Jack was recently on my mind...I was dreading the news that surely would come one day, as I hadn't heard Jack for a while. Yesterday that news came, ending a fabulous era Jack shared with so many of us.
Our first QSO was on 25 Nov. 1990, when I made my shy entry on topband. He copied my low power signal across the big pond, I was utterly impressed. Our last QSO was on 30 Dec. 2011, when I called him with 5 Watts - he came straight back ! In those 2 decades, we made 60+ QSO's on topband, intertwined with Q's on 10-30-40 and 80m. Always a thrill and moments of joy. Jack had a super RX and TX station (tnx for the insight, Jeff). When active from 9X-EL-S0 in the nineties, I could count on Jack to inform me topband was open to North America. Through the tropics' static crashes, he'd always make me happily jump in my chair - time and again these Q's produced a big smile on my face. Jack was there - yes! Jack will always be on my mind. Mark - on4ww. -----Oorspronkelijk bericht----- Van: Jon Zaimes [mailto:j...@verizon.net] Verzonden: zaterdag 20 oktober 2018 3:29 Aan: topband@contesting.com Onderwerp: Re: Topband: VE1ZZ has passed on - Very Very Sad news! (Long) Jack has always been one of my heroes on Topband. I recall when K1VR visited him and wrote (in a QST article) about how Jack used old plastic soda bottles to weatherize open coax splices in the field. A great idea I've copied hundreds of times here on coax and hardline junctions. I usually gave Jack birthday greetings each Dec. 24, after he mentioned he was 79 on that date in 2011. My log shows I missed him in 2015 but gave him belated greetings on the following Jan. 1, and our last QSO was Jan. 24, 2016. He was 85 at his passing. I often listened as Jack worked exotic DX I couldn't hear. On March 8, 2004, I lingered on 160 after finishing the ARRL DX contest and heard Jack working some weak DX station. It was an extremely quiet night on the band, and I was amazed that I could copy the station Jack was working. It was Kumar, VU2BGS, and I was fortunate he came back to me when I tail-ended Jack, and it was a new one for me on Top. Jack often stopped by to say hello if I was calling CQ, often with a tip on some rare DX that had been active. Jack, we'll miss you. 73/Jon AA1K -----Original Message----- From: Topband <topband-boun...@contesting.com> On Behalf Of terry burge Sent: Friday, October 19, 2018 8:33 PM To: topband@contesting.com; terry burge <k...@comcast.net> Subject: Re: Topband: VE1ZZ has passed on - Very Very Sad news! (Long) Sad to see he will no longer be there to give out Nova Scotia. I see I've worked him three times 2014, 2011 and 2009 for a multiplier during CQWW160. Never really got to know him but I have enjoyed the great stories. That is something about ham radio I love. You never know who you might be hearing at the other end of the either. Just hope a few will say one or two nice things about me when I join him. What do you suppose ham radio guys do for fun up there? Terry KI7M > On October 19, 2018 at 1:35 PM Wolfgang Wessely <wess...@asamnet.de> wrote: > > > very sad to hear this... > > Jack was my first DX on 80m in the 80th, using an antenna myself, > which could not really work - only he made the contact possible! > Later, I had many topband-contacts with him and no wonder: Jack was my > first VE on Six in 1992... > > RIP > Wolfgang - DJ3TF > > > > > > > Am 19.10.2018 um 19:10 schrieb k1zm--- via Topband: > > Hello Gang > > > > > > I am truly saddened to have to pass along the contents of an email I just > > received from Carl Leahy who was one of Jack Leahy, VE1ZZ's sons. > > > > > > It is short and sweet - but I will add some personal comments after sharing > > his note to me. > > > > > > +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++= > > > > > > > > > > > > Carl Leahy carl.leahy1@gmail.comHide > > > > To > > k1zm k...@aol.com > > > > > > > > Jeff, our family wanted you to know that dad passed away last evening. If > > you could let the people in the ham world know we would really appreciate > > it. It was a very big part of his life . He had just been talking about you > > and the book you gave him a few years ago.. > > > > > > Carl Leahy > > Signing off for VE1ZZ 😞 > > > > > > > > > > ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ > > > > > > A few comments from my memory now follow - as best I recall them: > > > > > > VE1ZZ was not only a personal friend to many of us - he was probably one of > > the finest Topband Dx'ers ever to have lived. He goes back to not long > > after W1BB came back on the band at the end of WW!! - and was one of the > > strongest