The AM Forum

I received an email this morning alerting me that Bacon, WA3WDR has become a silent key.   Bacon was a fixture on 75M AM back in the 60's when his call was WB2YPE.  I was just getting on the air in 1966 and Bacon and I had a lot of great QSO's.  Later he drove his Ford Comet down to my parents place so he could meet some of the AM'ers in our area.  Bacon had a fantastic sounding signal on the air and was very well respected among the AM community.

Bert, WA3JYU sent me this picture.  From left to right, Tim-WA1HLR, Bacon-WB2YPE, later WA3WDR and Bert-WA3JYU.  

Bacon was born on July 4, 1950 and passed away on Friday, December 20, 2013.

Joe - W3GMS

Joe, thanks for sharing this.  I have been wondering why we have not heard him recently.  I remember listening to him from dad's NJ QTH on his HRO in the late 60s when I was home on leave from the Air Force.  He had a very nice signal and was always a gentleman, regularly assisting others.  He will be missed.  RIP, Robert.

Wow! Sorry to hear this. Wing Ding Radio is no more. Rest In Peace.

Sorry to see this. Condolences to Bacon's family & friends.

For us newcomers, what was the origin of the moniker "Bacon"?

I'm very, very sorry to hear this.

HEY BACON,

God bless.

Crap. This death thing gets old really fast.

RIP




klc

Damn!  Lost another one.   :( 

Bacon - used it for phonectics for Bob - Bacon Oboe Bacon, and "Bacon" stuck. 

Talked with WA2YPE a lot back in the 60's.  Sad to hear of his passing.

73 OM,
Jack
W1JS (WA1ALM back then)

He died a couple of months ago.  Can't find a full obituary, only this:

http://www.tributes.com/show/Robert-E.-Bruhns-98138668

This is sad. I enjoyed his posts. He looked healthy in that picture.

Sorry to hear Bacon is gone.

He was a very technical person and posted some interesting posts. He knew his theory well and liked to answer some of the more difficult questions..

We will miss him.



As the wind on 75 meters whispers one last time:  

"Hey Bacon !!!  ......................... Hey Bacon !  ....................... Hey Bacon"  


RIP Bacon.

T

I have read a number of his posts in my searches of the amfone database. Thanks for posting the tribute link and explaining Bacon. I did not realize Bacon lived nearby. RIP.

Brad,

When I learned the news from Eric - WB2CAU yesterday, he explained the origin of Bacon to me.  This is the best and I am sure the most accurate explanation. 

Here are selected portions of the email I received from Eric, WB2CAU yesterday:

"I've known Bacon since early 1965 when he was known as "Rick" by his family, to distinguish him from his dad, Robert Bruhns, who was known as "Bob".  I first knew him through a mutual friend, Don Huber, now WB2UKA.  I was 15 at the time and Rick was still only 14.  He lived with his parents in Huntington, NY. Rick was my personal mentor in transmitter building so that I was able to construct a higher-power transmitter basically using old discarded TV parts in 1965."

" Upon joining the ranks of ham radio, he wanted to be known as Bob instead of Rick.  Early on, a very nervous Rick tried to use phonetics for his name as Baker-Ocean-Baker, but flubbed it as "Bacon-Osher-Bacon".  Joe, (WB2UXJ(?) - later K2UX - SK) poked fun at his nervous mispronunciation of his own name and he forever after became known as "Bacon".  This set him apart from all of the other Bobs on ham radio."

Joe, W3GMS   

Joe --

That's interesting.  I recalled Frank telling me something different at Berryville one year when he was talking about N3DRB, so I did a bit of searching on this site:

http://amfone.net/Amforum/index.php?topic=27864.50

Check one of his posts part way down: "And where pray tell do you think my "Slab Bacon" monicre came from?? That was me and Timmy mixin it up on one of those friday night break-in sessions. He was gettin down with his BJB schtick and I went back to him with "hey big brotha, hey big brotha, I got a grip on yo lip!! Be the Slab Bacon wit da fat meat shakin" And the rest, as they say is history."

I hope I'm not mixing things up here......

Slab Bacon is Frank, KB3AHE.

Thanks.  As soon as you posted Franks call it clicked. 

Yep, totally a different situation and story...

The original "Slab Bacon" was a CB operator that Frank imitated
in fooling around with Tim, N3DRB,

No relation at all to the subject of this thred...

Bacon worked for me for a short time at a paging company where I was a manger in the engineering department when I hired him and he was a good tech. I first worked Bacon back in the early 70's when I first got my general and then met him at a hamfest a few year later. Sorry to see another one of the gang gone.

RIP

P.S. Does anyone know who the real original Bacon beacon was????? There were many imitators, but only one original.

Hey Bacon.......Hey Bacon........Hey Bacon

RIP Bacon..was fun connecting up with you in recent years on the air with your new call.

Used to work Bacon all the time after school back in our high school days when he was WB2YPE  and I was WB2ZPS.

Bacon from 1970. TNX to Bert, WA3JYU.

Hadn't heard Bacon on for many years, something about moving to a condo or other radio-unfriendly place. Saw plenty of posts on here from him, though. Sad to hear he's gone at what today is considered a relatively young age compared to, say, Ralphie. Ralph is going to outlive all of us.


Fortunately the Bacon Beacon is still with us. Some of us know him well. The imitators were never that good.

Hey Bacon!.....Hey Bacon!.....

RIP

Sorry to hear about Bacons passing away. I worked him a few times in the early 90s when he was in Huntington NY on 75m. He had the best sounding Viking II that I can remember. It was modified with 8417 tubes in the modulator.
And all the articles he authored in the AM PX, especially the asymmetrical peak limiter project and RS mic preamp/eq as I recall. RIP.

Al VE3AJM

I have been off the air for several years.  As I am starting to look for long lost friends,  I  just now discovered this posting about Bacon.  We spent many hours chatting on  75 AM.  Damn,  I can't believe he is gone.  RIP  good buddy.
Gary

        Todd, from your lips to GOD's ear.........
 

Hey Ralph,

It's GREAT to hear from you!

Wow, that's quite a passing.  Bacon was, as many have mentioned, a fixture way back in the day.  I worked him many, many times back then.

That picture is amazing!  Were we really that young once ?  Wow.

He had some pretty good stories !!!

Bacon, Rest in His peace.