[NLRS] W0AIH Silent Key

Thu Nov 1 13:34:09 EDT 2018

I got more info from another mailing list  .... More info on what may have
happen - very sad....

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Paul Husby <husby002 at gmail.com>
Date: Thu, Nov 1, 2018, 12:18 AM
Subject: [MWA] Details on the death of W0AIH
To: <mwa at w0aa.org>

Paul was working on the 15M tower, the 4/4/4/4 this afternoon.  His
apparent plan was to straighten a bent element and check on a rotor or
two that were having problems.  (This 15M tower is 200' tall, with
separate Ham-M's at each antenna starting at 50'.)

I don't know that Paul had been working on this tower recently, but he
apparently had a line to the top and a pulley up there.  His usual
practice would be to keep a 1/4" poly rope up to the top and back if he
was going to work on a tower intermittently.  Then, when ready to work
on it, he would use that small rope to pull his good rope up and back
down, which is what he did today.  For a couple decades Paul has liked
to "ride the rope" up and down, climbing the tower only when necessary,
or when a winch operator wasn't available.  Today a friend was running
the winch, not Mary.  Paul had done some work probably at the 50' level
and was at about 60' when the winch operator said the line went slack.
The pulley had become disconnected from the top of the tower.

As I said, I don't think Paul had been on this tower recently, and he
didn't remember that this pulley was not properly attached for work.
Normally, a web "choker" would go through the ring on the top of the
pulley, around a tower leg a couple times, and then its ends joined with
a heavy shackle.  Today, only a nylon rope held the pulley, and it
broke.  KB9S said it looked weathered.  It had probably been up there
quite a while, and Paul's memory hasn't been what it used to be.  He was
not up to the top of the tower today at all, only working near the
bottom antenna.

It sounds like the kind of small rope he might use on his belt to
initially carry the pully and line up to the top of the tower.  Why he
left it there without a proper choker will be a mystery.  I'm guessing
it was many months ago, planning to do this work, but something took him
away and he never got back to it until now.  I am sorry that the winch
operator had to see it, but glad that it was nothing within his control.

I stopped by the Farm Monday on my way home from Chicago.  We talked
about CQWW Phone, and Paul said he operated more phone this time than
ever before.  He was most excited that he worked a TF friend just before
the end on 160M.  That really made a great end to the weekend.  He did
tell me, "maybe next year will be the last year for the multiop.  It's
just getting to be too much work to get ready." That surprised me, as he
has said that he thought he had another 10 years left in him.  It's a
shame it got cut short.

No word on arrangements.  My wife, Paul's youngest daughter, just
arrived in 5H-land yesterday, and I am still waiting to get through to
her.  I'll let you know.

73
Paul W0UC

On Thu, Nov 1, 2018 at 10:16 AM Fast Eddie <eddie at tbaytel.net> wrote:

>
>
> Very sad news indeed. My condolences to his family. The call and station
> shall always be remembered. Rest In Peace Paul.
>
> 73 Eddie VE3KRP
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> > On Nov 1, 2018, at 10:42 AM, Bill Davis via NLRS <nlrs at mailman.qth.net>
> wrote:
> >
> >
> >
> > I am a lost for words, how tragic. Age and towers are such a bad
> combination and so many of us feel we have little choice other than doing
> what we have always done. I always marveled at the tower farm when we had
> occasion to drive by and "visited" it MANY times on Google Earth. There are
> just no words .....
> >
> > My condolences to his family and friends and may Paul rest in peace.
> >
> >
> > 73  Bill K0AWU
> >
> >    On Thursday, November 1, 2018, 9:03:57 AM CDT, Lloyd - N9LB <
> lloydberg at charter.net> wrote:
> >
> >
> >
> > Very sad news.
> >
> >
> >
> > W0AIH, Reverend Paul E. Bittner, died yesterday after falling off a
> tower.
> > He was born in 1933. Paul was working on one of his many towers getting
> > ready for the ARRL Sweepstakes CW Contest when he fell from 60 feet.
> >
> >
> >
> > Many will recognize the W0AIH call as one of the big multi-multi contest
> > stations from the Upper Midwest. "The Farm" was located on 120 acres with
> > his nearest neighbor over a half a mile away. Reverend Paul was a retired
> > Lutheran Minister. He was a member of the CQ Contest Hall of Fame. He was
> > mostly known as a contester but he had deep roots in the DX world having
> > 340/390 (current/total) confirmed on his ARRL DXCC Mixed award.
> >
> >
> >
> > Over the years Paul officiated multiple ham marriages with either the OM
> or
> > the YL being an Amateur Radio operator. On June 2nd he did the honors
> > between WB9Z, Jerry, and NV9L, Val, the first couple to both be hams.
> Paul
> > "was a true gentleman, and an inspiration to all those who met him or had
> > the opportunity to operate from his World renowned Station", recalls
> Jerry.
> > Paul is survived by his wife WB0PXM, Mary, and son-in-law W0UC, Paul. Our
> > condolences to the entire Bittner family.
> >
> >
> >
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