An unforgettable ham friend Bob W7AYN

As I told in the post regarding Jim K9JWV, I have always been thrilled and enjoyed to work with QRP stations. Especially, since I was equipped with standard or above standard set up. It might because that it brought me back to the beginner days when I struggled with the same kind of tiny and simple radio/antenna.

Bob W7AYN was one of such QRP operators. I have frequently seen him as NF7H in '80s through '90s. Later, he got his last call sign, W7AYN, which had been owned by his father. 

With stable and beautiful keying from a bug he has inherited also from his father, he always showed up on 40m early in morning in his time. We have talked a lot on trivial matters or family things. It was amazing his barefoot from a tiny Icom transciever shown in the photo with a wire barely above the roof was coming through and good enough for us to chat for a while. I have really appreciatd his keying from that old bug. I believed it was an art. 

He seemed to have had a lot of problems in his life. Regarding his family, his health and so forth. He never complained of those things but just simply told me as they were. He always remembered of what I had told him and asked about that later. It was not what I could expect from old timers.

In the last few years, he has moved to a new home near to his children. He could not put up an outdoor antenna but used a tiny loop in garage. We have often discussed with correspondence by e mail how to improve his antenna. But it was what he could afford those days. It was still tough for us then to chat like before.

He has had a lot of illnesses, I know. I remember whenever we met, he almost got a new health issue. As told above, he reported it only as a fact. He never complained of those things. In the end, he has suffered from heart attack. Our mutual friend, probably, WA7GIL, has let me know of his passing which arrived him all of sudden. It seemed like a fatal arrhythmia. It was 2017. I still miss this good friend of mine and would go after him. Before it gets too late, I should prepare a simple tiny station after him.