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Geo G3ZQS Silent Key

Photograph of Geo Longden G3ZQS in his shack

Geo at work

These are tributes to our founder, Geo G3ZQS, who sadly became a Silent Key on 25th April 2006:

I was shocked and saddened to read the news last night and too
overcome to post a message. Still in tears. What a loss to CW!
Derart old Geo did so much for the hobby and Geo and Ivy helped me
personally during a bad time on the radio for me.

I was privileged to be one of the first to be invited to join way back
in 1987 with the ink barely dry on my Licence, Tony G4XVF/GM4XVF FISTS
No.9 and one of my mentors on 2m CW being my sponsor.

Reunited with his beloved Ivy now, Rest in Peace George.

Angie G0HGA FISTS 0041

Sorry to get the news about our friend George. As one of the earlier members of 'Fists' I can say that he has been an inspiration to a countless number of 'hams who would have fallen by the wayside if it had not been for his enthousiasm for the code.
When he started 'Fists' I am sure that he had no idea that it would blossom into the great club it is today.
Men like George are rare and only pass this way occassionaly but he has left a mark which we have an obligation to continue.
I am sure all the members will rally round and give support to those of you who are so kindley continuing to keep us going.
Our thoughts are with the family and will be inundated with messages of sympathy and I know that the club will be well represented.

Stan G0BYA FISTS 0746

Image of Goeran SM0PMJ's membership certificate, the very last one signed by Geo G3ZQS.  Click for a larger image.
Goeran SM0PMJ's membership certificate,
the very last one signed by Geo G3ZQS.

A gentleman's key is silent...

Goeran SM0PMJ FISTS 10899

I didnt know Geo long but he was very supportive to me when i started work on Keynote, even in these past few months his enthusiasm for the hobby and this mode was strong and infectious. He is a loss to FISTS and the world of CW.

Paul M0BMN FISTS 5533

Very sad news indeed and such a loss to us all.....

As a group we must continue to build on what Geo started all those years ago
with FISTS. We must make sure that it continues to develop and grow, as a
fitting tribute to a man, who simply wished to encourage the use and
development of CW...the importance and emphasis leading to our infamous
motto..."accuracy transends speed"....

I'm sure many people would not have persisted with morse, if they had not
worked a few FISTS members along the way, who were quite willing to match
their speed and have patience to put up with a load of 8 dits.....

RIP Geo

Mark, M0BLT FISTS 5501

Very sad news.
Sincere condolances and memories of all the excellent work that Geo has done,
73 de
Mark M0CMQ FISTS 701.

Geo will be greatly missed.
It is only in recent times that I think we really appreciated just how much he contributed.

Ralph Sutton zl2aoh FISTS 1073

I was very sad to hear of Geo's passing. I always looked forward to receiving my FISTS newsletter and felt that I new him personally. He did a lot to keep CW alive around the world and it is a great shame to lose one of the hobby's characters. It was obvious that his health had been failing for some time, but he kept the CW spirit alive until the end. He will be missed.

Steve G0KYA

I crawled into CW via the 5 wpm slit, started slow and clumsy, joined FISTS and was well encouraged by Geo and his FISTS newsletter.
I know that I am one of hundreds with good reason to be grateful to him and his vision.
May he rest in peace
73
Michael Mi5mtc FISTS 7743, GQRP 9630

It is with deep regret that I have just heard that George G3ZQS became SK today.
George was the founder of the FISTS CW CLUB and was a friend of myself and Bill GI3MMF ( We first met him at Hamvention 1994 in Dayton OH.)
He will be sadly missed by the Amateur community in general and the cw fraternity in particular, a great loss to the hobby.
Rest in peace.
AR
Davey GI3OBO/ EI2HP

May i sincerely post my condolences to the family of this wonderful man, in creating this Society (FISTS) he has brought the elite of the Radio Amateur hobby together and with the legends printed on us membership certificates we are well guided as to his expectations. Bless you Geo RIP mate.
Mr & Mrs Roger Beavis-Jones G0CJM ou F/G6XCJ

Geo will be sadly missed by those that knew him and those that worked him.

