It is with great sadness and regret that I report the passing of Bruce R. Knox, W8GN. Bruce passed away suddenly on March 31st at the age of 49. He is survived by his wife Susan and children.
Born in Rochester, NY, Bruce relocated to the Greater Cleveland area during the late 70's and built several successful businesses. At the time of his death he was President/CEO of MDTelecom, Inc., Sirius Technologies and RF Applications. His interest in Amateur Radio was inspired by his father Robert S. Knox, W2IEW, Professor of Physics Emeritus at the University of Rochester.
I met Bruce shortly after he relocated to Cleveland but it was not until the late 80's that his interest in Amateur Radio had reach critical mass. I proctored his Novice Exam in 1989 and not surprisingly he quickly earned his Extra Class license a short time later.
An avid contester with a love of CW, Bruce somehow managed to find the time to contest with the crew at K8AZ, at N8BC for Field Day and from home during the California QSO Party - probably his favorite contest. For a number of years he was very active in the Lake County, Ohio ARC (LCARA) serving in a number of capacities over the years.
Always interested in sharing the hobby with others, Bruce went out of his way to mentor young people who showed any interest in Amateur Radio, electronics or computers. Several times we set up gear and antennas at Boy Scout of America events. He encouraged several of his employees to become Hams as well and was quick to "loan" equipment in order to help get a new Ham on the air.
Bruce's father had let his license expire a number of years ago and as a result of the gentle prodding that only a son can apply, his Dad again took up the hobby and eventually obtained his original call, W2IEW. Bruce took great pride in his father's renewed interest in the hobby.
Much more can be written about Bruce's business acumen and passion for the hobby. And for many that was the only side of this talented individual that was known. Please know that his wife and family were the true joys in his life.
BK, You will be missed!
Dit dah dit dah dit dah dit dah de WA8RJF Tony Emanuele
73 Bruce. It was a pleasure doing business with you and your beloved RF Applications. The VFD wattmeter series is legendary.
As an active contester you were well known and will be missed. You built a very nice station and you had accomplished some ground breaking feats with your short 80m vertical array. I will miss seeing you in the log. 73 OM...........Jay, WX0B
Bruce, worked his heart out every day.
It was a pleasure to do business with him and his beloved RF Applications. The VFD wattmeter series has become a legend in digital wattmeters.
Bruce build a very competitive contest station and his work on his 80m short vertical array is ground breaking in that it worked so well.
I will miss seeing your call in the logs OM
73........Jay, WX0B
I was also sad to to hear of the passing of Bruce Knox W8GN. As an employee of Bruce for a number of years,he was a great inspiration to me in the workplace and out. I will be forever greatful to him especially for the
encouragment and mentoring to become an amateur radio operator. My prayers go out to the Knox family.
THANKS BRUCE &73 Ray Salem
KC8FMG