Blown Away Bob

[KB2WIG]

" how did he get the name "blown away Bob" "

I don't know the specifics, but,  if you listened to him,  he   sounded   a      little      out         there.


klc

[W2PFY]

" how did he get the name "blown away Bob" "

The way I heard it, he went to a party and was drinking electric kool aid. When the first dose didn't kick in, he did a massive amount and was never right after that. Electric kool aid is otherwise know as LSD.   

[Opcom]

LSD? yeesh. Zombies! Yikes!

[KB2WIG]

So, he failed the Electric Kool Aid acid test.


klc

[k4kyv]

That may have happened, but I'm not sure acid is what did in his brain. The first time I ever met him, he had this peculiar smell about him that reminded me of dry-cleaning fluid.  Then a few years later he took a cross country motorcycle trip and dropped in for a visit while I was living in Houston. Turned out he was sniffing pure industrial grade toluene, which explained the smell.  He carried it with him in a small metal can, and would saturate a sock, then lie down and breathe through the sock.  He told me he started using it while he was working at G.E. years earlier. Said he first tried it as an experiment because he "was always interested in scientific things". If anyone got curious, he would explain that he carried it for cleaning the motorcycle fuel system in case of a crap-out on the side of the road. He seemed to think it was harmless, but it was obvious to everyone around him that it was rotting his brain. At times something would snap and he could get downright scary. A few years later, he stopped by here for a visit while on another motorcycle trip, and appeared to be off the stuff. But it was quite evident that the damage had been permanent.

That Houston visit could be the subject of a long story in itself, which I won't relate here.

[N2udf]

I remember Bob checking all his appliances with a plug in wattmeter to determine which one was responsible for his "high" electric bill."I know it can't be the electric stove, I only use it to cook with".....Lee,N2udf

[WA1GFZ]

The first time I saw blown away he was sitting on th eground at Deerfield in a heavy P&M. I viewed him as a loser living off his parents.

[K1JJ]

I admire that Bob went out and got his BSEE degree.  While I was out chasing women in the bars, he was slugging it out at the university...

I guess he was pretty sharp earlier on.

T

[W2PFY]

I remember Bob checking all his appliances with a plug in watt meter to determine which one was responsible for his "high" electric bill."I know it can't be the electric stove, I only use it to cook with".....Lee,N2udf

I think he may have been at least a runner up for the King OF Old Buzzards. I think he could go one hour without pausing for a drink of water. The only other person close would be MTZ down in CT.

I didn't know that he was sniffing toluene? The story I referenced was from reliable people so if may have been a combination. When I visited him, he was very cordial and showed me around.

The modulator transformers and 833A tubes were sitting open on top of two by fours and rocks as I remember. He had a collection of antique radios in the attic that were the most pristine examples I had ever seen. All had their original speakers. I didn't hear any of them operate but they probably did. As far as living off his parents or even living with them, I think they were long dead and he used to say he was living with his parent as some sort of security blanket.

[k4kyv]

After I had moved to Houston, or back here, can't remember which, I talked to Bob a few times on 75 while he was on a UFO kick.  He claimed to have accidentally stumbled onto some inside information that was being covered up by the US government, but he had found out about a source of the truth in Denmark. He was planning to travel to Denmark to meet with the person and get hold of the real deal, so he could blow the lid off the whole thing and make a splash world-wide. When I asked him about it some time later, he said he was still in the process of gathering up the funds to make the trip.

The first time I ever encountered him was while living in Cambridge, around 1974. I had never heard of him, till he appeared out of nowhere on the air one afternoon with a needle-pinning strapping signal. This was about the time that Docket 20777 had first been released, Johnny Johnston's regulation-by-bandwidth proposal that would have eliminated AM on all frequencies below 28.5 mc/s. The subject came up in our conversation, and I explained to him what the docket was proposing.  He responded, "They can't to that! I carved this rig out of solid steel with my bare hands." Apparently he had cut the meter holes and other holes in 1/4" thick steel rack panels using hand tools.

