[NCC] W8HSK, SK

[Lee, Thomas J.]

Fellow NCC Warriors:
 
It is with deep sadness that I report the death of Bob Brewster, W8HSK.   Bob died Friday afternoon, August 23 after a long battle with cancer and Alzheimer's disease.  He was 81 years old.  He is survived by his wife, Joan -- a friend to any ham -- plus six children and multiple grandchildren.  
 
I first met Bob in about 1967, when I knocked on his door, having spotted one of his Hy-Gain 14AVQ (40-10m) verticals while riding by his home on my bicycle (I was 14 or 15 and a hot-shot high school General class licensee).  Since that day, Bob was my Elmer.  He was patient and a great teacher, and educated me about the wonders of radio and of the limitless potential for technical advancement and experimentation.  
 
By way of example, the 14AVQ I spotted was one of the first reported uses of elevated radials (it was phased with a 2d 14AVQ, invisible from the street and bolted to a push-up mast tied to his garage.)  The verticals were phased with Dow-Key relays, 75 ohm coax stubs and their only ground screen was 4 elevated radials per vertical, (each made out of 4 conductor flat rotor cable, with one conductor cut for each band).  It worked on 40m like gang-busters, and Bob made 40m DXCC in one winter with 100 watts.  And that was in the 60's.
 
In 1968, Bob used his engineering credentials to help me get a building permit for a tower on top of our apartment house in Cleveland Heights.  That led to the erection of a TH6 and a 1960's vintage Mosley 2L40 (with redwood spreaders and huge center loading coils, tuned with the help -- and gird dip meter -- of W8KIC) , and ultimately resulted in several wonderful multi-op contest experiences under the call K8RMK (now K8NZ).
 
Bob and I remained friends over the years, and in 1985, when I moved to Chesterland, Bob refined his work on elevated radials by custom-designing a modified 80m bob-tail curtain to work in an elevated configuration (necessitated by the heavy forest surrounding the QTH).  That antenna worked admirably for many years, produced very respectable 80m mult totals for the 'AZ multi efforts and was published as the "Robert-Tail" (a name given to the antenna by the 'AZ Crew) in the Second Antenna Compendium (ARRL, 1992).  "Uncle Bob", as the crew referred to him, continued to help out with the building and operation of the station for many years.  
 
Services are not yet finalized, but Joan expects that there will be a wake on Friday August 30 and a funeral mass at St. Ann's church in Cleveland Heights on Saturday, September 1.  
 
Rest in peace, old friend.
..._._