W9BRD SK

A sad day for the DX community...

According to today's Daily DX, Rod Newkirk W9BRD / VA3ZBB, long-time editor of "How's DX?" and the creator of the DX Hoggery & Poetry Depreciation Society, becamse a Silent Key yesterday.

 

A sad day indeed for all of us, not just DXers.

I found his "How's DX?" columns to be very interesting even if you weren't a DXer. The DXHPDS - the many observations and stories - the trends notices (such as how Madame Mu, the shack Siamese, could not get comfortable on the borrowed transceiver), and much more.

He has gone to be with Jeeves, Grommethead Schultz and the rest of the gang.

73 de Jim, N2EY

 

I had two great QSO's with W9BRD, when I first got back on the air in 1989 using an HW-8 and a 16 foot wire antenna strung around the back porch of my Chicago Apartment. Not big DX to his QTH near O'Hare Airport, but an honor to work him. I told him that I really loved the Limericks from the DXHPDS.

TNX, 73 es RIP, Rod.

 

I see his first appearance in QST was in 1943...that's a lot of columns!

Another giant leaves the ranks.

RIP Rod.

Eric

 

W9BRD ran "How's DX" from December 1948 until February 1978 - just 9 months shy of 30 years. Plus some great other articles.

For a really great piece of writing, though, see QST for January, 1946.

The story is "Christmas 1944".

73 de Jim, N2EY

 

That IS brilliant...."Sort of an optical 80 meters...." Great imagery!

Eric

 

I wrote Rod a few times, back in my Novice days. Always got a kind answer back from him, especially when I now realize (in retrospect) how silly the question was. Many others would have just ignored me.

A few years back, I got in touch with him again. Still got kind answers back, but I'd swear he was using the same manual typewriter... and possibly the same typewriter ribbon! He still hadn't changed a bit though.

Ever wonder why a mentor is referred to as an Elmer? Credit that to W9BRD (QST, March 1971, How's DX). If he didn't coin the phrase, and I believe that he did, then he certainly popularized it.

I tried once to (with his blessing) write about the local chapter of the DXH&PDS, as a "humor" article for my club newsletter. He always told me he enjoyed my take on it... I told you he was kind... but I always knew that I could never come close to his level.

 

Yep.

Consider that, at the time, he was a 22 year old GI (he was born in 1922).

Think what it meant, during a war, so far from home, to find old friends at Christmas time.....

73 de Jim, N2EY

 

Not long after I had hit the airwaves, I was offered a box of old magazines. Most of them were QST from the '50s,'60s, and early '70s along with copies of 73 and a couple of Ham Radio copies from the '70s. What a treasure trove! The Jeeves cartoons led me to reading Rod's columns. Clearly Rod had a love of his subject matter and a gift of writing. I also enjoyed his articles outside of How's DX.

RIP, Rod. May you always be first through the pile up.