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Eugene M. 'Marcus' Barnes Austin, TX QCWA # 11179 Chapter 67 |
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First Call: WN5TGV Other Calls: W5TGV VP5ME
Eugene Marcus Barnes III (Marcus), 82, died peacefully in his sleep Sunday, April 30, 2018, at his home in Austin.
The son of Cecil and Marylee (Payne) Barnes, he was born in 1935 in San Angelo, Texas. He graduated from San Angelo High School in 1954 and attended San Angelo College. He went on to serve four years in the U.S. Navy, and later attended Texas Tech University, receiving a B.S. in electrical engineering in 1965. Marcus worked for twenty-five years at the Lower Colorado River Authority. Following his retirement, he enjoyed pursuing his many interests. He was involved with the Jung Society of Austin, INACS, and the Antique Wireless Association. He was a longtime ham radio operator, having obtained his license in his teens. He had a passion for trains and rail travel, riding his bike, history, linguistics, and photography and loved many kinds of music, from classical to conjunto. Marcus was truly one-of-a-kind and will be deeply missed by his family and friends.
He is survived by his daughter, Jennifer Barnes-Worsham and her husband John Worsham of Austin, daughter Melinda Barnes of Portland, Maine, sisters Mary Albright of Dallas and Rebecca Ricci of San Angelo, and grandchildren Louella and Ira Worsham of Austin. He also leaves behind a nephew, four nieces and nine great nephews and nieces.
A memorial service will be held at First Unitarian Universalist Church of Austin on Saturday, June 16 at 11 am
A radio ham since 1951 at age 15 as W5TGV (9 months a novice), I got my W5CN call in 1976.
Doing much traffic handling in the 1950s, I was Net Control Station for the NTX CW net, and made Brass Pounder's League a couple of times. 'Also got the ARRL CP-35 WPM endorsement.
When operating VP5ME (Grand Turk Island) 1959-60, I had third-highest world score (CW, single-op) in the 1960 ARRL DX Contest (see QST Oct 1960).
And I'm still on the air with a 1950s Vibroplex Blue Racer bug and J-38 straight key.
Active on all bands, 100-watts CW, I've got mixed-band DXCC plus a bunch, and a 160-meter WAS and WAC. With 55 top-band DX confirmations yet to go, my goal is a 160-meter, 100-watt, DXCC. .
Various affilations are lifetime ARRL & QCWA memberships, CW Fists Club (#8281), IEEE Historical Society, Antique Wireless Association, The International Bioelectromagnetics Society, Association For Psychological Type, Sierra Club, and a trustee for Institute for Neuroscience & Consciousness Studies.
An 8-year Navy veteran, and a Registered P.E. (inactive), with an FCC commercial licence, I'm 90% retired from a 32-year career in electric utility engineering & 60-Hz EMF health effects, but do occasional consulting.
Other passions & pursuits include; radio & electrical antiquities, occasional womanizing, abstract art, train riding to big cities, bel canto opera, contemplative & fantasy daydreaming, biking, philosophical inquiry, essay writing, and compulsive junk collecting.
ANTENNAS at W5CN
30m through 160m -- 180ft (55m) twin-cage doublet 80ft (25m) high at center, 60ft(18m) high at ends with 2ft (.6m) diameter end hats fed with 400ft(122m) homebrew open-wire line of #10 copper -- shack is a long way from tower
20m through 10m --12-element log periodic beam atop 62ft (19m) windmill tower, fed with homebrew open-wire line & no balun
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