Topband: VE1ZZ Jack Leahy
Many thanks for the info Jeff . . . I had wondered where he was. Like others, I have worked Jack countless times over the decades on 160m. Always a great signal, and always takes the trouble to give you a call if he hears you on. If you're in contact again, do please pass my very best to him and his XYL, and hope he can get back on the band soon. 73 Roger G3YRO _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: VE1ZZ Jack Leahy
At Clipperton 2000 FO0AAA I convinced the 160m leader to let me try SSB. When I sat down and started calling CQ with no immediate response, I knew the first contact would be Jack, VE1ZZ and he didn't disappoint me. Doug VE5RA/VA5DX --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: VE1ZZ Jack Leahy
Hi Paul - I know this is a TopBand reflector, so I'll keep this comment short. Jack was being modest. He was among the very first of us VE's to get 6m DXCC as well. I think maybe #2 or #3..I can never seem to recall the exact order after VE1YX... Mike VE9AA.FN66na Hi Jeff, I'm a 50 MHz aficionado and recently decided to try 160 meters. A while back, there was a writeup about Jack in one of the magazines. The article included some photos of Jack's station, one of which was of his giant 6-meter quagi - the one he used to work Turkey on that band. I liked the way Jack hooked things up! I was impressed and I called him up on the landline. I wanted to find out more about him and what he did to be as successful as he was. We had a long enjoyable conversation. I hoped someday to be able to travel all the way to Nova Scotia to see Jack's station. Maybe I still will be able to do that. Jack called and worked me on 160 in January of 2013 - and I got his QSL card. In addition to the usual QSO data, Jack also hand wrote: 160m WAZ - 40 160m DXCC+ 333 #1 in Canada #2 in World What an accomplishment! Old age is unfriendly to us all, but I hope Jack hangs in there for a lot longer. 73, Paul, K7CW / VE7IB Mike, Coreen & Corey Keswick Ridge, NB _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: VE1ZZ Jack Leahy
Hey Jeff, Sorry to hear about Jack. I have toured the wonderful VE1ZZ antenna farm & shack with Jack back in the early 90's and marveled at how did he (remarkable) things on a shoestring budget. He partially inspired me to get busy on Top Band too ! He surely must've been one of my first TopBand contacts. To this day I make (some) coax connections like he showed me.pigtail style up under a 2L pop bottle. I have copied your message to the Maritime Contest Club mail server. I am not sure there are any of us close however. Most MCC members (such as we are - a very small group these days) are located in NB, PEI or Cape Breton, it seems. Nonetheless, perhaps the word will get out to someone much closer. I don't know of a contact in the Halifax Amateur Radio Club, but if anyone reading this does, please get ahold of some VE1's there and pass this message along there too. Halifax isn't too far from Head of Jeddore. and the 'ZZ QTH. Thanks for passing it along. dit dit Mike VE9AA Mike, Coreen & Corey Keswick Ridge, NB _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: VE1ZZ Jack Leahy
Hi Jeff, I'm a 50 MHz aficionado and recently decided to try 160 meters. A while back, there was a writeup about Jack in one of the magazines. The article included some photos of Jack's station, one of which was of his giant 6-meter quagi - the one he used to work Turkey on that band. I liked the way Jack hooked things up! I was impressed and I called him up on the landline. I wanted to find out more about him and what he did to be as successful as he was. We had a long enjoyable conversation. I hoped someday to be able to travel all the way to Nova Scotia to see Jack's station. Maybe I still will be able to do that. Jack called and worked me on 160 in January of 2013 - and I got his QSL card. In addition to the usual QSO data, Jack also hand wrote: 160m WAZ - 40 160m DXCC+ 333 #1 in Canada #2 in World What an accomplishment! Old age is unfriendly to us all, but I hope Jack hangs in there for a lot longer. 