SILENT KEY

[IK0ZCW]

Charles H. "Chip" Margelli, K7JA passed away on 26 May. He was diagnosed with cancer in March. First licenced in 1963, during his career with Yaesu Musen Co. Ltd. (1977-2006) he helped provide equipment for countless DXpeditions. He also worked for Heil Sound, CQ Publishing, Force 12/InnovAntennas America and Ham Radio Outlet. K7JA was active in DXing and especially in contests and goodwill activities for over sixty years.
In 1984, the Chinese Radio Sport Association invited Chip and his wife Janet (KL7MF) to operate from BY1PK and help train new local operators during the early phases of the rebirth of amateur radio in China. In 1989, he was the American representative in the first-ever Finnish-Soviet-American DXpedition to Malyj Vysotskij Island (4J1FS), and in 1991 he joined team ZA1A, whose activity reintroduced amateur radio in Albania. He was also a member of the joint Cuba-USA operations in 1994 (CO0FRC) and 2003 (CO0US). In 1990 Chip and Mike Wetzel (W9RE) won the silver medal at the first-ever World Radio-sport Team Championship, held in conjunction with the Goodwill Games in
Seattle.
A member of the First Class CW Operators' Club (FOC) and a recipient of the E.T. Krenkel Medal conferred "for the outstanding world contribution to the development of radio amateurs", in May 2008 Chip was inducted into the CQ Amateur Radio Hall of Fame.