Let's meet Kazik SP2FAX

His full name is Kazimerz, which of course is a difficult name to pronounce and spell. I think he calls himself Kazik on the air. On the other hand, he's not often on the air between contests and in contests, you usually don't give your name.

Kazik was born 1954 which makes him 47 years old today. The licence and the call sign SP2FAX were given to him when he was 16. He'd been to a scout camp, later attended the culture house (an institution typical for communist countries) in Bydgoszcz, and got infected with the radio bug. At this stage he would listen more than transmit. As as matter of fact he still listens a lot before giving a call. His fondness for CW was so deep that he would sit all nights and receive newspaper texts on CW transmitted by a friend, SP2GVN. And vice versa.

Soon, Kazik joined the radio club of SP2PDI and started building quad antennas and participating in contests. The antennas were hard to keep up but the contest results were better and better. But he prefers yagis nowadays.

Until 1981 when martial law was declared in Poland. All radio equipment was collected by the military forces and when Kazik saw his transceiver being thrown like a piece of junk on the heap of other rigs, his heart for radio was broken.

Until 1995. He asked for his licence to be re-issued, bought a few acres of land outside his hometown of Bydgoszcz and started erecting towers, antennas and later building a house. Today he is one of the few big guns in Poland. For multi-op events he even managed to get a shorter call sign of SN2B. If you have not worked SP2FAX nor SN2B then you're on the wrong web site...

Kazik SP2FAX in his favourite easy chair

Kazik has been instrumental in organizing IARU HF Championship activites as SN0HQ in recent years. And for each year they're closer to DARC. There is a major difference: DARC has some 50 000 members while PZK, Polski Zwiazek Krotkofalowcow, represented by SN0HQ, has no more than 3000.

The antennas of SP2FAX are impressive. A vertical for 160 and 80 meter bands is in front.

Checking the beverage wires before winter.

6-over-6 is a standard for 10-15-20 meter bands.

In the background, a 3-over-3 array for 40 meters.

He has VHF antennas, too. But the rate is too low for the adrenaline to flow, I guess.

Bydgoszcz is a medium size city almost in the middle of Poland. Kazik's QTH is a few miles south of this city. According to him (and his XYL) there are visitors who pass by almost everyday. Send an e-mail to him before dropping in, [email protected]

Henryk Kotowski SM0JHF / SO5JHF