AC1Y Alexander N. 'Sandy' Gerli Durham, NC QCWA # 25752

FIRST LICENSED AS WN1EEA IN 1965. THEN WB1ANO IN 1976, WA1EEA IN 1977 AND AC1Y IN 1978

Hi, there! ! I'm Sandy Gerli and I've been a ham since 1965 when I was first licensed as WN1EEA. My Elmer was Rufus 'Jim' Foster, K1OCS. His first callsign was 1AXH in 1921! He was able to reactivate that first call as W1AXH in 1982 before he became a Silent Key. My first station was a DX-40 and an HQ-129X along with lots of TVI for my parents, so I didn't get on the air as much as I wanted. I almost had more OO Notices than QSOs!

Throughout my years in Ham Radio, I had several very fortunate opportunities: the most important was being hired at ARRL Headquarters in 1977 as Technical Information Specialist in the Technical Department. I moved into Membership Services, editing some manuals (FM and Repeaters and The Novice Q&A Book). I was promoted to Deputy Advertising Manager for QST in 1980, working under Ad Manager Lee Aurick, W1SE. This post I held until 1987 when I left the League to work for Denny Had, K8KXK, founder of Dentron Radio. His new company was Amp Supply Company in Raleigh, North Carolina. In 1993, I moved my family back to Connecticut so I could pursue a career in Contract Technical Writing and my wife, KA1KBY, and I started a home-based commercial embroidery business. At the end of 2004, I moved back south to Raleigh NC once again, working for Kohl's Department Stores. I remarried in 2007 and my XYL, Teri, and I rented a little house in Durham NC, where I had a Carolina Windom in the trees, and I was back on the HF bands once again. As of May 16, 2012 we finally found a home of our own in Mount Airy NC! Yep, that's the town where everything's Mayberry - it's the town where Andy Griffith was born. Everything they say about Mount Airy is TRUE. It's the most wonderful small town with the friendliest people everywhere you go. We have two-and-a half acres, nice and flat with trees for antennas. The town ordinances allow for a 90 foot tower with no permit! Oh, I'm jonesing for some Rohn 25!

Since coming back South, I've researched my Scottish heritage on my mother's side, and now have four kilts in variations of my family's tartan - the MacNicol clan, one of the oldest of the Highland clans, from the Isle of Skye in the Hebrides and dating to before 1100 AD. Do ye have some Scot in ye, laddie? Check out www.xmarksthescot.com and join the largest kilted website in the world!! More history, fans and information about The Kilted Rabble than you could ever imagine!

My favourite part of Ham Radiois restoring and operating Boatanchors - those great radios, small or large (mostly large!), with vacuum tubes in their souls. These radios are Ham Radio's heritage. My modest collection was liquidated in 2005 during a divorce and I sure miss those radios. But I saved several transceivers, my SB-102 and my rare Hallicrafters SR-400A with HA-20 Remote VFO, from the auction block and they're back on the air. I added a Heathkit SB-104A and a Swan 700CX to the stable. And, a nice Dentron MLA-1200 Amplifier. I restored a Heathkit MR-1 and MT-1 pair, the late '50s mobile AM rig, a fun project. Boatanchors get into your blood, and there'll be more of them!

Rigs have come and gone, of course. Right now (May 2015), my station includes a Ten-Tec Omni-D and matching PS; a Swan 500CX driving a Swan Mark II Linear; a Swan 700CX and a Cubic-Astro 150A which I have just finished installing in my pickup. AC1Y Mobile runs the Astro-150A and a High-Sierra WM-1500 Screwdriver Antenna, matched with a Swan MMBX Impedance Matcher. Antennas at the house here are a RadioWorks SuperLoop 80 and a W8AMZ G5RV Special

I've started a modest collection of antique German radio receivers,with various makes of tabletop models made between 1937-1955. Beautiful cabinets, great German electronic engineering and really great audio for their time!

If you're ever in the NC foothills, PLEASE give me a call. I'll roll out the welcome mat! (919) 625-7181.

Vy 73 es CUL!

Sandy, AC1Y/G5CPJ

September 08, 2015