100-year-old Aussie Ham Can Still Read The News

A bunch of Amateur Radio operators in Sydney Australia gathered on Fathers Day 2011, to honor Pierce Healy, who had celebrated his 100th birthday just a few days before.

Pierce Healy is still known by his amateur radio callsign, VK2APQ, although he no longer has his two-way radios to play with. He was a very active Amateur Radio operator for more than 30 years, and used to write a column called Amateur Notes in Radio and Hobbies magazine, which later grew into Electronics Australia magazine.

The radio hams gathered at the premises of ARNSW in Dural, New South Wales, where licensed amateur radio operators still broadcast a weekly news bulletin to other ham radio enthusiasts across the state and beyond. The transmissions go out on multiple transmitters, which cover a range of shortwave, VHF and UHF frequencies, and are sent both morning and evening on Sundays.

Pierce VK2APQ used to compile the news broadcasts when he was younger and would read them over the air as well. But today, the task is shared by a team of licensed radio hams who collect and write the news about ham radio operators and their activities both in Australia and around the world. Most New South Wales radio clubs send notes about their activities to the ARNSW news team by email or fax, and it is compiled and edited before being read over their airways on Sundays. And when the broadcast is over, the announcer and engineer take callbacks directly over the air from their listeners -- who report their name and location, and rate the quality of the radio signal they heard. This is all noted and recorded in the radio station log book.

Pierce VK2APQ is still able to get around by using his walker, and went 'one the air' again during the Fathers Day Sunday broadcast to read one of the news items, from the St George Amateur Radio Club, a group he helped to start.

After the broadcast, Pierce Healy, who was accompanied by his daughter, walked across to the club shed where a barbecue lunch was being grilled for the hungry hams. Pierce cut a birthday cake and managed to blow out the candles with one puff. He was presented with a certificate from the ARNSW club to honor his centenary. And he was given a special radio call sign and license issued by the ACMA, the Australian government authority incharge of radio licensing.

Pierce's new license is valid for one month, and did not have the usual "VK" prefix which is used to identify Australian radio operators. It was just "100
Pierce".

The ARNSW (Amateur Radio New South Wales) club, used to be the NSW Division of the WIA (Wireless Institute of Australia). The WIA was the first society of Amateur Radio Operators in the world. It was formed before the ARRL in the United States and the RSGB in the United Kingdom.

You can read the full story here: http://www.walkietalkietwowayradios.com/1526/100-year-old-aussie-ham-radio-operator-can-still-read-the-news/

Also see: http://www.arnsw.org.au/html/newstext/2011-09-11_arnsw.pdf

Submitted by David vk2dmh

 

Congratulations! Just goes to prove, age is not a factor in ham radio. Good luck and, hey! Get on the air and talk. We'd love to hear you on 75 some day. 73 & 88s!

 

Hello Pierce !!

Congratulations on your 100th Birthday there in Sidney. I know that your Birthday Party and Bar B Que were a success. I hope that a 100 watt HF radio and antenna come your way, too. 10 Meters was open nicely today from here in the USA into Europe, and I'm hoping I'll hear you too, on The Air.

73's and have a Fosters for me,

BOB N2MDA PORT SAINT LUCIE FLORIDA

 

​Good on Ya' Pierce......