N5NTG | 
04 23rd, 2019| 
With Heavy Hearts we are sadden to report the passing of a fixture to the 147.380 repeater. W8SYD, Byron passed early Monday Morning. Survived by His Wife Christy and children. We will keep up to date once arrangements/memorial service has been made.
There will not be any public services.
SILENT KEY – W8SYD – Byron’s history
Started in Barberton, Summit County, Ohio with WN8SYD August 4, 1954 at the age of 12. My elmers were my Dad (electronics guy but nonham) and W8KAY who ran a KW on 144.300 CW for decades. I guess he was responsible for putting CW in my head forever. First rig was a Philmore NT-200 kit 6L6 (25w), an old S-40 with HBAVC, S-Meter & Q-multplier, 450 ft long wire at 50 ft., and a knife switch for T-R.
Mom was licensed WN8SYE at same time. Her station was upstairs NC-125, HB 2E26 A@30W AM and 8 half-waves in phase at 60 ft on 2M and a TBS-50D on 6m and a 4-el Yagi at 40ft.
1955 Built Johnson Ranger, HB 3-807s@2KV 811A mods, @ 500W AM. Sat for the General with the infamous FCC Engineer W8DX at one of the first Dayton Hamventions at the Dayton Biltmore Hotel in 1955. Received W8SYD May 5, 1955 and now attend Dayton regularly. Was active on AM & CW in the 50s, SSB & CW in the 60s (back in the days of phonepatches and traffic nets with real traffic). 1960 converted 807s/801s to 3-400Zs/810s to KW AM and 2KW SSB. In ’66 went into the USAF, travelled, had kids, etc. So was inactive for a while, but I’m back!! Rigs became SDRs, 3-500Zs and towers and beams.
Have had several enjoyable careers: Radar Intercept Controller (Man & SAGE) USAF Electronic Warfare, Electronics & Computer Programming, DoD contractor, then scrapped my techie hat and pay, to become a Clinical Social Worker, and the friendly neighborhood shrink.[g] Retire 2 years ago due to med problems. Now back to age 12 and on air 24/7.
2015 Equipment: SDR-1000, SDRTEC WonderRadio, FT-100D, TS-930S, NCX-3, Drake 4C Twins, NC-300, Ranger I, S-40, HW-16 and lots of other STUFF. Several 2m / 70cm rigs. LK-500ZC and SB-220 Amps. Homebrew 4-1000As in progress. Several HTs.
Antennas: A4S, 160m G5RV, 5el on 6m, 22el on 2, 5 el on 1.25, 27el on 70cm. 6m and 10m vert. 144/440 multi-el vert collinear. All are on a recently added 100′ Aluma crank up. old tower 40ft homebrew (1957) tiltover with 50 ft pushup out the top.) Also have 80m and 40m NVIS beams.
Software Defined Radio (SDR) is everything I everdreamed about as a kid (the penultimate rig). Computer software and SDR make everything possible. I acquired a WonderRadio (SDR-1000 clone) to develop some new ideas.
