Members

Hawke’s Bay, North Island, New Zealand IOTA OC-036 CQ zone 32 ITU zone 60 Locator RF80LQ

The success of ZM2M on air is down to a lot of hard work and dedication from its committed and experienced members, a friendly yet single-minded bunch of Kiwis and adopted-Kiwis:

Lee in action

Lee ZL2AL (above) Lee is the club’s cheerful founder, chief strategist and spud sniper. A highly accomplished DXer and contester, Lee keeps us all aligned and motivated. He’s on the DXCC Honor Roll with 335 entities currently and also holds 5BDXCC, DXCC Challenge, 5BWAZ and 5BWAS. Lee has been a ham for 55 years as VE3CDX, VE3OE, VE3LJ, ZL1BET, holding ZL2AL since 1973. Lee led DXpeditions to ZL7AA twice and was a team member of the 1996 ZL8RI jaunt to Raoul Island and 1999 ZL9CI DXpedition to Campbell Island. He was a member of the ZM2K Contest Team in the early 1990s. Lee does a great job as the sole ARRL DXCC Field QSL Card Checker for Australasia.

John ZL2QM (above) is our resident antenna expert with decades of “mucking around with antennas” as he puts it. John’s major monster antenna accomplishment to date was designing and building a 3 element wire delta loop for 80M strung between two 200 foot hills near the ZM2M site. The antenna was suspended on a ½ km of nylon rope and the base of the antenna was over 100 feet off the ground. It worked so well the team won the Jock White Field day that year nationally. It took so long to construct that we never did it again!

Peter ZL2LF (above) has been an active DXer and contester including being a member of the ZL2GT Field Day team and ZM2M for many years. He’s the team’s technical wizzard, always busy keeping the radios in top operating condition and dreaming up new ways of using equipment more effectively. Here he is reading about baluns and voice keyers.

Stan ZL2ST (right, standing). Another DXCC Honor Roll member currently on 343 entities, Stan has been a ham for over 50 years. He was a team member of the 1993 and 1997 (ZL7AA) and 2001 ZL7C DXpeditions to Chatham Island. He was a member of the ZM2K Contest Group in the early 1990s, the leader of the Napier Branch 25 ZL2GT Jock White contest team and was NZART Contest manager for years.

Wayne ZL2WG (left, standing) is relatively new to ham radio and contesting but is learning fast!

Mike ZL2CC (above and below operating, right looking his best for another DX run). Mike lives in Gisborne having emigrated to ZL from G-land in 1967. He is a keen DXer, contester and antenna freak, active on PSK31, RTTY, SSTV, SSB, CW on HF plus UHF, VHF packet and APRS. Mike wrote the DX section of the NZART magazine 'Break-In' and says “Remember: chase the DX - get it in the log.”

Chris ZL2DX (left) has been an active Dxer and contester with the ZM2K team. He has operated under his own call from ZL7, ZL8 and ZL9 from his postings with the Department of Conservation to these islands in the 1970s and 1980s. Chris was a founding member of the ZM2K Contest Team and was a team member of the ZL8RI DXpedition to Raoul Island in 1996. He is currently very active on EME with more than 50 countries worked “off the moon”.

Mike ZL2FAR (right) was first licenced as EI7CR in 1974, then G0WMP in the 90’s and emigrated to ZL in 2001. Mike’s another CW fanatic and loves playing with wire antennas and his K2/100.

Phil ZL2RVW (left) hails originally from Leicester and for a good few years now from Gisborne.

Gary ZL2iFB QRV since 1979 as G4iFB and since 2005 as ZL2iFB, Gary remains a keen CW op, HF DXer and contester. He lives on a rural block in Hawke’s Bay and enjoys building Elecraft radios and wire antennas. Member/op at GW8GT, M6T, 9L5A, VI9NI, XT2DX, G4BUO/P, G0FBB/P and ZL6QH. Survivor of a short trip to Raratonga as E51iFB. Former RSGB Contest Committee member, back in the sad ol’ days when contest logs were painstakingly checked and cross-checked by hand. Current volunteer webmaster for the East Coast Contesters. Blame me for the typos and layout issues.

Finally, here’s an old ZL2GT Field Day team photo, possibly hand-tinted: