About Me

I Must Finish This and Go To Bed!!!

This blog started out to record a bit of my history , my life and my activities over a lifetime. Very quickly it seemed to morph into a Ham Radio blog. After 77 years it is time to reflect and look back but there is still more to accomplish before I write my “Bucket List.” I love technology and it really has been the story of my life, careers and my interests. This website will continually change and be updated as new events occur and as long as I am able to do it. You will be able to see my amateur radio activities in Canada from 1953 to 1969 as  VE3DIL – VE3CDX – VE3OE and then as ZL2AL in New Zealand from 1972 until the present day.

I grew up in Toronto, Canada and left there when I was 32. Toronto is one of the best cities in the world in which to live. Spring and summer is magic but when autumn arrives you know its going to be a rough 6 months ahead. When I was a kid coping with the weather on a daily basis going to school and delivering the Toronto Globe & Mail at 5 Am in the morning I only remember cold hands, cold fingers and frozen ears. Blinding snowstorms and temperatures of 30 degrees below zero made me think about other parts of the world where climates are warmer and living is easier. See a short video of Toronto on the link below…….

Planet Toronto from Ryan Emond on Vimeo.

2005 Achieving DXCC Honour Roll after 40 years in New Zealand

I live in Napier in Hawkes Bay on the East coast of the North Island of New Zealand. Napier has around 55,000 population and is by the sea on the Pacific Ocean. The area is one of the best fruit and wine growing regions in the world and the climate is temperate with no snow, ever! Mild winters are over in a few months with temperatures rarely freezing. I take pride in the fact that I haven’t owned a snow shovel for the past 43 years!

You can see where I live and what it’s like at  Hawke’s Bay Tourism I am 77 years old and retired. For the past 63 years I have been intensely involved with Amateur Radio. In many ways it has shaped me and provided me with many life long friends in other parts of the world that I still communicate with after such a long time. The world of Ham Radio has hundreds of organisations around the world. It is the social part of our hobby and it begins with our local radio clubs and national organisations in each country around the world. Many international groups are dedicated to one particular segment the hobby which appeals to each individual amateur. Some of those organizations are listed below.

There are over 58,000 QSOs in the ZL2AL log and we may have worked .

LoTW Logo

My logs are uploaded weekly to Logbook Of The World and you may be able to find a match for our QSO there.

Courtesy of CLUBLOG you can check for your call in my log now.   Search ZL2AL Log

If you need a QSL you can request one through the OQRS service provided by Clublog. Thanks for visiting this page.

Today’s Current Radio Propagation and Sunspot Conditions below:

 

 

 

 

I have memberships in the following organisations:
ARRL – The American Radio Relay League
* DXCC – DX Century Club
NZART – New Zealand Amateur Radio Transmitters
TCDXA – Twin City DX Association
NCDXF – Northern California DX Foundation
RAC – Radio Amateurs Canada
NARC Napier Amateur Radio Club NZ
HBARC Hawke’s Bay Amateur Radio Club

The worst day of DXing or Contesting is

 infinitely  better than the best day working!

download

Lee,  ZL2AL CW_1_1_

eMail: [email protected]

Snail Mail:

                        87 Auckland Road

                         Greenmeadows

                           Napier 4112
                         NEW ZEALAND

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9 thoughts on “About Me

  1. Hello Lee, I was able to work you today on HF and enjoyed it a lot. My daughter and her friend, both nine years of age, also were amazed how much fun this hobby is. Just wanted to Thank You for the qso and all that it appears you do for this hobby we hold so dear to our hearts. 73 and again thanks..david swindell

  2. Thanks for the ZL double this evening Lee. I never cease to get a thrill when I am called from so far away. Even my sending becomes erratic from the buzz ! I remember working ZLs VKs & Js in pile ups on 10m during other cycles so sincerely hope we are not at the Max yet. May the good Lord allow us to enjoy our unique and treasured hobby for many more years to come.

    73s de Ernie ZB2FK

  3. Hi, Lee tnx for the new contact in 28Mhz 28/03/14 gread signal Rst: 58 time: 01:04 Mode ssb. Congratulations 73s good luck bye Ramon Toro

  4. Hello Al. Thanks for the recent brief QSO. I’ve been inactive or 20 years and I just got back on the air.You are my first ZL contact! I’ll be sending a QSL direct to your home. A QSL in return would be appreciated.Rig is Icom 7000 and a portable ,tripod mounted vertical antenna. Best wishes and 73. K4BAD

  5. gday Lee great chatting to you love the page and your setup.. the Moxon antenna i built is basically all tubing and wire as seen on Youtube under the BBQ Delta Loop! great chatting beautiful signal and modulation, well done talk to you again soon cheers Mark 🙂

  6. Really enjoyed eyeball with u at Putorino, Those few minutes I heard u speaking enthralled me. Wow to have that much knowledge blows me away .Your website & achievments make Ham Radio so interesting
    Just seen your QRZ Page this morning when I heard u on a DX on 17meters ,Sorry got a bit excited hearing your call didnt realize what was going on ,Love to visit your Shack next time I am in Napier,Now I will go and read all I can about you , Give my 73s to Michael ZL2FAR( He took me to Putorino )

  7. Peter the Great HF Award plaque:
    Lee, that was such a wonderful story. last Wednesday, at the club, about how you gained that award . After that intriguing narrative relating strategy, numerous communications via multiple media, persistence and patience, anticipation of the outcome was palpable! We were not to be dissappointed…what a beautiful trophy…an icon indeed!
    I came here hoping to be able to have another look at it but I’m not even sure if you have it somewhere on your site. Have you posted it somewhere so I can have another look?
    R

  8. Lee’s Key is now Silent for ever,
    It was an honor to know you and spend some time with you Lee.
    Perhaps this electronic record will remain for ever as a monument to you and your amazing life.

  9. Wow, what a shame he had passed. I would have loved to discuss antennas with him.

    My condolences to his Family and friends.

    Tim – K7XC

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