It’s with a heavy heart that I share news of a tragic accident that took the life of fellow ham radio operator and POTA enthusiast, Tripp Owens (N4NTO).
According to CBS 17 and WRAL, Tripp died after being electrocuted at a cemetery in Harnett County, North Carolina–most likely at Averasboro Battlefield Historic Site (US-11375).
Reports indicate that his vertical antenna came into contact with overhead power lines. News of the incident was shared within the community by Dave (W4JL), via a message passed along by Perry (N5JP).
It appears the incident may not have occurred during setup, but rather while taking the antenna down, as Dave noted that Tripp had signaled he was QRT on the POTA spots page. Based on Reverse Beacon Network activity, Tripp was on the air at least between 12:02 and 12:13 UTC yesterday morning.
This is heartbreaking news for those of us in the Parks on the Air and WWFF communities. Tripp was a well-known and well-loved North Carolina POTA operator—a dedicated hunter and activator whose callsign appears in my logs many times over the years.
Read more – Via Blog QRPer: https://qrper.com/2025/07/a-tragic-reminder-safety-must-come-first-in-the-field/
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