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An announcement just seen via Facebook on PCI Radios page brings yet another heartbreak to the off-road community. Bob “Weatherman” Steinberger passed away peacefully at his home in Parker, Arizona after a long battle with cancer.

We had the chance to listen to the Weatherman for years via multiple online streaming sites, in addition, to tuning into the channel the last two years in Baja covering the race. It was one thing to hear his voice on the computer, but to hear his voice coming out of your radio gave you a sense of security. His voice will be missed in future races, and is truly a loss that will ring through the airwaves.

Bob found his niche within off-road in that pivotal year of 1972 when he became good friends with Bill Stroppe. Bob received an invitation from Bill to chase the Baja 1000 that year. Bob and two guys trekked to race mile 800 with two gas cans and a truck full of adventure. Two days passed with no word from the race truck. Eventually, the truck arrived, the gas was dumped and the truck pushed on to the finish.

Bob expressed his frustration with the team, explaining they should put two-way radios in the vehicles so the two could communicate. The following year, Bob put communications in the vehicles of Stroppe, MacPherson and Walker Evans. At the 1974 Mint 400, he sent up three weather balloons with five hundred feet of coax attached and the first successful relay from a pit was made. It is believed that it was Joe MacPherson who couldn’t remember his name, so he dubbed him “Weatherman” on the radio. The rest is history and iconic status has been reached through nearly half a century of work with the company he founded, PCI Race Radios.

Bob’s dedication to The Weatherman Relay was so important to him that in the recent weeks as he battled cancer, he asked his son Scott Steinberger to carry on the Weatherman Legacy in his name. Scott accepted the honor and responsibility and has filled in for his Dad at the last few races, as he was too ill to travel.

Bob was an avid off-road enthusiast. When not providing communication relays from the top of Mount Diablo for SCORE races, he was on the ground in the Nevada and Arizona desert providing retrieval efforts with his famous “Yellow Zebra Jeep” at BITD races. He loved rock crawling and all things off-road. Bob also enjoyed hunting and spending time on the river with his friends and family.

In 2013, Bob was inducted into the Off-Road Hall of Fame. A great honor and a fitting recognition for a man who has spent almost half a century dedicated to such an amazing culture and sport.

All photos courtesy of PCI Radios.

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