Larry F. Skilton, K1IED SK June 4, 2018

K2HAT · Aug 5, 2018

K2HAT said: ↑

Copy pasted from Larry's QRZ Biography.

HI All

I was first licensed in July of 1958 in Morris CT. During the first 7 years I worked mostly 2M AM with mostly home brew equipment. In 1965 I got active on 2M SSB and HF. I used a BC-610 military transmitter and a R-388 military receiver to start with. It was a great rig on AM in those days. In 1967 I got my first commercial radio a Drake T4X R4 receiver. Now running a IC-7800(NOV 2008), L7(USED FOR 20 + YRS), (Replaced with PW-1 Dec 2014) 4&5 element quad antenna (1995). Just added a 6M 4 element quad on July 12 2011. Made it 6 element in Nov 2012. Heath SB221 Modified for 6M (DEC 2011) (Now PW-1)

In the late 60's I became interested in repeater operation. I set up a 2M AM repeater in My back yard on the MARS frequencies. 143.95 out . 148.125 input. This repeater covered almost all of CT and RI and some of the islands off Ma. My back yard was 1150 ft above sea level a wonderful VHF UHF location.

I got married in 1968 to a woman I had met on 2M 10 years before and moved to South Windsor Ct. At this time I pretty much gave up all HF work and worked only repeaters, I got very involved with repeater clubs and the technical part of setting up repeaters. I joined the PVRA repeater club in 1974, 3 years after it was started and have been on the Board of Directors until 2008 except for a 3 year stretch in the 70's.. I was President for about 10 years on and off. The club runs 15 repeaters, links etc and has had a membership of as high as 500 members. With the proliferation of repeaters and the addition of the 145 section many have formed their own little groups so membership is down to the 200 region now.

The HF bug really bit me again in 1989 and I started to put a station together. In 1990 I got on with substantial antennas, a Kenwood TS-830S, Heath SB221, and a lot of operating time. I changed the transciever to a FT-1000D in 1994. I started with a 88 ft tower and several mono band yagies. Sometime the next year(1991) I started a relationship with the station at the South Pole. KC4AAA . I started a nightly schedule to run phone patches and traffic . I continued that schedule until 2002. During that time The stations at Palmer Station (KC4AAC) and McMurdo Station (KC4USV) became regulars with the group that had formed on 14.243. Another station started with me in Iowa, N0OJO. She handled the traffic when I couldn't hear or I was gone. Glenna really cultivated some long lasting friendships with the Antarctic group. Glenna's husband retired in the middle 90's and they left Iowa and I continued on until 2002. At that time their internet equipment upgraded enough and the technology increased enough that the use mostly voice over IP which took away almost completely the need for phone patches. Prior to that I was running about 500-600 phone patches a season. (Sept.-Mar.) Plus other types of traffic. I have been the QSL manager for KC4AAA, KC4AAC, and KC4USV since 2000. I try my best to get the cards out but logs are slow in coming and many contacts are not even logged so if you work them work them again on another night to make sure.

The National Science Foundation has rewarded my 11 + years of continuous nightly service to the Antarctic group by naming a geographic area there after me. It is called Skilton Ledge. As far as I know I am the only Ham that never went there to have this done for them. I consider this a great honor.

Presently I am still quite active. My present equipment is IC-7800 (put on the air 10-30-2008 ) (used a FT-1000 from 1995) a Drake L7(replaced with PW-1 DEC 2014) amp and the antenna is a large Quad. It is 4 ele on 15, 17, and 20 and 5 ele on 10, and 12. It is 33 ft long and the boom is at 80 FT. Custom built by Lightning Bolt Antennas in 1995. (ALMOST NO MAINTAINENCE UNTIL OCT 2011). I added a 6 meter ant in July 2011 and a KING CONVERSIONS 1500W 6M amp in Dec 2011. (replaced with PW-1 DEC 2014)

I also had been a Firefighter for over 54 years (43 in So. Win.). I joined the fire service in 1958. I retired as a Deputy Chief with the South Windsor Ct Fire Dept. I had held that position for 30 years. I was a line officer. I retired from that on March 11 2012. All had been with a volunteer Dept.

AS OF JUNE 30, 2011, I AM RETIRED FROM MY REGULAR JOB (AGE 71).

AS OF MARCH 11 2012, I AM RETIRED FROM THE SOUTH WINDSOR FIRE DEPT. AFTER 54 YRS OF FIRE SERVICE 43 WITH S. WINDSOR, 30 YEARS AS DEPUTY CHIEF (AGE 72). NOW I CAN BE ON THE AIR ANYTIME I WANT.

73 to all

Look for me on 17 or 12 mostly but I might be on any band SSB, DIGITAL, LITTLE CW
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IU4HMZ · Aug 19, 2018

Ho fatto un QSO con Larry il 26.12.18 .... Mi dispiace tanto. Condoglianze alla famiglia de IU4HMZ.

