Harv Hiller K6QK

Harvey Hiller
April 22, 1942 - February 13, 2008

From time to time, we run across a person who makes a great impact to our Amateur Radio service.

A person who is willing to step in and do what ever it is that needs to be done. A person who touches many lives with the things he does. Harvey Hiller K6QK was that type of person. In the following pages, you will read testimonies from people whose lives he touched, and those he helped in one way or another.

Harvey Hiller K6QK was involved in many facets of Amateur Radio. His true love seemed to be that of DXing and Contesting, but he also was active in emergency service groups such as the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES).

Harvey Hiller K6QK will be missed by many.

Tuck, NZ6T, Newsletter Editor

I first met Harv, K6QK, in 2003 through Bud, N7CW. At the time I was living in the Imperial Valley and had met Bud earlier in the year while doing communications for the Lost Boys Run. Bud realized I loved CW and invited me to be a part of the W6PT CQP team.

The moment I met Harv, I knew I liked him and over the course of that weekend he, Bud, and Jim, K6ZH taught me how to be a contester. I thought I was a good operator, boy was I wrong; I got taken to school by all three!

Because of work I was not able to participate in the 2004 CQP, but in 2005 and 2006 I was. And it was more of the same. Bud probably remembers better than I, but in 2005 Harv was working his shift on 40 SSB, he never liked to contest on CW, and went on a run none of us could believe. He was a large part of the reason we won M/S and County Expedition that year and the next.

I had relocated to San Diego in late 2004 and of course called the CQP team to help put up an R8 at my apartment in Coronado. Harv and I designed roof brackets to attach the pole the R8 would be mounted to and Bud and I erected it. Harv never flinched when I ask if he could help me build the brackets, “…buy the materials and we’ll put it together”, he said.

I am a very mechanical guy as well, that is my profession, having spent the last 30 years in Aviation/Aircraft Maintenance. It is hard to explain to someone, but when two guys get together to build something from just an idea or from a scrawled drawing on a napkin and they work well together, as Harv and I did, it can be a most rewarding experience. It’s like working that last QSO for the Honor Roll.

Those roof brackets were just our first project together. I would call him, he would call me; we were constantly bouncing ideas off of each other. It could be car stuff, airplane stuff, radio stuff, pick a subject, we discussed it. We built antennas, I helped him with projects at his house, he with mine, you name it. I spent a lot of my free time with Harv. Although we were 20 years apart in age, it didn’t matter, we were buddies!

Harv had another group he hung with. Every morning at 0930 (you could set your watch) he would be getting a donut and coffee at a place near his house. All the guys there were retired from something and Harv would go to socialize. I knew he was there and if I had a morning off I would go and surprise him. If I showed up, he would immediately move to a different table. Not because he didn’t want me to meet his “other” friends, but because he wanted to give his full attention to me. If it was a Friday, my day off, and we had a project going, we would meet for coffee and a donut and then to his house for “work.” At 1100 it was lunch time and we were off to the Lunch Bunch.

The Lunch Bunch is an every Friday thing and because I had Fridays off, I was able to attend. We would always save a place for each other and worry what happened to the other if one of us couldn’t attend. The monthly DX club meetings were the same. If I got there first I would hold his seat and he mine. I am sure it was obvious.

We went to Visalia in 2006 together, he hadn’t been in quite some time and I had never been. I convinced him to go, as long as he drove in his new GMC. He always joked about how “smooooth” it was. We had a great time at the convention and, as I was a newbie, I think he enjoyed “showing” me around the most.

I retired from the Navy in 1997 and Harv also served his country in the Navy. He spent his short Navy career in the UK and San Diego. It was his time in the UK that he met his lovely wife Dee. I could see a gleam appear in his eye every time he would share a “sea story” with me about how he met her. My heart goes out to Dee.

One other big project Harv and I did was in Prescott, AZ at the Bud’s QTH. In two trips to AZ the three of us erected a 98’ crankup and 5 antennas ranging from a 2m vertical to a 3 element 40m beam. The work was hard, we were at altitude, but the three of us couldn’t have had more fun. It will be hard to forget the trip home from the second visit. We got pulled over for speeding with Harv at the wheel. You thought Mr. Bo Jangles could tap-dance, Harv put on a performance worthy of an Academy Award. Harv pulled out all the stops and in the end we left with a warning. How about that?

