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Tom is gone.
- 08-11-2007
- Dorfus Dippintush
August 11, 2007, 12:34 pm

Today I was reading a Silicon Chip magazine and I pondered about Tom
Moffat and what he was up to lately, since he always wrote fascinating
articles for the various magazines. Anyway, by pure coincidence I was
reading the WIA news on the radio newsgroups and I discovered that Tom
passed away on the 2nd of August.
I take my hat of to you Tom, you will be missed.
Dorfus
From the WIA news.
SILENT KEYS
The following tribute for Tom Moffat is from Brian VK7RR via VK7News
Tom was born in the United States of America. His father had contact
with Australia as he was involved with the design of the navigation
equipment for the Jindivik program in the 50's so it is no wonder
that Tom ended up out here. Tom obtained electronic qualifications
with the Bell Telephone Company for whom he worked until the
wanderlust hit him.
Tom passed away August 2 2007
He initially worked in Victoria, as Chief of Staff for GTV-9, moving
to Tasmania with his wife Gael, in the early 70's, whereupon he
became the Motorola sales and service agent for Tasmania.
Tom was involved with the first amateur television broadcast of the
weekly
news, the first mobile television broadcast in the southern
hemisphere, amateur or commercial and of course, the first VK7RHT.
Tom soon became one of the best known names in Australian amateur
circles through his monthly columns in various magazines, an interest
which became an occupation over the past ten years or so. Who will
forget Moffat's Madhouse and his monocle? Tom's optometrist made it
for him as he refused to wear reading glasses.
Tom was a highly intelligent person who had an instinct for new
technologies and took to computers like a duck to water. I wonder how
many people built his weather satellite decoder over the years? He
sold them in kit form and many yachties and amateurs were soon
checking their own weather, long before sound cards and DSP, hit the
scene.
He also built an experimental robot known as the Tasman Turtle as I
remember it.
Tom died peacefully on Tuesday evening, leaving Gael, his former
wife, who continued to care for him as much as he would let her, two
daughters, Jenny and Fiona, a son Steven and three grandchildren.
Farewell old friend.

Re: Tom is gone.

Fine articles.
Great projects.
The passing of another electronics enthusiast from the good "old school"
style where we got to read how it worked.
Sincerely saddening to hear of Tom's passing.
I'm sure he will be missed by all who knew him, read his articles or built
one of his projects.
R.I.P.
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