We have had great friends in Hawaii - in the photo on the far left are Bill KH6OO (sadly SK) with the beard, Mary (Bill’s wife), Barbara and I.

Bill worked the world with a horizontal loop (inset on the left) and his preferred mode was CW, although in low-activity times he had been using FT8 with great success. Bill was my first KH6 contact in 2006 and the friendship endured and grew with both Bill & Mary since that time.

The inset show Bill with his slipped halo….

In the  photo to the right is Paul, G3SEA/KH6, a UK ex-pat. Paul first introduced us to Bill KH6OO & Mary after Paul and I first made an almost accidental contact on Echolink. As a result, Bill was my first KH6 contact….I’d only been licensed for 42 years at that point so surely I could be forgiven for being so slow?

Paul does a lot of listening on the bands - CW, FT8, sideband and has lots of natters on the Conference Nodes using Echolink. He has been on HF with QRP power but his QTH is not conducive to Txing.

The photo on the right is of Barbara and I with Randy & Lita. Randy has let me loose on his rig several times.

For a limited time, Randy made his rig available for remote operation but now limits it to himself - he can happily operate his rig from the Ala Moana Center while Lita is shopping….not sure if that’s a good idea or not haha!

We always look forward to our days out with them -  and we can’t wait until our next visit.

To the left and caught in the headlights, is Ray, WH6ASW. Ray is a retired US Navy CPO, ex-teacher, a respected astronomer and a naval historian - specialising in WWII. He’s also a skilled model boat/ship builder - and a really nice chap.

In the inset are Ray, Barbara & Ray’s wife, Marge…..it’s a bit like Morecambe don’t you think? Well, an itsy bitsy bit? Nah, you’re right - it doesn’t ….

To the right is my mate Jim, AH6OY who always provides me with equipment and liquid sustenance on our visits. We have daily exchanges of emails and texts ….. Isn’t technology amazing? 30 years ago, it would have been unthinkable that we could instantly communicate with friends 8000 miles away….unless you’d got a super station of course……

In the birthday party picture on the left are: Joan KA4DPW in red at the front and to the right in green is John, K1ER/KH6 (sadly now SK), Joan’s husband. Leaning forward is Jim AH6OY then Ray WH6ASW with Marge his wife and daughter Robin. Next is Lita, WH6BUJ, wife of Randy KH6IB who is next to her…and then me & Barbara. Next to Barbara is Mary, wife of Bill KH6OO, SK (next to her) and then Jim WH6Q with the beard, Dan KH6P and finally Tets AH7C.

KH6ZU - Friends

YES!! I do have some……but I don’t have pictures of all of them….

Here’s Tets, AH7C who lives high up overlooking Pearl Harbor. Test used to share antennas with John, K1ER/KH6 (SK) who lived next door. Not sure how they mowed their lawns with the cables…..

These photos (extreme left as well as near left) were taken in 2009 - he’s updated his equipment and space since then. Tets is a serious CW Dxer and does lots of FT8.

This is Dan, KH6P at the DX breakfast near Pearl Harbor. Dan is a retired USN Captain and nuclear submariner . After retirement from the Navy, Dan did several years at sea with the University of Hawaii but when the funding dried up,  he returned to his roots - he is presently a nuclear engineer at the the Naval Shipyard.

Dan is a keen CW operator and works HF with his favourite bands being 30m & 40m. Always a pleasure to have a natter with Dan….

Can’t help but think he’s looking at someone else’s breakfast, thinking he’s glad he didn’t have that!

My friend Kev, M0TNX worked Alex KH6CX and when he knew I was coming over to Hawaii, asked me to look Alex up - which I did. This photo was taken at a swap-meet at the Naval Reserve near Honolulu Airport.

Alex operates battery-portable from the Ala Moana Park. He strings up his antenna between the palm trees and away he goes. He does well as the contact with Kev testifies.

From time to time, I now meet Alex on the air via the Emergency VHF/UHF net when I’m over there - sometimes I’ve logged in via Echolink. I’m hoping to see him again soon!

Kev & Wendy

And finally,on the right are  Sue and Jim (VK7SM) at Honolulu airport. Jim and I have been friends for a good few years now and there was an opportunity to actually meet face-to-face, rather than via a Skype window or on HF CW. So as they were flying into Honolulu for an overnighter before continuing to Florida and we were flying out to San Francisco, there was an hour’s window to meet - and we did. Absolutely terrific !

Jim & Sue live in a beautiful location near a lagoon in Tasmania and Jim works in the Medical  & Pharmaceuticals industry.

Jim uses a loop antenna and like me, enjoys HF CW. We have made several contacts on several bands over the years, but never met, other than by Skype - until this meeting.

AND THEN THERE’S KH6BB - BATTLESHIP MISSOURI !! CLICK!

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Until he and his wife Sandy moved back to California a few years ago, Fred KH7Y lived on the southern end of the Big Island of Hawaii, at Ocean View, on an old lava flow. His QTH was terrific and had a clear, unhindered view of the ocean.

Fred is now K6IJ.

We miss our trips to the Big Island to see Fred and Sandy but perhaps one day we’ll stay longer in California and make a trip to Pine Grove….poor old Fred, he thought he’d escaped!

With Bill KH6OO is Jim, WH6Q, who I usually see at the DX breakfast and on the Battleship.

Here are Joan and John, K1ER (SK) and they were neigbours of Tets. He and John used to share their antennas. John was a nuclear sub Captain and was a keen Dxer and Joan is an ex-Police Matron & KA4DPW. They had a terrific  location overlooking Pearl Harbor.

Yes Jim, we can see you….

Page last modified: 9 October 2024