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K1XV Raymond E. 'Ray' Makul Weston, VT QCWA # 32290 Chapter 146 |
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OK, due to popular demand, I am adding an aerial photo, courtesy of K1ZS pilot, and W1AKV (sk) photographer, of the K1XV location here on Terrible Mountain. Its the house on the right in the foreground, and if you look closely, you can see the tower/yagi about 50 meters behind the house.
And here is my primary antennaS on 40-10 meters, a SP7GXP five band 11 element yagi below for 20 through 10 meters, and above it, another SP7GXP two monobanders for 30 and 40 meters, two elements each band. Mounted on a Tri-Ex TM-370 skyneedle. The antennas is 22-26 meters, or 70-82 feet, above the base. As my location is 1000 feet above surrounding terrain, the antennas think they are is much higher.
Greetings from Vermont's Green Mountains, where low temperatures and four feet of snow is a tourist attraction.
I was born in 1947 in northern New Jersey, within sight of the Pulaski Skyway. My father was a child of the Great Depression, and had a morbid fear of personal debt. As a result, when I was growing up, we lived in many interesting low rent New Jersey neighborhoods. If you watch Sopranos episode re-runs, some of my old neighborhoods can be seen.
However, as a kid, I spent all my time outside the school year on my maternal grandparents family dairy farm in Barre Massachusetts, and faced the return to New Jersey for the school year with much sadness.
After education and an early to mid career in New Jersey, I managed to escape, thanks to the Witness Protection Program, to southern Vermont in 2003. I am finally at peace.
I am a Life member of ARRL, QCWA, and the Connecticut Valley FM Association. That will take care of me if my dementia progresses to the point where I cannot remember to renew these memberships.
To confuse people, while the mailing address is in Weston Vermont, I am actually about 500 feet across the border in neighboring Andover Vermont on a hill known as "Terrible Mountain". The picture on the QSL card depicts the sun setting behind Bromley Mountain, as seen from my ham shack at the winter solstace. The village of Weston, in the West River valley, is in the foreground.
The voters of Andover Vermont had the poor judgment to elect me a Justice of the Peace here in Andover. They compounded their error by re-electing me in November 2010, and again in November 2012.
The lady who makes the amateur radio license plates at the Vermont Women's Prison got a little confused when she made my plate. Can you spot what is different? People asked me if I was going to return this "defective" plate. The answer was no. Aside from the fact that I did not want to get the lady in trouble, I kind of like a plate that is different than everyone else's plate.
The local amateur radio community is terrific, and I have gotten involved. I am former President of QCWA Chapter 146 (VT-NH) and the former President (now vice-President) of Connecticut Valley FM Association (CVFMA). If you are up this way, check out our repeater on Ascutney Mountain, 146.76, PL 110.9
I was appointed ARRL State Government Liaison for the Vermont Section. The Vermont Proclamation of Amateur Radio Week by Governor Shumlin for 2012 can be seen here.
www.cvfma.org
I can also be found most Sunday mornings at 8:30am local time on the QCWA Chapter 146 net, 3913 khz.
And, many days of the week, I am found on the Mt. Equinox (VT) repeater on 145.39, pl 100. from 8 am to 9 am or so, and I listen on and off throughout the day. Or, alternatively, Killington VT, 146.88. pl 110.3, where Milliwatt Rob, KB1DOF, often resides.
If you want to see what the K1XV station is like, you will have to come here in person. We like to be heard, not seen. I find "brag" web sites with people showing pictures of all their earthly goods to be in bad taste. But the usual HF working conditions are an Icom IC-7700 and PW-1 amplifier, using yagi antennas by SP7GXP installed by Ray, W2RE, on a Tri-Ex Sky Needle 22 meters high. On the lower bands, I use a Fritzel FD-4 on 80/75 meters, and an Inverted L on 160 meters.
If you want to see what K1XV looks like, sorry. The Department of Justice Witness Protection Program forbids its clients from posting their pictures on the internet. I think that requires no further amplification.
I fancy myself as a DXer. I presently have 337 mixed, 335 phone DXCC entities confirmed and DXCC checked (332 mixed, 331 phone on the current list), and have achieved 5 band DXCC with 17 and 12 meters thrown in for good measure. Have around 1680 on DXCC Challenge. I give out points in major contests, but rarely submit a log. I have finally achieved DXCC Honor Roll both mixed and phone. Hoo-hah!! I started working on DXCC in 1997, but really only had a big gun station operational for about 8 years altogether.
In November 2009, I was called upon to assist in the recovery of a high altitude balloon payload that came down near the QTH. If you want to read about that, here is the link.
http://cvfma.org/index.php/balloonmission
I want to give special mention to my very best local new ham radio friends up here, , Bruce, KB1IIX, Dave, K1ZS, the 145.39 gang, and others too numerous to mention. And a few now Silent Keys, who will not be forgotten.
September 03, 2020