The AM Forum

Just learned this a few minutes ago. 

Andy - WA2CDL was a regular attendee at NEAR-Fest each year.  He volunteered his time to check out VHF/UHF rigs for folks at the Fester.  I met Andy at NEAR-Fest many years ago and he always attended the AM Dinner on Friday nights.   He was quite the boat anchor collector and worked in the city of NY doing RF communication work. I know he was at the most recent NEAR-Fest a few weeks ago.

Here is his obit:

https://www.dignitymemorial.com/en-ca/obituaries/hewlett-ny/andrew-kirschenbaum-11278708

Sadly, Joe-W3GMS

Sad news indeed. He was a regular with the morning group on 3705 but had not been nearly as frequent over the last year.

Wow - I am completely stunned by this. I just saw him last Friday at Nearfest, and he was on the AM Carrier net on 3835 just this past Sunday morning.
I know - no religious posts, but please forgive me and consider this a non-sectarian, non-preaching reference; we've lost so many lately, it seems.

 "I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all."

Ecclesiastes 9:11

What a very sad shock! I was just chatting with him a week ago today at NEAR-Fest. RIP Andy.

Im extremely saddened by the news of Andys passing.

I knew Andy for 30 + years living not far from him on Long Island.
Besides amateur radio, we bowled in leagues for 5 years on the same team. He really enjoyed that.

He was a guy who would give you the shirt off his back to help you with any radio malady and was known for his service to the LIMARC club maintaining its repeaters and for his radio repair knowledge.
When my kids were little, he used to give the Devil Dogs as a treat...thus the kids would call him " Andy Devil Dog"...

Im glad to say he was my friend.
Ill miss him terribly.


Steve- KB2NQN

Very well said Steve.
I wish I had known Andy as well as Steve, NQN did.  I did meet Andy once at a get together we had for the AM Carrier Net.  As Steve said, Andy was a terrific & very kind hearted-person.  We frequently spoke on the phone & of course Andy was a regular on the AM Carrier Net as well as the fairly new Vintage SSB Net.
Andy will be greatly missed.
Pray for his family & close friends as they grieve for their loss of a wonderful person. 

  The first time I met Andy was at the Sussex Hamfest a few years ago. He took out his cell-phone and showed me, with great pride, the huge collection of radios in his shop. Some of them were his, and some were rigs he'd repaired for others. He was glowing with pride for both and so excited to tell me all about them.
  Many of us are enthusiastic about our hobby; some are practically fanatical about it, but it would be hard to find anyone who radiated more joyful enthusiasm than Andy.

I was shocked when I got the news about Andy. We were at the AM diner and at Nearfest. I have know Andy almost 30 years now and he was a regular at the LIMARC hamfest with his test setup and many others. I was helping him years ago with an ATV repeater for the club which he was really excited about. He was a really good guy and would always try to help someone when needed. He will be truly missed by the AM group.

RIP Andy, keep the filaments on.

“There are three deaths. The first is when the body ceases to function. The second is when the body is consigned to the grave. The third is that moment, sometime in the future, when your name is spoken for the last time.”

― David M. Eagleman,  Forty Tales from the Afterlives


May Andy/WA2CDL be remembered and spoken of for a very long time.   Completing a full life here on Earth is difficult and a big deal when accomplished.   Congrats, Andy.

T

What a shocker.  I loved talking with Andy - he always had a fascinating take on things and we shot the shit for hours at NEARfest and on the air.  I last saw him at the fall NEARFest and he had some big plans for his towers. 

Truly a superbly talented guy that everyone loved.  I'll sure miss his wisdom and wit.

Folks:

So sad to hear of Andy's passing. I met him once, at the last spring (2022) Near-Fest. He had an NC300 he bought for short money. He was excited about the purchase and was looking forward to bench testing it.

See photo.

RIP Andy.

Dan
W1DAN

Here's a photo from the AM dinner at the most recent NEARFest. This event was less than a week before Andy left us. If you look carefully you can see Andy's face behind and between George N2LJO and Mark KA2QFX. I was sitting at the same table as Andy, but I'm not in the photo 'cuz I was taking it.

We miss you Andy.  Sorry that I couldn’t mKe it to Nearfest this spring to see you one last time.  It was an honor to sare your company on the air, on the phone, and in person over the years.  He

Here’s a picture of And at spring
Nearfest last year along with two of the morning 3705 gang, Kevin, K2XAM and Bear,
WB2GCR:

Chris,

Great picture of Andy!

Joe

Just like that legendary plumber who had leaky faucets, it seemed like Andy could not
manage to fix his own radios, and get on the air with some powah!!!

Before Covid hit, Andy said to me on the air and on the landline that he WOULD fix one of
his Valiants and get it on the air!!

                           _-_-bear

"Before Covid hit, Andy said to me on the air and on the landline that he WOULD fix one of
his Valiants and get it on the air!!"


Bear,

Sounds like many of us who would rather fix, tinker, design and build stuff rather than talk and operate.

Look at his well appointed workshop (motivated to work on stuff) .....  compared to his lack of drive to get even one personal rig on the air.

He definately enjoyed working on and fixing stuff more.  His offers to test stuff for guys at the flea markets is just another form.  A little bit of that in us all.... ;)

T

That is the most impressive collection of test equipment I have ever seen, including a classic Heathkit VTVM.

K1JJ said:
How true, Tom. I put a side a lot of projects for my retirement and now that is here. I no sooner finishing one project when I'm prepping the operating table for the next patient. It is indeed a labor of love. I'm sure I talked to Andy at some time in the past. I will have to refer to my index card file, (that thing you would use prior to computers ruining the world!).  ;)

Now that I'm retired, I've officially entered the "greatest number of projects started but not finished" contest.

Bill, try as you may, you will have great difficulty catching up with me.  In addition to all the unfinished projects I started before retirement in 2006, I have many more started since retirement with almost none finished. 

The number exceeds what I can itemize, even with the help of a supercomputer.  Every fest I attend instigates more unfinished projects.  Potentially winning the contest of having the most unfinished projects is an accomplishment of which I am certainly NOT proud.  Maybe this year, maybe next year........  I suppose maybe a lack of either Round Tuits or StickTuItiveness. 
Yes, Andy's lab and bench is a work of art.  He will certainly be missed.  RIP Andy