Very sad, he wasn't very old (I think 71). One of the best CW operators I've ever worked with was reported to have passed yesterday, May 26.
His Zed details page shows a DOB of 1951 (familiar year for both you and me, too), so he was either 71 or 72.
Sad news indeed. He was originally a local here near Tacoma, WA and the Radio Club of Tacoma W7DK. From his bio page: A CW sharpshooter needs to cool off his keying fingers after a shoot-out! Photo shows Chip on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on May 13, 2005 during the show-down against the U.S. champion cell-phone text messenger. Teammate Ken, K6CTW skillfully copied the text despite significant QRM in the shack. . .er. . .studio. Twelve-time national winner of ARRL November Sweepstakes. World winner of CQ World-Wide DX Contest (Phone), National Winner of ARRL DX Contest, both Phone and CW. Five-time world high in All-Asian DX Contest. Silver Medalist at 1990 World Radiosport Team Championship with partner Mike Wetzel, W9RE. First-Class CW Operators' Club (FOC) #2123. Team member for 1989 4J1FS M-V Island DXpedition, 1991 ZA1A re-opening of amateur radio in Albania with team leader Martti Laine, OH2BH, team member of 2003 COØUS joint Cuba-USA Field Day operation. Inductee (2008) into CQ Amateur Radio Hall of Fame. Awarded E.T. Krenkel Medal (Russia) in 2021.
The first thing that comes to mind "The tonite show" with Jay Leno. Prayers for the Family. RIP Chip.
I have my tower guy Adam over at my house today doing some tower work and he was good friends with Chip - Adam just told me Chip had had cancer for quite some time. Very sad. 71 isn't all that old these days - sad to hear this news. Chip is a legend at the Radio Club of Tacoma - I have some old B&W photos of him from his teens years in the clubhouse - I will find those later today and post them up in this thread Dave W7UUU
A few years ago, a friend gave me a promotional item. It was a pen knife, with the name "CHIPS" embossed. I knew immediately that I was merely holding it for K7JA. Packing for Dayton this year, it fell out of my suitcase twice. The second time, I realized that TSA would have a problem with it, so I left it home. It will always be Chip's knife, and I will think of him every time I see it. RIP Chip, our friendship lasted 40 years. Allen - N2KW
He definitely will be missed and is one of the top CW operators/ if my memory serves me correct he was on Jay Leno one time and copied Morse code faster than the kid could do texting. That's been a number of years ago someone can correct me or add to it?? If I remember correctly, which has been over 20 years ago, he was walking around Dayton with a telegraph visor on and a vest, looking like a real old time Telegraph operator, right after he did that TV show. Bio http://heardisland.org/HD_team/HD_K7JA.html
I just heard about an hour ago. Chip will be sorely missed, both on the air, and especially in person. It's sad. really sad, and he was far too young. My sincerest sympathy to Janet, and all his relatives and friends.
I knew Chip personally for years and his QTH for a long time has been Orange County, CA. He was also in the Southern California Contest Club as well as lots of ham organizations and of course ran marketing for Yaesu for several years. Note: The Tonight Show appearance was a classic, but remember back in those days, cell phones didn't have QWERTY keyboards, at all. The kids trying to "text" as fast as relatively slow CW (I don't think they went faster than 20 wpm...it sounded slow to me) would be difficult with the old phones as they required multiple keystrokes on the alphanumeric keypad for more than 3/4 of the letters. Only A, D, G J, M, P, T and W could be sent with one keystroke; to send a "Z" required four keystrokes just for that one letter. With a QWERTY keyboard like modern phones have, if I hold my phone horizontally to make the keyboard wider and use a fingernail, I can type about 45 wpm on one. That would have beat the Morse demo.
Here's a couple old B&W photos of Chip (the cute young guy with LOTS of hair!) at my club, W7DK Radio Club of Tacoma. The photos date from 1972 - I joined two years later, in March 1974. They are not my photos. I knew Chip as "one of the cool kids" just like Nick, WA7IVO (now @K7MO) who is still one of my best ham friends today. Chip was WAY outta my league as a ham (well, so was Nick!) and I was in awe of him then. In the first photo, chip is on the left receiving an award from a ham I don't know. Both photos are from the Radio Club of Tacoma clubhouse where we still meet to this day. Dave W7UUU
