John P Slater, G8FMJ, 21 August 2014

John Slater, G8FMJ

August 21st 2014 will be remembered as the day all his friends at Worthing and District Amateur Radio Club lost their President and fellow club member of many years.

John was taken to hospital as an emergency admission on Monday 18th and was diagnosed as having suffered a brain haemorrhage; he did not recover consciousness and passed away on Thursday 21st.

John was licensed as G8FMJ in 1971 a few years after starting work in the family business, Slaters Television, run by his late father Al Slater, G3FXB. This was a job for life and, having taken over running the business when Al retired, he had sold the shop this year in the process of going into retirement. All the plans were made, but he never managed to achieve the goal of having time for himself and family, together with spending more ‘radio time’.

The early years of G8FMJ were spent on VHF and, with the licence changes in 2003, John was then to be heard on the HF bands. 80m became a passion and he was always to be heard taking part in the 80m Club Championships plus sprints and other contests. This year (2014) he was looking forward to attending the RSGB Convention to collect his trophies. John had been working with the club to achieve a better performance in the SSB Field Day and last year the result of the work came to fulfilment with First Place in the restricted section for G3WOR/P. His personal efforts were to be rewarded for winning the SSB ROPOCO contest using the G4DAA ‘Channel Contest Group’ club call, plus he was to receive the Verulam Silver Jubilee Trophy for the highest placed error-free log.

Our thoughts are with his family and friends.

Tribute by Phil Godbold, G4UDU,
Chairman, WADARC

Category: Silent Keys