Bill-W3DUQ now a Silent Key

[WD8BIL]

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.

[W2PFY]

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.........

[WB4AIO]

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.

[W3GMS]

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         

[WB4AIO]

[...]

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.

[N2DTS]

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.

[Steve - K4HX]

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.

[Steve - K4HX]

Uncle Willy in the early 2002s.

[Good-Dog]

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

[W3FJJ]

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

[N2DTS]

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...

[W1RC]

Wow, another legendary figure gone.  Never met him but listened to him many times over the years.   Definitely knew his stuff.  Sad - a great loss.  I am sorry he never made it to Deerfield.

RIP Bill.

73,

MrMike, W1RC

[wa2pjp]

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

[Tim WA1HnyLR]

 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

[W2PFY]

Will it be streamed?

[W1DAN]

Sorry to hear of Bill's passing.

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

Dan

[W2PFY]

Will it be streamed?

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

[W3RSW]

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.  

[Steve - K4HX]

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).

[W2PFY]

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?

[Steve - K4HX]

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.

[W2PFY]

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

thanks

[Steve - K4HX]

Sent you a PM OM.

[Steve - K4HX]

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

[K2PG]

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