Scott Wood, VE1QD, Honored with Life Membership Award for Outstanding Contributions to Amateur Radio
On 17 June 2026, the Halifax Amateur Radio Club (HARC) celebrated a momentous occasion as K. Scott Wood, VE1QD, was granted a distinguished life membership award. This prestigious honour recognizes Scott’s exceptional achievements and a lifelong commitment to amateur radio spanning more than seven decades. From his earliest days on the air to his enduring leadership within HARC and Radio Amateurs of Canada, Scott’s contributions have enriched the hobby locally, nationally, and internationally. Let us delve into his journey, highlighting his remarkable accomplishments in amateur radio.
Born and raised in Oregon, Scott’s fascination with amateur radio began in the summer of 1951, when he was just 14 years old — around the time the United States introduced the Novice licence. On 17 June 1952, he was licensed as WN7RZH, launching a journey that would take him across continents and call signs. He lived in Norway for a number of years in the 1950s and 1960s, moved to Canada in 1964, became a Canadian citizen in 1971, and has lived here happily ever after. Along the way he held licences in Norway as LA0AC and in The Gambia, West Africa, as C53GW, and operated under reciprocal agreements with his home call across Europe, Africa, and Latin America. In Canada he was first known as VE1DAL, then VE1BLA and VE1KSW, and now and forevermore as VE1QD.
Scott has long enjoyed operating on all bands with CW and SSB, engaging extensively in DXing, contesting, and the fine art of rag chewing. That breadth of operating experience — and the friendships built through it — has been a hallmark of his amateur radio life.
As a member of HARC since the early 1970s, Scott has been engaged in many of the club’s most important activities and roles. He coordinated the basic certification course, founded and led the Maritime DX Forum, served as a liaison with EMO, and led the Halifax Auxiliary Telecommunication Service (HATS). He has been a fixture at Field Day, usually managing the GOTA station, and has operated in club special events. He served as President for two terms and as a member of the Executive for even longer, and is a recipient of the WIN Award.
Scott’s service has also extended well beyond the club. A dedicated member of Radio Amateurs of Canada and its predecessor, he served as Assistant Director of RAC for the Halifax Regional Municipality and was named RAC Amateur Operator of the Year in 2012 — recognition that speaks to the respect he has earned across the Canadian amateur radio community.
In 2027, Scott will mark 75 years in amateur radio and celebrate his 90th birthday — milestones that reflect not only longevity, but a life spent giving back to the hobby and to those who share it. In thanking the club for this honour, he wrote that amateur radio has been a key component of his life since he was a teenager, and that HARC has been his ham radio home base for a very large portion of that time. He plans to keep enjoying the bands “until the finals in my old transmitter finally fail.”
The conferral of a life membership upon K. Scott Wood by the Halifax Amateur Radio Club serves as a fitting tribute to his outstanding contributions and steadfast commitment to amateur radio. From that first Novice ticket in 1952 to leadership in HARC, HATS, the Maritime DX Forum, and RAC, Scott has left an indelible mark on the hobby at every level. His journey inspires all, showcasing the enduring power of curiosity, fellowship, and dedication in wireless communication.