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My name is Rosalie, and I'm K1STO. I've been in ham radio since college days in Indiana. While teaching school in Indianapolis, I was WB9FJT. That was before moving to Connecticut to work at ARRL. Then I became WA1STO. I worked there for six years, and then left to start a company. I co-owned the company, and we made pre-amplifiers that you attach to radio receivers to help them "hear" better. I learned to solder very well. This included how to solder surface-mounted devices such as resistors that are the size of a sesame seed onto circuit boards. I learned how to make many things that were used on the circuit boards. One is bi-filar twisted wire. This wire is wound onto iron cores to make toroids. Also, I learned to use machines such as a drill press, belt sander, and more. Then 9 years later, I went back to work at ARRL. I got my Extra Class license, and asked to have the call sign K1STO.
My work at ARRL has been in many areas -- DXCC and NTS before switching to support for clubs, instructors, schoolteachers, emergency communications, ARRL field appointees, conventions, youth activities, and more. As long as I learn something new every few days, I enjoy my job. Also, there are a lot of nice people that I work with. And it feels good to work at a place that does a lot of good things for ham radio.
At home in the past few weeks, I have put together a beam antenna that works on 10 meters, 15 meters and 20 meters. Before I could put it up on my tower, which is 30 feet tall, I needed to climb the tower to remove the old rotator. It is fun to be on the tower because I have a heavy climbing belt that fits around the tower and keeps me safe. The antenna is nearly as big as the roof on my house. Last week a friend helped me put it on my tower. He also helped me with building the parts of the antenna that "needed four hands" to complete. The antenna is made of light weight parts, and is flexible. It weighs only 12 pounds, but it is awkward to move around. Also, while pulling it up to the top of the tower, the parts got caught on branches, gutters and other things.
Morse code and voice are fun to do on the radio. I like to listen as much as talk. Contests and School Club Roundup are fun. The new beam can be pointed to a particular state or country, and it helps me to hear the hams that live there.
When I am not doing ham radio things, I like to be at a nearby small airport where I keep a Cessna airplane. It is fun to fly over Connecticut and see all of the lakes, ponds and rivers. But what is really interesting is to see all of the rock walls. It is also nice to be at the airport with my fellow pilots.
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When I bought the plane, it had the tail numbers N7VJ. Nobody "owned" the ham call sign at that time. |
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Here is a photo of me peeling a piece of electrical tape before I unwound the coaxial cable around the mast. I was forming a loop of slack so that it wouldn't continue to wind up as the rotator turns. |
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Let’s Meet . . . Ms. Rosalie White K1STO |