FRIENDS REMEMBER ARIEL 4X1MR S.K.

Many of us, Israeli and foreign Radio Amateurs alike, received the news of the passing of our friend Ariel Roth 4X1MR with a big shock. True, many of us who did know him for a long time, knew that he was gravely ill. One could see this fact at the last General Meeting of the IARC. On that February afternoon, when Ariel received a plaque honouring him for his many years of activity within the framework of our society and for the benefit of its members, we could clearly see that he was very ill. But we all hoped that he would, after all the treatments, recover. But in vain. Ariel passed away on September ... 1998, just before Rosh Hashana (New Year). I was not astonished to see how many of us, the hams of Israel, accompanied him on his last way to his final resting place at the Netanya cemetery. The feeling of all the attending was that at Ariel's funeral, more amateurs attended than at a General Meeting of IARC. He died at the age of only 52 year. He left behind his wife Tova and 3 children . We will remember Ariel, our friend, for a long time to come. May he rest in peace.. Our heartiest condolences to the remaining family. (4X1AT)

We asked friends to write some line the way he remembers Ariel.

For me, talking about Ariel - is like talking about myself, about Friendship, about electronics engineering and amateur radio. I knew Ariel for some 35 years. He was always cheerful, always ready and willing to help- and usually more knowledgeable than most of us and therefore capable of being really helpful. Ariel was a dedicated "electroholic". Every free moment he would have, he would spend doing the things he loved most - learning new techniques and disciplines and immediately implementing them in practical life. So it was for Ariel, acting both as a practical and innovative professional Electronics engineer and as an enthusiastic ham radio operator. In our hobby, Ariel was an Israeli pioneer. He was one of the first amateurs to operate RTTY in Israel, one of the first to incorporate a home built computer board in the shack, and one of the first to operate a mobile phone patch on two meters - just a few among his many "firsts". And we have not yet mentioned the extraordinary CW skills he exhibited and his love for this almost extinct kind of inter-personal radio communication method. He could sit down and actually talk to you in CW, listening and answering without having to write a single letter - everything, of course, at unheard-of CW keying speeds. For me, and I am sure for many of us, old timers and novices alike, - We can still hear his hoarse voice on Two Meters, and his CW key rattle on HF, as if he was still with us - which he is, and I guess will always be - In our minds and in our hearts. (Meir, 4X1NX).

In The Memory of Our Friend, Ariel Roth, 4X1MR On Friday, September 18, 1998, the Israeli Radio amateur community was struck dumb when news of Ariel Roth demise was spread among its members. My first meeting with Ariel dates back to the 1960's, when both of us were young radio amateurs, playing around with CW on 20 meters and AM on 10 meters (SSB, in those days, was only a dream for us). Ariel was then a young soldier doing his compulsory service in an Armour unit. Our ways crossed again when we studied together electrical engineering at the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, and during our professional careers in the ensuing years. I still remember our first 2 meter AM radio contact, using a SCR-522 surplus transceiver, modified by Ariel for amateur use. In recent years we kept only occasional contact, both of us engulfed in our own different worlds. Ariel, for me, will be one of the few engineers to keep the true amateur radio values, understanding electronics and communications - and understanding other people, maintaining the true values of friendship, and serving his country, in the highest professional standards and personal dedication. His service to the State of Israel was recognised when a team, of which Ariel was a key member, received the Israel Defence Award for 1985. Ariel was one of the gifted few who could find simple solutions for complex problems, making complex designs actually work, really enjoying solving technical problems, with a profound knowledge of radio frequency circuits and systems, obviously stemming out of his radio amateur experience. Ariel loved amateur radio, enjoying the technical side, such as designing, building and repairing equipment and antennas, as well as operating, local and DX, contests and packet. Ariel's love for amateur radio was shared with his wife Tova, 4Z9ACF, and his son Idan, 4Z9ADF. Ariel had the special quality of being the kind of person who was always ready to help solve problems, assist anyone who needed help, while remaining quiet and unpretentious. He will be dearly missed by his family, friends and colleagues. (Daniel Rosenne, 4X1SK)