[VHFcontesting] K8MMM - Silent Key

Sat Nov 1 20:57:06 EDT 2008

This is sad to hear. I had lost contact with Tom after I moved to CT. I
heard a rumor he had moved to E. Pa somewhere and expected he would pop up
on 6 or 2M sometime. 

I do not remember the first time I met Tom, but it must have been some
connection when I was in my late teens and lived in Cleveland and was active
on 6M with my 2E26 amplifier. Whether it was the SE amateur radio club, or a
mutual friend, I wound up with Tom in the 50 Megacycle DX Club of Cleveland.
Many fun times were had with that group, or visiting at his folk's house in
Novelty. His Mom, Elsie, WA8AJY, was a particular delight to have coffee
with, and his Dad, Lonnie, could grill up a great steak. It was Tom's tall
towers and big amplifiers, but especially his spirit in bucking the
conventional thinking on 6M that has inspired me to this day. Many of the
local mortals thought he was making it up, but he really could make those
contacts- I heard him do it. That was a great location and a fine station.

Later on, he was a kingpin in putting together a wide area coverage 2M
repeater system serving Geauga and Cuyahoga counties and surroundings. He
was big on Disaster Services as it was called at the time, and I travelled
with him to Madison Ohio during a blizzard once to provide emergency
communications out of that area, whose phone system had been disabled. 

Then I guess I was an easy mark when he wanted to back off the repeater
system and somehow I wound up with a remoter 2M receiver, a bunch of 440 Mhz
remote links, a 220 MHz link to the transmitter site, and a homebrew control
system in my basement with UHF antennas scattered all around one of my
towers. That was also a great but abrupt learning experience, and he was
always available to advise and help. 

Sorry to hear of his passing away. RIP and good weak signal DX Tom!

Chet, N8RA

-----Original Message-----
From: vhfcontesting-bounces at contesting.com
[mailto:vhfcontesting-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of David Olean
Sent: Saturday, November 01, 2008 7:53 PM
To: Vic
Cc: vhfcontesting at contesting.com; newsvhf at mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [VHFcontesting] K8MMM - Silent Key

I first ran into Tom, K8MMM on six meter scatter back in 1964 or 1965. Not
sure of the date exactly, but I lived in Connecticut, was a young kid, and
put up a big  yagi on six meters (courtesy of W1RJA) with a 500 watt HB
4E27A amp, soon followed by a bigger push pull 4-400A amp along with a
homebrew filter type SSB exciter. I immediately was working SSB ionospheric
scatter and K8MMM was one of the guys my brother and I worked every night
after 11:30 when the nightly news was over! I always felt a close
association with that early group. Besides K8MMM, there was W3KWH, WA9OUU,
K9DZK, and some other experimenters spread across Michigan, Wisconsin, and
Illinois. K8MMM was always 100% readable no matter what. He had his act
together then. I always enjoyed working him over the years, remembering
those early days of VHF ssb.
    I will miss Tom's signal. This is a sad day.

73 Dave K1WHS
  ----- Original Message -----
  From: Vic
  To: Undisclosed-Recipient:;
  Sent: Saturday, November 01, 2008 1:13 AM
  Subject: K8MMM - Silent Key

  For you regulars on the weekend 6 meter scatter circuit -- some of you may
have heard by now -- Very Sad News today.. Just received this from Lee..
KZ4RR & John WZ8D -- de Vic // 

  I am very saddened to report that my good friend, Tom Baker, passed away
early today. I met Tom @ 1963 (when I was 11), and he has been a friend and
mentor ever since. He inspired me to many achievements starting with ham
radio....building antennas and amplifiers, but also including a wide range
of activities from golf and tennis to drag racing, and watching the
Cleveland Browns with large antennas pointed at Erie for the home games. I
spent many days and nights at Tom's house in Novelty, and was treated like
family by his Mom and Dad...including many home cooked meals. Tom was
generally the first person I talked to with a new radio or antenna or
mobile. Tom & I operated in many, many VHF and HF contests over the years
and generally finished number 1 or 2. Tom, achieved the top single op score
in the U.S. operating from my station in the 1972 CQ WW  DX contest with
over 1600 contacts in over 200 countries in a 24 hour period! After moving
to Florida, I remember the first ti  me I put up a tower in 1984...... I
called Tom on the phone to tell him that the tower was up and ready for a
test. He said, I have been listening to you tune up for the last 20 minutes!
We then had our first scatter 6M qso...with S3-5 solid residual signals over
700 miles...since then we have had thousands of similar qso's to the
amazement of locals trying to work across town. Tom still holds at least one
6 meter worldwide DX record, and is regarded as one of the top 6 meter
operators of all time. I am still using one of Tom's 6 meter amplifiers that
he built in the 1960's.

  Darren Humphreys, KB3MHX, has been Tom's close friend and business partner
in recent years, and has helped Tom build a very nice company called Neotek
Engineering. My sincere thanks to Darren, who has always been there to help
Tom....especially during his recent illness.

  K8MMM. and his great signal, genuine friendship, and quirky sense of humor
will be greatly missed. Please forward any correspondence or communication
regarding Tom to me, and feel free to forward this to interested parties.

  Thanks & 73, Lee
  WA8LRE/KZ4RR
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