I have just worked Ken, VE3VC on 20mtrs CW. He is ex – GD3IBQ, does anyone remember him? Or is it down to the font of all Knowledge, Arthur? The trouble is, he doesn’t read these forums, so I’ll have to ask him on the early morning IM net.
Stuart, GD0OUD
Definately too early a call for me 😉 over to Arthur -.-
DEar Stuart, I knew Ken Holt very well and keep in touch. He lived in Ramsey and worked up Snaefell maintaining equipment there. Together with Johnny Harrison , Jimmy Tongue and self, we had a shack full of gear complete with rhombics up the top of Glen Auldyn.
Ken married Jayne Levenson Gower who lived at ^Port E Vullen. They emigrated to Canada where Ken went to work on the early warning chain in Alaska. Sadly they divorced but he remarried to a German girl,not sure if he has children or not.
He eventually became director of the Canadian Govt testing lab, checking all imported and manufactured electronic equipment before approved for the market. Has been retired many years, lives on an estate with limits on antennas, causing him frustration, usually works CW.
Hope this of help and accurate, if not my apologies.
Best wishes from Las Torres in SE Spain,
John Martin GD4RAG
Hello John,
Thank you for your reply.
The above is very interesting. Arthur brought a photo to Tromode of himself and Ken when they were both in the RAF.,all interesting stuff!
It took me three or four attempts to get Ken’s call sign, as band conditions were poor, his signal was weak and another station set up very close by. I had a couple of stations calling me, and I’m glad I picked his signal out of the noise and persevered with the QSO. Antenna restrictions would not help his signals much, so I think we did well considering this.
I hope you are having better weather than we are,
Stuart, GD0OUD.
Ken VE3VC worked for many years on Snaefell with the CAA before moving to Canada. He has lived in Ottowa for many years. A long established daily sked is kept on HF SSB with his friends Doug GD3RFK and Alex GD6IA plus Jim K4MQL and Tom N4XP. Tom has visited the island many times and Jim was here this year.
Ken also talks to Brian GD4PTV and Dawn 2D0EDQ almost daily on Echolink.
Ken and Birgitt last visited us in 2004 with many hams attending a receptiopn at the “Cat” in Onchan. Doug GD3RFK and Margaret GD4RFK have many photographs of that visit.
If you want to know what is happening on our island, Ken is better than an Examiner or Courier!
Alex
It’s nice to hear he is still in contact with the island. He certainly had an interesting career.
Stuart