Robert M. Morris - W2LV - 2CQZ *1902-1997* Inventor and researcher, born 18 Jan 1902 andfirst got interested in ham radio in 1915. At age 13 years Bob worked most of the summer and saved
enough money to buy his first complete wireless set. In 1916, when a ham moved into his area, hisinterest continued to grow and he proceeded to build a setup so he could receive Arlington on his
bed spring antenna.
Your author heard Morris
make a statement January of
1996 actually a year before oursubject expired. It was
profound and I made a note ofit. He was in a AWA radio netand stated “In the teens I went
to college in Cleveland at Case
Western reserve and was taken
into quarters by theVictoreen’s on East 93rd Street.
The Victoreen family made hotreceivers in a business (Twovariometers type) While at the8ACH Victoreen station Morris heard the 1BCG/ALS cross the pond QSO, December of 1921. Bob
stated reception was marvelous in December of that year. In 1922, Bob passed the necessary tests
for an amateur radio license and received his license with the call of 2CQZ. The following year, Bob
became the third person in the world to talk on the radio across the Atlantic ocean. He made acontact with F8AB a ham in Nice, France and his family still has the QSL card.
Bob landed a job in 1924 at a radio broadcasting station WEAF the NBC flagship station and in 1926
convinced the FCC that with his electrical engineering background and his job with WEAF, heshould have a 2 letter call. They agreed and issued 2LV. Later they added a W infront of it and heheld this call until his death. He was one of a few that worked for General Sarnoff and again thegifted Edwin Armstrong of regeneration and FM fame.
Mr. Morris continued to work as an electrical engineer and moved to NBC before taking a job withthe military during the war years. Bob’s job with the military during the war years remained in thefield of electronics and he was in charge of the design, location and construction of military radio
monitoring stations in the Arlington area. After the war was over, Bob worked for ABC up until hisretirement. Bob was presented a 50 year plaque from the New Jersey DX Assn. In 1979 heachieved DXCC #2 using Oscar AMSAT and previously earned his WAS via satellite.
After retirement, Bob and his wife Dorothy moved to Sussex County. With acres of land and thehouse set off the road so no one could see him, it wasn’t long before antennas appeared all over theplace. Bob was very active on the ham bands, getting on the DX honor roll in the early 80s andhaving worked all the conutires in the world in the late 80s early 90s. Bob was also proficient inAmerican Morse Code.
Bob was a life member of the Sussex County Amateur Radio club. Recently one of our clubmembers made a comment about Bob and he said “Bob” was a inventor and he sure made a lot ofthings work” Continued page twoInventor, reasearcher and radio pioneer Bob Morris, W2LV of Sparta New Jersey, expired October
15th 1997 - He was age 95, Morris was first licensed in 1922 as 2CQZ - He later worked withArmstrong the man credited with invennting FM and regeneration. He was an ARRL member for
75 years. He retired in 1966 after 42 years of inventor, researcher and broadcast engineer. A noted
broadcasting historian and storyteller, Morris appeared in Ken Burn’s PBS-TV Documentary Empireof the Air the men who mase radio. Founding member of the Antique Wireless Association and of
the New Jersey DX assoc, Sussex Co Amateur Radio club. Bob designed the North Jersey DX
repeater antenna and was constructed by W2OEH.
Bob was an antenna design engineer for a company known as RCA, Bobs boss was General Sarnoffa Russian immigrant who founded RCA and who contributed much to the development of radio andto the stories and scandals othat seemed to be assoicated with radio at the time. The fact is that oneof Bob’s greatest achievements was the design and installation of the first television transmitting
tower perched on top of the Empire State Bld in NYC. Survivors include his wife, Dorothy, a son
and daughter and several grandchildren and greatgrandchildren. Services the family asked that
donations in Bob Morris’ memory be made to the AWA Rochester NY
Forward by Bob Morris W2LV - Radio amateurs involved in DX are an interesting breed. Good dx
operators are usually intelligent, energetic and interesting but not necessarily good looking. A gooddxer has to have patience perseverance and fortitude and with experience becomes skillful in
psychology of operation. By careful observation he can know in advance what a remote operator isgoing to think and do. He can thus make a call at the right instant and freuency to make a desired
long distance contact.
All amaeturs have an inclination toward dxing. After all, the purpose of radio is to overcome
distance - the more the better. But many lack the perserverense not to mention patience and fortitudeof a dxer and so turn to rag chewing on 2 meter FM.
Marconi had the instincts of a dxer. He borrowed the technology of Hertz which spanned the widthof a classroom, connected grounds and longer antennas to the equipment and extended the range to
100 meters then to about a kilometer.
In England in 1896 with improved equipment, Marconi first demonstrated communication over 2.5
km and then the following year, over 20 km between ships. Further progressive increases in distancewere achieved until in December 1901 he spanned the Atlantic with his famous letter “S” Of course,
he had no QRM, only static to contend with the QRM came later.
In order to memorialize Mr. Morris, Sussex Co applied for and was granted W2LV. Today W2LV
is heard constantly by the Sussex County ARC repeaters on 443 - 147 and 224 MHZ - which
continues in the memory of this gifted electronics expert, who once worked for the giants in theindustry, Major Edwin Armstrong and General Robert Sarnoff. Prepared with assistance from North
Jersey DX Association. W8SU 2008