In advance of the trip that two West Gulf ARRL folk are taking to W1AW, I have a few memories I’d like to share about several of my sojourns to Newington. Living on Long Island most of my life, and especially in the late 1980s and 1990’s, I’d find the time to play hooky from work several times a year and take the ferry across Long Island Sound driving the rest of the way to what many would call the “Mecca Of Amateur Radio”, the headquarters of the ARRL. I’d make the trip usually to do a few things such as hand-deliver my QSL cards to be checked for DXCC awards (sorry, but after all the work to get them I didn’t want them lost in the mail.) and taking tours of the headquarters building, which in itself is an interesting education, I’d usually make my way over to the W1AW operating building. Like a kid in a candy shop, you not only get to see them programming the computers and Harris transmitters for the ARRL’s code practice transmissions, etc. but if you are a licensed ham you get a chance to operate using the W1AW callsign and use top-of-the-line equipment, amps and beams.
One year, I visited the station (actually there are a suite of stations with each suite having a different brand of gear) and a family from Belgium came in the door while I was operating. The father had recently gotten his second 5BDXCC (5 band 100 countries award) and was picking up his plaque. Recognizing them, as their son had recently gotten his US amateur radio license at one of the testing sessions I’d been at on Long Island the week before, I jumped out of my chair and with a very stern look informed him that I’d been looking all over for him and was sad to inform him that due to an error he didn’t pass his exam! The father knew it was a joke, but the son looked heart-broken. We all had a good laugh as I told him it was by chance that I was there. The pictures below show the family from Belgium and myself at W1AW.
Being an experienced contest operator, and using the W1AW callsign, I’d usually get “pileups” of hams waiting to work me. A few times it got so active that I had to do what DX stations do and “go by call areas” churning out paper logs with quite a bit of speed much to the chagrin of the people working there who’d have to fill out hundreds (over the years thousands) of QSL cards thanks to my contacts. This is not unlike what a station on a DXpedition does. It also doesn’t hurt that I would ask an occasional ham I’d work to “post me on the cluster”. Usually the operating suites at W1AW aren’t crowded unless, say a club, makes a field trip. The next time you are visiting Connecticut, make it a point to stop by the ARRL Headquarters and visit/operate W1AW. It’s free so don’t forget to bring your license! Check for their hours of operation posted on the ARRL website.
Bob – W2IK
