[UK-CONTEST] GM3ZBE SK

[Stewart GM4AFF]

This is from Graham GM8FFX which I am re-posting here on his behalf:

 

 

I was so sorry to hear of Alex's death.  He and I go back a long, long way
and we had some great times.

 

It was Alex who showed me that putting up a mast with four guy wires is a
lot easier than trying to put up a mast with just three.

 

When SSB was relatively new on 2 metres Alex and I both built transmitters -
Alex's worked first time - mine did not.  

 

When the RSGB organised the first ever 144Mhz SSB contest Alex and I went to
the Isle of Man and we managed to win the contest.  I think we were running
about 10 watts and everything was powered from the battery in Alex's Bedford
Dormobile.  How times change.

 

Alex was a great motor bike enthusiast and had a BSA Goldstar that would be
worth a fortune today.  Sometimes we would go over to the Isle of Man for
the Grand Prix and we would do some amateur radio too.  GD3UMW was one of
many amateur friends we knew who lived on the Island.

 

Alex also made the first solid state Lerwick Beacon.  I remember us going up
there to install the transmitter, antennas etc at the Observatory.  Once
done we caught the boat home to Aberdeen and had a 19" piece of wire taped
to the cabin's porthole.  We didn't sleep at all during the journey as we
were amazed to be able to hear Alex's beacon all through the night till we
arrived in Aberdeen.

 

Alex served on the RSGB Council and was President of the Aberdeen Amateur
Radio Club several times.  Alex was always very generous with his time and
was so kind to the junior members of the Club as "Youngsters" on this Group,
like GM4AFF and GM4ZUK will happily confirm.

 

Alex taught me morse but much to his chagrin I have still to take the test.
He also taught me how to operate in Aurorae. In fact he taught me and many
others so much.

 

Alex was always in good humour and I will leave this little tribute to
GM3ZBE with a story to make you smile:

 

One day, about 40 years ago, Alex decided he wanted to try DX'ing on eighty
metres.  He was living in the centre of Aberdeen then and he decided he
needed a really long wire aerial that would be supported by a two far off
telephone poles.  We hatched a plan to do this on Midsummer's Day at 5am so
none of the neighbours would find out about the aerial.  Of course it was
daylight at that time and we were up our respective poles trying to tension
up this long length of wire when up rolled a police car. We were being
quizzed from the ground and protested that we were radio amateurs and this
was duly relayed over the police radio to their HQ.  As luck would have it,
Charlie Sherrit, the late GM3EOJ, was the controller that day and I could
hear his familiar voice coming over the radio with an exact description of
Alex and me.  Once our identities had been confirmed I heard GM3EOJ's voice
say, "I am aware of what they are doing. Stand down, there is a call for you
to go immediately to the Railway Station......."

Alex and I finished the aerial and at the Club GM3EOJ said we were lucky
that it was him who was on duty.  Alex enjoyed telling the Aberdeen Club
this story - so here it is again.

 

We will all miss Alex.  He was a very good person.

 

Graham Knight GM8FFX