73 Chris GØIYZ

I am saddened to hear of Geo's passing. I am honoured to have worked Geo, FISTS #1 on 80m CW on the FISTS QRG, and also to have corresponded with him several times on email.
He was a true gentleman in amateur radio's finest tradition.
His cheerful writing in Keynotes and his inspiration to us all will be sorely missed. Best wishes and
condolences to his family. Best 73 to you Geo, SK dit dit Hans G0UPL

I was very sad to hear of Geo's passing.
I always looked forward to receiving my FISTS newsletter and felt that I new him personally.
He did a lot to keep CW alive around the world and it is a great shame to lose one of the hobby's characters.
It was obvious that his health had been failing for some time, but he kept the CW spirit alive until the end.
He will be missed.

Steve G0KYA

So sorry to hear of George passing away. We have lost a very dedicated and enthusiastic advocate of CW.
He will be sadly missed.

Mike G0CHV Fists 0090

My commiserations to Georges family on a great loss.His wit in his Key
Notes can never be replaced. I shall always remember on the passing of
Len G4VXJ George wrote
with a heavy heart
And when thyselfwith shining foot shall pass
Among the guests star scattered in the grass
And in thy joyous errand reachthe spot
Where I made one-turn down an emptyh glass

Arthur M0BLM Fist No2271

I was shocked to the core to hear of the death of my friend George.

I worked along side him for a many years,
both as QSL manager and his gofer filling the envelopes with the newsletters then posting them.

I have been by his side whilst he was holding a CW contact,
typing up the Fists Newsletter talking to me, and Ivy (God Bless Her) in the back ground giving him his shopping list all at the same time.
He never missed a dot or a dash.

What a loss to CW!

George was Mr. CW helping and encouraging both newly licensed and old alike.

George will be sadly missed by not only his famliy and friends but by the worldwide CW futurity.
He was not one to fuss, just get on with the job he would say.

I second the words of Mark M0BLT
As a group we must continue to build on what Geo started all those years ago with FISTS.
We must make sure that it continues to develop and grow, as a fitting tribute to a man,
who simply wished to encourage the use and development of CW...
The importance and emphasis leading to our infamous motto..."accuracy transcends speed"....

Rest in peace Geo your dits & dahs will linger on in our hearts.

Bob Lowe Fists 0390

i was so sad to hear about Geo going silent key. He and i have had countless qso's and it was always a pleasure to work him.
His CW was second to none. I found out about his sad death via a QSO with a Fists member in the USA i forget off hand his callsign, but it was the same day that Geo died.
I like to think though of the legacy he leaves behing in FISTS and it is fitting that he will be remembered for that.
Lets hope that the code goes on as he wanted it to do and as so many of us do.
It is true when i say "He is gone now, but never forgotten".

my condoelences to his family go without syaing.

Bill G4KKI. fists 7709.

I am sorry for the past away of Geo. My condolences to the family.
Delson Lavalle -
PY4AUN - FISTS # 6406
Belo Horizonte MG
BRAZIL

FISTS may find a substitute but Geo is irreplaceable.
Cyril Bullivant G3DIC FISTS 6090
Pol Parrott G3HAL FISTS 8367

I will always remember Geo - our founder of FISTS. He was always courteous and patient,
ever helpful with those (like me) struggling to learn the Morse Code.
He encouraged me with my morse and kept me going while I was building up my speed.
He was often to be heard on the air and with his wonderful ability to remember anyone who he had a contact with, made lots of friends. I am saddened by his passing and will miss hearing his perfect Morse signal's.
We have lost a friend - He was the greatest! -
Steve M0AIR Fists 1850

