Over the years, I’ve made many friends through amateur radio, some for just a few seconds, some for hours.  A few hardy souls still admit to knowing me after years of contact ...

This is the ZL6QH team that won the multi-multi section of Oceania DX CW contest in 2006.  OK, to be fair, we were the only entrants in that section but still we’re quite proud of our score.  From left to right this is Brian ZL1AZE (top dog at Quartz Hill), John ZL1BYZ (probably ZL’s top CW DXer), Wilbert ZL2BSJ (now PE7T having ‘gone home’ after 2 decades in ZL) and me (the lardy one sporting a VI9NI teeshirt).

The ZL6QH site is now a wind farm, so ZL6QH is currently homeless.  But it will rise again, I’m sure.

Hawke’s Bay
North Island
New Zealand

39^o 39’ South x 176^o 37½’ East

Locator RF80HL

260m ASL

IOTA OC-036

CQ zone 32

ITU zone 60

Member of:
ARRL
CDXC
FOC
G0FBB
G-QRP-C
M6T
NZART
Voodudes
ZL6QH
ZM2M/ZM4T

<- A typical view of one of my friends at ZL6QH super-station near Wellington.  It’s Brian, ZL1AZE, who (along with Wilfred ZL2BSJ - see above) did most of the antenna work at QH in all weathers.  It was almost always blowing a gale with chilly horizontal rain that hurt your face, ideal in fact for the wind farm that is now operational from the site.

The certificate below was for our multi-multi entry in CQ WW CW in 2005, winning first place in Oceania.

Here is Phil G0HSS and now VK2BAA.  Phil was chief VHF/UHF linear builder for the Windmill Contest Group, helping us win many a VHF FD in the UK. 

Phil writes a contest column in VK and is still very active.  We went to Norfolk Island together in 2006 with Bill VK4FW and other VK hams, operating as VI9NI during the island’s centennial celebrations, and Phil joned me at home in ZL for CQ WW CW 2007.

Phil is now building a contest super station at his new home in VK.

Dave, G4BUO, has been my friend for decades, literally.  We’ve done countless contests together, and won quite a few - truth is, Dave is a highly accomplished operator, I just filled-in the gaps in the schedule. 

Having slaved for weeks in his garage, this was the moment Chris showed us his new “50th anniversary” microwave transmitter, ready just in time for VHF field day.  We often rely on Chris’ amazing skills to keep us going.  We were particularly impressed with the quality of the internal engineering in this case, as viewed through the glass panel on the side of the resonant cavity.

Harri, OH6YF, was an outstanding contest operator and engineer until his untimely death in 2006.  I thoroughly enjoyed what little time I spent in Harri’s company and am proud to have counted him as a friend.  I’ll always remember Harri’s warm smile and the look of absolute concentration working DX on 80m in a contest.  Anyone who names his son “Henry” after the amplifiers is clearly a committed ham.  Maybe one day I’ll join Harri’s DX and contest team on the far side ...

Seeing the look of intense concentration on Fred G4BWP’s face, you might not believe he’s enjoying himself - but here he is on full flow, cracking along on 10m at M6T in CQ WW SSB 2000.  -->