The AM Forum

Sorry to report that our great long term friend Bill-W3DUQ has become a Silent Key. 

73,
Joe - W3GMS


William L. Nagle, 74 years, of Honey Brook, passed away on Friday, Nov. 7, 2014 at the Brandywine Hospital, following an illness.

He was born in Philadelphia on April 24, 1940 and was the son of the late Paul and Freda Nagle.  William was a computer engineer with Carter Mason of Malvern.   He enjoyed computers and being a ham radio operator.

Surviving is a step grandson, Mick Risbon, a sister, Sandy Reid of FL, two nieces, Lisa Bonaduce and Sharon Less both of PA and a nephew, Shawn Reidenbach of FL.  Also by eight great nieces and nephews and a great-great niece

Funeral service and interment will be private at the convenience of the family.

Sorry to hear this.  I always enjoyed listening to and talking to Bill.  I'll miss his squeaky chair.

RIP Uncle Willie. 

Thanks for the things you brought to the radio Bill.

End of an Era.

R.I.P.

Bill was always interesting. 

Actually, he's just outside,
looking in.


klc

While its still up, a final shot of his QRZ.com information. 

W3DUQ USA flag USA

WILLIAM L NAGLE
237 ICEDALE RD
HONEY BROOK, PA 19344
USA

Email: w3duq@ptd.net

Ham Member Lookups: 3206
   

    Biography
    Detail
    Logbook

AM operator. Interests include:EXOBIOLOGY/PHYSICS/COMPUTERS/SPIRITUAL Can be found in the AM window 3.870.3.890 mhz

ICQ: 1089583

Rev: W3DUQ - Mon May 31 9:05:01 1999 EUC: W3DUQ COAKDILDXFSSM-12388-1 w3duq@voicenet.com

40177 Last modified: 2011-01-21 21:22:02, 243 bytes

Man, this is becoming an all too familiar theme. :'(

It's very weird because for no real reason I thought of Bill last night while reading in bed, and wondered how he was doing.

Bill's inventiveness was his signature.  Many are aware of his early endeavors into synchronise detection.  He designed, built and wrote this article back in 1967 on his creation.

http://archive.org/stream/73-magazine-1967-09/09_September_1967#page/n6/mode/1up

73,
Joe, GMS

M,

" for no real reason I thought of Bill last night "

As Mr GMS posted; maybe its because of the sync. detector? I was going through my old 73s to find the piece.


klc

Sad news.   Out of the blue.

We could always count on Bill for an interesting and friendly QSO.  When heard, I would rush to flip the switches to get on.  His Future Net, science and alien subjects were his signature.

I was lucky enough to know him from the early 70's and visit him in Icedale in the 90's.

The whirl has lost a very unique person.    Yes indeed - the end of an era.

RIP.

T

Just checked my Excel log sheet and no hits.  Sad, this is happening all to often

Heart felt sympathies to Bill's loved ones

Al

Sad news. RIP Uncle Willie.
The man always had an interesting point of view.

I think around the 70's, maybe early 80's, Bill was deep into the "Philadelphia Experiment."  He waxed almost poetically in his AM monologues about the field generators on destroyers in the harbor..   time travel consequences by Bill, long before the popularization and later TV programs caught on to the "Experiment."
  -Fascinating listening and AM QSO's to and with him. 

R.I.P. William.

I wonder if his family's related to the outfit that manufacturers or sells the Nagle oculars for telescopes?

That is very bad news, I used to love talking to and listening to Bill, and his friend who I forget, used to have the bunny in the house...

I remember Bill talking about the ft102 mods, and I even bought a few 102's to try them.
He always sounded great back when most did not sound so good...

Truly sad to say goodbye to Bill -- in this incarnation at least. A unique mind and personality -- and great sounding voice and station.

If anyone has any recordings of Bill, please post them here. It would be most appreciated. All of mine were stolen from me.

73,

Kevin, WB4AIO.

So long Bill. I will always remember our conversations.

There is a recording of Bill and others long gone in the AM Audio Vault. Look for "AM Jamboree". Bills voice starts at about the 10:30 point.

http://amfone.net/index.php?ind=media&op=file_view&iden=166 (http://amfone.net/index.php?ind=media&op=file_view&iden=166)

This link might get you there.

Larry

rest in peace Bill, you will be missed

Thanks, Larry! Lots of memories.

Kevin.

I had been thinking of Bill of late also. I think it was partly because of the passing of Frank/AHE and I was wondering how Bill was doing.

