W1UL Ube Le Jeune Tuckrerton, NJ QCWA # 35031 Chapter 138

I earned my ticket before the days of novice licensing when I took my Class B license exam (and the Second Class Radiotelephone exam) on the day after Thanksgiving in 1949 at age 14 and received W2DEC on January3, 1950. I am now licensed 65 years.

During June of 2012 I applied for W1UL (my initials) and won the lottery. It was a very difficult decision and I spent about 5 years looking for the right combination of a meaningful call that was also a good CW call. Was KA8SD in Japan in 1954 and also did some operating from KA2USA. I operated as KP2/W2DEC in 2010 and VP5/W1UL in 2013.

Got interested in DXing in the 1950s and made it to the DXCC honor roll in the early 1960s and was one country off the top of the honor roll in 1966. I was DX editor of CQ magazine for about 6 years in the mid 1960s. Back in the 60s the honor roll for mixed, for phone, for new members and endorsement only took half a page in QST!

I am the founding member of the North Jersey DX Association back in 1957. The NJDXA is the ARRL incoming QSL bureau for the second call area. I am the webmaster of the NJDXA website at http://njdxa.org. I am also a member of the Old Barney Amateur Radio Club and manage http:/obarc.org. I have served as president of both clubs. I Returned to DXing in 2009 after a long period of HF inactivity. My first rig upon returning was a Yaesu FT450, learning to use a menu driven transceiver was like going back to school. I recently added an Elecraft K3 to the shack. The antenna is currently a G5RV in an inverted "V"configuration at 35 feet at the apex. A 40 foot tower with a 5 element 5 band beam is under construction.

I do have a secret weapon; I have salt water lagoon in my back yard, 200 yards to the bay and 3 miles to the ocean. This is great for DXing but not so good for hurricane Sandy.

Things are sure different than the old day when I had 700 watts and a 4 element 20 meter monobander with a 36 foot boom (Modified Telrex) 75 feet above a hilltop in Holmdel, NJ. However, I'm enjoying the challenge of working DX with 100 watts and a my G5RV Added an Ameritron AL-811H in 2011, but only use it for big pileups. Since coming back on the air at the end of October 2009 I have worked 321 countries.

My wife Pat is W2PKV. She was originally licensed as KC2VDJ. Her first question when she opend her license envelope was, "why can't I have a call like yours?" She subsequently applied for, and received, W2PKV which are her initials. She passed the general exam in July 2014. It only took 20 years to get Pat to take the Tech exam, maybe another 20 years and she will become an Extra.

I have two licensed grandsons. Will W3WKV was licensed as a Tech in 2013 at age 11 and passed his General in 2014 at age 12. Can an extra be far behind? David KB3SRZ was licensed as a Tech at age 13.

In 2009 I returned to operating with a straight key. Got interested in the SKCC group and have number 6668S.I started operating in 1949 with a straight key and I'm now back to operating with the same straight key which was a gift from my Elmer. In the late 1950s they sold for $0.50 in a sealed box on Radio Row in New York City. I enjoy operating with a straight key and sometimes turning off my keyer off and sideswiping the paddles. It's a lot of fun and the SKCC people are a great bunch. SKCC membership is free and they have a greataward system. All awards are on the honor system so you don't have to spend a bunch of time qne money chasing QSLs.

I was recently elected SKCC Vice President and appointed a Member of the Board of Directors. I am also the SKCC Award Administrator for WAS and the DX awards.

Try the SKCC real time sked page I currently have 335 current entities worked and on the DXCC honor roll. I have 376 all-time countres worked and confirmed.

In May of 2011 I was honored to be elected to the A-1 Operators Club. It only took me 63 years :-)

The toughest award I ever earned WAS-YL. Also have 5BDXCC and 5BWAS

with only 50 1X2 call sign operators.

December 8, 2014