AmateurRadio.com

It wasn’t until yesterday, browsing the Southgate ARC site that I learned of the death, on 21st June, of Gerry G3JJG. It was good to see that the Gloucestershire Echo had published a nice obituary for him, although it didn’t mention his amateur radio interests!
I’d known Gerry since my days as a new licencee in Cheltenham. Particularly in those days, I was very much in awe of his ability in CW operating and learned a very great deal from Gerry and Derek, G3NKS in the 1980s and early 1990s as we took part in RSGB’s NFD on behalf of the Cheltenham ARA. I remember Terry, G3JFH marvelling at Gerry’s ability to dig out weak signals on the 40m band in the last hour or so of the contest when many other groups were working nothing!

Gerry’s obituary mentions that he was tenacious! I can confirm that and had cause to receive more than one ‘tenacious’ e-mail when I was RadCom’s Contest Columnist and therefore perceived to be responsible for the RSGB’s Contest Calendar and Rules. Suffice to say that Gerry was not impressed with something (I completely forget now and he probably had a point in any case….) and I was TOLD about it!

Tenacious he was, but in my experience he was never rude and always a gentleman. He was a proud member of the First Class CW Operators Club and had served on their committee for several years.

I shall miss hearing G3JJG on the bands. Gerry, it was a pleasure to have known you.