To – Fellow Hams. 
From – Graham Hunter, ZL3GQ Convenor New Zealand DX Hall of Fame
It gives me great pleasure to announce the much awaited 2012 Hall of
Fame award recipients. Thank you the core group of 3 who made these
decisions and then agonised over the citations.

The recipients are: 

ZL1HY Mike Edwards. 

Proud Moment for Mike ZL1HY

Mike was first licensed in 1973 and passed the Morse test in 1974. He
worked more than 100 countries on phone before gaining his “HF license”
in 1975. Mike was issued with the call ZL1BIL. Mike concentrated on his
favourite 80m band and was the first New Zealand amateur to be awarded
the “CQ WAZ” on 80m in 1981, 11th in the World. Following that
remarkable achievement, Mike went on to gain CQ WAZ on 5 bands (5BWAZ)
all in SSB. Certificate No.78. Mike gained 5BDXCC as early as mid 1981.
Certificate No. 1065.

DXing was not the only forte for Mike as he set several records in SSB
contesting:

1981 CQWW SSB No. 1. World and set new World Record 40m.
1982 CQWW SSB No. 1. World 20M and set new Oceania record.
1983 CQWW SSB No. 1. World 20M reset a new Oceania record.
1984 CQWW SSB No. 3 World 80m.
1986 CQWW SSB No.3 World 20m in the QRP/p category.
1993 Qualified for DXCC No. 1 HR plaque.

Mike changed his call when his old mentor Dave Brown retired from
Amateur radio and gave Mike ZL1HY in 1993.
Mike’s DXCC totals are 346 in mixed and phone, and he has over 300
entities on 80 and 40m phone. He confesses to not like CW, but he has
some 240 entities mainly on the 30m band.

With more than 100 entities on 160m Mike has demonstrated his prowess
in both DXing and contesting over the last 40 years.

NZ DX Hall of Fame plaque to the right of No1. Honour Roll Plaque

Therefore it is pleasing to award Mike Edwards the honour of the New
Zealand Hall of Fame.

ZL3TY Bob McQuarrie. 
Bob was first licensed in 1963 and operated mostly on VHF. His
dedication to VHF became apparent when Bob became the first New Zealand
amateur to gain DXCC in VHF mixed (6m and 2m). Further concentration on
the 2m band using the latest digital technology combined with his CW
skills and moon bounce, Bob is the first New Zealand amateur to be
awarded DXCC on the 2m band with 102 countries confirmed.

Bob joined the ZL7C Dxpedition in October 2002 and was able to make the
first ever moon bounce contacts from the Chatham Islands.

Bob uses mostly VHF and many Australian amateurs have made their first
contacts to New Zealand by being logged by ZL3TY over many years
operating from the West Coast of the South Island.

As a consequence his name and call sign are inducted into the New
Zealand Hall of Fame. Congratulations Bob, and may you yet work many
more DX contacts in the VHF bands.

ZL2AWJ Ted Thorpe  (Silent key) 

Ted (Edward Max) Thorpe was first licenced 14th October 1949 as ZL1ADX
while he was still a student at Mt. Albert Grammar School in Auckland.
From high school, Ted joined the NZ Broadcasting Service as a technical
cadet at Broadcasting House, Shortland St, Auckland. Gaining his 1st
class Certificate in Radio Technology and 1st Class Postmaster General’s
Certificate he went to sea as a Radio Officer on RMS “Rangitata”, a
UK-NZ passenger/cargo ship  16,737 gross tons, 411 passengers. After
coming ashore he married Colleen, moved to Wainuiomata and joined Lintas
(Unilvever) as Selwyn Toogood’s technician on his TV series. As ZL2AWJ,
(ZL calls were not transportable in those days) Ted achieved DXCC in
July 1961.

On January 27-1966, at 0100z, the 38 foot Ketch “Marinero” sailed from
Wallis Island en route to Western and American Samoa . Aboard were five
individuals, including Chuck Swain, K7LMU and Ted Thorpe, ZL2AWJ who had
just completed a successful operation as FW8ZZ on Wallis Island , the
15th such operation during the World Radio Propagation Study
Association’s 1965-1966 S.E. Asia-Pacific DXpedition. This DXpedition
was received with enthusiasm by the DX fellows in the USA and throughout
the world. During the preceding six months, over 75,000 QSO’s had been
logged on CW and SSB.

Chuck Swain and Ted Thorpe, who had done a great part to make all this
possible, were returning from Wallis Island. Ted was to return to New
Zealand and Chuck was to join Don Miller in American Samoa and the
DXpedition was to continue on for another two months, during which time
operations were planned from Manihiki Island in the South Cooks, and
Heard Island in the South Indian Ocean which would be counted as new
countries by ARRL DXCC.

On 29 and 30 of January, a hurricane struck the Wallis Island – Samoa
area, the eye of the storm passing directly over Wallis Island with
winds in excess of 100 miles per hour and waves 50 to 75′ in height. The
“Marinero”, with Chuck and Ted aboard never reached port. It was caught
by the Hurricane close to Apia, Western Samoa. In the vast Air and Sea
Search that followed,in which the U S Coast Guard, U S Air Force and the
Royal New Zealand Air Force participated, no trace of the ketch or any
debris was found. The “Marinero” is now considered to have sunk and the
five on board, including Chuck and Ted, missing assumed dead. Hundreds
of amateurs around the Pacific Basin monitored the bands hoping to hear
a signal from the Marinero. They were unaware that the HF gear had been
left on Wallis Island for the resident licenced ham – the Marinero had
only VHF equipment for the relatively short voyage from Wallis to Apia.

It is hoped that every DXer will give some consideration to just how
much these two have contributed to DX to make it a more enjoyable hobby
for all DXers. For those of us who knew Chuck and Ted personally, there
were no two finer individuals on earth who were so devoted and risked so
much, so that so many throughout the world could enjoy many happy hours
of DXing.

Congratulations Mike ZL1HY, Bob ZL3TY and Ted ZL2AWJ.  An award ceremony
is planned for ZL1HY and ZL3TY where the Hall of Fame trophy will be
presented. Details of where and when will follow.

73, Graham Hunter, ZL3GQ
New Zealand HOF Convenor.