But Timtron told me that he got downright nasty after the alleged AM power reduction had gone into effect.  He reportedly was threatening to report to the FeeCee all the AM stations that were still rolling into his QTH with the same signal strength as before. This was in 1990. I never heard him say that myself, since by that time he was getting on the air only during the daytime. I don't know what would have got him so pissed off at the rest of the AMers.

I remember when both his parents were still alive. First his father died, then a few years later, his mother.  I seem to recall hearing that she was a fatality in a car accident while he was driving, and it was declared his fault. If true, that probably pushed him even further off the deep end.

[K5UJ]

There should be a separate forum topic called something like "Remembering SKs" where all these reminiscences can be put so noobs like me can read about these guys.  Last night don and I worked Hoisy's son and I never knew Hoisey so I was kind of out of it.

[KA0HCP]

Upper left hand side of this page.  Tab that says "Late Notables".  

AM Forever also has (had) a dozen or so bios with photos and some videos.s


*Solvent sniffing is just one sad addiction because it goes straight to the brain and rots it.  There is no recovery.   People I've dealt with who were on that path I have begged them to switch to something safer like coke, mj or oxy.  hmm.

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

There already is, Rob. Check out 'Late Notables' in the sidebar menu.

But Timtron told me that he got downright nasty after the alleged AM power reduction had gone into effect.  He reportedly was threatening to report to the FeeCee all the AM stations that were still rolling into his QTH with the same signal strength as before.

I remember that, though I think everyone pretty much dismissed it as Bob being Bob: anything but the same on any given day.

Bob was the big, loud signal out of VT when I first got into AM. He was the first to carry the 'Voice of Vermont' moniker, assigned to him by Irb apparently. I ended up being referred to as such later after putting the KW-1 on the air by KC1BT (based on his work with WDEV 'Radio Vermont') and later Irb after Bob passed away.

As far as his vast collection of parts and gear, I recall some of it ended up getting ruined by being exposed to the wx. Irb contacted me on the air several times urging me to look into it, but I never liked being the one to initiate something like that as it seemed too much like the buzzards circling. I lived about 45 minutes away, so it wouldn't have been a big deal to drive down, and in retrospect - I should have. IIRC, a lot of it went to the dump.

He had a collection of antique radios in the attic that were the most pristine examples I had ever seen. All had their original speakers.

Some of that gear was very...special, for lack of a better description. It had come from an early university station from back in the days of the Trans-Atlantic tests and before. There was some discussion as to how he came into it since it was purported to be part of a museum collection, a moot point now. Bob was a character, and anything was possible when it came to him.

More???

"Tomatoes, Eggplant, and yyyyyyyYAAAMS"  *rattle*rattle*thump*thump*clunk*

"Been down at the VFW (or was it the Legion?) all day, had a few drinks. K1 Red Hot Kilowatt, Raymond, New Hampshire"

"Sgt Anderson here, who wants to know?"

If I can ever find my old logbook, there's a plethora of notes in it.

[W2PFY]

But Timtron told me that he got downright nasty after the alleged AM power reduction had gone into effect.  He reportedly was threatening to report to the FeeCee all the AM stations that were still rolling into his QTH with the same signal strength as before.

I heard him one day referring to Tim's 4X1 rig. He said something to the effect that "you can't tell me those 4X1's running orange to yellow plates are operation at 1500 pep!" or words close to that. He was on a mean streak that day.

He often talked to Irb, circa 1978. There seemed to be less jamming in those days. Jamming was at it's peak with about 20 carriers on Irb around 2002 on any given morning.   

[k4kyv]

As far as his vast collection of parts and gear, I recall some of it ended up getting ruined by being exposed to the wx. Irb contacted me on the air several times urging me to look into it, but I never liked being the one to initiate something like that as it seemed too much like the buzzards circling. I lived about 45 minutes away, so it wouldn't have been a big deal to drive down, and in retrospect - I should have. IIRC, a lot of it went to the dump.

The sad story of a lot of irreplaceable old stuff when the owner goes SK, and the people doing the clean-up and taking care of the estate think it is all worthless junk, or just don't care.  You should have checked it out.

