Mike, ZL2CC at the ZM4T Contest Site

I was born back in 1945 in Nottingham England, my interest in radio started when I was about 5 years old. My father bought me a crystal set kit for my birthday. It didn’t work so was sent back. (lots of my experimental/home brewing has ended up like this) HI. My next brush with radio was when I was about 14. I joined the Army Cadet Force. Our regiment was the Royal Gloucester Hussars, and besides shooting for the regiment at Bisley, I also trained as a radio operator. I loved it and became quite efficient at ‘netting’ (zero beating) the No19 set well before the ‘net now’ was given. I wasn’t so keen on operating the No9 set. This was a portable???? backpack set that with batteries weighed a ton. Then as always with young lads other things came along, like girls and cars. Emigration, marriage and family then meant that until the 1980’s radio never came back into my life. That was when the family went to the UK for a working holiday.

CB radio came to the UK in the 80’s and after a dabble with this very restricted (in those days) form of communication and experimenting with antennas for CB, I looked at becoming a Ham. I took the City and Guilds Radio Examination in 1983 and took out a licence in 1984, when I could afford a rig. I was licenced as G1NFD and restricted to above 30 MHz. No problem. I had fun with RTTY and SSTV on vhf mainly mobile, along with DFing until I took the CW test and obtained full privileges in 1989. I then became G0LBP and had all bands covered from home, until I met Phil, now ZL2RVW. Phil was by then a DXer and contester and persuaded me to give it a try and after a visit by members of the local club to Germany, we formed a contest club with a few others. Phil has emigrated to ZL and we are now back in friendly competition. With the skills Phil taught me and from reading books on DXing, I find I can crack most pileups if they are running split. An efficient station now became the priority. Most antennas came down and I concentrated on the 15M band from home and the contest club tried most contests but concentrated on 160M and VHF contests. By choosing the contests we stood a chance in, we did win or become highly placed in a lot of contests and formed relationships with several good contesters.

Upon returning to New Zealand in 1996, I was given the call of ZL2CC and when my ex-wife (a Gisborne girl) returned to the UK, I took up radio a bit more seriously. After meeting and marrying an amateur friendly woman, things started to move. I found that a mono band antenna is 10db better than a tri-bander and there is no substitute for height. I now run a 3 ele mono for 20m, a 2 ele mono for 17m and a 160m Carolina Windom for 40 thru’ 160m.
Radio interests are DXing, Contesting and antennas. Station is capable of HF psk31, rtty, SSTV, JT65as well as ssb and a little cw. Also UHF, VHF packet and APRS. You may see me on PSK31 on 30m, or JT65 any band including 160m.

Mike Looking for Multipliers at ZM4T

My antennas consist of three element mono band beams for 20m and 17m at approx 50ft, a Carolina Windom for 160m thru’ 10m at 50ft plus 80m single loop quad SW/NE and 40m single loop quad SW/NE. Rigs are FT757GX for data and FT1000d for main HF with an Ameritron AL811 amp. IC725 for portable/back up use. I am a member of ARRL, NZART, CDXC and the Pacific DXers. Ex-writer of the DX section of the NZART magazine ‘Break-In’ and a proud member of the East Coast Contesters ZM4T. I was honoured to be a member of the ZL7T DXpedition to Chatham Island 2009. I also run a local LPFM radio station. “Radio Waihora” on 88.3 MHz.
While I still tell newcomers to concentrate on a good antenna and forget the linear, I do run a small 811 linear sometimes.

I have been Chairman of the Loughborough Radio club in the UK and President of the Gisborne club. I was an exam tutor and registered novice tutor in the UK, and have strong views on the old novice system and the new UK and VK foundation licence. I believe that when we dropped CW as the gateway to HF, we should have replaced it with a staged examination.

As I said at the start, I am a part time DXer. Radio is just one of my hobbies. I am also a member of the local pistol club and American Car club. My skills are also varied being an A grade motor mechanic, heavy truck driver, building services design engineer and alarm technician. I am always willing to learn something new or different, and run PSK, RTTY and pactor However, I very rarely work local stations other than the local repeater, but who knows? Maybe I’ll hear you on top band one Sunday night as I chat to ZL2RS, a local ham on 1855.

