[50mhz] [Packrats] [Moon-Net] Steve K1FO SK

[Ron Klimas WZ1V]

Dear Russ: Thank you for sharing those wonderful memories. 
I too will never forget "K One Far Out". RIP Steve. 
-73, Ron WZ1V

----- Original Message -----
From: "Russ K2TXB" <k2txb at dxcc.com>
To: "Packrats" <packrats at mailman.qth.net>
Cc: 'Magic Band EME Group' <MagicEME at googlegroups.com>, 
moon-net at mailman.pe1itr.com, '50mhz' <50mhz at mailman.qth.net>, 
moon-net at googlegroups.com, 'NEWS' <newsvhf at mailman.qth.net>
Date: Sun, 29 Jul 2012 11:11:25 -0400
Subject: Re: [Packrats] [Moon-Net] Steve K1FO SK

> Hi All. Yes Steve was a great ham and a good friend.  I first met Steve 
when
> we were young men.  I lived out west in Jamestown, NY (now FN02) and he 
was
> in CT.  We and a lot of other young guys got together around 1971 to 
operate
> the WA1MUG contest station on Mt. Greylock, MA, for the June contest.  
That
> was the first year that group, mostly RPI graduates) scored a record high
> score for the June contest.  (Eventually the WA1MUG call was abandoned and
> they begam using the current W2SZ call.)
> 
>  I clearly remember riding in the car with Steve and about 4 other guys,
> coming back up the mountain in the early morning and driving through
> alternating patches of fog and sun.  We were all high from the successes 
of
> the previous day and when one of the guys commented that we were driving
> into a cloud, another said maybe we could work the cloud.  Steve, who at
> that time held the call WA1FFO, yelled out "QRZ the Cloud".  That broke
> everyone up and we were repeating it and laughing all the way to the top.
> Steve had a set of unique phonetics for his call sign that I will not 
repeat
> here, but I'm sure some of the OT's will recall with a chuckle.  It was a
> precursor to his current call, "K1 Far Out".
> 
> Over the years since then I have visited Steve at his home to see his
> enterprise, used his advice on antennas and amplifier construction, and of
> course worked him probably hundreds of times on 6 meters and above.  One
> memorable time was when Al, K2UYH and I were checking SWR on the 70 cm 
feed
> for his 28 foot Kennedy dish.  We had my 10 watt rig out in the back yard 
on
> a card table and connected to the feed.  The dish was pointed straight up.
> It was the middle of the afternoon and we suddenly started hearing some 
CW.
> At first we thought it was coming from the basement shack, but we quickly
> discovered it was coming from the 726R.  It was Steve calling CQ.  We gave
> him a call and worked him.  Of course with the dish pointed straight up, 
we
> were working him with just the dipole feed!
> 
> I can remember hearing Steve no matter where I turned my long 432 Yagi
> during a contest.  A lot of it was reflections from various water towers 
and
> other objects within 20 miles of my QTH in FM29.  What a signal!
> 
> As so many have said, Steve will be missed.  He will also be remembered as
> long as we live.
> 
> Very 73 Steve, and Rest In Peace.
> Russ K2TXB
> 
> 
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