[SCCC] N6ZZ Memorial

[W6UM at aol.com]

I had planned on attending the memorial for N6ZZ this Saturday, but  have had 
to go to my San Luis Obispo QTH to deal with some immediate  problems. I will 
use e-mail to share some of my experiences with Phil  Goetz.
 
Phil and I did some touring in Slovenia and Croatia after WRTC 2000 in  Bled. 
We visited S50A at his QTH and then drove to Zagreb, where  9A9A showed us 
the 9A1A installation. We then flew over to Dubrovnik on the  Adriatic. The Old 
City of Dubrovnik, a walled city of stone buildings and  churches 700+ years 
old, is a World Heritage site. Phil was an accomplished  photographer (his own 
photos are on his QSL cards from most of his solo DX  operations), and he got 
lots of good shots within the Old City. While we  were up on the wall he 
looked out and spotted a triband Yagi above a building in  the newer part of the 
city. After we finished exploring the Old City we walked  over to the building 
with the beam and discovered it belonged to the Dubrovnik  Amateur Radio Club, 
and that some members meet there every night. After  dinner we returned, and 
indeed found a gathering of the local hams. They made us  feel more than 
welcome (the word "pivo" means "beer" in both Slovenia and  Croatia!). Phil was much 
at ease with with people, and they with him, even in  the instances where 
there was some language barrier. Before the evening was  over, both N6ZZ and W6UM 
were both paid-up members of the Dubrovnik Amateur  Radio Club. 
 
The recent QSL cards from 9A5D have a photo of the Old City of  Dubrovnik 
taken from the mountain behind the city. Phil was convinced he himself  could get 
a better picture but was dissuaded from climbing the mountain only  after 
being told it is still infested with land mines from the recent Croatian  war for 
independence.
 
I'm sure all of those attending the memorial service will have lots of  
stories with equally good experiences and memories. Phil was a world-class  
operator, but also much more. He will be missed.
 
Chas., W6UM
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