BCNU Mike ZL2CC
DXCC count still climbing.
Te Karaka, nr Gisborne.

Barry (Baz) is an old timer with a wealth of knowledge from the “Old days” Most old timers have. He was born in New Zealand in 1935 and has been a ham for most of his life with a wide range of interests including HF CW DXing and contesting. boat anchor vintage radios, home building gear especially antennas. He collects morse keys and headphones and is a member of FISTS#9026, Other interests :Food & wine, music,literature,aviation, travel. He has sailed the South Pacific extensively, also US West Coast, Western Mediterranean. He has two adult daughters (fine arts graduates) one in Chiangmai, other in London.

For many years Barry operated from his Homestay on Waiheke Island in the Hauraki Gulf near Auckland. His wonderful location known as “Signal Hill” was a superb DX location as shown below.

Signal Hill looking out over the Hauraki Gulf

BArry, ZL1DD looking for DX

He was first licensed in 1953 but the pressures of family and work kept him from being very active on radio much of his life. Moving to Waiheke gave him the opportunity to set up his dream radio station and he enjoyed sharing it with others. He had a Yaesu FT1000D, Viewstar 2x 3-500z Linear amplifier and a Toshiba laptop.

The Giant Force 12 Antenna

The antennas were a Force 12 C-4SXL rotary beam, two elements on 10,15,20, and 40m with15m tower. Site is 90m above the beach and the station got out very well. 80m used a dipole at 20m fed with 450 ohm ladder line to antenna tuners so he could work all HF bands with this antenna.

Barry had a dedicated radio shack with a bed and an extensive radio library,
including QST collection back to 1928. There was a well equipped home workshop for radio and general construction, repair and maintenance. He worked mainly HF CW and Waiheke Island (OC201) and it was in demand from DX stations. He entertained many overseas visitors during his stay there including Bob Whelan, the President of RSGB in 2002 G3PJT alias ZL4CC working the 2001 Commonwealth Contest. He came sixth overall, best score from Oceania.

Overseas radio visitors to date include: Jukka OH2BR, Hans SM3TLG, Bill K6KM, Bob G3PJT, Kevin VK3DAP, Nico PA0MIR, John W1CU (ZL1/W1CU) Barry operated overseas with calls such as G4COP, GW4COP, A35CN, ZK1CM, ZM1BN/A as well as ZL1BN/W, ZL1BN/VE etc. For much of his radio life his callsign was ZL1BN. When his old friend Bert ZL1DD went SK his family asked him to take the callsign Bert’s family have been on the island since pioneer days and his father before him was the first ever holder of the callsign.

Barry has been in Thailand since 2006. Unfortunately there is no reciprocal license in HS so he has operated from RAST club station HS0AC in Bangkok That station was destroyed in floods but a new station will hopefully be operational again soon. He has been helping to build the HS0ZIA new super station out of Chiangmia and also on team working contests from there. In 2011 he got call XU7AEL and operated from Sihanoukville for 3 months in 2012. Rumour has it that Barry may try Vietnam 2014. He will be returning to ZL in 2013 to stay with his old mate Ken at ZL1AIH/ ZM1A.

73 de Baz

A LIFETIME HOBBY THAT HAS NEVER WANED

Over 60 years ago I heard about Amateur Radio while attending the PN Boys’ High School where I met the late Phil Howell (ZL3 ?) then science master, who introduced a small group of keen young students to the hobby after school one afternoon a week in the science lab. It was around that time local hams were receiving their gear back and permission to operate after World War 2. I was particularly thrilled to hear them on my home built “Hiker’s Two” with plug-in coils for the short wave bands. Later to be replaced by a 4 valve TRF receiver.

