The passing of boB Gudgel

[Sunshine]

It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of boB Gudgel after his 2 year battle with cancer. boB was full of life and love from his hair hats and squeaker in his pocket to his collection of solar powered dancing toys. He was always looking to make someone laugh and bring more joy to their day.

boB's contributions to the solar industry go back to the 1980s as he transitioned his knowledge from the audio industry and his time at Spectro Acoustic. In time, he and his brother Robin founded Outback Power and later MidNite Solar. Creating some of the most innovative power equipment in the industry.

We encourage you to share your favorite memories and photos of boB as we remember an amazing man, husband, father, grandfather and engineer. We know heaven must have needed a little more light so they called for the best solar engineer in the business to help them out.

[ralph day]

So sad to hear about boB.  I can look at my power wall and see his smiling face behind the Trace, Xantrex, Outback and Midnite bits and pieces.  What a legacy.

Whenever I'd have a question on this forum it would often get the attention of "the head barber" in response.  (when you go to the barber shop, who would you want to cut your hair?)

Condolences to his family, Robin, and all the people at Midnite that keep our lights on.

Ralph

[ClassicCrazy]

You don't get much nicer more helpful and positive people than boB.
There are no other engineers and company owners who give the level of interaction and support than boB has given over the years on these forums. He always listened to suggestions on the forums , and often we would see new features not too long after that roll out in a new firmware update. While other companies don't like to take criticism or hide bugs in their products, boB and Midnite openly acknowledge and strive to fix them.
boB was always so helpful to anyone no matter  how complex their set up was, or if they just wanted to discuss or debate some of the technical nuances of electronic engineering.
I was lucky to meet boB a few times at the Midwest Renewable Energy Fair - I think it was back before the Classic even launched onto the market. I remember boB having his HF ham radio setup at the fair with a short wire antenna , and you could see the joy he had in making contacts from far away with that compromised setup. Reflecting on that now , it was like watching a  ham radio operator make their first long distance contacts and being fascinated by it. The fun and fascination of ham radio never wore off for boB.
The impression I got of boB from knowing him mostly via the forums, or via social media was that he was such a caring, kind human with a great sense of humor , and a never ending quest for knowledge.
In ham radio world, we say boB K7IQ is now a silent key, though for me I still receive his signals of what it takes to be a great guy.
 
Larry WT9M 

[mahendra]

Condolences to the Midnite family and the Gudgel's
It saw post on fb from his wife.
I remember him being jovial in his posts on this forum  (pretty nice to remember someone like that cracking a little joke  to take the edge off things).
He would surely be missed.

It would be nice to name an upcoming Midnite product in his memory

[Barry Fields]

I did not know boB well but had many inter reactions on the forum. He was always knowledgeable and helpful.

I (a 75 year old also with cancer) felt a certain kinship with Him. In one post I was bemoaning the time left on earth to accomplish things I wanted to do. He reminded me that what I had already posted on the forum would still be there assist others.

boB certainly has left much for others to benefit from.

My Sincerest condolences to his Family and friends.

[dapdan]

I had to look at this post many times as I thought I was reading something wrong. I even looked at the other recent post in the other categories as I was in such disbelief.

I have never met boB, any one from Midnite or anyone in the forum but I can say that I feel a certain kinship with all and would call all hurting my solar family. I am really feeling this one and and I am not ashamed to say that I am welling up right now. This come quite as a shock as I was not aware he was battling cancer...figured his hair style was a fashion choice honestly(from the few pictures of him).

I want to express my deepest and most heartfelt condolences to His family, friends, colleagues, contemporaries, forum family and the greater solar industry that have truly lost a giant in the solar industry and all the other sectors that he was worked and made a contribution. I will especially remember how he would be so accommodating and time generous with me and anyone who had challenges, suggestions, recommendation or whatever...he was there to listen. He will be missed.

Truly gutted
Damani

[mahendra]

Damani,

I feel you bro.
I have an engineering background ground but the majority I learnt and build my knowledge and expertise in solar can be credited to this forum at least in the beginning.
It all started with boB on my first 1st gen classic that is still up and running .His response to questions on this forum is second to none.
I must also say I have never met him but for some weird reason, which I will never know now,he added me to his friends list on Facebook some time this year and would share funny memes and snips every now and again. So I am thankful for that .

I saw a side of him we only imagined if we were to meet in person.
He seemed to be a fun and kool dude besides the his professional ones.

[johnnymac]

I'm so sorry to hear of his passing.

I only spoke to him over the phone as I live so far away from you guys, but he was a very smart and helpful guy. I'm sure he will be sorely missed at MS.

I remember the time we had a site burn to the ground (a Chinese dump load to close to the plywood). The Classic 250's had melted and we found the aluminum bases pooled on the concrete floor after things cooled down. As a joke, I took a picture and sent it to MS wondering if I could get warranty. The guy I talked to seemed a little flummoxed, but said he would get back to me. When I later talked to Bob and told him about it, he apparently had already talked to the employee and immediately knew it was a joke.

John
Great Northern Wireless
Deer Lake, NL, Can.

[kitestrings]

My sincere condolences.  I'd never met boB, but I interacted a number of times with him here... & always was amazed how active & engaged he was in day to day things/interactions.  He was very, very helpful to me getting our system up and working properly.  I didn't know him, but I did... will truly miss him.  ~ks

[Highflyer]

What a loss, boB was one of a kind.  He took time out of his day to talk to me and give me the tour a few years ago when I stopped in at MNHQ during a layover I had.  boB took the time to show me Rosie before she was Rosie and showed me some of the cool things they were working on as well.  You could instantly see he loved to engineer things others could not see.  He did it with a smile and he was always helpful and took the time to explain things to me on a level I understood.  People like boB are rare and special.  He will be missed but not forgotten.  I learned so much.  My deepest condolences to the Midnite family, and I also have a great big smile knowing how much he loved life and engineering, boB lived well.  I'll hoist one for boB.

[Greg]

I was very fortunate to meet boB back when you could buy whatever inverter you wanted from Outback, as long as it was an FX2024 .  Super likeable guy and was never too busy to answer my questions.  Never made me feel dumb for asking.

I will miss having him available to make Greg look smarter but right now just miss hearing his voice.  Spoke to him maybe a month ago and he sounded good.  If he was suffering he didn't let on. Last thing he said to me was "Oscillator!"

boB was the kind of guy who made you want to be a better person.  Oscillator, my friend 

[philmc]

So sad to hear about boB.  I went back and forth with him years ago when some RFI issues with my HF ham radio gear were happening with a Trace charge controller. boB pointed me at an Outback Charge controller and told me he knew personally it would work work (he had tested it with his own ham radio gear).  It worked. Never forgot that level of support. Condolences to his family.
Phil Mc
Massachusetts

[Muskoka]

Sorry to hear of boB's passing. We interacted on numerous occasions in these forums, he was always a pleasure to interact with, he will be sorely missed. Condolences to boB's family.