Month: March 2019

Yesterday we received the very sad news that George Dobbs, G3RJV has died.

I think it is no exaggeration to say that with George’s passing, we have lost our spiritual and philosophical leader. The founder of the G-QRP Club and Editor of our beloved SPRAT journal, George took his strong technical skills and his talent for writing and combined it with the wisdom about life that came from his religious vocation. He was a prolific writer and speaker, and in all his work you will find a unique combination of the technical and the philosophical. Not only did he teach us how to build our own rigs, but he taught us why we should build them.

We talk a lot about tribal knowledge — George was definitely the source of much of that. But he went beyond that and also became a major source of what we can call tribal wisdom. He was one of our tribal elders. Instead of speaking to the tribe around a roaring fire, George spoke to us through SPRAT, through articles in other ham magazines, through his books, and through his talks at rallies and hamventions, many of which have been preserved in YouTube videos. George’s friend Tony Fishpool sent us the one embedded below.

We are of course very sad to see George go, but we can all take comfort in the fact that he will — through his writings and through his recorded talks — remain with us. For years to come people who feel a strange urge to build their own radio equipment will find themselves reading George’s work or listening to recordings of his melodious voice. They will find there not only the needed technical information, but also the encouragement and tribal wisdom needed to carry on. There will be a bit of George Dobbs in all their rigs. In that way G3RJV will stay on the air. And I know that George would be delighted by that.

73 G3RJV.

Yesterday we received the very sad news that George Dobbs, G3RJV has died.

I think it is no exaggeration to say that with George’s passing, we have lost our spiritual and philosophical leader. The founder of the G-QRP Club and Editor of our beloved SPRAT journal, George took his strong technical skills and his talent for writing and combined it with the wisdom about life that came from his religious vocation. He was a prolific writer and speaker, and in all his work you will find a unique combination of the technical and the philosophical. Not only did he teach us how to build our own rigs, but he taught us why we should build them.

We talk a lot about tribal knowledge — George was definitely the source of much of that. But he went beyond that and also became a major source of what we can call tribal wisdom. He was one of our tribal elders. Instead of speaking to the tribe around a roaring fire, George spoke to us through SPRAT, through articles in other ham magazines, through his books, and through his talks at rallies and hamventions, many of which have been preserved in YouTube videos. George’s friend Tony Fishpool sent us the one embedded below.

We are of course very sad to see George go, but we can all take comfort in the fact that he will — through his writings and through his recorded talks — remain with us. For years to come people who feel a strange urge to build their own radio equipment will find themselves reading George’s work or listening to recordings of his melodious voice. They will find there not only the needed technical information, but also the encouragement and tribal wisdom needed to carry on. There will be a bit of George Dobbs in all their rigs. In that way G3RJV will stay on the air. And I know that George would be delighted by that.

73 G3RJV.