Nick Winter K7MO
Our friend and broadcast engineer Nick Winter passed away on March 9th, 2025. He is well remembered by his broadcast friends and hams worldwide.
A Celebration of Life for Nick will be held on Saturday, May 17, at 1:00 p.m. at Mountain View Memorial Park, located at 4100 Steilacoom Boulevard Southwest, Tacoma, WA 98499.
A Loving Farewell to Our Beloved Joseph “Nick” Winter
“He is now a silent key, but his signal will forever echo in our hearts.”
Our hearts are heavy as we say goodbye to our cherished husband, father, and friend, Joseph “Nick” Winter. Born on June 7th, 1952, in Tacoma, Washington, Nick spent his life immersed in the beauty of nature and the warmth of our community, where he also peacefully passed on March 6th, 2025.
Nick was more than just a name to us; he was the steady voice on the other end of the radio, the guiding hand behind every soldered connection, and the enthusiastic partner on countless outdoor adventures. His passion for HAM radio was contagious, and together, we explored the world through the airwaves. He loved designing and building broadcasting antennae, often placing them in isolated areas or on distant islands so others could join in the discovery.
As a proud member of the Radio Club of Tacoma, Nick was always ready to mentor and teach anyone interested. He spent countless hours sharing his knowledge of Morse code and broadcasting, never hesitating to give his time to others. His skills with a soldering iron were legendary—detail-oriented and thorough, he left nothing to guesswork and kept everything organized.
At home, his love for radio and nature became our family’s shared joy. Whether we were hiking, camping, or train watching, Nick’s optimism and creativity made every moment special. He was a husband who supported us in every endeavor, always seeking to guide us toward success with confidence and determination.
He leaves behind his devoted wife, Anna Winter, and his loving son, Angus Musselman, who will carry forward his legacy of curiosity, kindness, and unwavering support. Nick’s personality traits—Determined, Confident, Optimistic, Supportive, Creative—are the qualities we will forever cherish and remember. Dot and Dash, his faithful feline philosophers, loved to be with him and share in the warmth that a long stroke on the back would bring.
While Nick may now be a “silent key,” his spirit resonates in the echoes of the radios he built, the trails he hiked, and the hearts of all who knew him. We will miss his warm smile, his steady guidance, and the way he brought us all together.
Rest easy, Nick. Your signal will never fade from our memories.
From Clay Freinwald:
Yesterday evening I received a phone call from Greg Ristau informing me that Nick Winter had passed away. This put me in a state of shock as it was only yesterday I got a call from Nick, who was in very good spirits,Telling me that he would have a Table at the Puyallup Flea Market on Saturday.
Despite dealing with a number of medical issues, including the loss of most of his legs, he was working With his (as he termed them) …’Sticks’ and was learning to walk again. He was full of optimism and was Planning various projects.
I got to know Nick back in the 60’s when I was working at KMO in Tacoma. It was then that he becameInterested in Broadcasting and, along the way, he re-kindled my interest in Ham Radio. I encouraged Him to go to school to learn more about the field. He did just that, enrolling in classes at Bates in Tacoma. After this, Nick worked for some time at KSTW-TV, KPLU (Now KNKX) and opened his business…BSNW (Broadcast Services Northwest). In 1980, he was the Best Man’ at my Wedding.
In the late 80’s, he worked with me installing the first Broadcast Station at West Tiger (Now KIRO-FM)..He went on to do installation work for other stations at the site, KLSY, KPLU etc. Along the way, He did all the Engineering associated with the creation of the 1180 AM in Tacoma (believe me,
This is the ‘short list’ of his accomplishments. Nick excelled in workmanship at a level that is rarely seen.
After retiring from Broadcasting, he concentrated on his talents in Ham Radio, where he (as K7MO)
Accomplished something rarely done…’Working’ (Communicating with) Ham Radio Operators in Over 300 countries.
Nick was very loved and will be greatly missed by all that knew him.
Clay Freinwald
From John Price:
I also got the word last night via text of Nick’s passing. As Rick writes, he will be missed. For me his memory is a blessing. Anyone who has been to West Tiger 1 has seen Nick’s handywork. When I was CE of the 103.7 station (when it was KMTT) I hired Nick to help with the installation of our crusty and diesel exhaust-stained Continental FM rig that used to reside at the Three Sisters site. You old timers surely remember KBRD with Oceans of Beautiful Music. After getting the old gal cleaned up, she looked pretty good. I have pictures of Nick surveying the empty 103.7 space on the lower level at WTM, standing with Clay after the rig was cleaned up, and up on a step ladder tweaking the Unistrut for the 4-port coax switch. I imagine Nick is calling CQ DX anytime he wants and is getting plenty of replies from those who are also SK’s or Silent Keys. 73 and good luck Nick, my gone but not forgotten friend.
John Price
N7WMV
From: Sam Mulvey
I was just talking with Nick on Wednesday about plans for one of the Radio Club of Tacoma repeaters. I saw this email after setting up at M&K and was pretty shocked to say the least.
I met him when I was producing a show at KLAY a bit over a decade ago, and learned quite a bit from him here and there over the years. For a long while when he discovered I was working on the LPFM he would quiz me about how we were doing things. Turns out that’s a good way to learn a thing or two.
From: John Schneider
This hits me hard. Nick was a good engineer, but most of all a wonderful human being. When I was at RF Specialties, he would often call me to order some obscure small part he needed for a project, and it would turn into an hour-long conversation. Although I haven’t seen him in many years, I still carry him in my heart as a good friend. I will carry his smiling face in my memories.
From Rick Kemp:
Thank you for sharing this. Nick helped me out on a few occasions. He will be missed.
May his memory be a blessing.