73, Paul, K7CW / VE7IB On Fri, 11/10/17, k1zm--- via Topband wrote: Subject: Topband: VE1ZZ Jack Leahy To: topband@contesting.com Date: Friday, November 10, 2017, 1:57 AM Hi All A few friends have asked about VE1ZZ since he has not been on Topband much lately. I gave him a call yesterday on the phone and he said he is nearing his 82nd birthday but has been slowed down by age and other things. He said he has COPD and cannot get around very well these days - antenna work in his woods is no longer possible. His main AMP is down as is a backup amp and he hopes to get on a little now and then if he can fix one or both. Hi great wife - OPAL - fell down the cellar stairs not long ago and is slowly recovering at home after a long hospital stay. I was saddened to hear these things but expected something was amiss over there. Jack has long been the BEACON here in Canada on the lowbands and his absence has been missed. He lives about 120 miles to the SE of me here in CANADA. He was largely responsible for my emigrating to Canada in 2000 and creating VY2ZM here on Prince Edward Island. Jack once told me "Jeff, Cape Cod is a pretty good location. but IT IS NOT AS GOOD AS HERE!! You should come up here and see for yourself." ..And boy was he ever right! BTW - I noted Opal his wife. We ALL might wish for a wife like Opal. When I first met her in 2002, we talked about HAM RADIO and Dx'ing and about how much Jack has been a fixture on the lowbands since the mid 1950's. What she said I will never forget - as it was memorable: She said: "JEFF - WHEN I MARRIED JACK, I KNEW HOW MUCH HE LOVED DX'ING AND HAM RADIO AND I REALIZED THAT THE ***BIGGEST*** MISTAKE I COULD EVER MAKE WOULD BE TO HAVE TRIED TO GET BETWEEN HIM AND HIS LOVE FOR RADIO!! IT IS A BIG PART OF OUR LIVES!!!" Anyway, I thought I might pass on what I knew - sure hope to hear Jack on now and then again soon. 73 JEFF VY2ZM _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: VE1ZZ Jack Leahy
Sad to hear that. Jeff, please pass my regards to both Opal and Jeff with my best wishes for their health when you contact them again! Jack was always the first NA station to call me during the 160m contest, at least two hours before the next one, must be at around 1500 his local time. 73 Peter, DJ7WW -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] On Behalf Of k1zm--- via Topband Sent: Freitag, 10. November 2017 10:57 To: topband@contesting.com Subject: Topband: VE1ZZ Jack Leahy Hi All A few friends have asked about VE1ZZ since he has not been on Topband much lately. I gave him a call yesterday on the phone and he said he is nearing his 82nd birthday but has been slowed down by age and other things. He said he has COPD and cannot get around very well these days - antenna work in his woods is no longer possible. His main AMP is down as is a backup amp and he hopes to get on a little now and then if he can fix one or both. Hi great wife - OPAL - fell down the cellar stairs not long ago and is slowly recovering at home after a long hospital stay. I was saddened to hear these things but expected something was amiss over there. Jack has long been the BEACON here in Canada on the lowbands and his absence has been missed. He lives about 120 miles to the SE of me here in CANADA. He was largely responsible for my emigrating to Canada in 2000 and creating VY2ZM here on Prince Edward Island. Jack once told me "Jeff, Cape Cod is a pretty good location. but IT IS NOT AS GOOD AS HERE!! You should come up here and see for yourself." ..And boy was he ever right! BTW - I noted Opal his wife. We ALL might wish for a wife like Opal. When I first met her in 2002, we talked about HAM RADIO and Dx'ing and about how much Jack has been a fixture on the lowbands since the mid 1950's. What she said I will never forget - as it was memorable: She said: "JEFF - WHEN I MARRIED JACK, I KNEW HOW MUCH HE LOVED DX'ING AND HAM RADIO AND I REALIZED THAT THE ***BIGGEST*** MISTAKE I COULD EVER MAKE WOULD BE TO HAVE TRIED TO GET BETWEEN HIM AND HIS LOVE FOR RADIO!! IT IS A BIG PART OF OUR LIVES!!!" Anyway, I thought I might pass on what I knew - sure hope to hear Jack on now and then again soon. 73 JEFF VY2ZM _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: VE1ZZ Jack Leahy
