BlankPasternak is SK WA6ITF, founder and producer of Amateur Radio Newsline
Posted date: June 12, 2015in: NewsNo Comments

A well-known voice in the Amateur Radio news media has gone silent. Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, of Santa Clarita, California, died June 11 following a period of ill health. He was 73. Pasternak was co-founder (with Jim Hendershot, WA6VQP) of Amateur Radio Newsline™ (formerly The Westlink Report) ham radio news webcast and a frequent presence at Amateur Radio conventions. Pasternak served as Newsline’s managing editor and occasional newscaster for the program. Even while hospitalized earlier this year, he kept his ear to the ground for news from the Amateur Radio community, so he could pass it along to those who had taken over Newsline during his illness — discovered after he broke two ribs in a fall. ARRL Rocky Mountain Division Director Brian Mileshosky, N5ZGT, got acquainted with Pasternak at the Albuquerque hamfest and in 1997 was named Newsline’s “Young Ham of the Year” (YHOTY). 

“An incredible man, ham, and one of Amateur Radio’s too-few giants, who woke up every day to make the hobby better for everyone, especially its legacy — youth,” Mileshosky said. “I’ve enjoyed the energy he put into keeping hams informed via Newsline, and have been honored to give back to his NewslineYoung Ham of the Year Award program, since being asked by him to sit on its judging panel well over a decade ago.”

ARRL Public Relations Committee Chair Katie Allen, WY7YL, said Pasternak would be missed by those within and outside the Amateur Radio community. “He truly was one of the good ones,” she remarked on Pasternak’s Facebook page. “Thank you for sharing your light with us, Bill.”

A Brooklyn, New York, native, Pasternak became a radio amateur in 1959 as WA2HVK and once was very active on 6 meters. “I love the hands-on approach to ham radio and built my very first transmitter using parts salvaged from an old Dumont television set,” Pasternak recounted in an online biography. “It was a modification of a design by Bill Orr, W6SAI, published in his famous Novice and Technician Handbook. A crystal-controlled, low-power 6 meter AM transmitter that doubled in the final, was screen grid modulated, and put out almost no output power.”

He eventually got into broadcasting and made his career in television engineering and production. He retired as a broadcast engineer with KTTV in Los Angeles in 2012 but continued as a broadcasting consultant.

Pasternak was the spark plug behind the all-volunteer Amateur Radio Newslinebulletin — which was relayed on repeaters around the US and elsewhere — as well as the creator and administrator of the annual YHOTY. He was the author of three books and served as a writer/producer on several educational films and videos, including the award-winning “Amateur Radio Today.” In earlier years, he wrote the “Looking West” column for 73 Amateur Radio Today Magazine for 26 years and penned a “VHF, FM and Repeater” column for WorldRadio. He also contributed to broadcast trade publications as well as to CQ.

In addition to the ARRL, Pasternak belonged to the Radio Club of America and the Quarter Century Wireless Association. He also enjoyed flying, including stints getting on the air from thousands of feet up.

He was the only person ever chosen to receive the Dayton Hamvention Special Achievement Award (1981) and Radio Amateur of the Year Award (1989). In 1995, the League presented him with an ARRL National Certificate of Merit in recognition of his contributions to the “furtherance of the goals of the Amateur Radio Service.”

Survivors include his wife of 43 years, Sharon, KD6EPW.

 Source : ARRL.org


His Bio:

Bill's Personal Biography

Among many other things, I am the Producer/Writer of the weekly Amateur Radio Newsline ham radio bulletin service. I co-founded Newsline as the Westlink Radio Network (with Jim Hendershot WA6VQP) in 1976 and our first bulletin aired in 1977.

I learned that ham radio existed back when I was only age 13. I was interested in things electric and radio and hung around a television repair shop in Brooklyn, New York run by the late Warren Spindler, K2IXN. One day I walked in to find Warren talking into a microphone connected to an odd looking box. When Warren stopped talking the voice of a little girl answered him. Warren told me that they were talking over ham radio.

The young girls name was Barbara Sue Parks -- nickname "Babs" -- and only 10 years old. I do not remember her callsign but getting to say hello to her on Warrens radio changed my life forever. It would be another 5 years before I would get my first license. That was in 1959 in New York as WA2HVK.

I love the hands-on approach to ham radio and built my very first transmitter using parts salvaged from an old DuMont television set. It was a modification of a design by Bill Orr, W6SAI published in his famous Novice and Technician Handbook. A crystal controlled low power 6 meter AM transmitter that doubled in the final, was screen grid modulated and put out almost no output power. Even so, using only an indoor long-wire antenna, a deaf L&W Converter and Heathkit AR-2 receiver my first contact was into Orlando, Florida. Meeting Bill was one of the highlights of my ham radio career.

During the 60s and into the 70s I spent most of my ham radio life chasing DX on 6 meters with Larry Levy, WA2INM. Larry had a rather neat 40 watt AM station and 5 element Telrex Beam and if it could be heard, Larry could work it. So he and I went into competition with other great 6 meter AM DXers and contesters of that era.

I also learned to fly and operated aero-mobile from my friend Steven Crow, WA2CPX, AeroCommander 560 twin. Maybe you heard about the club we formed to run contests from 10,000' MSL above New Jersey. We were called the "Flying Amateur Radio Team".

In 1978 I was a part of the ham radio engineering team that built and installed the nations very first 15 Khz "split-split" 2 meter repeater. Its callsign was WA2ZWP and it was located atop the Williamsburg Bank Building in Brooklyn, New York.

Since then, I have written two best-selling technical books, authored the "Looking West" column for 73 Magazine for 22 years and served as Editor of the Westlink Report Newsletter for 11 years.  (At this time I am working on my first novel tentatively titled "Geeks" that is due out this fall.)

I have also written and published countless articles in Amateur Radio, hobby electronics and broadcast related periodicals; produced, co-produced and/or directed most ham radio films and video's released by ARRL or AMSAT since 1980. I am very much indebted to my mentors Dave Bell, W6AQ; Alan Kaul, W6RCL and the late Roy Neal, K6DUE, for having the time and patience to teach me the production side of the television production business. 

Currently I write the "VHF, FM and Repeater" column for Worldradio Magazine, produce Amateur Radio Newsline(tm), write the e-zine colum titled "Other Side of the Control Room Glass" for the very popular HalEisner.com broadcast industry website and administer Newslines "Young Ham of the Year"award program that I created in 1986.

I hold membership in the American Radio Relay League, the Quarter Century Wireless Association and the Radio Club of America.

Over the years I has received several awards in recognition of my contributions to the Amateur Radio Service. These include the DARA Special Achievement Award (1981), the ARRL Southwester Division Meritorious Service Award (1988), the DARA Radio Amateur of the Year (1989), the AMSAT Outstanding Contributions Award (1990), the ARRL National Certificate of Merit (1995) and the QCWA Hall of Fame Award (2005).

I am employed as a Broadcast Engineer with KTTV Fox 11 Television News and was awarded a local"Emmy" 1n 1984 in recognition of my contributions to the then "Channel 11 10 PM News." In the summer of 1996 we moved into a brand new studio located directly across the street from Henry Radio in Los Angeles. My work schedule is late afternoon through midnight. This is how I have the time to do many of the things I enjoy like my producing Newsline and authoring my monthly Worldradio column. 

I also serve as a Broadcast Consultant in the design and installation of digital and analog television post production facilities and as an independent educational/industrial film and video producer and writer.