(Hicksville, NY –
May 14, 2020) – CQ magazine today announced the induction of three new members
to the CQ Contest Hall of Fame, which honors those contesters who not only
excel in personal performance but who also "give back" to the hobby
in outstanding ways. CQ Contesting
Editor David Siddall, K3ZJ, conducted a virtual induction ceremony at the conclusion
of the daylong 2020 Contest University webinar.
The 2020
inductees to the CQ Contest Hall of Fame are:
 |
| Geoff Howard, W0CG/PJ2DX (Photo courtesy W0CG) |
Geoffrey Howard, W0CG/PJ2DX, purchased and restored the
PJ9JT contest station in 2000 that had been owned by CQ Contest Hall of Famer John
Thompson, W1BIH/PJ9JT. The location was
named “Signal Point” and the PJ2T callsign pays homage to PJ9JT. Geoff established the Caribbean Contest
Consortium to help manage and maintain the station, and has consistently made the
station available to guest operators over the years, including serving as host
station several times for young operators participating in the Dave Kalter
Youth DX Adventure program. He has also worked closely with VERONA, Curacao's
national ham radio society. Geoff served for more than 25 years in the United
States Air Force, retiring as a colonel; worked for RCA and the Federal
Aviation Administration, and taught in the Graduate School of Management at
Kent State University in Ohio.
 |
| Bill Myers, K1GQ (Courtesy K1GQ) |
Willard "Bill"
Myers, K1GQ,
is a pioneer of computer-based systems for designing and switching antennas at
contest stations, designed the Cushcraft "Skywalker" series of
monoband Yagis, helped build the early PacketCluster network and served as
mentor to several of today's most prominent contesters, including K1AR, K1DG,
K1JX, and others. Bill was also a major behind-the-scenes force at the 2014
World Radiosport Team Championship (WRTC) competition in Massachusetts, and is
currently providing support and refinement of the SkookumLogger contest
logging program for Apple computers.
 |
| Gene Zimmerman, W3ZZ, in 1998 (CQ file photo) |
Gene Zimmerman, W3ZZ (SK), was a major force
in VHF contesting as well as an accomplished HF contester. He was a member of
both ARRL's and CQ's contest committees at various times between 1972 and 2012,
was QST magazine's VHF Editor for nearly a decade, and was CQ Contest
magazine's VHF columnist as well. Gene took over the struggling CQ World
Wide VHF Contest in 1999, reinvented it as a 6- and 2-meter only event and sparked
its growth into a truly worldwide competition. He was also instrumental in
organizing the mid-Atlantic VHF contesting group that became known as the K8GP
Grid Pirates.
Registered
participants in the virtual Contest University webinar were able to view the
induction ceremony live. It was also "simulcast" on DX Engineering's
YouTube link, where it is also stored for later viewing. The recording of the ceremony
may be accessed at <http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4V4B_mr1mYF5ycGQe_4Ytw>.
