What a shock! I had lunch with Bob in Las Vegas last month. He will be missed on the air and in our memories. He was one of the nice guys!
Dennis, K7FL On Sat, Jun 27, 2026 at 3:49 PM TreeN6TR via Topband <[email protected]> wrote: > It is with profound sadness that I report that W7RH has become a silent key > per a Facebook post from his wife (see below). > > Bob was one of the last few CW operators from the West Coast that was still > very active on the band. That reduces the number of active West Coast > stations (outside of contests) to perhaps one or two. > > Tree N6TR > > It is with great sadness to report that my beloved husband, best friend, > father and grandfather. Bob Kile has passed away as of 6/21/2026. I will > truly miss his tender heart that he kept so private. Thank you for giving > me a loving, secure life to share with you. > > Some of his final pleasures was traveling to Europe where he admired old > world culture and explored his passion for wonderful, authentic Italian > cuisine. > > If there was one passion that defined Bob's life, it was amateur radio. > Licensed in 1966 during his teenage years under the callsign WA7GCI, then > later as KG7D and in 2005 W7RH. Amateur radio was never just a hobby—it was > his life's work outside of work. It was where he built, experimented, > solved problems, connected with people around the world, and found > tremendous joy. > > Over the decades, Bob created a lowband remote station in Northern Arizona, > grid DM35 that reflected his dedication to the hobby. 160 cw Contesting & > DXing was his passion, with numerous wins in contesting generally running > single op low power and also contributing in multi op contesting as well > with other ham friends. Antennas became a familiar part of the landscape, > and weekends were often spent at the ranch where he had his remote station > set up, where another project, another improvement, or another contact was > always waiting. Please visit his webpage that he created W7RH.net or > QRZ.com for more info on Bob & his remote site. > > "See you on Top Band..." > _________________ > Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband > Reflector > _________________ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector
