Amateur radio pioneer dies

George Pettett, one of the pioneers of amateur radio in Malta, passed away recently.

Mr Pettett's call sign was ZB1B when Malta was still a British colony. It changed to 9H1B when Malta gained its independence and the island was assigned the 9H prefix by the International Telecommunications Union.

Mr Pettett was a family man but also an ardent radio amateur, and his shack kept him going even in the final moments of his life.

Construction of transmission and receiving equipment as well as modifying surplus military equipment to turn it to amateur work was his pet hobby.

Experimenting and designing various VHF and UHF aerials was also his strong point. He took part and won various international radio contests and taught a lot of people the theory and skills of amateur radio, both in evening classes as well as in talks at radio clubs.

During the war he worked as a radar technician at il-Widna, in Maghtab.

He leaves to mourn his loss his wife Mary, his children Michael and Barbara and their respective families.