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Fortunately, the amateur radio community has its 'giants' on whose shoulders technical progress and the spirit of brotherhood stand. One of those greatest has just left us. With quiet pain in our hearts and deep respect, we bid farewell to Pavlom Šírom, známym po celom svete pod volacou značkou OK1AIY.
Pavel died suddenly on Friday 13. februára 2025 vo veku 82 rokov. Pre rádioamatérsku verejnosť však Pavel OK1AIY nikdy nezostane len menom na parte; zostáva legendou, „mikrovlnným guru“ a človekom, ktorý posúval hranice možného v amatérskom vysielaní.
Path to the heights (GHz)
Pavel Šír was an amateur radio operator in body and soul since his youth. Although he started at a time when the peak of technology was a vacuum tube receiver, his gaze (and later antennas) always turned upward - to millimeter waves and technologies that at that time bordered on sci-fi.
While most operators were satisfied with the bands of 144 MHz or 432 MHz, Pavel became a pioneer in bands that most of us know only from textbooks: 10 GHz, 24 GHz, 47 GHz a dokonca aj neuveriteľných 76 a 122 GHz.
Milestones of technical mastery
What made Pavel exceptional was not just the purchased devices, but his ability to vlastnoručne postaviť. V časoch, kedy neexistoval internet a špecializované súčiastky sa zháňali len veľmi ťažko, Pavel dokázal v domácich podmienkach konštruovať mikrovlnné transvertory, vlnovody a paraboly s presnosťou hodinára.
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Master of microwave races: Pavel bol pravidelným víťazom a popredným účastníkom „Polných dní“ a mikrovlnných contestov. Jeho značka OK1AIY bola v denníkoch európskych rádioamatérov zárukou spojenia z náročnej lokality a na extrémne vysokých frekvenciách.
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Priekopník pásma 47 GHz a vyššie: He was one of the first in former Czechoslovakia to successfully make connections on these exotic bands. His achievements in the length of connection (DX) on 47 GHz are recorded in the history of amateur radio in golden letters.
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Publikačná činnosť: He didn't keep his knowledge to himself. For decades he contributed to professional journals such as Radioamatér, Radiožurnál či AMA magazín. Jeho schémy a návody pomohli celým generáciám operátorov prekonať strach z mikrovĺn.
Pavel Šír left us suddenly, but he left behind a mark that no noise can cover. He was a man who taught us that even with low power and our own ingenuity we can 'call to the stars'.
We express our deep condolences to the family and loved ones. The amateur radio community loses not only a top expert but, above all, a good friend.
Pavel, thank you for everything. Your signal remains in our hearts.