Biography

DATE FIRST LICENCED: 1994
CALL SIGNS HELD: ZR5E (RESTRICTED), ZS5BBO, ZS5T (CONTEST CALL), ZS5BBO/W6 (WHEN VISITING USA) and ZL1BBO
CLUBS AND ASSOCIATIONS: SOUTH AFRICAN RADIO LEAGUE (UP UNTILL LEAVING SOUTH AFRICA – NOVEMBER 2008), HIGHWAY AMATEUR RADIO CLUB (HARC – MY HOME CLUB IN DURBAN SOUTH AFRICA), HAMNET (LIKE AREC IN SOUTH AFRICA), ARRL (NEED TO REJOIN NOW SETTLED IN NZ), SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA DX CLUB (SCDXC – CURRENT MEMBER SINCE 2002), JAPANESE AMATEUR RADIO LEAGUE (JARL PAST MEMBER), TEN-TEN INTERNATIONAL #69603, SPRINGBOK CHAPTER INTERNATIONAL #431, NZART, NZART BRANCH 51
AWARDS: DXCC - #23711 DATED 28 AUGUST 1998 – I NOW HAVE APPROXIMATELY 275 COUNTRIES WORKED. HOWEVER I NEED TO START FROM SCRATCH HAVING MOVED TO NEW ZEALAND.
HARC HAM SPIRIT TROPHY AWARD – THIS AWARD WAS AWARDED TO ME IN CONJUNCTION WITH MY WIFE JANET ON 16 AUGUST 2005. THIS WAS AND I QUOTE – “IN RECOGNITION OF THEIR PREPARATION, THE ARRANGEMENTS, THEIR CO-ORDINATING AND HOSTING OF THE KERGUELEN EXPEDITION GROUP OF INTERNATIONAL AMATEURS WHO WHERE ASSEMBLING IN DURBAN EN ROUTE TO THE ISLAND; OPENING THEIR HOME TO THE MEMBERS OF THE GROUP DURING THEIR STAY IN DURBAN”
CQ MAGAZINE AWARD – IN RECOGNITION OF THE ACHIEVEMENT OF WINNING THE WORLD-WIDE DX CONTEST FOR THE SINGLE BAND 14MHZ SSB DIVISION FOR SOUTH AFRICA. (1998)
IARU HF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP CERTIFICATE OF OPERATING ACHIEVEMENT – FIRST PLACE, SINGLE OPERATOR, PHONE ONLY SOUTH AFRICA ZONE 57 – 2001- (ZONE AND COUNTRY WINNER)
YEOVIL AMATEUR RADIO CLUB AWARD (YARC AWARD) – CERTIFICATE #1 (1998)
DARLINGTON & DISTRICT AMATEUR RADIO SOCIETY – DADARS AWARD - #W0020 (1997)
HARC – HF/DX SSB AWARD FLOATING TROPHY 2004
THE ROYAL OMANI AMATEUR RADIO SOCIETY – SILVER JUBILEE AWARD – 1997
PRETORIA AWARD – 19-07-1998
HIGHWAY AMATEUR RADIO CLUB HF DX FLOATING TROPHY 19-08-1997
HIGHWAY AMATEUR RADIO CLUB AWARD – 10-11-1998
HIGHWAY AMATEUR RADIO CLUB – HF DX TROPHY SSB – 18 AUGUST 1998
HIGHWAY AMATEUR RADIO CLUB DX SSB FLOATING TROPHY – 21 AUGUST 2001
THE AMATEUR RADIO SOCIETY OF KENYA – THE BIG FIVE AWARD #0017 – 14-09-1998
WORKED ALL AUSTRALIAN CALL AREAS – WA-VK-CA #2154 – 02-02-2000
FOUNDER MEMBER: IN JULY 1996 I WAS A FOUNDER MEMBER OF THE HIGHWAY AMATEUR RADIO CLUB (HARC). THIS WAS AFTER BRANCHES WHERE DISCONTINUED AND CLUBS WHERE FORMED IN SOUTH AFRICA.
