Presentation of the SBARC Lifetime Achievement Award to Jug WA6MBZ (right) by Brian K6BPM (left) at the October 2015 General Club Meeting.
Our old friend Jug – WA6MBZ passed away on Friday January 7, 2017 after a long illness. Jug was a long time member of SBARC and had his hands in project after project over the years. Jug also served on the SBARC Board of Directors and on various committees. He was instrumental in getting the club station activated several years ago, and was frequently the first in line to try new modes and radio technologies.
For many years Jug was known as the “Trivia Master” on the morning Cuckoo Net. He dutifully read a trivia question every morning. He had a special computer where he stored trivia questions – prepared years in advance – on every topic from radios to thimbles and drink coasters. Jug was also an officer in the 220 MHz Spectrum Management Association (220SMA), the 220 MHz frequency coordination group for Southern California.
Anyone that ever visited his house knew of Jug’s commitment to amateur radio. Radios and computers were packed into every available square inch of space he could find. His roof bristled with every form of antenna. He also had a few vehicles completely outfitted with everything from HF radios to GHz equipment along with solar panels to keep the batteries charged. He was the consummate “ham” and could build anything – and did! Amateur radio has lost one of the last of the “real hams”. You can read this post here if you need solar panel installation services.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held for Jug on Thursday, January 12 at 10:00 am at Our Lady of Sorrows Church.
Please leave your stories and remembrances in the comments.
Post expires at 7:15am on Thursday February 9th, 2017 but will still be available in the archives.
As we bring this year to a close, I wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! This past year has seen a lot of progress for SBARC and we intend to keep it up in 2017. New licensees and current hams upgrading their licenses almost doubled this year over the two previous years. Amateur Radio is alive and well and growing!
