K1S Valentine’s Day Event: The Romantic Side of Ham Radio (Stop Giggling!)
We neglected to take photos until we were packing up and the daylight was dimming. The drab gray images fail to show the spurious 50F mid February New England day, the bright sunshine that blanketed us earlier, or the 30% chance of precipitation that never happened. Thus concluded the Second Annual Happy Hams Valentine’s Day K1S Special Event Station. And simultaneous Parks-On-The-Air activation of Dean Pond Recreation Area in the Brimfield State Forest (K-4705).
I am starting at the end because the event was similar to so many others we have had. You kinda must get the drill by now? We put our antennas up on trees. Mine is the 40M OCF dipole near the thawing pond.
AA1F’s trusty 20M EFHW sits 30 feet up between branches.
I went old-school with my favorite Yaesu FT-891A. All SSB and no distracting frills today…
AA1F is running an identical station. (My table has the pizza though!) To cut to the chase, we made over 280 contacts in less than 4 hours. Our heads were down and we got to work.
The wilderness architecture of a Civilian Conservation Corps structure is always unmistakable to me. My grandfather had served in the CCC in Speculator NY, and I always take comfort in their use of simple, sturdy, elegant, efficient design. Some of which my Grandpa had his hands in. This pond-side pavilion was no different.
But what I really want you to notice is how AA1F and I set up our stations. His as far away from mine as you could get and still be in the shelter. This is important, because remember, we are celebrating Valentine’s Day…
I am listening to the sounds of the city on my scanner as I type this out tonight. Gunshots and self-harm, arguing and screaming, kids imbibing ethanol in a park, break-ins and headlocks, homeless and hotel rooms. Mental health and cardiac arrest. Have you noticed how traumatic this world has become?
This past year stole two of our cats away. Mandy, who had spent 12 of her 17 years with us, hit the end of the line in July of 2021. Six months later in early January, Tiger the Dragon took his last breath after a long illness. The Dragon was my inheritance from my brother, who had exited the material world in 2018. AA1F lost his dad in 2020. And I know that just about anyone reading this has been through a lot in the last couple of years too.
We are celebrating Valentine’s Day from as far apart as we possibly can. AA1F and I have logged nearly 28 years of togetherness (I am 46 years old for those of you trying to do the math!) We’ve learned to give each other the space to do the things we need and want to do. We know that if we are too close we will become each other’s qrm. We have always known that letting each other breath, freely and without obstruction, is a necessary part of being both K1S together, and maintaining KM1NDY and AA1F individually. We have amassed a tremendous repository of shared memories and experiences in the nearly 30 years of our relationship. We have both enjoyed life and endured life as a unit for a long time now. And there is nothing I would ever trade it for. Because as I approach a half century on this earth, I know there is no way to ever reconstruct this relationship. There is simply not enough time left and I am too set in my ways. And there is no other AA1F.
I am making a point here, so stick with me. Those people in your life who have stuck by you through thick and thin? The ones you have built a boatload of memories with? Hang on to them for dear life. They are irreplaceable and unbuyable. Sort out the conflicts, learn to communicate clearly, never ever break their trust in you no matter what, and hang on as tight as you possibly can. The grass is not greener. There is no alternative prince bearing a better glass slipper, and everyone’s butterflies eventually get their wings clipped. Life is challenging, increasingly difficult, and sometimes just a royal pain in the backside. But when some sort of pandemic sneaks up on you, your nearest and dearest start losing their battles with mortality, or you just can’t pull yourself together anymore, having a twin flame to keep you warm can be the difference between life and death. Don’t sell yourself short because some stupid, self-appointed relationship guru convinces you that soulmates don’t exist. They do. And if you haven’t found yours yet, you will.
That’s what the Happy Hams Valentine’s Day Special Event station is really about. Sure its fun and a bit cheesy, but really its about love. The ride or die love that hooks two people together through eternity. The love that makes me believe my grandparents are holding hands in heaven. A silly, simple love. And a deep, transcendental love. The leap of faith love that two people can make it together to the end of time. A healing love that mends the heart, removes the bitterness, and suspends cynical disbelief. The kind of love that no matter how many years get behind AA1F and I, I will forever be 18 years old and him 21, playing together like kids.
I hear all the talk of swallowing the figurative pills these days. Beware of false prophets. There is a kind, sweet way to exist in this world. A way to care, to gather strength from pain, and resiliency from loss. To cherish humanity and build community. A way to be a role model, and to make mistakes with grace. To love and be loved. Because this world is slipping away from us, but we don’t have to let it… And don’t ever let yourself believe that your person doesn’t exist. They do.
Happy Valentine’s Day to you and yours.
73s and 88s,
KM1NDY
(Oh, and that’s our new cat Clyde snuggling with Nellie. He spent two years in a shelter waiting for someone to find and love him. We did.)