We were sad to recently hear that John Bartscherer, N1GNV, better known in the amateur radio community as John Bee, owner of Quicksilver Radio Products, passed away on October 23rd, 2025.
John was a familiar face at hamfests around Upstate NY as well as up and down the East Coast. His store, Quicksilver Radio Products had an online presense as well for over twenty years. John sold parts, accessories and cables for radio equipment, many of which John made himself. Online memorials to John mention that prior to starting Quicksilver Radio Products, John was the QST Advertising Manager for many years.
We bought a lot of "stuff" from John over the years. I remember him encouraging me to adopt Power pole connectors early in my "hammy carreer". I went on to buy crimpers, connectors and cable fom him at shows and online. He was always a very pleasant guy to talk to!
John is survived by his children, Elizabeth and Jay, and his brother Michael. According to the QSR website they are NOT closing and have re-organized. They are open for business as of this writing and planning on being at Hamfests in 2026.
https://www.qsradio.com/index.html
UPDATE 1/15/26 (just got this note from QSR's new owner)
Honoring the Legacy:
The Future of Quicksilver Radio
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Hi anthony,
A lot has happened and changed since the last Quicksilver newsletter was sent! What hasn't changed is Quicksilver's dedication to serving the ham radio community. In October 2025 John B passed away after a brief hospital stay and several years of health issues. John's vision, drive and passion for Quicksilver is the reason the company grew to where it is today. John and I (K3KMT) began earnestly discussing a business succession plan around the time of the Nutmeg Hamfest in 2024 in Meriden, CT. We attended several hamfests together and he would ask me each time "are you ready?" I would laugh him off and tell him no. Honestly I was intimidated by the thought of taking on such a large endeavor. He was persistent. He asked me to come spend a day with him at his shop before the 2025 Nutmeg Hamfest. I traveled to CT and we spent all day together. He convinced me that the idea was feasible and could work. Anyone that saw John at the hamfest in October knew it wasn't the John we were normally used to seeing. John's health declined rapidly after that show. I got "the phone call" the morning after he passed - less then two weeks after the Nutmeg Hamfest. After taking some time and looking at several options the family made the difficult decision to sell the business.
The last month has been a whirlwind. We sent a team to CT to pack inventory, tooling and equipment. It was a difficult 2 days of packing and moving for me personally, I wish John would have been there to help. His knowledge, and his personality were missed. More then anything, as the team at Quicksilver Radio moves forward, our goal is to honor John's legacy and the fond memories that the customers and his hamfest friends have.
So what does the future hold? We are looking forward to meeting and seeing John's friends and past customers throughout the next year and especially at Hamcation in Florida in February. We are trying our hardest to get to as many hamfests as possible. PLEASE see the hamfest schedule by clicking this link. Also be sure to check out the website, as we work on rebuilding it, and look for a fresh new look on the website - we hope by April.
One new product that will be unveiled at Hamcation is a go box "Hammocan" featuring a LiFePO4 battery! Other new innovative products are being explored and developed as well.
Please don't forget Winter Field Day is January 24-25, just 9 days from now! Its a great time to introduce someone to the magic of ham radio! Get radioactive with your local club or invite a few buddies to a central location.
Lastly, I ask for a bit of grace on your part. We are working our way thru bugs and kinks in the ordering system, the website and the email system. If we don't reply in 24 hours, we aren't intentionally ignoring you. Please feel free to call the store at 717-354-2200 and talk to a live person.
Ralph K3KMT
Team Quicksilver Radio
www.qsradio.com | |
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