NETS: I WAS A NET MEMBER OF THE BILL BENNETT’S FAMILY HOUR NET AS WELL AS A NET CONTROLLER FOR THIS NET. THIS NET TAKES PLACE DAILY ON 14.245 AND IS TO PROMOTE THE COMITY OF AMATEUR RADIO STATIONS OF ALL NATIONS THROUGH RADIO CONTACTS AND TO PROVIDE AN ORDERLY SEQUENCE OF SUCH CONTACTS THROUGH A DESIGNATED NET CONTROL OPERATOR.
DXPEDITIONS: WAS A TEAM MEMBER OF THE EXPEDITION TO ELEPHANT ROCK ISLAND IN 2000 – ZS31ER.
WAS A TEAM MEMBER OF THE LESOTHO DXPEDITION IN 2008 – 7P8FC
I OPERATED ON MY OWN FROM MALAWI IN DECEMBER 1999 AS 7Q7BO FROM THE SHORES OF LAKE MALAWI.
I WAS A TEAM MEMBER OF FT5XO BY DEFAULT. I ASSISTED IN LOGISTICS FOR THE TEAM AS THEY TRAVELED THROUGH DURBAN TO KERGULEN.
INTERNATIONAL: I HAVE BEEN AN AMBASSADOR FOR HAM RADIO THROUGHOUT MY HAM CAREER AND HAVE THE FORTUNATE POSITION OF HOSTING MANY HAMS AT MY HOME FROM VARIOUS COUNTRIES I.E. W6TZ, LY2BBF AND THE FT5XO KERGEULEN ISLAND TEAM ON THERE WAY TO KERGEUELEN IN 2005. I HAVE ATTENDED THE VISALIA DX CONVENTION IN 2008 BEING THE FIRST HAM FROM AFRICA EVER TO ATTEND THIS CONVENTION. I WAS ALSO THE ONLY AFRICAN MEMBER OF THE SCDXC. IN 2008 I ALSO ASSISTED MY WIFE AS ONE OF THE HOSTS FOR THE 2008 INTERNATIONAL YL MEET THAT TOOK LACE IN SOUTH AFRICA. I HAVE ALSO OVER THE YEARS GATHERED DX INFORMATION AND HELPED PUBLISHERS OF MANY DX MAGAZINES WITH INFO ON DXPEDITIONS I.E. BERNIE MCCLENNY (W3UR) FROM THE DAILY DX. I HAVE ALSO MET AND OPERATED FROM MANY STATIONS IN THE USA ON MY MANY TRAVELS TO THE USA.
CLUB ACTIVITIES: I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A STAUNCH SUPPORTER OF MY FORMER CLUB, THE HIGHWAY AMATEUR RADIO CLUB (HARC). I WAS A FOUNDER MEMBER OF THIS CLUB AS WELL AS A PAST CHAIRMAN OF THE CLUB. NOT WITHSTANDING THE FACT THAT I SERVED ON ITS COMMITTEE OVER MANY YEARS. VIA THE CLUB I WAS ALSO INVOLVED WITH HAMNET (EQUIVALENT OF AREC). THROUGH HAMNET I WAS INVOLVED WITH RALLY, CYCLING AND RUNNING EVENTS IN SOUTH AFRICA.
SINCE ARRIVING IN NEW ZEALAND I HAVE JUST RECENTLY ASSISTED WITH AREC IN THE 24-HOUR ADVENTURE CHALLENGE HELD IN THE BAY OF PLENTY.
THE WAY FORWARD: AS I AM A VERY OUTGOING PERSON I SEE MYSELF GETTING INVOLVED IN HAM RADIO AND ITS AFFAIRS ON A HIGHER LEVEL WHERE POSSIBLE. I HAVE THE EXPERIENCE TO WORK AT THIS LEVEL AND AT AN INTERNATIONAL LEVEL. I HAVE MANY CONTACTS THROUGH HAM RADIO IN MANY COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD AND WOULD BE DELIGHTED TO OFFER MY SERVICES TO NZART WHERE NEEDED. NEW ZEALAND IS MY NEW ADOPTED COUNTRY AND THROUGH HAM RADIO I BELIEVE I CANNOT ONLY SERVE THE HAM RADIO COMMUNITY BUT ALSO THE COUNTRY AND ITS COMMUNITY I NOW LIVE IN.