Harv also help me on three different occasions collecting free towers. I had located them with the help of Dennis, N6KI. The first two moves I had planned to be there but both times worked pulled me away at the last minute. Without hesitation Harv he agreed to take charge. He worked out the logistics, called other hams for help; in short, he made it happen. It is going to be difficult to erect them when the time comes at my new QTH.

In 2007 I relocated back to the Imperial Valley. Initially Harv and I continued to chat on the phone and e-mail each other. But, unfortunately, I let my new position overwhelm me and as I immersed myself in my new job, the less I called and e-mailed Harv; I even missed the 2007 CQP. Of course hindsight is always 20/20, but I see now what an error I made not paying attention to the real “important” things in life.

It will be hard to fill the void Harv has left in my heart with his untimely passing, I will miss him deeply. In terms and I share, Fair Winds and Following Seas Harvey Hiller, you are a true Shipmate!

73 es Best DX, Bruce, N7TY

I've had the pleasure of knowing Harvey for many years on two fronts: ham radio, and "Classic Chevys." I think he and I were the only people who were members of both the San Diego DX Club and Classic Chevys of San Diego!

I don't think I've ever known such a skilled craftsman as Harvey. As the saying goes, "he could build anything." Most of my experiences with Harv centered around Field Days and CQP Imperial County operations. We used his trailer a number of times for these events. A particularly memorable time was towing it with my 4WD truck to the top of Hot Springs Mountain on an Indian reservation north of Santa Ysabel for Field Day. That's when I and my truck found out how heavy that trailer was! Talk about "Granny Low" gear!

More recently, and for the past 5 years, our CQP group has taken the trailer to Desert View Tower to operate from Imperial County. Each year Harv would make some improvement to the antennas and the process of mounting the antennas and raising them. It was always a sight to behold to see the antennas get cranked up. He had all the tools and accoutrement that you can imagine to make sure all would go well. AND he was a very good cook - we looked forward to the Friday evening steaks a' la Harvey as much as anything else the whole weekend! Then when the contest started, he'd be in there cranking out the Qs during his time slots. RIP, ol' friend. You are sorely missed. 73

Jim, K6ZH

Thankfully I got to know Harv early in my ham life. He was always a "regular" at Field Day and we'd shoot the breeze before & after various other contests...swapping lies & shooting the breeze.

Little did I know when I met him "back when" (late 80's?) that he already knew my family. My dad, K6QJP (SK since '95...also from a massive heart attack) worked at Convair when Harv was there and they were both in the Convair club together. Once that connection was made, I felt like I had a little bit of a special bond w/ Harv. He never failed to ask how my mom was doing even long after Daddy had died. And similarly, my mom would always ask about Harv.

Dammit, Harv! I wasn't DONE with you! I wanted so badly to kick your butt in the next CQP & now all that's left is the legacy of you & your team's awesome efforts.

I will say an extra prayer for Harv and all those who knew & loved him. He was a very special man. I am blessed that our paths crossed and I know that he's up there in the company of alot of other good guys that left us far too soon.

Ellen, N6UWW

I didn't get to know Harv very well until recently. We had talked a number of times at the DX club meetings and towards the end of the year got talking about LOTW and the logging system DXKeeper. I ran into trouble trying to get LOTW up and running and Harv generously came over to the house twice to get me straightened out. I was impressed that he would take the time to help me and I will be forever grateful. I now am up and running on DXKeeper and LOTW, thanks to Harv.

Wayne, NN6R

As I wander about my house I will be forever reminded of Harv as his work stares me in the face as I remove a shirt from the walk-in closet, place a cup on the kitchen sink, or remove something from a cabinet in the garage. Many of you may not know that Harvey ran a one-man Handyman business for a number of years and I contracted with him for home improvement projects on a number of occasions. He was always on time, within budget, and produced outstanding results.

