Group:

I'm truly sorry to hear of Reg's passing.

Although I had never met Reg, I had many interactions with him on this
USENET NG and I followed his many postings over the years with great
interest.

Reg was that rare commodity among men, a unique individual, "an independent
thinker"!

Reg was a consumate technical professional, he knew his business from
fundamental principles, and he could solve complex problems using only
elementary principles, he had no real need for reference books, handbooks,
cookbook recipies, or old wives tales.

He questioned everything and thought for himself.

Like his hero "Oliver Heaviside" Reg Edwards understood Maxwell's four
partial differential equations better than Maxwell himself. [Aside: Maxwell
didn't know his theory could be captured in just 4 partial differential
equations, he wrote them down as 22 separate equations! It took independent
thinker Oliver Heaviside to "simplify" those contorted equations of Maxwell
into 4 simpler relations.]

Reg was that kind of guy!

Reg instinctively knew that attempting to exactly solving those four
Maxwell/Heaviside partial differential equations for practical applications
was often impractical for most problems without recourse to heavyweight
[sledgehammer] methods of integrating partial differential equations such as
used in the multi-million dollar developments represented by the celebrated
NEC [Numerical Electromagnetic Codes] such as Method of Moments and/or
Finite Element Analysis.

Reg did not resort to "opening walnuts with sledgehammers", instead... using
his vast insight into electromagnetic phenomena [If I was an electric
charge, what would I be doing now?] Reg found and invoked, often very
accurate, and always elegant and simple approximations, I like to call them
"nutcracker" methods, rather than "sledgehammer" methods, to solve practical
electromagnetic problems.

Reg programmed his "nutcracker" solutions and shared those programs with the
world. Free!

Reg often used his "nutcracker" solutions to check the results of the
"sledgehammer" solutions which are so prone to misuse by the uninitiated!
In fact just before his death I was following USENET
rec.radio.amateur.antenna threads where Reg was "guiding" the "operator" of
an NEC program to the "right" answer. The NeC "operator" was coming up with
incorrect answers that Reg "knew" were wrong.

When challenged about his methods by mathematicians Oliver Heaviside is said
to have replied, "I know my methods are correct because they give the
correct answers".

Reg was that kind of man!

Not just a technician he was a teacher and a great human being, he
entertained as he taught. A great humanitarian. I will miss Reg and his
always entertaining USENET posts.

Tonight I will raise a glass of one of his favorites... Rivaner and my toast
will be, "Long Live the TLI!".

Adieu Reg...

With this posting I send condolences to his family, Jean and Peter, I hope
you both know that your Dad was "special".

--
Pete K1PO

Peter O. Brackett, Ph.D.
Indialantic By-the-Sea, FL




"Yuri Blanarovich" wrote in message
...
Sorry to learn of Reg's passing, he will be missed, one less stimulus on
this NG.

May the ethernal sky be his new home, where the RF flows freely and
antennas are not needed.


RIP Reg and prayers to you and family.

73 OM
Yuri Blanarovich, K3BU, VE3BMV