Contester, DXpeditioner William Vanderheide, N7OU, SK

Well-known contester and DXpeditioner William “Bill” Vanderheide, N7OU (ex-AA7KF), of Portland, Oregon, died December 31 after a lengthy illness. He was 70. A member of the ARRL and the Willamette Valley DX Club, he had operated from a dozen islands in the South Pacific as well as from several in the Caribbean, often combining Amateur Radio with service in the Global Volunteers organization, helping out in local classrooms. Licensed in Michigan at 13, Vanderheide was an avid CW operator, a regular and high-scoring participant in ARRL November Sweepstakes, Field Day and other operating events — always running QRP or low power with wire antennas, said his friend Bob Norin, W7YAQ, who called him “an outstanding contester, DXpeditioner, and ambassador” for Amateur Radio.

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