Tribute to Laurie Mayhead, G3AQC.

Laurie Mayhead became a silent key on the 2nd August 2009. This came as a bit of a shock 
because I was only over at his place a few weeks earlier and, although he was not enjoying 
the best of health, he seemed to be on the mend.

Laurie operating maritime mobile from his boat Innisfree.

 I had been a friend of Laurie for some years, mainly through our mutual interest in the 73kHz and the 136kHz LF bands. 

We used to scrounge hard to get parts and components from each other.

 He modified my 136kHz Decca transmitter for dual band operation (73kHz and 
136kHz), quite a nice bit of radio engineering. 

	 Modified Decca transmitter  for 73kHz and 136kHz .

 So where did Laurie acquire the radio engineering skill?

  It must have run in the family because his father owned a radio components shop.

He could also read Morse because he was co-opted into the Radio Security Service during the war. 

At the age of 17 Laurie also joined this service so was also very proficient in CW by the time he obtained his amateur radio 
licence, G3AQC, after hostilities had ceased.
Laurie  worked for EMI on radar systems and later with Solartron on new developments 
in precision test equipment. He was also a successful electronics entrepreneur who, with a 
colleague, founded a successful company, which produced the earliest TV digital graphics.

The station G3AQC became active on 73kHz late 2000 and by early 2001 was being regularly 
received in Canada and the USA. In February, 2001 he shared the Peter Bobek plaque for the 
first transatlantic two-way QSO on 136kHz.

Laurie receiving the Peter Bobek award, for the 

first 2-way 136kHz transatlantic contact,

 from Andre Kesteloot, N4ICK

Although his QTH at Bosham was impressive there was no indication that it was the location 
of the most effective LF amateur station in the world: no visible antennas or masts. What he 
did have was a lot of tall trees and over a period of time put up a lot of wire at considerable 
height with the use of a bow and arrow. 

Laurie had many other interests, which included flying, sailing and restoring and racing 
vintage cars. In spite of all these activities he always had time for people. 
When I was writing the Amateur Radio Mobile Handbook and I needed a chapter on maritime 
mobile operation and to do this I needed a radio amateur who owned a boat.  This turned out 
to be Laurie. He kindly took me over to where his boat Innisfree, was moored at Hayling 
Island and we spent the day examining and photographing his boat radio installation and 
antennas.

The LF amateur radio community will miss Laurie, particularly those who were involved in 
extreme LF DX. Our condolences go to his XYL Kathleen and his family.