Famous HAMs
Notable Ham Radio Operators Around the World
List maintained by Dave Horsfall, VK2KFU, dave@esi.com.au
Reprinted with permission of the author.This is a list of the "notable" Amateur callsigns that I have been gathering for some time. I would appreciate any updates - send them to "dave@esi.com.au". Of course, "notable" is purely in the eye of the beholder; I consider it as someone in the (non-Amateur) public eye.
Another way of putting it is: "Did you know that XXX is/was an Amateur?" when explaining to someone what Amateur radio is all about. Thus, people like Monk Apollo etc would be regarded as notable (who would think a monk would be an Amateur?). Note that I have deliberately left out the current crop of Astronauts - it doesn't seem to be a novelty any more. [Most of the Space Shuttle and Russian Mir astronauts are now licensed Amateur Radio operators - Editor]
They have been gleaned from various places: amateur magazines, USENET postings, and straight-out rumour :-) It is probably out of date, and most likely contains errors. However, over time it should develop into an accurate list, suitable for PR purposes. Please note that I have no way of authenticating most of these entries.
Reproduction in part or whole permitted if the source is acknowledged.
7L2NJY Dr Mamoru Mohri, Japanese astronaut 9K2CS Prince Yousuf Al-Sabah 9N1MM Father Marshall Moran, missionary (SK) A41AA Qaboos Bin Said Al-Said, Sultan of Oman DP3MIR Dr Ulf Merbold, astronaut EA0JC Juan Carlos, King of Spain FO5GJ Marlon Brando aka Martin Brandeaux, actor G0MSL James ?, town crier G2DQU Lord Rix (formerly Sir Brian), former actor and charity head G3EUJ Gillie Potter, comedian (The Squire of Frogmorton) (SK) G3TZH Tony Dolby, brother of "the" Dolby G3YLA Jim Bacon OBE, weatherman G4CEZ Bill Kitchen, 1956 world champion speedway rider (SK) GB1MIR Helen Sharman, astronaut HS1A Bhumiphol Adulayadej, King of Thailand HS1LY Prince Titiphan of Thailand HZ1TA Prince Talal bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia I0FCG Francesco Cossiga, former President of Italy JA1MP Sako Hasegawa, founder of Yaesu (SK) JA5FHB Former Japanese Minister for Transport and Communications JY1 King Hussein of Jordan JY2 Queen of above K0DWC Lt. General Francis Griswold K0HWY Tex Beneke, band leader K1JT Dr. Joseph Taylor Jr, 1993 Nobel Prize winner in Physics K1OKI Mickey Schulhof, head of Sony US K2HEP John Sculley, former CEO of Apple and Pepsi (lapsed) K2ORS Jean Shepard, author K2ZCZ George Patacki, Governor of New York K4LIB Arthur Godfrey, TV performer (SK) K4TPJ David Funderburk, member USA House of Reps K6DUE Roy Neal, television reporter K6IR Ken Miller, executive of many companies K6RFU Albert Glasser, scores feature films (eh?) K7TA Clifford Stoll, author ("Cuckoo's Egg") & astronomer K7UGA/K3UIG Senator (US) Barry Goldwater (ret) KA6HVA Burl Ives, singer (SK) KA6UXR Dr. Alex Comfort, author of "The Joy of Sex" KA7EVD Donnie Osmond, entertainer (lapsed) KB2GSD Walter Cronkite, former news anchor KB6LQR Jeana Yeager, Voyager '86 pilot KB6LQS Dick Rutan, Voyager '86 pilot KB6OLJ Paul J Cohen, mathematician KB7LPW Len Winkler, radio talk show host KC4OCA Gordon Barnes, weatherman KD4WUJ Patty Loveless (Patricia Ramey), country singer, XYL of W4WRO KD6OY Garry Shankling, comedian KD6WUS Hugh Downs, TV compere ("Concentration") KG7JF Jeff Duntemann, author and publisher of Coriolis Group KH6IJ Katashi Nose, radio columnist and former physics professor (SK) KI6M Stu Gilliam, comedian KN4UB Larry Junstrom, rock musician (bass player in .38 Special) KX2Z Tony Bongiovi, cousin of Jon Bon Jovi LU1SM Carlos Saul Menem, President of Argentina N4KET David French, CNN newsman N4RH Ralph Haller, FCC PRB chief N5YYV Kathy Sullivan, Chief Scientist NOAA (former astronaut) N6CKF Lloyd Bochner, actor ("Colby") N6FFT ?, talk radio host N6FUP Stu Cook, bass player for CCR N6GGM Laura, XYL of N6FUP N6KGB