K3SA / ZF2SA Silent Key
Bob Naumann (N5NJ)
on
November 29, 2000
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K3SA Suffers Fatal Heart Attack the day after the CQWW CW
From email reports from N3OC, W3GG, W3UR
*******************************************
Burt Cohen, W3GG, regretfully reports that Steve Affens, K3SA (ex K3ZAW),
died of a heart attack yesterday.�
K3ZAW in 1966
Steve, 52 years old, and his XYL Patti, N3HOT, were celebrating their 30th
anniversary in the Cayman Islands.�
During the CQ World Wide CW DX Contest Steve was QRV as ZF2SA.�
Professionally, Steve was a cameraman for the local TV (WJLA) station in
Washington, DC.� He was awarded the Whitehouse Photographers Association
Award Camera Man of the year five times.�
Steve Case (AOL CEO), K3SA and KA3TUE�
Steve was a member of the Potomac Valley Radio Club and the Webmaster for the
clubs website from its inception.�
On a personal note I have known Steve for many years.� He was an active
DXer and Contester.� Steve graciously helped me with the creation of The
Daily DX website during its infancy.�
Steve leaves behind his wife Patti and their son Scott, KA3TUE.
Bernie, W3UR
*******************************************
�I regret to inform my good friends of the passing of Steve Affens, K3SA
/ ZF2SA.�
Steve suffered a heart attack yesterday morning while diving on Grand Cayman
the day after the contest.
�He was vacationing with his family for his 30th wedding anniversary, and
worked the contest this weekend as ZF2SA.
�Steve was PVRC's club webmaster and historian, and had just upgraded his
home station with a new set of Force 12 antennas.
K3SA verifying the SWR of his new antenna system
�For those of you who worked ZF2SA this weekend, here is his final log.
�73, Brian N3OC
********************************************
� Subject: CQWW CW ZF2SA SOAB LP
�
����������������������
CQ Worldwide DX Contest - CW
�
� Call: ZF2SA
� Operator(s): K3SA
� Station: ZF2SA
�
� Class: SOAB LP
� QTH: GRAND CAYMAN
� Operating Time (hrs): 34
�
�
� Summary:
�� Band���� QSOs� Zones� Countries
� -------------------------------
��� 160:���� 19�����
6����� 9
���� 80:���� 77�����
7���� 10
���� 40:��� 451���� 15����
48
���� 20:��� 624���� 24����
64
���� 15:��� 669���� 24����
61
���� 10:��� 865���� 22����
64
� -------------------------------
� Total:�� 2705���� 98��� 256�
=� 2,136,390
�
Club/Team: PVRC
�
Comments:
�
Station Description: Kenwood TS440, Micron Laptop, Writelog Software
Antenna(s): One 20/15/10 dipole, One 160/80/40 Dipole, All about 30 feet�
up� One Spider 40/20/15/10 mobile on balcony
Operator: Steve Affens K3SA - ZF2SA
Remarks (Biggest thrill in Contest, funniest story, comments, etc.):
The last radio contest trip for me was 20 years ago as K3SA/PJ3.
K3SA/PJ3�
It was� paper logs with paper dupe sheets for each band strewn about on the
floor.� Little did I know how popular Aruba would
become for contesters and how computer logging would change the experience
forever.
�
My biggest mistake from 20 years ago was to age.� Take my advice, don't do
it if you can avoid it.� I'm now too old to stay in the chair 48 hours.
(not that I ever could)� I'll take a couple of good sleep nights thank you.�
Also, I arrived the day before the contest.� I have concluded that it is
cutting it too close considering airline, antenna, RFI, Rig, software, and
computer issues that crop up.�
Just� hanging 2 dipole systems end to end out across a parking lot was far
more arduous and time consuming than expected and required every tool I brought
including the sling shot system.� For some reason, Palm trees will not let
parachute rope slide through easily.� The rope binds in the top of the
tree.� It is also harder to keep those multiband dipole wires from wrapping
over themselves over the top of each other than one might think.� When the
rope catches, the system jerks and the 15 and 10 dipole wires inevitably wrap
over the top of the 20 meter wire.. and so the system has to be tweeked again.
I needed the wire system especially for the low bands.� Believe it or
not, the Spider mobile antenna system was very competitive with the full size
dipoles.� With a ZF call, the action off the 4 story high Spider was
250/hour at times.� It was fun to run into friends, especially because
normally I enjoy the packet connection to the news of the bands.� I enjoyed
working W3LPL on all bands.� Missing packet dropped the multiplier count
significantly.. but the point was to play it like sweepstakes and just run run
run and let the mults come as they choose.� When they did, it was, in a
way, more of a thrill.�
When a run consists mostly of US� stations,� it knocks you out of
the chair when a 9M8, A61, call through the pile.� VK's/ZL's/JA/s still are
awesome when they roll in over the Caribbean.� With only 100 watts and
wires, it was hard to run Europe through the W's during the morning hours.�
Starting around noon local time 1700Z the sequence starts: first the east
coast US loses EU and the band clears out to the point were a Caribbean station
stands out and the runs really pickup.� Then, the same thing happens to 15
and down to 20 and to 40 etc as the world rotates us all into darkness.�
One benefit of aging is having the experience and knowledge to follow the band
sequence for best run results.� A few more trips and I might even get good
at it.
�
The bands were wonderful as a consequence of the peaking sunspot cycle, but we
paid the price on Sunday around 1640Z.� A huge solar flare blew out the
bands entirely.� I thought my antennas had been hit by a truck or bird or
something.� But soon signals started to return, first on 10 and there were
no contest QSO's only big contest station sharing their observations and
lamenting the potential loss of QSO count goals.
In my case it was the wish that ... if only I had known it would happen.. I
might have pulled an all nighter as 40 was awesome.� It took an hour for
the bands to recover starting with 10 and the recovery sequenced down in
frequency over that time.� It sure was scary and initially disappointing.�
I got up and went poolside for lunch with Patty... a no no if the US runs are
about to begin.� This is our 30th Anniversary trip so what's a few hundred
QSO's anyway?
�
Thanks all for the QSO's and I will QSL Via W3HNK.�
73 de ZF2SA
(op K3SA)
Steve
�
K3SA / ZF2SA Silent Key
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by N4ZR on November 30, 2000
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Nice tribute -- I never thought, as I was working him last weekend, that it'd be the last time.
My sympathy to his family,
Pete Smith
PVRC
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K3SA / ZF2SA Silent Key
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by k4za on November 30, 2000
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It was contest QSO...fast & efficient, but with "Hi Steve" & "Hi Don" thrown in. I'm sure we both thought, however briefly, about past times when we shared "cameramen's" stories back when I lived in MDC. I'll miss those.
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