Sad news that my 97+ year old uncle Robert Glasser, ex VK3QA & VK3DRG, has died after a fall at home. Robert was my first exposure to the ham radio hobby which has been a much loved part of my life. He had a tilt-over tower in the back yard (which he referred to as "my erection") with a beam for 20m when I was a child.
It's a credit to his kids, my cousins, Tracey and Paul, that Robert was able to stay at his home (with visiting carers) until just about the end. I know he appreciated that very much.
I would visit every few months when in Melbourne to catch up with friends and he was always excited to see me and hear about the evolution of ham radio technology. Once I dropped in on the way back from the Rosebud Radiofest and gave him a copy of the 1956 ARRL Handbook. He leafed through it and exclaimed "nothing's changed!".
On another visit I brought along an IC-705 and showed him the waterfall display. He was impressed.
In later years he had a 2m radio but rarely was on air.
Robert, and his wife my dear aunt Peggy (who was an amazing person in her own right and the subject of this ABC program), were always kind and encouraging to me as a child and rather lost teenager.
I asked Robert about his ham radio history during a visit in 2025.
Robert got his amateur licence when he was seventeen. You had to have morse code which he had known from childhood. The morse test “wasn’t too much of a problem for me”. 15 words per minute. People would buy tapes, punch tapes, to learn the code.
Callsign was W6HWA “Hard working American”
An early transceiver he owned was a Hallicrafters SR-150. He may have had a Collins KWM-1.
He had a three element beam for 20, 40 and 80m.
At Albany road he had a tilt-over tower with a beam that did 20 and 10m.
At seventeen, Robert lived in California.
Robert had contacts both locally and overseas. Mostly just calling CQ rather than regular nets.
I showed Robert a QMX transceiver. He was amazed at the size and the fact that it did multiple bands including 80m.
We discussed the difficulty of soldering to enamelled wire used to wind toroids.
We discussed QST magazine and the ARRL.
Robert moved to Australia in 1950. He rattled off a series of addresses in California where he had lived.
We discussed WSPR beaconing and low power operation. There had been a large solar flare in the last few days.
Robert commented “how times have changed!”.
Henry Radio was a shop he used.
Robert asked if the ham radio license is easy to get these days. We discussed the levels and the fact that tests are now multiple choice rather than essay.
“A lot of water has gone under the bridge”.
Robert’s dad was a real estate broker in California. Mainly houses. Beverly Hills. Beachside communities.
I mentioned the Palisades where there have been fires. Robert said he lived there at one point but got out in time.
Robert’s older brother had married a girl from Melbourne and he came out to visit his brother. His brother was nine years older. He introduced Robert to Peg who he used to produce on radio. Robert just stayed in Australia after that. He can’t even recall going home for a visit (but he must have).
“Time marches on, we’re all getting older.”
Farewell dear Robert. I will always remember you. Ex W6HWA , VK3QA & VK3DRG SK.