Bill was a legend but was always down to earth and just one of the crew. As Tom noted, he always had interesting things to talk about, most of which had little to do with radio. Yet, he knew his radio, electronics and computers. His sync detector design was very complex. He came up with excellent modifications for the FT-101, FT-102 and the FT1000. He was into Hi-Fi AM at a time when few others were (see his QSL card from 1957 below).

I recall first hearing Bill in 1976 on 75 meters. I was just learning about amateur radio as an SWL. The whole shortwave radio scene was fascinating to me. AMers on amateur radio were even more interesting and Bill was one of the most interesting and cool. I regularly tuned into his QSOs on 75 meters on Sunday afternoons. It was prime time listening for me.

Later I got to "meet" Bill when I got on the air and had many great conversations with him over the years. I'm glad I got to meet him in person at his Icedale home after the Timonium hamfest in the early/mid 1990s. I can thank JJ and Deano/KNX for talking me into making the trip.

I'm saddened that he's gone. So long Bill. You will be missed. RIP.


FT-102 Mods
http://amfone.net/Amforum/index.php?topic=32944.0

An NE602 Balanced Modulator
http://amfone.net/Amforum/index.php?topic=32949.0

FT-1000D Enhanced AM Modifications
http://www.amwindow.org/tech/htm/ft1000dmods.htm

I never got to meet Bill, had that on my 'to do' list. Figured it would be a good trip to travel to meet him, visit 'GMS and the Vortex, maybe even track down the old N3JUH. Obviously didn't get it done soon enough.

His conversations were always interesting and Bill always seemed at ease, very laid back. I can't recall ever hearing him agitated in the least. Always enjoyed talking with him but perhaps even more enjoyed listening to him talk with Gary and a couple others (maybe Dave/'ZRF?) during the Future Net. I clearly remember hearing discussions of the Philadelphia Experiment in the late 80s/early 90s. Roswell, too. And plenty of other interesting stuff. There would be a group on 3.885 and just tune down a bit - there was Bill and the gang. Sunday afternoons, wasn't it?

It's been just about 2 years to the day that we lost Bill/KD0HG and Kim/KE3SX. Derb before that. Last December Bob aka Bacon checked out and of course, Frank is gone now too. At least Bill will be in good company. He and 'ZRF will have some catching up to do.

Of all the unique characters connected to AM, Bill occupies a special place in the pantheon. I first heard him in the mid-70's on 75 meters with his hi-fi AM signal booming into the NYC area where I was living at the time.  He had a cuckoo clock, or some such device, which he used as a 10-minute timer for station ID, and of course the famous squeaky chair. I remember Bill talking about UFO's, the so-called Philadelphia Experiment, and also attempting telepathic experiments over the air with other hams.  He was always interesting, and this is a great loss.   RIP, Bill

Jim
WA2AJM/3

I received the news of the passing of Uncle Willy.  I was greatly saddened. I regarded Bill as one of my mentors. I first heard him on 75 meters back in the Summer of 1966 late Saturday night with Dave K3ZRF. I tried breaking in with my Crap box 40 transmitter.I was too piss weak to be heard. Dave heard me after Bill had signed.  I was a boot back then. I would always stay up late on Saturday nights . I had a bedside radio.A five tube Philco radio , all American 5 type that I converted into a receiver that received both 75& 40. I would listen in to the late night music QSOs that were allegedly Dave ZRF and Bill DUQ. Then came the FCC bust. Bill lost his license for one year. He had a huge sign off party in November of '67. I had my general by then. I went to the party. I met many people. It was a coming out for me. Bill and I forged a life long  friendship. When ever I was in a quandary  about some life issue I would call him on the phonium and run it by him. He would always give me his input. Through the years I had visited with him many times. The last time I saw Bill was in the late 90s.  Bill had been a big influence in my life .There are many more stories to tell. I would make a very long old buzzard transmission though. I feel like another piece of me has left.
Tim WA1HnyLR
 

73 Bill  :(

Great picture Jack!  Never saw those before.  Is that Dave, K3ZRF on the lower row on the left? 
Can pick out the Tron but not sure about some of the others.

Joe, GMS

Wow, this is a real shock!  So sorry to hear of Bill's passing.  I first listened to Bill when I discovered AM was still alive on HF back in late 1976, despite what others had told me to the contrary.  At that time my Tech Class license only permitted me to operate AM on VHF.

After upgrading and getting on 75m AM in 1984, I'd spoken to Bill countless times but he was one of the few from the core group that I never had a chance to meet in person, unfortunately.  Probably because he rarely attended hamfests. 