> Hi All > > > A few friends have asked about VE1ZZ since he has not been on Topband > much lately. > > > I gave him a call yesterday on the phone and he said he is nearing his > 82nd birthday but has been slowed down by age and other things. Jeff, Thanks for the note. I got to thinking and just checked my log. VE1ZZ was my first DX on 160 and my 2nd 160 QSO; this on July 8, 1992. Though I'd been a ham 13 years, I'd never been on 160 till that time. I remember I was living in a 2nd floor apartment with a random wire tacked to the hallway ceiling, using buttons for insulators, had a Drake TR7 & Murch 2000B Transmatch. Landlord had said no to any antennas so this is what I had to use & there Jack was, QRV on Topband in July. 73, Gary Ka1J _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: VE1ZZ Jack Leahy
same here Kees... Jack was my first DX on 3,5mc in the 80th, using an antenna myself, which could not really work... Had several topband-contacts with him, too... And he was my first VE on Six in 1992... If possible, pse pass my best wishes to both... Wolfgang - DJ3TF ** Am 10.11.2017 um 16:34 schrieb Kees Nijdam: Thanks Jeff for this contibution. Jack was one of my first contacts over the ocean. Kees, PE5T Verzonden vanuit Mail voor Windows 10 Van: k1zm--- via Topband Verzonden: vrijdag 10 november 2017 10:59 Aan: topband@contesting.com Onderwerp: Topband: VE1ZZ Jack Leahy Hi All A few friends have asked about VE1ZZ since he has not been on Topband much lately. I gave him a call yesterday on the phone and he said he is nearing his 82nd birthday but has been slowed down by age and other things. He said he has COPD and cannot get around very well these days - antenna work in his woods is no longer possible. His main AMP is down as is a backup amp and he hopes to get on a little now and then if he can fix one or both. Hi great wife - OPAL - fell down the cellar stairs not long ago and is slowly recovering at home after a long hospital stay. I was saddened to hear these things but expected something was amiss over there. Jack has long been the BEACON here in Canada on the lowbands and his absence has been missed. He lives about 120 miles to the SE of me here in CANADA. He was largely responsible for my emigrating to Canada in 2000 and creating VY2ZM here on Prince Edward Island. Jack once told me "Jeff, Cape Cod is a pretty good location. but IT IS NOT AS GOOD AS HERE!! You should come up here and see for yourself." ..And boy was he ever right! BTW - I noted Opal his wife. We ALL might wish for a wife like Opal. When I first met her in 2002, we talked about HAM RADIO and Dx'ing and about how much Jack has been a fixture on the lowbands since the mid 1950's. What she said I will never forget - as it was memorable: She said: "JEFF - WHEN I MARRIED JACK, I KNEW HOW MUCH HE LOVED DX'ING AND HAM RADIO AND I REALIZED THAT THE ***BIGGEST*** MISTAKE I COULD EVER MAKE WOULD BE TO HAVE TRIED TO GET BETWEEN HIM AND HIS LOVE FOR RADIO!! IT IS A BIG PART OF OUR LIVES!!!" Anyway, I thought I might pass on what I knew - sure hope to hear Jack on now and then again soon. 73 JEFF VY2ZM _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: VE1ZZ Jack Leahy
Thanks Jeff for this contibution. Jack was one of my first contacts over the ocean. Kees, PE5T Verzonden vanuit Mail voor Windows 10 Van: k1zm--- via Topband Verzonden: vrijdag 10 november 2017 10:59 Aan: topband@contesting.com Onderwerp: Topband: VE1ZZ Jack Leahy Hi All A few friends have asked about VE1ZZ since he has not been on Topband much lately. I gave him a call yesterday on the phone and he said he is nearing his 82nd birthday but has been slowed down by age and other things. He said he has COPD and cannot get around very well these days - antenna work in his woods is no longer possible. His main AMP is down as is a backup amp and he hopes to get on a little now and then if he can fix one or both. Hi great wife - OPAL - fell down the cellar stairs not long ago and is slowly recovering at home after a long hospital stay. I was saddened to hear these things but expected something was amiss over there. Jack has long been the BEACON here in Canada on the lowbands and his absence has been missed. He lives about 120 miles to the SE of me here in CANADA. He was largely responsible for my emigrating to Canada in 2000 and creating VY2ZM here on Prince Edward Island. Jack once told me "Jeff, Cape Cod is a pretty good location. but IT IS NOT AS GOOD AS HERE!! You should come up here and see for yourself." ..And boy was he ever right! BTW - I noted Opal his wife. We ALL might wish for a wife like Opal. When I first met her in 2002, we talked about HAM RADIO and Dx'ing and about how much Jack has been a fixture on the lowbands since the mid 1950's. What she said I will never forget - as it was memorable: She said: "JEFF - WHEN I MARRIED JACK, I KNEW HOW MUCH HE LOVED DX'ING AND HAM RADIO AND I REALIZED THAT THE ***BIGGEST*** MISTAKE I COULD EVER MAKE WOULD BE TO HAVE TRIED TO GET BETWEEN HIM AND HIS LOVE FOR RADIO!! IT IS A BIG PART OF OUR LIVES!!!" Anyway, I thought I might pass on what I knew - sure hope to hear Jack on now and then again soon. 73 JEFF VY2ZM _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: VE1ZZ Jack Leahy
