SILENT KEY

[IK0ZCW]

Fred Laun, K3ZO (HS0ZAR) passed away on 3 January. Born on 9 December 1937 and first licenced in 1952 as WN9SZR, while working for the United States Information Service he operated from the Dominican Republic (HI8XAL), Thailand (HS3AL, HS5ABD and HS1ABD), Vietnam (XV4AL), Argentina (LU5HFI), Colombia (K3ZO/HK3 and HK3NBB). An account of his terrifying experience in April 1974, when LU5HFI contest station's antennas attracted undue attention, can be found on https://shortwavescatter.blogspot.com/.
Best known for his participation in HF DX contests, he was a member of the CQ Contest Committee and was inducted into the CQ Contest Hall of Fame in 1993. A longtime member of the First Class CW Operators' Club (joined as early as 1967) and the A1-Operators Club, as well as a Director of the Yasme Foundation, he was also actively involved in supporting the Radio Amateur Society of Thailand (RAST) and its activities over the decades. "Fred's service to Yasme and other amateur organizations was unsurpassed", Ward Silver, N0AX, recalls, "as were his contributions to amateur radio , for which he cared deeply". See http://hamgallery.com/Tribute/K3ZO/ for K8CX's extensive tribute to Alfred "Fred" Albert Laun, III, K3ZO.