K2PTS        
  First Name Steve (SK)
  QTH Schaumburg, IL
  Prior Call(s) ⇰ KN2PTS
  Other interests ⇰  Aviation, Vintage Cars and American Morse Code
  Email None
   My External Web Site  None

From George K9GDT...

My first eyeball QSO with Steve resulted from a posting he made on the Boatanchors list server requesting help with a problem RX and offering a ride in his airplane in exchange. Being a fan of private aviation, I jumped at the chance!

 Another of Steve's interests was antique autos.

 Here's a picture of him about to give my late father-in-law a real boyhood thrill. Steve kept his Ford Model A in original "showroom" condition, using only replacement parts that meet the original Ford specification.

One common interest was an affinity for all things Hammarlund. He worked there in his younger days.

Over the years, I came to appreciate his many talents. He was probably the most accomplished CW operator I ever knew. Although many ops are proficient at high speed CW, there are two aspects of his talent that set him apart from the rest of us...

He was the very best bug user in the world. His fist did not have the characteristic "swing" common to every other bug user. His CW sounded just like an electronic keyer. He humbly attributed this to meticulous adjustment of the bug.

Secondly, Steve was accomplished at American Morse. For those who are unaware, it is the classic wired system used in antiquity by the railroads. One hears a series of clicks as opposed to the tones of "modern" International Morse. Steve was close to the American Morse community. He had a special key and sounder. It was permanently connected to others via a private network. All he had to do was rattle the key and any member of the group could hear him and respond.

Steve had a great sense of humor that was contagious. My friends and family thought the world of him. He would incessantly tease me about my solid state homebrew projects not using vacuum tubes. I would taunt him about that Bronx accent.

I miss you, buddy.

        

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  Last update July 3, 2017