[NLRS] w0aus SK: The end of an era

[Paul Beckmann]

I felt a sense of loss and sadness today at hearing the news that Bob
had passed away. He was my Elmer and my first QSO in 1967 after
getting my ticket as wa0rse. It all started when, as a Cub Scout, I
was invited over to Bob's for an "introduction to ham radio". (His
son, Paul, was in our Cub Scout group.) What he showed us was a
wonderland, mysterious but tractable if one was willing to put in the
time. The Central Electronics 100-V, 75A-4, ASR RTTY, and remote
antenna tuner for his 160m dipole were all there, alive in his hands,
doing his bidding. And it was fun! Bob always *enjoyed* the puzzles he
found in ham radio.

I went off to college, married, and started a family and ran into him
once or twice at a talk he'd give about a radio project he'd been
working on. For some reason I believed he had moved or passed away in
the 1980's sometime (go figure!) but there one day, behind a swap
table at a Hamfest, was Bob! We renewed our friendship and I visited
his home QTH a number of times, had my first 10G contact with him up
his driveway, and helped out on the NLRS antenna range (when I could
keep up with him!)

He inspired me to continued interest in ham radio and a career in
science and engineering. I owe much of what I've done over my lifetime
in those technical areas to his generosity to a group of Cub Scouts so
long ago. I know many of you have benefited from Bob's generosity over
the years. His spirit has energized NLRS and others for so long that
independent "spark gaps" have been able to find the energy to keep on
going. What a legacy! I, like many, will miss him but will see his
work all around the Twin Cities ham radio community.

--Paul, wa0rse