Stewart Granger (born James Stewart), actor (SK) N6NHG Kevin Mitnick, cracker N6YOS Priscilla Presley (Lou Lou Beaulieu), actress (Elvis?) N9LC George Sweigert, inventor of cordless phone (was W8ZIS) NK7U Joe Rudi, baseball player (ret) NZ6N Randy Powell, actor (was WA0QZW) ON1AFD Count Dirk Frimouth, Belgian astronaut SV2ASP/A Monk Apollo TI2DR David Ruben MD, author of "Everything you wanted to know..." U2MIR/UV3AM Musa Manarov, cosmonaut UA1LO Yuri Gagarin, cosmonaut (SK) VE3RX Arthur Meen, former Ontario Cabinet minister VE3VGW Gilles Morin, Ontario MPP and Deputy Speaker VK2AHU Dick Huey, professor-emeritus (was VK2HU) VK2AHZ Tex Morton (Robert Morton), singer (SK) VK2AXN Keith Alder, former chief of AAEC VK2BL Graham Conolly, radio announcer and former voice on VNG VK2CAX Dr. Ken McCracken, founding Chief of CSIRO Mineral Physics VK2DIK Dick Smith, entrepreneur & millionaire VK2EF Sir Ernest Fisk, MD of AWA, radio pioneer (SK) VK2KB Sir Allan Fairhall, politician VK2YOW Bob Hughes, radio announcer VK3JU Ross Hull, Australian radio pioneer VK4HA Harry Angel, centenarian VK4HH Norman Hurll (was VK2BC), inventor VK5AX Alf Traeger, inventor of the pedal wireless VK5NIV Ivan Venning, Australian MP VK6TP/G3KDH Tommy Price, speedway rider of Wembley fame VR6TC Tom Christian, great*3-grandson of Fletcher Christian VU2RG Rajiv Gandhi, Prime Minister of India (SK) VU2SON Sonia Gandhi, XYL of VU2RG W0CXX Arthur Collins, founder of Collins Radio (SK) W0ORE Tony England, astronaut W2JOF Cliff Richard (Harry Webb), singer W2SKE Bill Leonard, former President of CBS News (SK) W2TQ Joel Miller, IEEE lawyer W2ZGU John Campbell, editor of "Analog" (SK) W3ACE Armin Meyer, former US Ambassador to Japan W4WRO Emory Gordy Jr, record producer and OM of Patty Loveless KD4WUJ W4ZG Worth Gruelle, started "Raggedy Ann and Andy" W5LFL Owen Garriot, astronaut W6EZV General Curtis LeMay (SK) W6FZZ Samuel F.B. Morse III, grandson and speed record holder W6JKV James Treybig, CEO of Tandem W6LNH Fred Gately (SK), Director of photography for the following TV shows: Hazel, Bewitched, Trapper John MD. W6NRM Robert Weitbrietch(?), physicist, developer of TTY for deaf (SK) W6OBB Art Bell, talk radio host W6QHS ?, Chairman and President of California Microware (ret) W6QYI Cardinal Roger Mahoney WA6RNG Byron S. Paul, Hollywood producer, ex-business partner of Dick Van Dyke. W6UK Alvino Rey, musician/bandleader W6ZH Herbert Hoover III (former ARRL Pres, grandson of US Pres) W8JK John Kraus, radio astronomer WA2MKI Larry Ferrari, organ player WA4CZD Chet Atkins, guitar player WA4SIR Ron Parise, astronaut WA6TJM President of ISD Inc WB4KCG Ronnie Milsap, singer WB6ACU Joe Walsh, rock musician (James Gang and The Eagles) WB6RER Andy Devine, cowboy actor (SK) YN1AS General Anastasio Somoza, former President of Nicaragua (SK) ZK1AN Sir Thomas Davis, former Premier of Cook Islands Suspected or callsign unknown: Freeman Gosden, actor (SK) "Some royalty of the Netherlands" Some Malaysian head of state? James Hardie (Aussie entrepreneur) Stan Gadsen (ditto) John Button, Australian senator St. Maximilian Kolbe, Polish martyr (SK) Merville Shavelson (W6?), Hollywood director Roc Kirby VK3???, chairman Village Roadshow Corp Dale Buggins, motorcycle stunt rider (SK) Fred Gwynn ("Herman Munster") (SK) Violinist of LA Philharmonic Dr. Russell Hulse, co-shared with K1JT (lapsed) Elke Sommer's husband Edwin Armstrong (SK) Very Rev Dr John Flynn OBE, founder of Flying Doctor (SK) James Clark, founder and chairman of Silicon Graphics Clive Robertson, Australian radio host Dr Amar Bose (Bose Audio) Disputed (some say yes, some say no): Tony Hancock, actor (SK) Neil Armstrong, astronaut (but see Edwin) Richard Feynman, scientist (SK) Never licensed (but rumours circulate): Bernard Goetz Jon Bon Jovi (but see KX2Z) Jose Feliciano Andy Griffith Jimmy Stewart, actor and/or USAF reserve officer HRH Prince Phillip, patron of RSGB