WB2CJL, Sk
Robert Dow, one of WNYDXA’s founders and an early President went QRT on Thanksgiving of 1995, at his home, with his family and grandchildren.
Bob was licensed originally as WN2CJL and quickly upgraded to WB2CJL, which he held for the remainder of his life. He recalled some of his original equipment as a model 29 Teletype machine and fondly remembered a Genave 2 meter rock bound transceiver.
He held “court” daily at DiPaulo’s Pizzeria and was joined by many members of the club there. His handheld could be heard above the din of the noise of the pizzeria, letting all know what DX was on at any particular time. Many members remember piling into someone’s car to run back to Bob’s house to work one DX expedition or another. His chosen modes of operation were cw and rtty, holding honor roll on rtty at a time when it was a very difficult proposition and he was on a genuine first name basis with many of the rtty ops around the world. Bob will be remembered by all for his sense of fair play and gentleness in carrying out the purpose of the club, namely, assisting members in working DX or increasing their cw dx-ing proficiency. He was often heard on 2 meters coaching and helping others with the weak ones. “Now! Call Em Now!” was often heard on the repeater or on simplex. When the bands were slow, he could be heard working Japanese Kens, in numerical order, or working Oblasts in the Soviet Union.
Bob will be remembered and missed as a friend and dx-er! -… _._
