Silent Keys

The Society regrets to record the passing of the following members.

	Findlay Baxter GM3VEY Findlay Baxter GM3VEY passed away on Wednesday 5th November 2025. Findlay had been a member of Aberdeen ARS for nearly 60 years and held honorary membership, presented by then president, Eddie Munro MM0MUN. He worked as a senior manager at both Grampian and Tayside health boards. During his time in the Dundee area he, along with Derek Coupar (GM3YVX - SK), founded the Kingsway Technical College Amateur Radio Club (now known as the Dundee Amateur Radio Club) in 1970. He had started running classes for the Radio Amateur Examination at the college in October 1969. Findlay was honoured with the RSGB Jack Wylie Trophy in 1972 for his outstanding contribution to the amateur radio community in Scotland. After his time in Tayside, he moved to Cults where he built an impressive amateur radio station with a tower and HF Yagi. He was a keen DX'er and worked many rare DX stations on both CW and SSB. Findlay was a GB2RS news reader on 80m SSB (along with Jim McCall GM3HGA- SK) for the Aberdeen area for many decades. The net which followed the GB2RS news was a Sunday morning institution for hams across NE Scotland on 3640kHz. He was also a founder member of the Grampian Repeater Group, who in 1979, installed the first 2m repeater in NE Scotland, GB3GN. Findlay was often heard on GB3GN in QSO with his good friends, Sandy Anderson GM3BCL (SK) and Sandy Duncan GM3DZB (SK). Findlay was the driving force of Aberdeen ARS efforts in RSGB National Field Day, held annually on the first weekend in June. Using his contacts in the construction industry, he managed to have portacabins, generators and scaffold masts delivered to remote country locations. These made for impressive NFD stations for Aberdeen ARS. Findlay was still active on HF CW until a few years ago and enjoyed taking part in some of the short RSGB CW evening contests. Findlay leaves behind his wife Norma (also a licenced ham - GM8RFO), daughter Janine and her family.
	Ian Munro GM4GVK Ian Munro GM4GVK passed away on Saturday 14th June 2025 after a short illness. Ian was a member of Aberdeen A R S for many decades and was a very familiar face at club meetings. He was a very keen home constructor of QRP HF equipment using his skills gained after a long career in TV broadcasting. He was always happy to advise newcomers on their construction projects also and was never without a smile or short of encouragement to others. He could be regularly heard on the HF bands on CW from his home in the West of Aberdeen with modest antennas. He did many talks for the society and is much missed by the membership.
	Norman MacKenzie GM3WIJ Norman Mackenzie GM3WIJ passed away at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary on Tuesday 14th January 2025.
	Nigel Paterson GM4JOJ Nigel passed away on the 21st November 2024. Although he had been a club member for only a few years the contribution he made was very significant. He was a very private person but very much enjoyed the club nets and whenever anyone wanted an on-air test of some gear or an antenna, Nigel would oblige. He delivered numerous informative talks at our Thursday meetings and was always willing to help individual members who had technical issues with gear. Nigel was not a DX hunter but very willing to work any members who were contesting so that their points total was boosted. His operating interests spread over HF, VHF and UHF bands. The fact that he was located in a rare square (IO97) made him a popular target station when the VHF/UHF bands came alive. One of Nigel’s passions was to restore and operate hybrid transceivers from the 1970s era. Indeed, he had the reputation for completing detailed refurbishments of such gear, much of which is working extremely well now with those who have been fortunate enough to acquire it. Nigel had a large collection of Morse keys (mostly straight) of all different designs. Although he could read CW, sent at a very respectable speed, he was reluctant to go on the key. Nigel had a very well-equipped station geared for, not only operating, but also constructing and testing. His knowledge of special computing techniques allowed him to develop a very comprehensive website for AARS. For this Nigel, we will be eternally grateful. In his garage sat a jeep which he treasured and took to a number of Aberdeenshire classic vehicle shows. He won several trophies at these events due to the time and effort he devoted to the jeep in order to keep it in excellent and roadworthy condition. All in all the Club has lost a very well respected and competent member.
	Tony Thomasson GM0GAT Tony passed away on Tuesday July 30th 2024 aged 78 years. First licensed in England in 1964 at 18 years old as G8AHT (one of the first Class-B licensees - UHF voice only operation was permitted). In early 1970's Tony worked in Middle East and for a short while after passing Morse Test held the call MP4DAX operating from Das Island (under jurisdiction of Abu Daubi) in Persian/Arabian Gulf. In the early 1980's Tony returned to UK and passed UK Morse Code test at 12wpm and got the callsign GM0GAT (Good Auld Tony). Tony used to work as electronic technician the oil industry until 1985, then moved in to higher/further education. He was employed by Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, Scotland for 20 years until Sept 2007.
	Robert Duncan 2M1HRS Robert Duncan 2M1HRS passed away on Saturday, 25th May 2024 Robert was a popular and well respected member of the Society. He will be remembered by many when he lived in Faulds Gate, Kincorth before moving to the Buckie area to be nearer to his family. His membership spanned many years during which time he held the office of Secretary and subsequently was elected as the Society's President for 2003-2004. Unfortunately due to poor health, Robert had been unable to be active on-air for a few years but many members will recall having a QSO with Robert in the past.
	Malcolm Bolton GM0DBW Malcolm Bolton GM0DBW (ex GM6AXU) passed away on Wednesday, 18th August 2021 aged 71 years. Malcolm was a member of the Society at various times over the years but was also well known and respected in the Aberdeen area through his enthusiasm for the hobby and from his work with young people as a musician and music teacher. He very much enjoyed amateur radio contesting and achieved excellent results in many major contests. In the ten years before his death, Malcolm regularly traveled to Cornwall during the summer to visit the Poldhu Amateur Radio Club and to operate at the Marconi Centre station (GB2GM), where he had made many friends. He will be greatly missed by all those who knew him, whether here in the north-east or further afield.
	Iain Drysdale GM3TYS Iain Drysdale GM3TYS passed away in May 2021. Iain was a popular member of the Aberdeen Amateur Radio Society and he will be greatly missed by all of the members who knew him. Iain was also a member of the RNARS.
	Jim McCall GM3HGA Jim McCall GM3HGA passed away on Friday 26th February 2021. Jim was a valued and popular member of the Aberdeen Amateur Radio Society for many years. He was also an enthusiastic local newsreader for the RSGB's GB2RS news service, a role which he carried out for 40 years. After his wife passed away in 2016, Jim had moved south to Seven Oaks in Kent to be nearer to his family. Photo shown was taken in 1972
	James MacKinnon GM4EKC James MacKinnon GM4EKC passed away peacefully on Wednesday 28th October 2020 aged 90 years. Jim was a keen member of the Aberdeen Amateur Radio Society for many years and will be sadly missed by the Society's membership. During his career, Jim was a Radio Officer at sea and served on several Greek vessels, which led to him becoming a fluent Greek speaker. Later in his career, he was the chief Morse examiner for the Grampian region and a lecturer in Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Aberdeen College where he also taught Morse on the Radio Officer courses. After a private funeral service in Aberdeen, James went to the Isle of Barra for burial.