I also participated with Harvey at the annual Ham Radio Roundup and was always amazed at his professionalism as an operator. I echo the sentiments of others: He will be missed! 73

Harry, W6YOO

I want to add my thoughts to everyone else's comments about a wonderful guy who left us much too soon. Even though I am only in San Diego for a few months in the winter, we quickly became good friends and I looked forward to seeing him each year when we returned to the area. He will remain in my thoughts for a long, long time.

Rick, K0XB/6

The most ham fun I ever had with Harv was when we reconned contest sites in Mexico in 1994. Harv and I took the White Whale (my huge '79 FORD LTD wagon), an HF ICOM radio and Harv's 20M rotatable dipole, and trundled off to sites in the hills of Tecate, the Eagles Nest, Rancho Santa Veronica (east of Tecate), Rancho Sordo Mundo (north of Ensenada), and Punta Estero, the sandspit north of Punta Bunda in Ensenada. At each location we pulled out the rotatable dipole, set it up on its stand held down by the car's rear wheel, and listened to see how many HF bands were open at one time, and how much noise there was.

The primo site was Rancho Santa Veronica, located on a high plateau with negative horizon all around, and ZERO noise--because there were no utility lines for miles! The place ran on a diesel generator, which they would run for us 48 hours if we contested there and paid for the diesel fuel. The site was great. We heard at high noon EU CW stations right through the east coast W1s, 2s and 3s. But the owner told us it generally snowed there Thanksgiving weekend, the unpaved clay roads became very slippery, and cars with trailers often could not get out.

So we settled on the next best site, a rental house at 41 Norte on the slim sandspit of Punta Estero, with salt water to the west, east and under us-- great reflective ground for antennas. On the way home we stopped at Rancho Sordo Mundo, and Ev and Margaret Everett gave us two shopping bags full of the hot peppers growing commercially on their front 10 acres. We did several contests, CW and SSB, from 41 Norte as 6E2T, 6E2L, and XE2L, and in FEBR 1995 we won the ARRL DX CW M/2 World from there as 6E2T. Those were good times, and I will miss Harv a lot.

Larry, N6NC

Besides being a great guy, Harv was also a master at metalwork design and antennas. He invented a system demo'd at the PARC Pre-Field Day meeting last June where he could flip over the antenna on the boom allowing it to be assembled easily at ground level, and then it would flip back into place once in the air. No one has ever come up with such an ingenious system and it will be one of the legends of Harv for all times to come.

Harv is also remembered for the outstanding Tower Trailer he designed and built and used by our DX Club members on numerous Field Days and expeditions to remote points for contests. God Bless you, Harv, my you Rest in Peace!

Pat, WA6MHZ

I don’t like “reply to all” events. But in this case, I will make an exception to my own rule. Harv was one tough guy. Damn, he was an opinionated guy, and I would rather 100 of his obtuse opinions than some of the milk toast we get !! And he indeed had a heart of PURE GOLD. We will all miss him. Rest in peace Harv. You are warmly remembered.

Charlie NN3V

On Feb. 13, 2008, I lost a true friend and the San Diego ham radio community lost a one-of-a-kind guy when Harv, K6QK became a silent key.

I’ve known Harv for about 20 years – we were both members of the old General Dynamics Amateur Radio Club and the San Diego DX Club. We shared many common interests – DXing, Contesting and building stuff. While my projects were small electronic gizmos, Harv built towers, tower trailers and refurbished old cars.

We started our relationship by operating Field Day and the California QSO Party together. We operated Field Day from the top of Hot Springs Mountain and CQP from Elliot Mine in Imperial County. We both enjoyed the work involved in setting up a competitive station in the wild and then operating to run up a good score. Harv liked his outdoors a bit more civilized than I did.

And he was always the cook – a damn fine cook at that. It was during an early Field Day that the idea of a tower on trailer was born and he took it from there. He designed and built that thing from scratch – it was self contained with operating areas, cooking areas, massive tarps for sun shade and antennas to cover almost every band. Operating CQP from Elliot Mine was a very tough 4WD trip (without the trailer) which did not fit Harv’s idea of civilized. So we moved to Desert View Tower, where we could pull the trailer, and that continues to be our CQP location. Along with Harv, Jim, K6ZH and others, we have won the Multi-Single and Multi-Single County Expedition category of CQP 8 times in 15 years. And we still own the M/S CE record.