Bill will be missed.  RIP my friend Bill.

Eric

This hurts. And so soon after Franks! :'(
 
Bill and I had many discussions of after life concepts. We'd start on 75M and when the band wasn't there we'd continue on Skype. He was very receptive of contrary views and I hope he thought the same of me.

He was always a joy to talk to and I'll miss his insights.

I also remember his ten minute timer. In one QSO I overheard someone ask him if that was his sound of a UFO?   He said no, that it was just his timer. I can't remember if we talked on air but I spent many hours listening to him. Is his web site still up?

RIP Bill.........

I think the timer sound was from a homebuilt pair of neon-bulb-based relaxation oscillators he had designed for their spacey sound. Someone once told him it sounded like a gobbling turkey from outer space.

His site is down, but archive.org has preserved it forever:

http://web.archive.org/web/20080723191258/http://home.ptd.net/~w3duq/

and

http://web.archive.org/web/20041206181537/http://home.netcarrier.com/~w3duq/

We'll never forget you, Bill Nagle.

73,

Kevin, WB4AIO.

Thanks for posting those Kevin!  I was looking for them yesterday but could not find them. 

One thing about Bill's audio is that through all the years he sounded about the same on the air.  In the old days he modified an Heath Apache to the upside down tube circuit where he had a carrier tube and a peak tube.  That went into a very large linear which he build with a tube from a shaker table.  He had that set-up that after he moved from his parents house up to Icedale where he father owned some property.  When that station was retired, he used a modified FT-101 going into some sort of linear.  Since that time and the last he was on he went through many different set-ups.  The old GE Uni-Level compressor he built along with the homemade mega mixing consoles was used all during the upside down tube days.   He worked for an Ultrasonic company in
West Chester, PA at the time and used his time there to build those beauties!  I believe he then went to a couple of compressor IC chips and once again he sounded the same as the early days.  I believe many years later he went to a Behringer multi band compressor limiter and used that which sounded very good.  The one thing that remained the same I believe was the microphone and I am trying to remember which mic he was using.  Maybe an AKG not sure.  The last years he was very much into the SDR stuff and enjoyed playing around that for awhile. 

Fun memories and that's what its all about.  Nothing else.....

Joe, GMS         

I visited his shack in the woods in 1975 and spent a day and a night there, along with Chip WB4ZVR. Dave, K3ZRF, came over to see us in the evening. We also met Hiram, Bill's de-scented pet skunk.

I got to use Bill's station, including the upside-down tube transmitter and linear with the Unilevel audio processor, and the modified HRO-60 with the homebrew stereo synchronous detector that Bill had written up for 73 magazine eight years before. The microphone looked something like a D200E, but might have been an earlier, similar model. I remember working Dirk, WA2CYT, that day from Bill's station.

Bill also had lots of artifacts and devices in his home related to his investigations into the paranormal.

The audio processor he used in later years was a Behringer DSP9024, I believe.

You're right, Joe, his station sounded much the same through the years. Clean, bright, and with an "effortless" sound that allowed even the subtleties of his compelling, relaxed, almost hypnotically calm voice to come through clearly and at high modulation percentages.

73,


Kevin, WB4AIO.

Can anyone tell me who Bill used to talk to all the time before he went in the home?
I remember Bill saying he was helping the guy out, he was in and out of the hospital I think, and I remember talking to him about his pet bunny.
I think Bill went into a home shortly after he passed away?
I used to love listening to both of them.

Bill was a regular on the What's For Dinner Net. I think Frank, KB3AHE came up with the name, but Bill and Ralph W3GL started it by meeting in the afternoons on 3733 kHz. Prior to that frequency, Bill and others were often on 3835 kHz. And before that, Bill was usually on 3870 or 3875 kHz on Sunday afternoons.

I think you are remembering Johnnie, W3EGC. But he was off the air for several years before Bill went QRT and maybe even a bit more time before Bill went into the home.

GMS, if that isn't ZRF on the lower left, he had a twin. Some of the other faces look familiar but I can't come up with calls or names. IIRC, Rockport 71 was when the Slimatron exploded.

Uncle Willy in the early 2002s.

(http://www.amwindow.org/pix/jpg/w3duq/billportrait.jpg)

RIP Uncle Willie. You are one of a kind!

What's for dinner? Future Net, NAAAM, upside down tube Xmitter, Modified Yaesu, etc.

