Roger Barker, G4IDE, Silent Key

It is with much sadness that we report the passing of Roger Barker, G4IDE, who died peacefully during the early hours of September 9. He was suffering from cancer.

Roger worked tirelessly for many years to provide high-quality software for radio amateurs, allowing them to operate advanced digital modes without the difficulties once associated with those modes.

Roger's superb packet radio program Winpack is currently in use by tens of thousands of radio amateurs around the world, while his UI-View program is now considered to be the benchmark by which all other APRS Raster Mapping software is compared.

Having written the software, he ensured that it was extensively supported. One mailing list reportedly had over 35,000 messages. Roger is said to have read each one these, and replied to a significant number of them.

From my own personal experience, I can recall a problem that I had with the GB7TUT bbs software a couple of years ago. Somehow (and I don't know how), Roger got to hear of this problem and immediately volunteered to help.
He logged-on to the bbs several times and spent a good deal of his own spare time working on a solution. Needless to say, he found it and provided a permanent fix for me. Had it have not been for Roger's efforts, I would probably still be suffering that same problem to this day. I was just one of the many hundreds of people that Roger always endevoured to help whenever he could.

As a sign of the high regard in which he was held, he was recently awarded a 'Lifetime Achievement Award' by the Tucson Amateur Packet Radio (TAPR) for his services to digital communications - the first award of its kind ever made by TAPR in its 22-year history.

The name Roger Barker and the callsign G4IDE are sure to live-on in amateur radio long, long after his passing.

He was one of the 'true greats' of amateur radio and will be sadly missed.

Richard - g4tut

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