting

This week, Surfin’ checks the calendar to see what’s brewing in the contest ham radio world.

Vote for The Pieman

I entered Q.T. Pie in the Spay Day Pet Photo Contest. Please vote for Q.T. Pie here--you'll save animals' lives and help us win fun prizes!

Surfin': Contesting for the Fun of It

This week's Surfin' recalls contesting the June VHF QSO Party with a lot of enthusiasm, but not much equipment.