• HOME
• JOIN OR RENEW
• FREQUENCIES
• MEMBERS AREA
• ACTIVITIES & AWARDS
• RESOURCES
• LINKS
• CONTACT US

Silent Keys

Alan GW3VEN

Alan Dicker, GW3VEN #9804, was a keen RAYNET member and Group Controller of Pembrokeshire RAYNET.

Alan became a Silent Key on 1st June 2011.

Angie G0HGA

Angie Sitton, G0HGA (previously G1XEO) #41, was an enthusiastic operator and enjoyed QRQ (high speed) Morse code on the HF and VHF bands.

Angie was originally in the legal profession and later became a primary school music teacher.  She was the FISTS Public Relations Officer between 1993 and 1995.  After retirement, Angie spent much of her time looking after John her disabled husband.  Although this and her other interests in music, computing, digital photography and cats didn't leave time for radio, Angie enjoyed keeping in contact with her radio friends through email and various amateur radio and other online forums.  She encouraged Morse code by creating the VivateMorse and twometrecw forums.  Angie is particularly remembered for her promotion of CW on 2m.

Please visit the Angie G0HGA web page to read an introduction she wrote about herself in January 2005.

Angie became a Silent Key on 9th May 2009.

Bill G0VBH

Bill Chandler, G0VBH #2252, was born in 1935.  He and his XYL Wendy (daughter of Peter G4LHI #2219) became interested in Amateur Radio and attended RAE classes at the Harwell Amateur Radio Society conducted by Colin, G3NNV.  After successfully passing the RAE exam in 1994 they were gently persuaded by Peter to study for the 12 wpm Morse test.

In those early days there were not the computer programmes about like today to help with CW training, so most of the practice was self-training and the old fashioned tape cassettes exchanged by snail mail from Peter.  They were both successful in their first attempt at the 12 wpm Morse test at Pickett's Lock on Saturday 30th July 1994.  Bill became G0VBH and Wendy G0VBG.

Bill became a member of the FISTS Club, #2252.  He was very active and enjoyed joining in the various club events.  He was also a member of the RSARS, Nr. 3232.

His second hobby and his great love was fishing.  He was an active member of various fishing clubs around the Oxfordshire area.

Bill became a Silent Key on 6th August 2002. ^[1]

Buck G0OYH

Buck Taylor, G0OYH #1078, was an active member on the air and in the fistscw online group.  Having lived in Cape Town as ZS1VP (1980-1991), he came back to England in 1991 and became G0OYH.

He was a Morse code professional having served in the Royal Navy and Coastal Radio.  He acted as QSL manager for a number of DX stations and was a GB2CW slow morse station.

Buck became a Silent Key on 7th August 2007.

Chas GM3JUD / G3JUD

Charles Urquhart, GM3JUD #57, was an active CW operator.  He was very well known to FISTS members operating on 80m CW, who had many long and enjoyable contacts with him.

He was born in Methil, Fife (an old dockland and fishing village).  In the past he had also operated from Runcorn, Cheshire as G3JUD.

Chas became a Silent Key on 2nd October 2010.

Derrick G3LYU

Derrick Price, G3LYU #1608, passed away peacefully on April 7th 2012 at Leicester University Hospital.

Derrick's son, Dave G8XZA, is hoping to acquire his Father's callsign to further preserve his memory within his family. ^[5]

Frans ON4LR

Frans Sharpe, ON4LR #1078, was a keen DXer, CW operator and member of the French Union of Telegraphists (UFT).

He was a medical doctor, graduating at the University of Louvain.  A modest man, he preferred to be referred to as a "country doctor".  He had been Mayor of his town of Incourt and president of the Gembloux Radio Society.

Frans became a Silent Key on 9th October 2009. ^[4]

Fred G3VVP

Fred Porter, G3VVP #5541, was a very active member, participating in the various club on-air activities and activating the club headquarters callsigns.  He also provided slow morse practice sessions in the Plymouth area.

He was known for his keen sense of humour, an example of which can be seen in the article Franken-key he wrote for BrassPounder.

Fred became a Silent Key on 24th April 2010.

Fritz HB9RE

Fritz Zwingli, HB9RE #2228, was licensed in 1954.  His son Fritz Junior (DL4FDM, HB9CSA and FISTS #2225), has carried on the amateur radio tradition.