After High School, a carpentry and joinery apprenticeship, motorcycling, cars and social activities took precedence and it was 1954 before I finally managed the Ham ticket on my second attempt, CW and the eventual HF permit followed as did the home construction of receivers and transmitters from original AM into the SSB era. Many hours were spent in construction and I guess the separate SSB receiver and homebrew filter transmitter was the greatest challenge. I worked over 200 DXCC countries with this equipment. It was 1975 before I picked up a trashed Drake TR3 and after a week was on the air with that which started a ‘love affair’ with Drake gear which I still use daily. I must acknowledge the helpful advice I got during the homebrew AM years from the late Gary McDonell ZL2SO and in SSB from many groups who gathered in the evenings in those early years on 80m to help one another.

Bitten by the incurable DX chasing disease, required better antennas, operating all hours just to accumulate piles of QSL’s and a few more awards on the wall.

After 28 years of carpentry and back trouble I went back to night school for advanced qualifications, which opened new job opportunities, became a building inspector for a short period then finished my working years as a Polytech lecturer in Construction for 19 years.
48 years ago I married my wife Jill we have four boys who are all married and working in different parts of the world.

I have always tried to keep the hobby in perspective and not let it interfere with the more important things in life, none of the family have really been interested in the hobby as such. I think they feel one is enough. All but the first 3 years of my life have been spent at the same address, here antenna erection has not been a problem but who can guess what is ahead in the next sun spot cycle.

73, Bryan ZL2AFT

Ted Minchin ZL1MT

Back in the 1970s, RTTY was a hot subject on the ham radio scene as commercial interests dumped their metal monsters and went “glass” That’s how I first met Ted. A mutual friend Dick Boulton, ZL1FL was a great fan of the green keys and had a Selcal system operating on 3545 khz 24/7. Once a week the NZ Amateur Radio Teletype Society had a weekly net of 20 or 30 ZLs where ideas were exchanged and plots were hatched. Ted was ZL1BOY then and in league with Dick to liberate as many machines as possible from the Post Office.

Ted just loved the machinery and could really make the old Creeds hum. Or should I say rattle and hum. Not only was Ted into the Teletype machines but he also had an interest in all things mechanical, electrical or electronic. Eventually RTTY was overtaken by technology and the teletype group folded and we all went our separate ways. Over many years we always used to compete for bargains at the various junk sales and Ted and I enjoyed each other’s company often over a cup of coffee. When I became quite ill in 2001 Ted rang me and said “Hey no worries Lee, I had the same thing many years ago and have undergone the same treatment as you. You’ll be fine.” I needed that and Ted gave me a call every now and then to see how I was doing and offer encouragement. Ironically, his illness came back during the last 18 months and it I was able to offer encouragement to him. We last met on the day of the Cambridge Junk sale at his home and he was desperately ill but still thinking about ham radio and interested in what was on offer. We will miss him. He was one of the “nice guys” of ham radio and will be long remembered. Ted passed away on 27th May, 2006

Rob – ZL2US

I was born in New Zealand in 1950 and now live near Napier at Pakowhai in Hawke’s Bay on the East coast of the North Island. The area is one of the best fruit and wine growing regions in the world and the climate is great with summer temperatures around 25C daily and over 2300 hours of sunshine a year. Life is good with at least 40 wineries in the area

The equipment at ZL2US currently consists of an Icom 756 Pro, Icom 746 Pro, an Ameritron amplifier with Icom VHF and UHF radios. Antennas include a TH6DXX, TH3, 6M yagi for HF on a 70′ foldover mast, a full wave 160 metre horizontal loop and dipoles for LF. The antenna farm is shared with my sheep on 2 acres.

Antenna System at ZL2US

Licensed as ZL2RFL in 2005, I recently changed to ZL2US. In 2012 In managed to place a new DXCC certificate up on the wall and currently am working towards 200 countries. Although I do work DX when it’s around the majority of my amateur radio contacts are casual ragchewing and socializing with my friends. I belong to NZART Hawkes Bay Branch 13. The sea not too far from us is a good place for my other hobby of fishing out on my 26′ Bayliner in Hawke Bay. My wife Sue is also a ham ( ZL2DC ) and we have 2 sons in their early 30s and 4 grandchildren.

73 es Happy DXing

Rob

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