[SCCC] K3ZO

[Clayton Nall]

I think it would not be a stretch to include Fred on my list of ham radio
elmers.  He grew up in Kiel, WI, not far from my hometown, and was good
friends with my DXing elmer K9XJ and K4ZW, who, IIRC, was also from
Sheboygan County WI.   He was also very active at my alma mater's ham radio
club, W9YT, during the collegiate ham radio heyday.  As I was getting into
contesting in the late 1990s, he often offered encouragement.

I had a chance to meet him in person on several occasions and kept in touch
over the years.  Every time we bumped into each other on the air when I was
operating from W1AF or W6YX, he was sure to say "hi."  Once, while he was
on a fast run of Europeans on 75M phone, he dropped the pileup for a few
minutes just to chat.  Most recently, he took time to write a nice note in
response to my QSL of his HS0 contest operation in 2013.  These are the
kinds of connections that make this such a neat hobby.

One comment on your brief bio: Fred had always told me that he was active
in the US Information Agency, and emphasized that, rumors to the contrary,
he was not involved with any other three-letter agencies.  Taking this, he
seems to have been blessed (or in the case of being attacked and stabbed in
Argentina) with some exciting times as a mere functionary of the US State
Department....

A real model of being an excellent and competitive operator while also
being a nice person.  It's a real loss for ham radio and contesting.

Clayton
NF1R







On Sun, Jan 1, 2023 at 4:26 PM Don Minkoff <cowchip at ca.rr.com> wrote:

> So sorry to hear this.
>
>   I first met Fred in Chang Mai, Thailand, 1969, while I was in the Air
> Force.  He let me use his station while he went to work.  Saw him every
> year in Visalia.  One heck of an operator and in every contest.
>
> Don
>
> On 1/1/2023 9:44 AM, W6PH via SCCC wrote:
> > I don't really like to bring bad news.  Our great friend and colleague
> Fred K3ZO is in his last days.  He has suffered kidney failure and is in
> hospice.
> >   Fred was originally licensed as W9SZR in Wisconsin.  Professionally he
> worked for USAID and over the years held calls HI8XAL, LU5HFI, HK3NBB, and
> HS5ABD during his career.  As LU5HFI he was attacked by terrorists and came
> within inches of passing away. Many of us had the opportunity to chat with
> Fred in Visalia.  He came every year.  He is a giant of contesters. 73,
> Kurt W6PH
> > _______________________________________________
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> > SCCC at contesting.com
> > http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/sccc
>
> --
> Don Minkoff
> NK6A
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-- 
Clayton Nall
http://www.nallresearch.com
Cell: (617) 850-2062