[CQ-Contest] Gene Zimmerman, W3ZZ

[David Thompson]

I remember Gene as an aggressive K1ANV in the ARRL SS in the late 1950's and 
later as an operator at Multi multi's.

I ran into Gene again when a group of us went to Mount Mitchell in 1964.  We 
did not carry an AM KW but we did bring a Clegg Zeus and Interceptor.  We 
made 700 QSOs on 6 and about 300 on 2 meters.  The only hams we worked on 
both 6 and 2 were Gene, Sam Harris, Ed Clegg, and Trav K9EBE of 
Hallicrafters.  Gene said the 6 el Hy-gain 6 meter beam (only 5 feet over 
the garage) was a constant signal on both CW and AM at his QTH.  Helen 
Harris was also worked on 6 from the big dish in KP4.

Come forward to the 2003 and Gene and I traded e-mails about beams for 6 
meters.  His advice was to use the 1994 or later Cushcraft design.  He also 
pointed me to the K9MU modification to the older Cushcraft 5 element I 
picked up from Ron Hooper, W4WA.  With the beam pointing N and using a rope 
for rotation I made 300+ QSOs in the June VHF Contest with a barefoot 
FT-920.

I always enjoyed his VHF column.  I consider Gene a ham's ham.  RIP  Gene.

73 Dave K4JRB   ex K5MDX and WA4MIV lead operator in 1964 on Operation 
Skytop II.