When it came to ham radio projects with a mechanical flavor, Harv was always the go-to guy. He has helped with many of the local San Diego antenna and tower raisings. Most of my antenna projects would not have gotten off the ground without his help and imagination. My current tower in Arizona only exists because of Harv’s ingenuity, his skill and his effort. Among the many things I learned from Harv is “Do it right”. Don’t skimp on material or quality. For several years after leaving GD, Harv worked as a handyman. When he would give a potential customer a quote, they would invariably ask “Why is it so expensive?” His response was “Do you want it cheap or done right?” He often walked away from a job when the customer answered “Cheap”. He couldn’t stand it when he couldn’t do a job correctly.

I have so many great memories of times shared with Harv, I could write for days. There was the time he convinced me to operate CQP from the desert near Ocotillo Wells. It was so hot, that we drank and drank and drank and didn’t pee for 2 days. We operated the ARRL VHF contest from Hot Springs Mountain one year. Harv was operating from one side of the trailer and I was on the other. A large rattlesnake came out of the bushes to check on Harv’s operating style – Harv could really move fast for a short guy!

One part of ham radio we had not shared was going to the Visalia DX convention. That was planned for this year……Since I moved to Arizona , we chatted every couple weeks, keeping up on our lives, new projects , plans, exchanging ideas.

Harv was one of those unique individuals (at least in my life) where one of us would start with an idea, the other would build on it, the first person would build further and after a dozen iterations, a first class design is ready to go. Then Harv would build it while I watched.

Thanks, Harv, for everything you gave me over the years. SK.

Bud, N7CW

Dan N6ERD
I'm a new ham, and an even newer member of the SDDX Club, but early on Harv took the time to talk to me and give me ideas and encouragement. He was one of the people I know best in the club. After the last meeting we spoke at length after the meeting on subjects from PSK-31 to the latest engine he was rebuilding.

I personally valued his knowledge, but also his treating me like a valued member of the club even though I am so new to the hobby (he wanted me to come over and work with him setting up for PSK-31). He was all about the hobby and none of the politcs, and I will miss him.

Dan, N6ERD

Most every time I was in my operating position in ZF-Cayman Islands station mostly in contests, Harv would come by to say **HI JOE**,, I really appreciated it and I will never forget his happy and smiling face and kind words encouraging us all to do better in radio contesting. He will certainly be missed.

Joe, W6VNR

Hi Harv,

You should see all the postings on the DX use group. Wait until you see the next SDDX Bulletin. It really is all about you. You are a real ‘mensh,’ Harv, for you truly are a good person. You have been so generous with you time and your friendship to me and so many others.

When I started to think about what I would write about you, I looked in the album from my tower raising party. There you were leading the project; it was July 1999. Actually, I do not have many great pictures of you from that day, because you were working too hard and you would not pose. You sure knew what you were doing.

Most recently, you helped me with my newest ham radio acquisition: RigExpert. You were at my house just this past Saturday for several hours trying to figure out the config settings.

On a break you had me go to your best friend Bud N7CW’s home page where we looked at his antenna set up that you help him with at his new QTH. Those are great photos. And remember Bud’s 15M trap is up on my beam. Yes, it all goes around. Back to RigExpert, we were on the phone with each other each night trying to finalize the config problem. I still owe you a phone call, Harv. I double dared another club member to help resolve it and that we would call it the K6QK memorial interface.

I’ll miss talking politics with you too. If they would only listen to us, all the world’s problems would be solved.

You sure loved your wife. I hear a lot of guys bitch and moan about their XYLs. Never you. You adored Dee, and you were so proud of her accomplishments.

Well, old friend, you will be sorely missed and never forgotten.

Since I absolutely cannot bring myself to say ‘good-bye,’ I’ll just say so long for now. Thanks for the memories.

