I'm real sad to hear this terrible news about Vic. I felt as though I knew
him personally from working him so often over the years, especially in his
mobile efforts with Dan in the Florida QSO Party when the two of them would
regularly rack up 3,000 QSO's in the 20 hour contest period.
I'll be thinking about Vic this weekend as I operate mobile in the Ohio QSO
Party.
My sympathies to his family. We'll miss you, OM.
Hal W1NN
----- Original Message -----
From: <K1to@aol.com>
To: <cq-contest@contesting.com>
Sent: Friday, August 22, 2008 12:57 PM
Subject: [CQ-Contest] N4TO SK
> Sadly, Vic, N4TO passed away last Friday at the age of 65 of apparent
> heart
> failure at home.
>
> Vic will be deeply missed by the contesting, DXing and FOC communities.
> He
> was also the President of the local chapter of his motorcycle club, a
> hobby he
> took up less than 10 years ago.
>
> His central Florida station was very well equipped, with 4-stacks on 10
> and
> 15 and 2-stacks on 20 & 40. His 80M 4-square was damaged by a hurricane a
> few
> years ago and not replaced.
>
> Vic hosted numerous multi-ops over the past 10 years as well, including
> two
> Multi-Multi efforts for CQWW SSB, several M/2 for ARRL SSB, many
> Multi-Singles
> for ARRL 10 and even a 2-station M/S effort for SS CW. The cumulative
> list of
> operators that Vic hosted is quite formidable.
>
> Vic and I operated 4 Florida QSO Parties using his mobile setup. We
> almost
> broke 3000 QSOs a few years ago, using hand keying and logging, and with a
> chirpy signal to boot.
>
> I had the privilege of being on three successful, record-setting CQ WW CW
> contest-peditions with Vic in the last 10 years. We went with K4BAI to 8P
> in
> 1999 and PJ4 in 2006, then with AD4Z, N4GI and K8NZ to HI3 in 2007.
>
> Vic also went away for SS CW in 1982, operating from Pedro, NP4A's place
> and
> finishing 2nd overall, I believe.
>
> Vic had a large hand in increasing the Florida Contest Group membership
> rolls. In the late 1990s, there was a splinter group formed called the
> Florida
> Contest Club, of which Vic was a member. He hosted annual summer picnics,
> later
> dubbed the Vicnic, and bridged the gap between the clubs by inviting
> several
> of us FCGers to his picnic. Subsequently, the Vicnics grew and grew and
> we had
> almost 100 attendees at the final Vicnic in the summer of 2005.
>
> Several of us re-installed Vic's 20-Meter stack in April 2007. Vic's
> stated
> goal was to work Scarborough for his last all-time new one and to regain
> Top
> of the Honor Roll status. However, he missed it by being out to breakfast
> when
> the best opening to FL occurred.
>
> Vic was a long-time member of the FOC and traveled often to England to
> attend
> FOC functions. He stayed with G4BUE and M0BUE on these visits and used
> the
> trips as an opportunity to visit many other FOCers/DXers/Contesters in
> different parts of England and Scotland.
>
> There are many examples of Vic's kindness. I recall reading about one
> south
> Florida DXer many years ago who needed an amplifier to work a new one.
> Vic
> carted his amplifier over to that fellow's house just so he could make the
> QSO.
>
>
> Vic helped me out on countless occasions with last-minute equipment and
> tower
> ground help, despite living over an hour away.
>
> After many of the tower work days at his QTH, we would go to the local
> "Watering Hole" restaurant and chow down on fantastic "Cowboy" steaks, the
> best I've
> eaten anywhere. He fondly recalled rubbing elbows with Paul Newman who
> raced
> at the nearby Sebring Raceway and loved that same restaurant. Vic
> volunteered at the Sebring races, yet another of his contributions.
>
> He loved his Miami Dolphins and Univ. of Miami Hurricanes football and was
> glued to the lounger on Saturdays and Sundays during football season.
>
> Vic and I shared a love for baseball as well and attended a wide variety
> of
> games over the years. We were actively planning our next visit to see the
> Marlins this year. He loved to tell the story of facing a young Steve
> Carlton
> while both were in the Miami school system. We attended and thoroughly
> enjoyed a
> Dominican Winter League game last November, courtesy of host HI3CCP.
>
> Vic had triple-bypass surgery 2.5 years ago and had other chronic health
> challenges, yet he persevered and made the most of it. Vic leaves a
> sister and
> brother-in-law in Miami, and a brother in HP. Vic was born in the Panama
> Canal
> Zone and served as an officer in the US Coast Guard. He retired to
> Sebring in
> 1991 after a career in financial services.
>
> Rest in peace, dear friend.
>
> vy 73, Dan, K1TO
>
> --------------
> Here is a partial list of the operations that Vic hosted, or was a part
> of:
>
> 1970 – PJ0FC – CQWW CW - Vic K4SHB, W2TA, K4BAI, W4BRB, W4KFC, K4BVD/6,
> PA0VDV, W4DQS, W4GF
>
> 1974 – 6Y5BF - CQWWCW – Vic K4SHB, Dale W4DQS
>
> 1978 – HH2CQ - CQWWCW – N4TO with W4ORT, W4QM, WA4DRU, W2SR, N4XR
>
> 1979 - HH2MC - CQWWCW – N4TO with WB4OSN, W4QM, others unknown
>
> 1998 – VP5M - CQWWCW
>
> 1998 – VP5M ARRL DX CW
>
> 1999 – 8P9Z – CQWW CW M/S with K1TO and K4BAI
>
> 1999 – KG4TO DXpedition only with N4OO
>
> 2000 - N4TO – CQWW SSB M/M with AE4RO, AE4SW, K1TO, K1KNQ, K4LQ, K5KG,
> KT3T,
> W4IR
>
> 2001 – N4TO – CQWW SSB M/M with NS4W, AE4SW, N2NL, K1TO, WD4AHZ, K5KG,
> N4KM
>
> 2002 – N4TO – ARRL DX SSB M/2 with N4DL, K1TO, T93Y, T93M
>
> 2002 - N4TO/M FQP Ran 44 counties with K1TO
>
> 2003 - N4TO/M FQP Ran 44 counties with K1TO
>
> 2004 – N4TO/M FQP Ran 44 counties with K1TO
>
> 2005 – N4TO/M FQP Ran 44 counties with K1TO
>
> 2006 – PJ4A - CQWW CW M/S with K1TO and K4BAI
>
> 2007 – HI3A – CQWW CW M/2 at HI3CCP with AD4Z/HI3A, K1TO, K8NZ, N4GI
>
>
> Many thanks to Fred, K4LQ for doing research to assemble this post.
>
>
>
>
>
> **************
> It's only a deal if it's where you want to go. Find your travel
> deal here.
>
> (http://information.travel.aol.com/deals?ncid=aoltrv00050000000047)
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