The ARRL Board named the winners of several awards when it met in Connecticut January 20-21.

International Humanitarian Award

Richard Darling, AH7G, and Barbara Darling, NH7FY, are the recipients of the 2016 International Humanitarian Award. The Board cited the couple’s support of past International Humanitarian Award winner John Bush, KH6DLK/V63JB, and their “significant material support” to his efforts in the Federated States of Micronesia. “[T]hey have supported these ongoing efforts over many years with on-the-air activities including communication during weather events, including several typhoons, as well as other emergency activities, including assistance to boaters in trouble,” the Board’s resolution said.

The Board bestowed the 2016 Doug DeMaw Technical Excellence Award upon Stephen J. Franke, K9AN, and Joseph H. Taylor, K1JT, for their article, “Open Source Soft-Decision Decoder for the JT65 (63, 12) Reed-Solomon Code,” which appeared in the May/June 2016 issue of QEX.

Bill Leonard, W2SKE, Professional Media Award

Recipients of the 2016 Bill Leonard, W2SKE, Professional Media awards were Wayne Rash, N4HCR (print); Jamala Henderson (audio), and Derek Felton (video) for their individual excellence in covering Amateur Radio topics in the media.

Rash, senior columnist for eWEEK and a freelance writer and editor who has written about technology topics for 35 years, was recognized for his Yahooo Tech article, “Why Modern Makers are Bringing Back Ham Radio.”

Henderson, a reporter/producer for National Public Radio (NPR) affiliate KUOW-FM in Seattle was honored for showcasing the efforts of the Seattle Auxiliary Communications Services group in conjunction with FEMA’s Cascadia Rising exercise last June in her piece, “Ham Radio Operators Could Be Superheroes When the Earthquake Hits.”

The Board recognized Felton, a videographer and editor for WGNO-TV in Metairie, Louisiana, for highlighting the participation of 12-year-old Bryant Rascoll, KG5HVO, as part of the Jefferson Amateur Radio Club’s 2016 Field Day effort.

In its resolution, the Board said active promotion of Amateur Radio in the media is necessary for generating interest in and growth of the service, preservation of spectrum, and fulfillment of ARRL’s mission.