Jim Martin – A Profile

Taken from the March 1952 DX Times:

James I Martin, 195 Gordon St, Mosgiel, is serving his term as a vice-president of the NZRDXL. He is also the Stationery Secretary on the Administrative Committee which entails ordering and desptaching all the stationery requirements. Perhaps he is best known as the popular compere of the NZRDXL DX session every Wednesday night at 8:45 o’clock. Jim began DXing when elder brother took up the hobby and so tagged on, logging and verifying his first station, 3ZR Greymouth, at the end of 1937. He joined the NZDXC in 1940 and has been DXing (at intervals) ever since. His verified log stands at 196 on broadcast and 278 on shortwave, with 35 countries verified on the latter band. His first shortwave QSL was TGWA and veries from Moscow and Berlin were amongst his pre-war efforts. Most of his DX has been done on a Stewart Warner 5v, and also an eight-tube Columbus with a limited antenna in the Dunedin city area. In mid 1950 however, he shifted to his new home at Mosgiel, 10 miles South of Dunedin and is using a Petterson. He dreams of long antennae stretching out over the Taieri Plains! Jim is an irresistible humorist, with a large repertoire of stories and this attribute makes him an asset at any DX gathering although some have been unkind enough to suggest that his “home” should be some miles north of Dunedin at a certain “seacliff” village. He is a printer by trade and journeys to the city daily to toil for Coutts, Somerville, Wilkie Ltd. He is 28 years old and has been married for 2 years. In January of this year Jim became the proud daddy if Ivan John but as yet the increase in early morning stations has not kept pace with Jim’s pacing. Sport, he confesses is now a thing of the past but he gained representative honours for Otago at hockey (men’s). We understand perforce that he is now very interested in gardening. He suggests that if anyone is interested in the colour of his wife’s eyes the address is as above. We feel sure that items for inclusion in the 4XD DX Session would also be most welcome at the same address (Relax Jim)