Tony Gonzalez, EA5RM, and Ned Stearns, AA7A, Inducted to CQ DX Hall of Fame

2020 CQ DX Hall of Fame virtual induction ceremony.
Clockwise from top left,  "Ham Nation" co-host Val
Hotzfeld, NV9L; CQ DX Editor Bob Schenck, N2OO;
inductees Tony Gonzalez, EA5RM, and Ned Stearns,
AA7A. (Ham Nation podcast screen grab)

(Hicksville, NY – May 20, 2020) – CQ magazine today an- nounced the induction of the two newest members of the CQ DX Hall of Fame, which honors those DXers who not only excel in personal perform- ance but who also "give back" to the hobby in outstanding ways. CQ DX Editor Bob Schenck, N2OO, made a virtual presentation on the Ham Nation podcast on May 20.

The 2020 inductees to the CQ DX Hall of Fame are:

Tony Gonzalez, EA5RM – has been an active DXpeditioner for 20 years, often organizing and leading teams to operate from difficult and challenging locations. Tony and his teams have also helped establish or re-establish amateur radio activities in several countries, including Rwanda (where it had been banned for a decade due to civil war) and the newly-independent country of South Sudan. In addition, Tony has made 10 trips to Bolivia to establish and maintain HF communication links between medical facilities and remote villages in the Amazon rain forest, and has operated as CP1XRM during his free time. Tony's work in South America earned him the ARRL International Humanitarian Award in 2015.

Edward "Ned" Stearns, AA7A – is an accomplished DXer, DXpeditioner (he's been on 32 of them and led 8) and technical innovator. He introduced the use of switchable vertical dipole array antennas on island DXpeditions and designed "dual-band discone" antennas for use with the Northern California DX Foundation's worldwide beacon network. Ned also worked with 2019 DX Hall of Fame inductee Joe Taylor, K1JT, on developing the "Fox/Hound" mode for FT8 used by DXpeditions. Ned also maintains two remote stations in Arizona, has made presentations at many technical conferences and has served in a variety of leadership roles in the hobby. On the air, he is at the Top of the Honor Roll for DXCC Phone and Mixed, was the first recipient of 11-band DXCC and has worked over 160 countries via EME (Earth-Moon-Earth).

This year's induction ceremony was conducted online on Wednesday, May 20, on the Ham Nation podcast, by CQ DX Editor Bob Schenck, N2OO, along with program co-host Val Hotzfeld, NV9L (whose husband, Jerry Rosalius, WB9Z, is also in the DX Hall of Fame). A recorded version has been posted on the Ham Nation website at (<https://twit.tv/shows/ham-nation>).

The CQ DX Hall of Fame was established in 1967 to recognize those amateurs who have made major contributions to DXing and DXpeditioning. This is the 54th annual induction, and the first to be conducted online.

Announcing: 2020 Inductees, CQ Amateur Radio Hall of Fame

(Hicksville, NY – May 15, 2020) – The CQ Amateur Radio Hall of Fame has seven new members for 2020, CQ magazine announced today. This brings to 333 the total number of members inducted since the hall's establishment in 2001. 

 

The CQ Amateur Radio Hall of Fame honors those individuals, whether licensed hams or not, who have made significant contributions to amateur radio; and those amateurs who have made significant contributions either to amateur radio, to their professional careers or to some other aspect of life on our planet.

The 2020 inductees (listed alphabetically) are:

• Chet Atkins, W4CGP (SK), legendary musician known as "Mister Guitar," and music producer; ushered in "the Nashville sound" on RCA Records (Note: Chet's call has subsequently been re-issued)
• Les Barclay, G3HTF (SK), propagation expert, leader of International Telecommunication Union propagation study groups and Chairman of the ITU's first Radiocommunication Assembly in 1993; top official in the UK's telecommunication regulatory agency
• George Laurer, K4HZE (SK), developer of the UPC (universal product code) or "bar code" on merchandise, permitting items purchased at stores to be scanned on checkout rather than manually rung up
• Yasuo "Zorro" Miyazawa, JH1AJT, whose Foundation for Global Children helps fund educational and medical programs for children around the world; FGC also works with several countries to help them organize and train teams for the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.
• Champ Muangamphun, E21EIC, a DXer and DXpeditioner who has been a sparkplug for growing interest in ham radio in Thailand and throughout Southeast Asia. Champ also accompanies JH1AJT on many of his humanitarian missions and operates DXpedition-style ham stations while Zorro works with government officials and non-governmental organizations on behalf of the Foundation for Global Children.
• Sultan Qaboos bin Said, A41AA (SK), Sultan of Oman from 1970-2020; transformed impoverished country into a modern and prosperous state with influence throughout the Middle East
• Tom Roscoe, K8CX, a champion of amateur radio history who collects and makes available online his "Ham Gallery" of old QSL cards and other historic photos

New members are also being inducted into the CQ DX and Contest Halls of Fame in separate online ceremonies, due to the cancellation of the Dayton Hamvention and related DX and Contest dinners. Contest Hall of Fame inductees were announced on May 14; new members of the DX Hall of Fame will be announced on May 20.

Geoff Howard, W0CG/PJ2DX; Bill Myers, K1GQ, and Gene Zimmerman, W3ZZ (SK) Inducted into CQ Contest Hall of Fame

(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>.

The CQ Contest Hall of Fame was established in 1986 to recognize those amateurs who have made major contributions to the art of radio contesting. This is the 37th annual induction and the first to be conducted online.