Silent Keys Remembered
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Bobby Corcoran/GM3HZA was originally from Greenock (Renfrewshire)
and
Bobby was one of these fellows who enjoyed building and working on the inside of gear. His latest project was always the best thing since sliced bread - unless, of course, it worked first time, in which case it was a load of rubbish 'cos it must have been too easy! In recent years he did concede something to the commercial world when he introduced to his shack a "modern" Sommerkamp FT250! When he reached the young age of 60 Bobby packed in his lecturing
and went back to sea for a few years as a Radio Officer on the ferries
serving Scotland's Western Isles. Having received this on the grapevine
I, while on night shift as a Radio Officer at Wick Radio/GKR, determined
which ship Bobby was on from one of the other ferries (Suilven/GULA)
when it passed in its TR for its 0530 sailing. A couple of hours later
I heard GMOV (Hebrides) passing its TR to Bobby kept himself superbly fit and could often be seen, in his home area or in the vicinity of one of the ferry ports, covering many miles in his touring tricycle. When the temporary coast radio station Lewis Radio was active from the Butt of Lewis, the staff there often received Sunday visits from Bobby and his trike (Sunday being the Sabbath the ferries did not sail) which he would have ridden from either Stornoway (about 1 hour away BY CAR) or Tarbert (2 hours away by car)! Bobby often joined in a daily 0900 80m net where I was able to keep in touch with him. Just a couple of weeks ago another ex-student of his who is now resident in G-land and working abroad, had a chat with Bobby on this net and said he would be making his way up to GM to visit Bobby after his next overseas stint - he'll be a sad man when he returns and finds an old friend and mentor gone.
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