Al
W3GD

Sounds like there was a bunch of us listening to
Uncle Willie, way back..  I started
SWLing  him, in the mid 70's  Bill had big signal into
Wilmington DE, great audio, interesting ideas.
Him and the other Amers, on at that time, were the reason
I got interested in Ham Radio..

It was quite a thrill to talk to Bill, many years later
after getting Licensed. Never a boring QSO.

Back 10-15 years ago, I got an eyeball qso with him
at his QTH in Honeybrook..  

RIP Bill  Drink Up Quick, we will miss u..

Chuck -W3FJJ

Thanks for the info, it was Jonnie w3egc I was thinking of.
I don't think I ever heard those guys say a bad word about anyone, or even a negative comment.
And I remember Bill doing the hand wave by the microphone and seeing my speaker cone move, what is that, about 10Hz?
I tried the same thing but it did not work...

I am really sad to hear about the passing of DUQ.......I had many QSO's will Bill and always enjoyed his outlook on things. When I was a young "JN" in 1965, I got a little Star-Lite A-120 short wave receiver for Christmas and first discovered 75 meter AM back then and one of the early station I heard on the air was Bill W3DUQ "Drink Up Quick". I would listen to him, all the antics and the others around at that time with big signals and couldn't wait to get on the air and talk with them all. One of the memories I have about Bill was hearing him use the "up-side down tube" principle.........I remember thinking to myself as a young kid just getting started in radio....."why would you have a tube mounted up-side down?" how little I knew back then. I always wanted to meet Bill in person, but never did, either too busy or the wrong timing. I regret not taking the time to visit him..........what a sad loss.

RIP "Willie"

73's

Joe  WA2PJP

 I have decided to do an "Uncle Willie  remembrance show " on WBCQ this evening from 7Pm-9Pm on 4 frequencies: 5110,7490,9330Khz ,and15.420Mhz For those that Bill was instrumental in their lives I would like to hear from you if you have my phonium # which is unlisted for a good reason. For Joe W3GMS I do not have your number, you would be instrumental here . Others too that have my number are invited to call. I do have a phonium patch in my studio.
Tim WA1HnyLR

Will it be streamed?

Sorry to hear of Bill's passing.

I enjoyed hearing him on the radio as well as his website.

Dan

YUP, it was but then I had to use a mic to speaker to record it? Great show Tm and all that called in!

I was still on the road until late y'day .
Has anyone recorded any part of the streaming?
Thanks; it would be enjoyable to hear.  

Todd, KA1KAQ, John, W3JN and me caught the last 30 minutes of the show on John's SDR. Good stuff and the phone calls from W1GUH and W3GMS were great. I hope the entire show was recorded.

Attached is W3DUQ on the NAAAM net in the late 60s (TNX to Bert, WA3JYU).

I have all but the first 20 minutes. Its in two parts 52 & 31 MB MP-3. Even when compressed it still to large to post here. Any ideas where to send it?

If you can email it to me, I'll put it on the server with a link. If not, I'll email you an FTP address. OK?

Can't wait to hear it.

Hi Steve, I thinks its too big to email so send me and email or PM me with FTP.

thanks

Sent you a PM OM. :D

Bill, W3DUQ and Frank, KB3AHE on the What's For Dinner Net, 9 March 2008.

Sorry to hear about Bill's passing. I first heard him in 1967. I had repaired an old Delco table radio (1949 vintage) that my uncle had given me. It covered everything from the broadcast band to 18 MHz. Tuning across the 75 meter band, I heard a station on AM whose operator had a beautiful voice with pear-shaped tones. It was W3DUQ. Bill was always a pleasure to listen to and he sounded better than most announcers on the broadcast stations, including those in major markets.

R.I.P., Bill

A superb classic recording with such a good one on one of two great friends that have departed.

Joe, GMS     

That was kind of hard to listen to...

Lets try this out. This is Tim at WBCQ. It's two parts. Let me know if you can open them?  The DUQ 1 is the first part..Not the best recording but we have heard worst on the bands..

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8Atzn3kWJUmazRNZnlPaVFQd1U/view?usp=sharing (https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8Atzn3kWJUmazRNZnlPaVFQd1U/view?usp=sharing)

http://
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8Atzn3kWJUmTEJPOTdic0N4SzQ/view?usp=sharing

The first 20 minutes Are missing.  You may have to download them to play. They are MP3...

I was able to download and play both, but the audio level is extremely low.  Very hard to hear with the volume controls set at maximum.  Thanks for sharing.

Thanks Terry For uploading the show, I enjoyed that very much..

"drink up quick" i'll miss him - greg