Taken from the pages of the 1952 DX Times:
Ken A Mackey, of 2 Dornoch Street, Kew, Dunedin (away up on the hills) is 31 years young, of medium height and build, married (Hallo Dulcie), with two children, Dennis and Wayne. He is employed as a clerk in the C.P.O. He actually commenced his DX in 1938 when listening to war news, etc but did not start reporting until 1940 when he was pestered by Jack Fox and Co to join them in forming a new branch of the NZ DX Club in Dunedin. Ken’s father who has been dead many years was a member of the original branch of the DX Club in Dunedin and his log book is one of Ke’ns most interesting possessions. Ken at first DXed on all bands were his best verifications were TI4NRH and CKFX, XU8MG and an LU5. At their bach at Long Beach he found that B.C. DX was exceptionally good and he came to prefer that band only because of the pleasure of achievement thereon. The first set was a Cromwell 8-valve with a gene motor but this made a noise like a constant power leak. The next was a “World”battery set with the BCB in two bands, 500-990kcs and 950-2000kcs. He acquired his present Patterson 10-tube consequent upon the reticulation of Long Beach with power. He has a pre-selector and has recently added a tape recorder to his equipment. He was overseas in the armed forces (Tanks, 20th Battalion) for five years where he was a radio operator in tanks and armoured cars. Did a bit of listening in Egypt and Italy but never reported. Ken’s total verified on broadcast is 1067 which is a long way from 3XY Melbourne which he verified in August 1940 together with KFBK and KNX which came back on the 25th idem. His first call of importance was KTOH then 100 Watts on 1500kcs and his best verifications are CBI Sydney Nova Scotia, (1000W) the most easterly station in North America, and WSKI , a 250-Watter in Montpellier, Vermont. These were both heard on DX programs and each report covered approximately an hour, Most unique verie he does not count in above total: XETL Tuxpam, Mexico, sent him a newspaper with write-up on the front page, letter and many postcards by airmail. The only point about it was that Ken learnt the day after he posted his report that it was not XETL he heard but XETK on the same channel on special D program and who has never verified! Ken’s two aerials are 750ft long, 150ft high SSW and 800ft long by 300ft high SWW both attached to a cliff. Ken was a member of the first Board of Directors of the League and has joined the board at the last election. He is also a member of the National Radio Club of USA and rate his membership very high as many of his loggings he attributes to information from their bulletins. Other hobbies: stamps, keen gardner, deep sea fishing (7ft 6in shark).
Kenneth Albert Mackey, born 1921, died 2012. Lived in Australia in latter part of his life.