A very fond 73 and 88
Gayle, K6GO

P.S. After I thought I was finished writing this, I went to the beach today. The name of the beach is La Viuda or Widows Beach, (that was for you Dee). I found a piece of wood attached to some reeds. I got out a pen and pencil from my beach bag [yeah, I really do carry a pen, pencil and yellow highlighter in my beach bag] and wrote K6QK RIP. I floated it out to sea. There it went, and then it came back. Again I put it out to sea. This time it hugged the shore as if not yet ready to leave. Then it went to the east but not out; perhaps tracing your roots, Harv. Then I lost sight of it. Suddenly it appeared again and was drifting to the west; perhaps tracing the path of your life. As the memorial piece of wood changed direction out to sea, I lost sight of it for the last time. First I thought it might land some day on some rare DX. Then I decided you were finally ready to go. We will never be ready to let go of our affection for you, Harv.

I first met Harv 1979 when I lived in San Diego. Wow does time fly by when you are good ham friends for 29 years. Harv and I both worked at General Dynamics when we first met. They had a ham club and I remember spending many hours with Harvey at the Convair Amateur Radio Club.

Harvey was a long time contester and DXer. Originally Harv's call was KD6QK and later changed his call to K6QK.

He did quite a few Mexico expeditions and was very active in ham radio. Just last month I spoke to him in a contest on the air. I noticed his voice before I even knew the call sign. It was a 160m contest where you give the name as part of the exchange. His signal from his qth in San Diego to my qth in Truckee, CA was 30db over S9. I said on the air to him, "Hi Harv", and we talked for about 30 seconds in the middle of the contest. The name he was using in the contest exchange
was "Mike". At the end of the contact, I said "73 Harv", and he said to me, "it's Mike". I said, "qsl Mike, your are in the log" and that's the last time I spoke with K6QK.

Harvey was a warm and caring friend. It is very sad to loose another ham of a 29 year friendship.

One memory that will last for ever was in my early ham radio friendship days. Harv asked if I could come over and help him with a small ham project. He had a large hole in the ground dug for his tower project. Sitting at the bottom of the hole was a sizable wheelbarrow that had fallen in. Harvey climbed down a long ladder to the bottom of the hole, I threw him a sturdy rope which he attached to the wheelbarrow and as he pushed it up, I pulled the wheelbarrow up at the same time. Boy, the things us hams do just to get on the air is amazing.

I also remember visiting Harvey many times over the past 29 years. We always had good conversation and discussion that pushed our ham radio knowledge to the outer limits. I'll remember the stories and the qsos we had on the air as well as the in person eye ball qso's at the Visilia DXconvention and other get togethers.

I think I can hear a faint signal right now on 14.250, just listen "cq cq de k6qk"

Barry, K6ST

I remember Harv as a team player always willing to go the extra mile to help raise an antenna, volunteer to work at Field Day and many other projects. He was a great cook at our Field Day operations in Point Loma and I do believe his steaks helped us win our class worldwide!

He always left you with a thought provoking idea whether you agreed with him or not and I will never forget his willingness to help out fellow ham operators. RIP Harv ole buddy!

Bob, AK6R

I met Harv while I was working at HRO. He always found a little time to talk six meters with me. He will be missed.

Joe, N6SIX

Harv will be missed by all. It is a very dark day in the world of ham radio here in San Diego. Just look outside. The sky is black in Rancho Bernardo.

Tom, KG6RCW

Harvey was one of those rare Always Knew Everything people who actually really did Always Know Everything. Harvey was my mentor about so many things that I cannot possibly list them all. Whenever I needed advice about how to build something or how something should work or how to deal with a situation, I would ask Harvey. His advice was always right on the money. He had developed such a reputation with us for being right about things that my family and especially my XYL would always ask me to check with Harvey before I embarked on projects. In fact, it got to the point where the XYL would insist that I get Harvey’s OK before I did most things.

When we were pouring concrete for my tower base, Harvey showed up unsolicited and immediately took charge from the contractors who were clearly screwing up. http://www.ky6la.com/towerbase/page_3.htm and http://www.ky6la.com/towerbase/page_4.htm and http://www.ky6la.com/towerbase/107_0755_11060.jpg .