Geo will be greatly missed. His love of Morse led him to found FISTS and see it grow from a handful of fellow enthusiasts to the worldwide entity it is today.
In recognition of his achievement, FISTS must survive his loss and go on to even greater things,
continuing to fly the flag for Morse.
By coincidence, he died during the week of the EUCW/FISTS QRS Party, which had new rules approved by him last year.
This event was much more successful than in previous years and he would have been delighted with the outcome.
The QRS Party was designed to encourage newcomers to Morse and to provide an opportunity for members of FISTS, members of other EUCW clubs, and non-members, to meet and exchange greetings at a leisurely pace.
It gives more experienced operators the opportunity to put something back into the hobby by helping and encouraging those less experienced in CW operating.
This reflects Geo’s approach to what FISTS is all about, and it would be very nice if future EUCW/FISTS QRS Parties,
Tony Smith G4FAI
FISTS Nr 029

Just a few words about Geo,
l came into CW via the 5wpm test,
and with the support of all the Fist members l had the pleasure to work in those early days l came to love the mode.
Geo could have had no idea what impact the Fists Club would have,
or how it would grow.
His memory will live on each time a Fist member pounds the key,
and his contribution to the hobby cannot be measured.
I never had the chance to meet Geo, but worked him many times, often claiming the 5 pts towards my Ladder score.
Rest in peace mate, you will be remembered with each qso l have, God Bless.
AR Peter M5 ABN #6423

So Geo has gone to help my dear silent key friend John G4OOS keep up the morse in cw heaven.
With John, Geo got me interested more in morse and it's history and from that,
helping our local Leicester radio society in contests. Good health and long life to all.

Mike G0ATR FISTS 1854

Geo's passing leaves a big hole in the Morse world, but he left us with the wonderful legacy of FISTS. He created FISTS to keep friendship, good operating practices and encouragement of newcomers foremost in people's minds "whilst" they are on the air. I know you join me in re-committing to this FISTS philosophy and making FISTS even stronger, in remembrance of Geo's vision.

73 88
Nancy WZ8C

George was one of the few who enspired me to tackle the leaning of the code.  He used to send slow morse on 2 meters.  I remember him breaking into our little group off 4 on the cw section of the 2 meter band in the evening.  We'd be sharpening our procedures on there ready to try the hf bands when we felt confident.  ( we all passed the morse test but felt uneasy about going onto the hf bands until we learnt the correct procedure even under pressure, if you can understand that.  He would join in and offer advise and apparntly tell others to listen in.  Ivy and George would come for the day and me and him would get down to it hi.  Many is the time we all would be in the net and trying to catch each other out with sharp in and out questions etc.  It was great and id be in tears laughing, it was great fun.

I,ve been in his house and he be on some band working somebody.  He liked playing darts and of course there on the wall was the plaything.  You may find this unbelieveable but he would be playing darts with me and working somebody on the band.  He would be playing , listening and then dash back to the paddle to reply.  Months later he said he and another g3 who lived in Rishton near blackburn belonged to a cw club and they would sponsor an application to which i agreed .  I think it was run by a chap in Wales.  Anyway George got frustrated with how things were run and so FISTS was born.

Tommy g4rqa fists 036

George will be looking down with great pleasure at how his child has grown, his CW lessons were a thing to behold he did some proof reading and he would use some of these for his text, the ones I remember most were of true cases of vampires and cannibalism you had to write it all down as it was so interesting and he always stoped at an interesting part of the story ( like soaps) so you would be there the following week, he sent all the lessons with hand key as he said he could control the speed better, all this took place on 2 mtrs and his pupils would call in from all over Lancashire and Isl of Man, as soon as we Passed our CW at Port Patrick he had us join his Fist group that he had just started and I spent some very enjoyable Sunday mornings joining in the FIST CW net when all the members would slow down for the new members and it gave us a lot of confidence.

Hughie G4UME  QTH Morecambe  fist number 195

Dear All

I would like to thank all the members of FISTS for there comments, it means a lot to us to know that he was respected & loved by others as he was by our selves

Reading all the tributes brings tears of sadness at our loss, but a feeling of happiness to know that he had touched so many people

Many thanks

Geo's Family

Photograph of Geo Longden G3ZQS

Geo Longden G3ZQS, 20th January 1928 - 25th April 2006


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