HZ1AB in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia was an active station from mid-1947 until October 2004. During these 57 years of active operation, hundreds of thousands of QSO’s were made from the station, and a huge collection of QSLs was amassed over the years. It is estimated that some 160 operators logged QSO’s from HZ1AB. One continually active operator from 1978 to 1996 was Walt Marshall, W7SE, an employee of Aramco. Walt had the motivation and sense of purpose to embark on a project to preserve thousands of QSL cards that had accumulated at the station in Dhahran since 1947. Being an accomplished woodworker, Walt built special cabinets to house the cards. When Walt retired in 1994, he packed the cabinets containing the cards along with their household goods that were shipped home to Laramie, WY. Those unique cabinets and some 175,000 QSLs remain at the home today.
As the years went by, Walt continued to be an active DXer and contester from Wyoming. In 1989, he was a member of the 3B7RF DXpedition to St. Brandon, and in 2014 he was a volunteer at WRTC. Sadly, however, Walt became a Silent Key in August 2019. Before his passing, he asked his XYL, Dolores, to “have the Saudi cards sent to Austria”. Of course, Dolores had no idea of such a place, or how to handle such a formidable task. She called on one of their long-term friends and HZ1AB operator, George, K5KG, for help.
Following a bit of research by K8DSS, a QSL archiving organization, Dokufunk.org*, in Vienna was located. Dokufunk was contacted about the HZ1AB QSL collection, and they willingly agreed to accept the cards. Upon receiving the cards, they will register, file, and store the collection but, unfortunately, they are not able to pay the cost of shipping. Funds would have to be secured to pay for the shipment.
In July 2020, K5KG/George and N7WY/Bob, N7MJ/Jack and W8MYL/Roy met with Dolores at her home and undertook the job of removing the HZ1AB QSLs from Walt’s cabinets, and packing them in shipping cartons for the journey to Austria. It is estimated that this shipment contains 175,000 cards and weighs approximately 1200 pounds.
Our team is working with a shipping company that will handle the documentation and logistics of the shipment. Based on their quote, we realize that the cost will be in excess of $2,000.
On behalf of Walt, W7SE (SK), our project team is asking for donations to help pay the packing and shipping costs. We are appealing to ex-HZ1AB operators, and anyone who has an appreciation for preserving this collection. If you worked HZ1AB in years past and sent a QSL card, there is a good chance that your QSL is in this collection. All QSLs that were handled by QSL manager, K8PYD, are also contained in the collections.
If you wish to donate, please send via PayPal to k5kg@k5kg.com, or a check to George Wagner, K5KG, 5113 Higel Ave., Sarasota, FL 34242.
All donations will be recognized and much appreciated for this worthy project.
73, George Wagner, K5KG
As the years went by, Walt continued to be an active DXer and contester from Wyoming. In 1989, he was a member of the 3B7RF DXpedition to St. Brandon, and in 2014 he was a volunteer at WRTC. Sadly, however, Walt became a Silent Key in August 2019. Before his passing, he asked his XYL, Dolores, to “have the Saudi cards sent to Austria”. Of course, Dolores had no idea of such a place, or how to handle such a formidable task. She called on one of their long-term friends and HZ1AB operator, George, K5KG, for help.
Following a bit of research by K8DSS, a QSL archiving organization, Dokufunk.org*, in Vienna was located. Dokufunk was contacted about the HZ1AB QSL collection, and they willingly agreed to accept the cards. Upon receiving the cards, they will register, file, and store the collection but, unfortunately, they are not able to pay the cost of shipping. Funds would have to be secured to pay for the shipment.
In July 2020, K5KG/George and N7WY/Bob, N7MJ/Jack and W8MYL/Roy met with Dolores at her home and undertook the job of removing the HZ1AB QSLs from Walt’s cabinets, and packing them in shipping cartons for the journey to Austria. It is estimated that this shipment contains 175,000 cards and weighs approximately 1200 pounds.
Our team is working with a shipping company that will handle the documentation and logistics of the shipment. Based on their quote, we realize that the cost will be in excess of $2,000.
On behalf of Walt, W7SE (SK), our project team is asking for donations to help pay the packing and shipping costs. We are appealing to ex-HZ1AB operators, and anyone who has an appreciation for preserving this collection. If you worked HZ1AB in years past and sent a QSL card, there is a good chance that your QSL is in this collection. All QSLs that were handled by QSL manager, K8PYD, are also contained in the collections.
If you wish to donate, please send via PayPal to k5kg@k5kg.com, or a check to George Wagner, K5KG, 5113 Higel Ave., Sarasota, FL 34242.
All donations will be recognized and much appreciated for this worthy project.
73, George Wagner, K5KG