Frankly without him there it would not have got done right. When we were putting up the tower and the MonstIR, Harvey showed up again unsolicited and took charge of the project. http://www.ky6la.com/erection/ and http://www.ky6la.com/erection/109_0912_10361.jpg and http://www.ky6la.com/erection/page_4.htm . Harvey always seemed to have the right tool and knew how to use it. http://www.ky6la.com/erection/p1010159_11037.jpg and http://www.ky6la.com/erection/109_0943_10365.jpg

Harvey invented a mechanism http://www.ky6la.com/FinalMonstIR/page_2.htm to run my tower erection system with only a power drill instead of a $1,000 motor. http://www.ky6la.com/FinalMonstIR/111_1133_10351.jpg

Harvey figured out a way for us to assemble and erect the MonstIR in sections on my lot instead of using a $2,000 per day crane to lift it onto the Monstir. http://www.ky6la.com/Half_Erection/page_6.htm http://www.ky6la.com/Half_Erection/p1010203_10326.jpg http://www.ky6la.com/Half_Erection/p1010207_10330.jpg

Harvey convinced me to paint the MonstIR to protect it from UV and, of course, did much of the painting http://www.ky6la.com/FinalMonstIR/111_1149_10359.jpg http://www.ky6la.com/FinalMonstIR/111_1150_10351.jpg

There is no doubt in my mind that my tower and antenna would not have gone up without Harvey in charge.While occasionally I could reciprocate to Harvey by solving computer issues for him or by holding SteppIR elements while he assembled them, I never really could give back to him all that he gave to me.

When we needed to fill a Director’s vacancy at ARES, we immediately appointed Harvey to the position. His sage advice always proved to be the best.

Harvey leaves us with a perfect record. For years, I have been trying to beat Harvey in a contest. The MonstIR and all my equipment expenditures were inspired by my attempts to beat him. In a recent contest this year, I was up over a 100 Q’s on Harvey with only an hour to go when I heard Harvey on the air and told him that with my insurmountable lead and the short time left that I finally would beat him. Lo and behold. Harvey put on a superhuman effort and when the final tally came in, he beat me by 5 Q’s and a couple of Multipliers.

So with Harvey gone, I will never have the pleasure of actually beating him in a contest.

Most of all I am going to miss an unselfish friend who was just there for me whenever I needed him.

Howard, KY6LA

I think I met Harvey around 15 years ago and it may have been when he towed his tower trailor up to a PARC FD event or when he volunteered his trailer and operating skills to participate in a few Dxpeditons to Mexico with the 6E2T group in the early /mid 90s.

Harv was a master of many trades and he and I and my dad who is a retired tool and die machinist hit it off pretty well. Harv was a very opinionated guy as we all know and at times we had our disagreements but knowing Harv had a heart of gold and would cut off his right arm to help out, when one got themselves in a pinch on a mechanical project, we always seemed to unruffle our feathers and get back to the tasks.

Harv was instrumental in helping me plan and get my MonstIR SteppIR antenna onto my tower on my small city lot when we had to bypass the manufacturer's instructions and figure some way to work on my patio roof with a Rube Goldberg plan of attack.

Then Harv re-engineered his SteppIR and shorty 40 mtr beam and did a beautiful installation on his re-engineered tubular tower. His uncanny mechanical ability showed when he would come over to my dad's garage machine shop and fabricate some of the few pieces he could not do from his well layed out home shop.

Well, I am sure he is now upstairs giving Leonardo Di Vinci an earful of how HARV would have implemented all of Leonardo's masterful designs !!!

This is indeed a sad day and I know Harv will be greatly missed by all who have ever had the pleasure of his company or help. ( yeah, even those who he may have rubbed the wrong way might sit back and say, "ya know..., I may have disagreed on a few things with Harv, but his heart was in the right place ! )

Dennis, N6KI

It is a very sad day when a friend of ours, a fellow ham, is taken from us so prematurely. What can be written or said that hasn’t been written or said before? Such a tragic loss that is very difficult to get past, if at all.

Harv was a supporter of our club, of our hobby and was not afraid to speak his mind. We knew where he stood on an issue and that was a very good thing.

We will miss you Harv, hopefully now you will have all the time needed to work all the contests and use lots of power. When we hunker down, turn our ears more into the headphone; hear a small signal out in the distance, we will know it is K6QK reaching back.

Take care my friend, save an operating position for us. Eventually, we will all be up to see you.

Arnie, W7BIA