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Well-Known Contester, DXer Dies in Fall from
Tower
 Steve Miller, N8SM. |
NEWINGTON, CT, Jun 17, 2003--Well-known contester and DXer Steve
Miller, N8SM (ex-WD8IXE), of Prosper, Texas, died June 15 as a result of a fall
while working on his Amateur Radio tower. He was 38. An ARRL member, Miller had
extensive experience in tower work and antenna installation. With the
assistance of several other hams, Miller had erected a 136-foot tower on his
property and installed several antennas as part of his overall effort to build
a competitive contesting station. Details of the mishap that claimed his life
were not available.
ARRL antenna guru Dean Straw, N6BV--who had corresponded with Miller on several topics--was
among those expressing shock and sadness at his death. "Steve was always most responsive, and he always had the most intelligent
comments and questions concerning whatever technical topic we were
discussing," said Straw. "I will miss his innate, contagious enthusiasm." Straw
said that he and Miller shared an interest in computer modeling and terrain
assessment, and that Miller was a beta tester for antenna software that will be
included this fall in the latest edition of The ARRL Antenna Book.
First licensed as WD8IXE in 1977 at the age of 12, Miller--an Ohio
native--enjoyed contesting and DXing. He was routinely active during the CW
weekends of the CQ World Wide, ARRL International DX and ARRL November
Sweepstakes events. He also operated as J68AG from St Lucia in the Caribbean
and participated in a few DXpeditions, including several stints as a member of
the J6DX team in the 1980s and 1990s. He was an ARRL DXCC Honor Roll member,
with 332 entities confirmed (mixed).
In addition to ARRL, Miller belonged to the North Texas Contest Club and 10-10 International. In addition to ham
radio, he enjoyed playing jazz saxophone.
Miller worked for Texas Instruments as part of its broadband wireless
access group in Dallas. He'd previously held positions with Raytheon and with
Mission Research Corporation. He held a master's degree from Ohio State
University.
Survivors include his wife, Radhicar, and their young daughter, Elise.
A memorial service is set for Thursday, June 19, 2 PM, at Turrentine-Jackson-Morrow Funeral Home, 8520 Main
Street, Frisco, Texas. Visitation is Wednesday, June 18, 7-9 PM.
Page last modified: 01:14 PM, 17 Jun 2003 ET
Page author: awextra@arrl.org
Copyright © 2003, American Radio Relay League, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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