Thanks for the update. I guess nobody is close to him to attempt to help. W0MU On 11/10/2017 2:57 AM, k1zm--- via Topband wrote: Hi All A few friends have asked about VE1ZZ since he has not been on Topband much lately. I gave him a call yesterday on the phone and he said he is nearing his 82nd birthday but has been slowed down by age and other things. He said he has COPD and cannot get around very well these days - antenna work in his woods is no longer possible. His main AMP is down as is a backup amp and he hopes to get on a little now and then if he can fix one or both. Hi great wife - OPAL - fell down the cellar stairs not long ago and is slowly recovering at home after a long hospital stay. I was saddened to hear these things but expected something was amiss over there. Jack has long been the BEACON here in Canada on the lowbands and his absence has been missed. He lives about 120 miles to the SE of me here in CANADA. He was largely responsible for my emigrating to Canada in 2000 and creating VY2ZM here on Prince Edward Island. Jack once told me "Jeff, Cape Cod is a pretty good location. but IT IS NOT AS GOOD AS HERE!! You should come up here and see for yourself." ..And boy was he ever right! BTW - I noted Opal his wife. We ALL might wish for a wife like Opal. When I first met her in 2002, we talked about HAM RADIO and Dx'ing and about how much Jack has been a fixture on the lowbands since the mid 1950's. What she said I will never forget - as it was memorable: She said: "JEFF - WHEN I MARRIED JACK, I KNEW HOW MUCH HE LOVED DX'ING AND HAM RADIO AND I REALIZED THAT THE ***BIGGEST*** MISTAKE I COULD EVER MAKE WOULD BE TO HAVE TRIED TO GET BETWEEN HIM AND HIS LOVE FOR RADIO!! IT IS A BIG PART OF OUR LIVES!!!" Anyway, I thought I might pass on what I knew - sure hope to hear Jack on now and then again soon. 73 JEFF VY2ZM _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Topband: VE1ZZ Jack Leahy
Hi All A few friends have asked about VE1ZZ since he has not been on Topband much lately. I gave him a call yesterday on the phone and he said he is nearing his 82nd birthday but has been slowed down by age and other things. He said he has COPD and cannot get around very well these days - antenna work in his woods is no longer possible. His main AMP is down as is a backup amp and he hopes to get on a little now and then if he can fix one or both. Hi great wife - OPAL - fell down the cellar stairs not long ago and is slowly recovering at home after a long hospital stay. I was saddened to hear these things but expected something was amiss over there. Jack has long been the BEACON here in Canada on the lowbands and his absence has been missed. He lives about 120 miles to the SE of me here in CANADA. He was largely responsible for my emigrating to Canada in 2000 and creating VY2ZM here on Prince Edward Island. Jack once told me "Jeff, Cape Cod is a pretty good location. but IT IS NOT AS GOOD AS HERE!! You should come up here and see for yourself." ..And boy was he ever right! BTW - I noted Opal his wife. We ALL might wish for a wife like Opal. When I first met her in 2002, we talked about HAM RADIO and Dx'ing and about how much Jack has been a fixture on the lowbands since the mid 1950's. What she said I will never forget - as it was memorable: She said: "JEFF - WHEN I MARRIED JACK, I KNEW HOW MUCH HE LOVED DX'ING AND HAM RADIO AND I REALIZED THAT THE ***BIGGEST*** MISTAKE I COULD EVER MAKE WOULD BE TO HAVE TRIED TO GET BETWEEN HIM AND HIS LOVE FOR RADIO!! IT IS A BIG PART OF OUR LIVES!!!" Anyway, I thought I might pass on what I knew - sure hope to hear Jack on now and then again soon. 73 JEFF VY2ZM _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
