[CQ-Contest] Gene Zimmerman, W3ZZ

[John Laney]

On 6/4/2012 7:15 PM, David Thompson wrote:
> 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.
>
>
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Nice to read your comments about Gene.  He and I were panelists on 
forums at the ARRL National Convention in Houston in 2003 and they put 
us together as roommates.  A great loss for ham radio and his family and 
friends.  Ironically, I am on vacation at Montreat, NC and my wife, son, 
and I visited Mount Mitchell today and had lunch at the restaurant 
there.  Unfortunately, it was mostly cloudy, cold and windy.  The old 
high observation tower has been removed and a lower, more spacious, and 
more easily accessible tower has been installed.  Dr. Mitchell's tomb is 
still there.  73, John