From the Radio Amateurs of Canada
The Board of Trustees of the Canadian Amateur Radio Hall of Fame is pleased to announce that Garry Hammond, VE3XN and John “Jack” Leahy, VE1ZZ (SK), have been named to the Hall of Fame.
Radio Amateurs of Canada recognizes deserving Amateurs by appointments to the Canadian Amateur Radio Hall of Fame. The Constitution for the Hall specifies that the appointment as Member of the Hall is made for “outstanding achievement and excellence of the highest degree, for serious and sustained service to Amateur Radio in Canada, or to Amateur Radio at large”.
The Trustees of the Hall have interpreted the Constitution to mean that the person has performed significant service over many years to enhance the well-being of Amateur Radio.
Garry Hammond, VE3XN
Radio Amateurs of Canada and the Board of Trustees of CARHOF sincerely congratulate Garry Hammond, VE3XN, on his appointment to the Hall of Fame.
Garry Hammond, VE3XN, has been an Amateur Radio operator for over 55 years. His profession as a Geography Teacher stimulated a special interest in DXing and the pursuit of special prefixes, taking him to both the DXCC Honour Roll and the prefix Honour Roll.
It can be said that he is one of the best known Canadian Amateurs in the world. Operating as VE3GCO, VE3XN and VY0XN – and also using a vast variety of special prefixes – he has provided a truly massive level of activity on CW, SSB, RTTY and FT8. He has followed each QSO with a QSL and in return has built a huge collection of QSL cards. As well as confirming his own on-air activity he has served as QSL Manager for a number of major DXpeditions. The QSL card has been his hallmark.
Garry was the author of the “DX’ing with Hammond” column in The Canadian Amateur for 10 years. In addition to introducing readers to DXing, his column also extolled the enjoyment of QSL card collecting. He also edited the DX Newsletter “Long Skip” for the nationwide CanaDX organization. He has been a QSL card checker for many years for both the American Radio Relay League and CQ awards, and has also served as a QSL Manager and assisted the Ontario Incoming QSL Bureau.
Garry was granted a life membership in the Kitchener-Waterloo Amateur Radio Club (KWARC) in 2003 in recognition of his contributions to the club through mentoring, QSL card management, presentations (“Hamming with Hammond”), the QSL column in the club newsletter (Kilowatter) and tireless Field Day efforts, often turning in the highest score for the club. His communication skills motivate Amateurs to action.
John “Jack” William Leahy, VE1ZZ (SK)
Radio Amateurs of Canada and the Board of Trustees of CARHOF sincerely congratulate John “Jack” William Leahy, VE1ZZ (SK), on his appointment to the Hall of Fame. Sadly, Jack became a Silent Key on October 18, 2018 at age 85.
Jack Leahy, VE1ZZ, worked at Defence Research Establishment Atlantic (Department of National Defence) for 34 years. When he earned his Amateur Radio licence in 1948 he was the youngest person in Canada to do so. He made friends and contacts from around the world, many of whom visited him at Head Jeddore, Nova Scotia to see his extensive communication towers and system.
His love of Amateur Radio and lowband operation spanned 70 years and he was very well known and respected on-the-air, both for his longevity and his kind way.
Jack gave freely of his experiences and knowledge of lowband DXing and the aspects needed to achieve these feats and he has been described as “one of the finest Topband DXers ever to have lived”. He was recognized throughout the Amateur Radio world as a lowband ambassador for Canada. On 80 and 160 metres his was the premier lowband signal emanating from North America. His operating achievements are well documented in DXCC records at the American Radio Relay League.
It is not just the DX he worked, but how he did it and his attitude and kindness as a true Radio Amateur. He was very friendly to all callers and enjoyed ragchewing, but like most of the best LF DXers appeared to spend a lot of time listening, particularly if there was a new country around.
Jack’s interests were not limited to only the 160 metre band and he enjoyed 80 metres and VLF experimentation as well. He loved to talk to anyone with an interest in Amateur Radio and was always eager to share stories and his vast knowledge on building better rigs and making radio contacts to difficult regions. He won numerous awards and certificates over the years, was featured in books, magazines and local television on his accomplishments in the Amateur Radio world.
Radio Amateurs of Canada and the Board of Trustees of CARHOF sincerely congratulate Garry Hammond, VE3XN and Jack Leahy, VE1ZZ (SK) on their appointments to the Hall of Fame.
A detailed account of their achievements will be presented in an upcoming edition of The Canadian Amateur magazine.
For more information on the Canadian Amateur Radio Hall of Fame please visit: https://wp.rac.ca/carhof/
Prepared by Frank Davis, VO1HP
Chair, Board of Trustees
Canadian Amateur Radio Hall of Fame