signals I have ever witnessed on Topband. His signal was almost > > LEGENDARY all over the world. EU stations used to say - "He is almost as > > loud when he calls in Asian pileups as the EU callers are over here"...and > > that says it all! > > > > > > Jack Leahy was personally responsible for my migrating to VY2ZM and was > > here at my home twice - once is 2002 and once in 2012. I last visited him > > and Opal (his XYL) in August of 2014 with Mike OE6MBG who wanted to meet > > Jack and see his QTH . > > > > > > When I finally had the time after building my house here on PEI to visit > > Jack which was probably in July of 2003 or 2004, at first blush his place > > did not make a huge impression on me because it had only a short triangular > > portion of land at the road in the Head of Jeddore NE of Halifax - and the > > land rose rapidly behind his home. One initially wondered "How does he get > > out so well from here down at the road?" > > > > > > The answer came shortly thereafter - Jack took me out behind the house - > > and we climbed that hill - up and up and up for something like a MILE - it > > was a pizza slice in shape and very wide at the top of the hill in the > > woods - with only about 100 feet (if that) at the road front side of the > > parcel. > > > > > > Some distance up the hill was Jack's 160m 4sq array - which was made of > > ROHN 6 tower - that was sitting on 18 wheeler truck tires as base > > insulators. The towers were not tall - perhaps 55 feet or so and the rest > > of each radiator was wire - so it was really a WIRE inverted L 4sq. Jack > > was the "ultimate scavenger" and his radials were all 1-2" diameter pieces > > of HARDLINE!!! Hundreds of them all over the hillside I think he had a > > friend in CATV or at his local dump - but he got most of it for next to > > nothing he said. > > > > > > From that point of his land, he could reach around the HILLTOP on 160m to > > acquire a clear shot to EU and the South was wide open and to the SW was > > also clear looking over the water. Looking straight up the hill was > > probably blocked to some degree - but often this does not matter all that > > much on Topband. > > > > > > The day I was there was shortly after Jack had managed to communicate > > across the pond on what I think was 600m - I may be wrong about the > > frequency - but the antenna he used to make the SLOW SLOW SPEED CW contact > > was something out of this world! > > > > > > It started about 1/3 of the way up the hill - and ran all the way to the > > rear of the property to near the furthest reaches of his land - and this > > was a LONG LONG LONG walk to get there - through some land that I recall > > was swampy. It had to have been at least 3000 feet long. > > > > > > Part way up the hill, Jack had built a small shelter in which he placed the > > BIGGEST homebrew loading coil I have ever seen. It was about 4 feet tall > > and about 8 feet in diameter and wrapped around some kind of coil form he > > had created. > > > > > > Jack explained that it took him awhile to resonate the system to his > > desired operating QRG - and this was done by taking a pair of alligator > > clips and through trial and error he tapped the coil he made - trying to > > use a DC ammeter to find the point of peak current into the system - which > > he explained seemed to indicate the system was reasonably matched. > > > > > > His was among the first to work across the pond with that antenna - just > > one of his many achievements. > > > > > > When I was in the US Navy stationed at Bremerhaven, Germany I used to > > listen to Jack and W1BB on 160m. W1BB would sit around 1801, KV4FZ often > > was around 1803 and Jack was down at the low end as well - calling CQ > > listening QSX up at around 1825-1830 in what was then known as the "DX > > Window". > > > > > > Jack had a huge signal even then - using equipment that was popular in that > > era. I recall a Hammarlund HQ 160 Rx or something close to that model - > > there is a photo of that station from the late 1950's in my book "Dx'ing on > > the Edge." > > > > > > Jack's More Recent Station - Inside > > > > > > When I first visited Jack in 2003/2004, it was in his old house - not the > > newer one he built further up the hill some years later. The station was > > vintage (much like my own on Cape Cod) - and Jack used a TS830 driving a HB > > amp to something around a KW DC input. Jack's operating table gave me a > > chuckle because there was only about 4 inches of space between the front > > panel of the radio and the edge of the table. Jack was a "leftie" and > > placed his paddle parallel to the front of the TS830 and did his best to > > keep his forearm on the table while he sent. > > > > > > Jack's keying system triggered a bunch of interconnected relays as he > > operated and he had quite a number of vintage antenna switches which > > selected his many Rx antennas. > > > > > > After visiting his shack, Jack later showed me around other parts of > > the rest of the house - and I recall several rooms CHOCK FULL of > > stuff most of us would die for. One room was full of EIMAC xmitting > > tubes - 4-400's, some 304TL's, some 4-1000A's etc > > > > > > Another room had shelves loaded with vacuum relays and vacuum variables he > > had collected over the years. Not one or two - but something like a 100 of > > them. There were also rotary inductors for HB design and many other things > > that made me drool. > > > > I think I remember a third room full of vintage ham radio gear as well. > > Older stuff he had used previously over the years I guess. > > > > > > +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ > > > > > > I will relate one story about Jack when I was operating at 7O6T over in > > Yemen in 2012 I think it was. I was calling CQ arond 1823kHz waiting for > > SS to occur in NA - and this bone crushing signal came at me that almost > > blew me out of my chair. You can listen to this clip on my VY2ZM website - > > and you will see what I mean. > > > > > > I told Jack that I was operating in the snippet - and later asked him to > > please tell me when OTHER NA stations were calling. I said, please do NOT > > tell me the calls - just tell me that USA stations are now hearing me and > > calling me. Jack did as I asked and about 15 mins later a very weak in the > > noise caller was Dave Patten, NN1N who was probably 3-4 S units down from > > Jack's signal. Dave's station is first rate - but there is something truly > > magical about operating from the Maritimes along oceanfront property. It > > is just how things work - Jack had what I call the "front door" to the NE > > path and it often shows up as it did that evening at 7O6T. > > > > > > Here's how to listen to what I heard: > > > > > > 1) Go to http://www,vy2zm.com > > 2) Select the sound bites tab > > 3) Click on Sound Bite #4 and play VE1ZZ - Booming. > > 4) If you also wish to hear NN1N's piece look further down the list to hear > > the difference in signal levels. > > > > > > JACK's last years > > > > > > I last spoke with Jack in the summer of 2016. He told me he then had COPD > > and that his amp needed repairs and that his antennas were largely broken. > > I had heard him sparingly in 2015 and probably not at all in 2016 - and > > that explained why. > > > > > > > > > > JACK's 160m DXCC Achievements: > > > > > > For many years JACK held the #2 position WORLD in the Topband DXCC > > rankings. He finished his legendary Topband career at 334 countries > > confirmed at position #6 in the current rankings. This is only a HANDFUL > > of entities below that necessary to have qualified for DXCC HONOR ROLL - > > single band 160M. His mild, unassuming manner was also the measure of the > > man. He would stop DX'ing and work ANYONE who called him - which says alot > > as well. His was a special person and I have always admired him and what > > he managed to do in HAM RADIO. > > > > > > Not only did he make DXCC on 160m - in the summers he got me hooked on 6M > > and he had a 6M DXCC as well - just to keep himself occupied during the > > summer doldrums on 160M. > > > > > > I will close now and stop reminiscing about Jack - but I think it is > > altogether fitting that we stop and pause a moment to remember this fine > > 160M operator and gentleman and what he achieved on the band we all love to > > operate. He will always occupy a special place in our memories of Topband! > > > > > > 73 and thanks for the bandwidth. > > > > > > JEFF K1ZM/VY2ZM > > > > > > Email: k...@aol.com > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Jeff Briggs > > DXing on the Edge: The Thrill of 160 Meters Available worldwide > > through BookBaby, Array Solutions, DX Engineering, Royal Society of > > Great Britain, & Amazon > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _________________ > > Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband > > > > --- > Diese E-Mail wurde von Avast Antivirus-Software auf Viren geprüft. > https://www.avast.com/antivirus > > _________________ > Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband _________________ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector _________________ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector