28 November/December 2008 NCJ
NCJ Profi le: Bob Naumann, W5OV Tis the season for CQ World Wide and ARRL November Sweepstakes, while the qualifying for World Radiosport Team Championship <strong>2010</strong> in Russia concludes this spring. Past WRTC operators always have interesting stories to tell about their passion for ham radio, contesting and the social aspects of the hobby. I fi rst met this month’s profile subject and WRTC-96 participant Bob Naumann, W5OV, in the fall of 1986. I was 17 at the time and more than a little intimidated by being invited to operate at a big multi-multi (K2GL/N2AA) for the CQ WW SSB Contest. Bob may not remember, but because I was a little nervous about the whole thing on Friday afternoon I said — with N2AA standing right there — something like, “Gee, thanks for inviting me up here to watch all this.” Bob chuckled, as if to say, “What? You’re here to operate,” while Gene shook his head and said, “Hope you didn’t plan on sleeping.” All it took was a kind word, and I felt right at home. Have you ever at least once in your life thought, “If I had a job doing something involving Amateur Radio, that would be for me.” Bob, who now resides in Sachse, Texas, is an employee of accessory manufacturer Array Solutions as well as a veteran contester. He started off contesting in New Jersey, was present for the salad years of the K2GL/ N2AA operations and then found himself living in Texas and concentrating on going to the Caribbean. Here’s his story in his own words. I started in Amateur Radio in 1972 when I was a freshman in high school. My parents had given me a CB radio as a graduation present from eighth grade. One of the friends I made via CB — Sal, now KM6JD — had a Radio Shack short wave receiver. He was listening around on the receiver one day while I was visiting, and we heard some guys talking. They were having two-way conversations, but it wasn’t CB. I asked him what that was, and he said, “Oh, they’re hams.” I knew that was for me. We both learned the code shortly thereafter, and we were licensed in early 1973 — he as WN2LFC and I as WN2OVE. I met my fi rst real contester via a telephone call. It was on a Saturday morning. My mother told me some guy was on the Bob Naumann, W5OV phone, and he was really angry about my radio. Oh, boy. Whose TV was I messing up? Boy was I wrong! He was upset about my DX60’s key clicks messing up his European SSB run on 15. He was WB2VYA, and I stopped transmitting immediately. I was scared. Of course, he is now KR2Q, and Doug has been an Elmer to me in addition to being a very good friend for 35 years. My fi rst contest operation was Field Day in 1973, when I operated as WN2OVE/1 while on a family camping trip. I made 66 QSOs. While I was there, I bumped into some slow-speed CW guys in the New England Slow Net. This led me into traffi c handling, where I met most of the big-time traffi c and contest guys in W2 Land, such as (then-) WB2RKK, WB2RJJ, WB2FLF, WA2SRQ and WA2UOO among others. Then there were the ARRL CD parties. I loved those contests. I operated Sweepstakes and DX contests too, but I was never really too serious about contesting until 1979 when WB2VYA asked me to come with him to K2GL’s to see the N2AA station there. I was overwhelmed. Over the years I met many people at K2GL’s who have been most infl uential on my development as a contester and as a person. Of course, these included KR2Q and K2GL as well as operators like N2AA, K2SS, K2TT, K5NA, K5DU, K2UR, K2TW, K2XR, K1KI, K3EST, W3ZZ, KU2M, KR2W, NA2AA, and others. The list includes a couple of guest appearances by people like K3LR and W4PA. Sadly, one of my favorite members of the K2GL gang left us not too long ago. He was Dave Rosen, K2GM. Dave also Scott Robbins, W4PA provided an opportunity for me to operate at 4U1UN, which I will never forget. He had an enthusiasm for life that was unique. It’s a shame that he’s gone. Away from the K2GL scene, my relationship with the other contesters in the Northeast grew too. Some of those traffi c handlers, such as N2NT, W2RQ, W2GD and others, were serious contesters too. I also met a lot of good friends when I joined the Yankee Clipper Contest Club. I met K1AR and K1DG then, along with one of my closest friends, W2YV. Dave and I have not spoken in a long time, but he was one of my best pals for many years. Some of the people I got to know during those years have left us too — W2PV, AJ1I, K2OY, K1EB and — very sadly and most recently — Stu, KC1F. Following the K2GL and YCCC days, I operated with the N2RM team in Southern New Jersey. N2RM, N2NC, WM2H, N2AA, K2TW, N4HY, K3UA, WT3Q, KA2AEV, K2BM, N2EA, N2NL, NA2AA, N7BG, WC4E, K8GL, K3EST, NQ4I and KR2Q were all part of that era. We had a lot of fun (I mean a lot!) and we won a lot of contests. N2NC and I became close friends during that time, and we still room together in Dayton every year. Around the same time, I played golf with K3TUP and his friends — such as W9XR, W3GH, VE3EJ, N3BJ, K3UA, N2NT, WM2H, N5KO et al — at a few “TUP Opens” in Erie, Pennsylvania. Dayton Hamvention also has had a huge impact on me, mostly because of those whom I have met there and continue to see year after year. My good friend Jim White, K4OJ, was a fi xture for me in Dayton since the fi rst time I went there. Of course, Jim’s passing was tough on me, and I did not go to Dayton for two years as a result. I have met so many great people in Dayton over the years I cannot possibly list them all. In 1995, I went on my fi rst real DX contest operation to Antigua with the V26B multi-multi team. What an exciting time that was! During that CQ WW Contest, K3MM and I did something that may have been unique but certainly was a lot of fun. I had a 348 hour on 15 SSB, while Tyler had a 329 hour on 20 at the same time while we were sitting next to each other. It was awesome! The following year, Tyler and I were NCJ November/December 2008 29
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