Like many others, I feel that my words cannot do justice to the sense of
loss that we all feel.
My first QSO with Peter was on the 13th December 1971, on 1.826 MHz C.W.
when we had a 23 minute QSO. Our first phone contact followed on the 20th
October 1973, and I have the QSL card for this contact. Over the years I
have worked Peter many times, always on Topband until very recently when he
was my first 136 kHz contact with Germany.
I first met Peter when John, G3WKL, introduced us at a hostelry before we
ventured forth into the Beaumont Centre at Windsor to install the 136 kHz
station, GB4RS. During the weekend Peter operated the station, and watching
his technique I felt that I could begin to understand why he was such a
successful Topband operator.
According to Jeff Briggs, K1ZM, in his book, DXing on the Edge, Peter
started listening to Topband as a 16-year old in 1959 using a two-tube
receiver. The same book has a CD of Topband DX stations, of which five
tracks were recorded by Peter, including his contact with KL7Y. Peter was
the second German station to achieve 160-Meter DXCC. ( Number 33 ).
I would like to suggest that we, as a group of L.F. interested people,
should instigate some form of perpetual award, dedicated to the Memory of
Peter, DJ8WL/DA0LF. Maybe this could be presented annually to the station
deemed to have achieved the best results, or generated the most interest in
the new L.F. band. We could use this reflector as the initial forum, but
publicity should be sought outside, as some interested parties would not
have access here.
73 Peter, I trust that we will one-day QSO again,
Graham, G3XTZ.
Graham B. Phillips - G3XTZ.
[email protected]
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