Former Alpha/Power President and Technical Director John Brosnahan, W0UN, of Vanderpool, Texas, died on May 4 after suffering an apparent stroke. He was 71 and an ARRL Life Member.

“John was a great family man, a first-rate contester, a DXer, builder, problem solver, businessman, and a help to all who knew him,” said Alan Applegate, K0BG, his friend of many years. “He was also one of the most personable people I have ever known.”

An active contester, Brosnahan was a contributor to National Contest Journal (NCJ) and to the ARRL Contest Update, as well as to various technical forums. He stepped down from Alpha/Power in 2000 citing a combination of health issues and family obligations.

Brosnahan, who relocated from Colorado to Texas about 10 years ago, was a research physicist and developer of atmospheric remote-sensing tools for clients such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Applegate said Brosnahan did a lot of the equipment design and installation for the High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) ionospheric research facility in Alaska.

Brosnahan founded Signal Hill Research, Tycho Technology, and LaSalle Research. He contributed technical papers to such journals as Radio Science.

According to Applegate, Brosnahan once told his wife Pricilla that if anything ever happened to him, she should close his obituary with this admonition: “Tower sections for sale.”