[South Florida DX Association] From Evelyn Gauzens - W4WYR

[Bill Marx]

Transceiver Designer Michael F. Elliott, W8KRR, SK (Apr 20, 2006) -- The
man behind the development of the Heathkit SB-104 and Drake TR-7
transceivers, Michael Elliott, W8KRR, 66, of Centerville, Ohio, died April
14. Elliott received his BS in Electrical Engineering from Northwestern
University in 1963. He went on to figure greatly in the development of the
Heathkit SB-104. Released in 1974, it was the first transceiver to
incorporate solid-state design, come with a digital frequency readout and be
priced for the mass market. The SB-104 was a mainstay until 1982, when
radios that covered the new WARC bands superseded it. It was one of the last
Amateur Radio kits that Heathkit developed. Elliott was also influential in
the design of the Drake TR-7. This transceiver was the standard for
competition-grade transceivers in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In his
1979 QST Product Review, David Sumner, K1ZZ, called the TR-7, "...the most
convenient this reviewer has ever used. The styling is functional, and is
similar to that used in modern, high-fidelity audio equipment." Even today,
he calls it "the breakthrough radio of its time." The two transceivers
represented state-of-the-art technology from two American manufacturers. A
memorial service was held April 19 in Centerville. Contributions in memory
of Michael Elliott, W8KRR, may be made to Hospice of Dayton, 324 Wilmington
Ave, Dayton, OH 45420. -- some information provided by The Dayton Daily News