From the way he described the place, he lived in an old 2 or 3 storey wood frame house that was on a city lot not much bigger than the footprint of the house.  He ran his antenna across his property and across the lawn next door to a tree on the property two doors down. Not sure if the owners gave him permission, or if he just strung up the antenna hoping they wouldn't notice.  I seem to remember he had some kind of hassle over the antenna, but in the end they let him keep it up.

[K5UJ]

There already is, Rob. Check out 'Late Notables' in the sidebar menu.

Okay thanks you all I will look at it.

<<<From the way he described the place, he lived in an old 2 or 3 storey wood frame house that was on a city lot not much bigger than the footprint of the house.  He ran his antenna across his property and across the lawn next door to a tree on the property two doors down. Not sure if the owners gave him permission, or if he just strung up the antenna hoping they wouldn't notice.  I seem to remember he had some kind of hassle over the antenna, but in the end they let him keep it up.>>>

There's no way in hell anyone would let a ham string an antenna over their property now. 

When I first got back on the air here about 11 years ago I started out with a guyed multi-band vertical and I vaguely knew where the property lines were but figured ballpark was good enough--if I was a foot one way or the other on the line who cares jeez, life is too short.  Well it turned out one anchor was about 18 inches over the property line into this corner of an  adjacent lot (just rocks and garbage back there).  Back then the house next door was a rental property and I came home one night to find a message on my answering machine from the landlord telling me I had two weeks to get my "antenna stake" on my property.  After that I got out the plat of survey and found exactly where my lines were and everything, guy screws, radials, all go right to the line and stop.   I've heard of hams sneaking wires on fences and up through trees and stuff like that but around here there are lots of lawyers.   

There's even a suburb I've heard about to the southeast of me where supposedly you have to get signed statements from neighbors saying it is okay with them for you to put up an antenna before the suburb will okay it.   Guess what your chances are of getting everyone to sign those.  That one is just waiting to go to court but the thing is, all these towns bank on most hams just giving up or moving somewhere else, which is perfectly okay with them I bet.  They probably know what they are doing is against PRB-1 but will bully hams as long as they can get away with it.

[W1UJR]

Any recorded audio on this fellow?
Sounds like I missed a real interesting character.

[W2PFY]

YEP, Right here in the audio vault. Looks like you sent it in.

AKA K1AJL

http://amfone.net/index.php?ind=media&op=file_view&iden=224

[w1vtp]

<snip>
From the way he described the place, he lived in an old 2 or 3 storey wood frame house that was on a city lot not much bigger than the footprint of the house.  He ran his antenna across his property and across the lawn next door to a tree on the property two doors down. Not sure if the owners gave him permission, or if he just strung up the antenna hoping they wouldn't notice.  I seem to remember he had some kind of hassle over the antenna, but in the end they let him keep it up.

Bob lived in a two storey house, on a side street just off Rte 4 in Rutland, just before Rte 4 took a sharp right and went down the hill - West street (right by my home church).  Yes, he was pleasant enough and the rest of the house seemed pretty well kept up and neat. But his bedroom / shack was a real mess.  I won't go any further.  I saw the operating position and went downstairs to view his amazing power supply / modulator.

Damn shame he did drugs and passed away before his time.

Al

[Steve - K4HX]

Anyone remember WRFH and the promo's to send in money!  Oh, can't forget when Jessie bought Bill- DUQ station after Bill lost his license for a year! 

[Steve - K4HX]

Then you have Jessie, when he was parachute mobile on 75!  I'm tumbling-I'm tumbling! 

[KA0HCP]

Wowee zowee!

From a musical perspective that has got to be the lamest and most annoying march ever written!  r


Hearing the parachute jump; I feel like I went back in time for a historic event. Like hearing the Gettysburg Address or Washingtons inaugural speech.

[kb3ouk]

how in the world did they transmit from the parachute?

[Opcom]

Yes that march was terrible. No kidding! A reminder that all pirate radio was not the finest programming and could best be described as 'different'.

Parachuting with AM radio back then? It would be scary to hit the ground with a heavy AM rig on yer back but wasn't that what was done? Grab the gusto!

[Steve - K4HX]

He had a parabolic mic on the roof of his house and he yelled real loud.

how in the world did they transmit from the parachute?