Tribute to George Jacobs

George Jacobs W3ASK
July 16, 2024 - July 3, 2025

George Jacobs W3ASK from Silver Springs, MD. was an icon in the worlds of amateur radio and shortwave broadcasting. George was a World War II veteran and ARRL Life Member, was perhaps best known to hams as CQ magazine’s Propagation Editor for more than 50 years, from early 1951 until the end of 2001.

Former CQ Editor Rich Moseson, W2VU, recalled that “George’s primary goal, throughout his tenure as Propagation Editor, was to make ionospheric science understandable to the average ham, and to relate what we now call ‘space weather’ to the conditions amateurs might expect on the bands. The tables he developed for The CQ Shortwave Propagation Handbook helped hams make their own propagation predictions before the days of computers and the internet.” Jacobs also contributed an annual propagation summary for many years to the World Radio-TV Handbook.

In addition, he was part of the Project OSCAR (Orbiting Satellite Carrying Amateur Radio) team that built and launched the first amateur radio satellites, and was instrumental in the formation of AMSAT – The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation – to carry on the amateur satellite program.

In the world or shortwave broadcast engineering, Jacobs led the design and development of the Voice of America’s worldwide network, starting in 1949, and he oversaw technical development and operations for VOA, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and Radio Marti, retiring in 1980 as Director of Engineering for the State Department’s Board for International Broadcasting.

A founding member of the National Association of Shortwave Broadcasters, Jacobs continued to work in the field as a private consultant until his passing on July 3, 2025, just days short of his 101st birthday.

George was the 2001 Dayton Hamvention Ham of the Year.

Tribute courtesy of ARRL, W2VU, K8CX
Photos courtesy of W3ASK