John Birkett, G8OPP 30th April 2022

John owned one of the last surplus electronics shops at 25 The Strait, Lincoln called simply J Birkett. Opened in 1960, John supplied generations of radio amateurs with hard to get radio components. If you visited the shop you could find a vast range of new and secondhand equipment, including vintage/military/commercial/amateur radios, wireless and test equipment, aircraft instruments, microphones, amplifiers, speakers, wire and cables, aerials and various types of antenna, batteries, bulbs, audio accessories and literature. He was a regular at many amateur radio rallies for years. You could always find that ‘I’ve been looking for one of those’ components.

Over the years, his shop, which was much larger than it looked from the outside and an absolute ‘gold mine’, was a gathering place for like minded people – amateurs and professional, experimenters, developers and those building new and innovative electronic devices.

John passed away peacefully in the Lincoln County Hospital on 30 April 2022 aged 93 years.

Our thoughts are with his family and the wider amateur radio community who will miss John greatly.

Category: Silent Keys