Tribute to David Pruett

Tribute to David A. Pruett WB8DCR, K8CC
February 21, 1954 - December 29, 2020

With sadness we pass along that Dave Pruitt, K8CC became a Silent Key on December 29. Dave's brother Tom, WB8VMN, reports that Dave passed away peacefully and in no pain. Though slowed in recent years by health issues, Dave was a very significant contributor to the contesting community. He was a long time member and past president of the Mad River Radio Club, author of the NA contesting logging software, a log checker for the ARRL 10 Meter and 160 Meter contests, and chairman of the Michigan QSO Party. He built and operated, both as single op and multiop, a very competitive contest station in Ypislanti, Michigan. K8MR

Dave was a friend and fellow contester. I used his NA contest software back in the MS DOS days. Dave was very good at developing ham radio and contest software. Dave asked me to help with features on his QSL Label software. I was honored to do so. I would see Dave at Dayton and at the K8AZ Christmas parties each year. You will be missed my friend... RIP K8CX

Like so many others, I used NA for the longest time and built mono-band yagis from the NCJ article that Dave wrote in the late 80's. Those yagis are still up today. I had the pleasure of visiting Dave at his Ypsilanti QTH sometime around 1990, a very memorable occasion. VE3EJ

There have been many comments and statements from many others on Dave Pruett K8CC, and I realized that I am kinda of late to offer mine, but in reality I have been morning the loss of a very dear friend. My first incounter with Dave was back in the 80's involving Sweepstakes. I happened to come across him and began the conversation of Sweepstakes, and from there I became envolved with Mad River Radio Club. Dave was always encouraging and challenge you to do your best. He wase not only a mentor as many have said before me, but a teacher and professor of our hobby involving amanteur radio contesting. Dave was always encoraging, and showing us what we we need to do to exceed in this sport of radio contesting. I have know Dave for nearly 20 years and all those years he has been a true friend, mentor, teacher and professior of our sport. The first time I received an invite to the K8CC station was in the early 90's involving CQWW DX contest. My job was 160 and listening and making contacts. His station was extremely impressive, and I was defintely in awe of his station setup. The one thing that Dave talk me early on was if you want to do well in a contest you need to keep your butt in the chair and when the band dried up you need to look for contacts. I remember that so much over the years, because it rings true, the more you are in the chair and making contacts the better you do.

There were many contests I was a part of from his QTH over they years, CQWW DX SSB and CW, ARRL DX CW and SSB, WPX SSB and CW and especially 160 meters. Outside of that he was always encouraging regarding QSO parties espcially MQP. Over the later years Dave was a part of MQP Single Multi Tranmister at my place W8MJ , from 2014 through 2019 we won the Multi Transmitter in MQP. It was a joy and a pleasure to have Dave operate with us.

Dave was so insrumental in my station set up and radio purchases. Through all of this he was encoraging, instrumental in what needed to be done with what you have. Many times during all of my station setup Dave was involed offering his comments and what he thought I needed to do. I borrowed a lot of things from him during my station build, specifically his Gin Pole for building towers and antennas. He was always an encoragement to me, and he was always pushing you to achieve your best in what you had. Over the years I would help him and he defiently helped me. So many contests we were involved with CQWW DX SSB and CW, ARRL DX SSB and CW, CQWW WPX CW and SSB. WPX espceically from St. Croix as KP2TM with Dave, Tim K9TM and myself W8MJ. It was fun and enjoyable. But Dave was very instrumental on 160 meters. Teaching me to keep my butt in the chair was very instrumental on 160. Dave has done a lot for me over the years and I certaintly helped him when I could.

I remember a couple of times especially, in 2009 I helped him to installed 1100 ft beveages on 160 for the ARRL 160 and CQ 160 contest. We put these bevearges in a farmers corn field right behind Dave's property. That year we did an outstanding job in ARRL 160 4^th and CQ160 with a score of 677K plus. It was so much fun operating multi with him during that contest. There are so many memorys over the years, but in all of this I remember Dave always being so helpful.