Fritz became a Silent Key on 19th December 2009.

Geo G3ZQS

George ("Geo") Longden, G3ZQS #1, was the founder of the FISTS club.  He was a very active radio amateur and renowned for his exceptional CW skills and the work he put into teaching and encouraging the use of Morse code.

For more information about Geo contained in the many tributes to him from FISTS members, please visit the Geo G3ZQS Silent Key web page.

Geo became a Silent Key on 25th April 2006.

Gerry G3HQU

Dr. Gerry Jackson, G3HQU #39, was an early member of FISTS and a member of the Furness Amateur Radio Society.  Gerry had been a submariner, diver and was a member of the Royal Naval Amateur Radio Society (RNARS).  He had a PhD in archaeology and was a professional archaeologist.  He was involved in the restoration of the steam launch "Dolly" (1851, thought to be the world's oldest mechanically powered boat) at Windermere.  He is also mentioned in The History of Barrow and District for having found a gaming board going back to Roman times.  Gerry, along with his wife Aileen, enjoyed taking part in amateur dramatics.

Gerry became a Silent Key on 18th August 1994. ^[2]

Howard G3RXH

Howard Aspinal, G3RXH #8918, was particularly interested in early radio equipment and a founding member of the Vintage and Military Amateur Radio Society (VMARS).  He was very well known on the air and found on many bands, including 5MHz and 136kHz.

Howard became a Silent Key in late October 2010. ^[3]

Jim G3HJF

Jim Smith, G3HJF #8341, became a licenced radio amateur while still a young teenager.  After service in the RAF, he spend his working life involved with radio and later computer engineeering.
He was a member of FOC and a long term member of the Cheltenham Amateur Radio Association.  He also had an interest in astronomy.

He was a modest man, always willing to provide a helping hand and known for his CW skills.

Jim became a Silent Key on 11th July 2011. 

Jim GM3CFS

Jamie (his youngest son) writes about Jim Robson GM3CFS, #356:

"My Dad absolutely loved his ham radio.  He served in the Merchant Navy from 1938 to 1958 as a radio officer and continued his love of radio until ill health sadly forced him to hang up his headphones earlier this year.  Every house we lived in wasn't complete without an aerial installation and they all had one room set aside for a shack (even if it meant my brother and I sharing a bedroom).

He wasn't a fan of computers but was thankfully still able to continue with his contests thanks to the help of John Reynolds (G3RSD) who helped him submit his logs electronically.  Dad was such an exponent of Morse, he would actually use it over the telephone with select individuals.

I want to sincerely thank everyone who knew him for helping him to continue his interest for so long.  It really meant the world to him.

73's old man..."

Jim became a Silent Key on 26th July 2013, age 92.

John G2FXS

John Knowles, G2FXS #8949, was a member of the Tynemouth Amateur Radio Club.

John became a Silent Key on 18th August 2010. 

Tony G8XGQ

Tony Saunders, G8XGQ #8949, was one of the early members to join in the local Huntingdon Chapter Morse practice sessions, which he joined on the 27th April 1983 while he was mobile on his way home from the Bedford Radio Club.

He suffered from dyslexia and as you can imagine, it was very much harder for him to learn and use the code with this disability.  The Huntingdon Chapter were all so proud of Tony when they used to hear him calling CQ FISTS on HF and he enjoyed joining in all the FISTS Activities he could.

Tony enjoyed all modes with his amateur radio licence: CW of course, SSB, Slow Scan, RTTY and even WX.  He was also a member of the Huntingdon Amateur Radio Club and attended the meetings regularly until he was unfortunately diagnosed with his illness.  Even then he still was active in the FISTS Activities and a regular member of the local practice sessions on 2m on Mondays and Tuesdays from his home QTH, encouraging new members on the group in his cheerful and friendly manner.

Tony became a Silent Key on 16th March 2010. ^[1]

Tony M0FLY

Tony Corr, M0FLY, #8949, was a skilled professional pilot who loved flying.  He was mentioned in dispatches for his earlier work as an army bomb disposal specialist.

Tony became a Silent Key on 15th January 2010.

Acknowledgements - thank you to: