[South Florida DX Association] Re: Grant, N4GM Silent Key

[k4pg]

I could not have said it better, Bob.  Ditto.

Kevin K4PG


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bob Patten" <n4bp at bellsouth.net>
To: "Florida Contest Group" <fcg at kkn.net>; <sfdxa at mailman.qth.net>; "Kevin 
Bunin" <k4pg at adelphia.net>; "Brian Kassel" <bkassel at mato.com>; "Pat Larcomb" 
<plarcomb at bellsouth.net>; "Bill Cunningham" <Saltbush.Bill at verizon.net>
Sent: Monday, September 26, 2005 7:38 AM
Subject: Grant, N4GM Silent Key


>    Grant was the hi-tech member of the Guano Reef Bashful Perverts Field 
> Day group for the past four years.
> He pushed us to get the bonus points for alternative means of 
> communication such as satellite, APRS, SSTV,
> and Packet.  He worked especially hard over the past year to perfect his 
> equipment and talent to garner some
> satellite QSO's in this past June's FD.  What a shock when we showed up at 
> Grant's house on the morning of
> FD only to find out that he was already in trouble and too weak to make 
> the trip.  He had even bought ARRL FD
> shirts for the three of us at the Dayton Hamfest, so of course Kevin and I 
> wore ours for the event.  We also
> brought Grant's telescoping mast and ladder to erect our forty meter 
> dipole.  I guess it's appropriate that our FD
> site for the past thirty eight years is to be closed next spring and 
> condominiums built on the KOA property.
>
>     Our last field trip together turned out to be the QRP "Flight of the 
> Bumblebees" last August.  Grant and I drove
> down to Fiesta Key at MM70 (our usual spot for FD) and alternated hours 
> operating for the duration.  Typical of me,
> I forgot to pack headsets, but we found a little girl at a nearby campsite 
> who loaned us the earbuds from her Walkman.
> The wind was blowing that day, so we turned a second picnic table on end 
> and used it for a windbreak.
> And speaking of QRP events, Grant would often find me beaconing my usual 
> F1 CQ in some obscure QRP sprint
> and run through six bands with me for that elusive Florida multiplier.
>
>     I tend to be too competitive, while Grant always pushed to "be the 
> best he can be".  I admired him greatly for that.
> Forgive the cliche, but we WILL miss him!  Our Field Day this past June 
> certainly wasn't the same without him,
> and I will miss his booming signal from just off Oakland Park Blvd.  The 
> Field Day ladder is back in his garage,
> but he is instead using that same Stairway to Heaven that Peg loved so 
> much.  Rest in peace buddy.
>
> -- 
> 73,     Bob Patten, N4BP                Plantation, FL
>
> E-Mail: n4bp at arrl.net                   Website: http://www.qsl.net/n4bp
> QRP ARCI #3412    SOC #1    ARS #799    SMIRK #6625          FISTS #7871
>