I remember one time among a few that he needed help working on his antennas on one of his towers, specifically the 20 meter tower. The balun had gone bad on the top 20 meter stack, and there we were one day 120 ft in the air on top of the stack 20 meter tower working on the beam changing out the balun and a few other things that needed to be done. I remember I was at the top just underneath Dave and he was literially on top of the bearing plate working on the beam, and behind us in the distance I could hear thunder. I looked behind me, and there were very dark clouds in the distance and light thunder. I remember talking with Dave and saying, Dave do you hear what is behind us, and he said yeah I do, I am working as fast as I can. Once we were done, we were climbing down and rain drops were coming down on us, and once we were on the ground and walking back into the garage by the house, it all let loose. Rain down pour, thunder, and even lightning. I remember looking at Dave and saying, that was close, and he replyed its all about the timing. We laugh and went inside.

Dave has been such a tremondous friend over the years. So many contests, escpecially WPX in St. Croix, the mentoring, the teaching, the coaching. He has defintely left his mark on all of us. I will miss my dear friend, but I will not forget him, I will always remember him for what he has done for all of us and our hobby of amateur radio. But espceically I will be conforted in his loss, knowing that he is with our Lord and Savior. Dave was a Christian and believer, and involved very much with his Church. He was an accomplish pianist and used his talents for the lord at church. Ken W8MJ

The following was taken from Dave's QRZ.com page:
President: Mad River Radio Club (MRRC)
Member: Southeast Michigan DX Association (SEMDXA) and the Michigan VHF-UHF Society (MIVUS)
Great Lakes Division Representative: ARRL Contest Advisory Committee (CAC)
Chairman: Michigan QSO Party Organizing Committee
ARRL Volunteer Log Checker for the ARRL 10M contest
Former editor, National Contest Journal

I was first licensed in 1969 as Novice Class WN8DCR while a sophomore in high school, taking my Novice exam at the Heathkit store which used to be on 8 Mile Road. I upgraded to Advanced Class WB8DCR that same year, and upgraded to Extra Class in 1976. I obtained the callsign K8CC in 1977, prior to the vanity callsign program.
Other callsigns I have held: WB5XTU, WB5YEM, K8CC/HR1, HR1DAP, K8CC/C6A, KP3/K8CC and KP2/K8CC.

I grew up in Livonia, MI, running low power with simple antennas from my parent’s QTH. I developed a love for contesting after several years operating Field Day with Bill, W8BVU (later W0VM, now a Silent Key). In 1976, I went away to college in Siloam Springs, AR where I became long-time friends with father & son amateurs John, N5DX (now a Silent Key) and Stan, K5GO Stockton and operated many contests with them from N5DX. I returned home from college in 1982, and joined the Mad River Radio Club at the Dayton Hamvention that same year and resumed contesting from Michigan. I also met Mike, W8UA (now a Silent Key) and operated many contests from his QTH.

In 1983, I bought 5 acres in Superior Township, MI and built my current QTH. The first tower went up the weekend of the 1986 CQWW SSB contest, and I operated the 1986 CW SS contest one week later. The station has grown to five towers with 30 antennas from 1.8 to 1296 MHz. With the help of other operators, we have operated many contests and accumulated over 300,000 QSOs (all uploaded to the ARRL Logbook Of the World), enough for 5BDXCC, 5BWAS and over 250 countries.

I graduated from John Brown University (WA5YJV) in 1982 with a degree in Electrical Engineering. I retired in June 2014 after 33-1/2 years at Chrysler Corporation.

I have been to the Caribbean multiple times, operating as K8CC/ C6A from the Bahamas, from Puerto Rico twice as WP3X, and multiple times from St Croix as WP2Z or KP2TM.
In 1996, I participated in the World Radiosport Team Championship in San Francisco, CA as part of a two-man team with K5GO, and we finished in tenth place out of the 52 participating teams from around the world.

My main interests in amateur radio are: HF & VHF/UHF contesting and DXing, developing software for my interests in amateur radio, station design and homebrewing equipment.
Other interests: Playing keyboards in the Praise Band at our church.

Dayton 1994