Greg Knew How to Connect People

This is Guy Story, KC5GOI. It is with a heavy heart to report the passing of a mentor of mine, Dr Greg Jones WD5IVD. Dr Jones was introduced to me in 1996, 2 years after I had obtained my license. At that time, Greg was the president of Tucson Amateur Radio Packet known as TAPR.

Greg introduced me to APRS when it was still in its earlier days and encouraged me to be active in several TAPR projects including TexNet network, Pic-E project, and being a mentor for APRS. That encouragement kept me active in the hobby at a time when I was starting to wonder what else there was beyond talking on repeaters and has helped guide me in helping other hams. It was through Greg that I was able to meet the Dr Steve Dimse, the originator of the APRS IS stream, Bob Bruninga WB4APR the father of APRS, John Hansen the developer of a key board kit for the D-700 and TNC-X, Byon Garrabrant of Tiny Track fame, the Sproul brothers who wrote MacAPRS and WinAPRS, and John Ackerman whose work I refer people to on the building blocks of packet radio.

Greg knew how to connect people.

During the time that Greg was president of TAPR, he was key in getting the right people together for all types or projects ranging from the MIC-E kit to the PIC-E kit, and TAPR’s introductory work into software defined radio. Greg could put together teams that got jobs done.

Greg was the driving force for me to attend my first and several Dayton trips in the late 1990s and several Digital Communications Conferences held by TAPR and the ARRL.

Gerald WB5NZV has stories of Greg as a much younger ham working in the garage on radio projects.

Greg was passionate about everything he was involved in and loved to share that enthusiasm with the people he worked with. He will be missed.

I am very thankful for being introduced to and knowing Dr Greg Jones.

Greg’s obituary is available at the TAPR web site, www.tapr.org. The link is at the top of the home page.

Greg, thank you for being a mentor to me and so many others in both amateur radio and your work in the use of technology and education.

WD5IVD, this is KC5GOI, 73 my friend.