N9ETB · Aug 25, 2018

Worked Larry on RTTY and SSB. Another good ham gone from airwaves...

2E0MNG · Sep 23, 2018

Spoken to Larry when i was first licenced in 2013, 7 contacts on 4 bands. What a gentleman. My last QSO was November 2017, I did wonder why I hadn’t heard him. R.I.P sir.
Neal - 2E0MNG

N5SBR · Oct 1, 2018

Just coming across this , at a loss of words. Had many QSO's with Larry on 17 mtr ... knew of his condition and some fairly in depth conversations. Larry was a gentleman in every aspect. May you fly with the angels my friend and see you on the other side. My best wishes to the family .... he will be missed.
73 KC5MZA

KB2FCV · Oct 2, 2018

W5FJG said: ↑

I was stationed at the South Pole (KC4AAA) from 2013 - 2014 and as most Hams know, Larry was the QSL manager for all three of the United States Antarctic Program's (USAP) stations. He did a wonderful job of handling the cards, but for us that Wintered-over, he was the glue that held the South Pole station together. He knew what was broken, and what had been tried before. This into helped us to get on JT-65, RTTY as well as regain the ability to use CW from inside the station. When I arrived at the South Pole, I saw that there was a 3 element Mosley antenna sitting on the ice near one of the towers. No one knew why it was there, if it was broken or fixed and ready to be put back up on the tower. Larry knew, and because it was still Summer at the South Pole we were able to get that 17 Meter antenna back up and working before the antenna riggers left for the season. When I arrived, paper logs were still in use! With Larry’s help we switched to electronic logs and with that he was able to get KC4AAA on LoTW.

He told me once that he and another Ham used to provide phone patches for USAP stations on an almost a nightly basis for years and years. While we didn’t need phone patches any longer, because of the Satellite systems, I can only imagine what it must have been like for a Winter-over in those days. Months of isolation, with 30 or 40 of your closest work buds, and the only connection to home and friends was a phone patch. No Facebook, no Internet, only Larry and few other Hams who could provide this connection. Each patch must have been so important to those guys.

He was a great guy, an excellent Ham who did a lot for others and I’ll miss him.
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While I never worked Larry on the air, he did process my KC4AAA QSL card requests. RIP, it sounds like he lived quite a full life and did a lot of good for the hobby as well as the South Pole.

My friend is down at the South Pole pretty much every year and has also assisted with fixing things with the radio station down there. Perhaps you ran into him as I know he also mentioned that 17m antenna. I know he helped get the amp going and has also done some antenna repairs. I'm sure he knew Larry.

VK2IZ · Oct 13, 2018

Sorry to hear of Larrys passing.Spoke with him many times.Mostly on 10m and the WARC bands.With his big quad i had little trouble working him here in NSW Australia.
RIP Larry.
VK2IZ

W2CH · Nov 25, 2018

I worked Larry many times back to the 1960's on 2 meter AM, in northern Connecticut from SE New York when I was WA2ZPD, and then more recently on 2 meter SSB
from White Plains, NY, especially in contests and many other times. I had a QSL from him in the 1960's when I worked him/4 in Virginia from the same New York area
via 2 meter AM when I was very active on that band from 1963 to 1968 just at the end of High School and during my college years. I am really very sorry to see his passing.
Raymond Martin, W2CH, formerly Raymond Nahl

W4KVW · Dec 19, 2018

I worked Larry dozens & dozens of times on 6 meters & some on HF as well.He was at Hamcation in Orlando last year & I missed him & my neighbor Ted-W4YJC had the pleasure of meeting him.He & I love the Magic Band we will miss hearing & working him for sure.May He Rest In Peace & may we meet on the other side.

God bless & 73 OM,
Clayton
W4KVW

N1KWW · Dec 22, 2018

Heard Larry many nights working phone patch with Antarctica, even assisted few times. Very sorry to read this. RIP!

I5KAP · Mar 25, 2019

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I5KAP · Mar 25, 2019

Only a few days ago we learned that Larry K1IED is no longer with us, it still does not seem real, we will feel this lack even stronger when it will reopen propagation in 10m where we made so many nice QSOs in AM mode, thanks Larry for the attention you've always had for us you'll always be in our memories. We offer our condolences to the family, Franco I5KAP, Aldo IW5EKR, Graziano IZ2ODT, Antonio IZ5HSJ

AK5B · Dec 22, 2019

I had several or more 6m / HF QSOs with Larry from KH6 as well as from here in Texas---always will remember his distinctive voice and strong signals from CT regardless of where I was.

A final 73 to you, Larry!

Jeff, NH7RO ( just learned about his passing today)

Larry F. Skilton, K1IED SK June 4, 2018

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