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 Previous: Diamond Terrace Invites Members to Engrave Call Signs in Stone |  Next: The K7RA Solar Update |
ARRL President Emeritus Jim Haynie, W5JBP [ARRL Photo] |
"I was astonished, and I'm deeply honored," Haynie said after getting word that he'd be receiving Hamvention's top award in May. "It's quite a recognition -- and quite a surprise."
A ham for 34 years, Haynie, who lives in Dallas, was West Gulf Division Director for eight years and an ARRL vice president for two years. He then served three terms as the League's volunteer president, from 2000 until 2006, when he was succeeded by current ARRL President Joel Harrison, W5ZN. Haynie's award nomination cited Haynie's "energy, tenacity and attention to detail that has transformed the American Radio Relay League from the service organization it was prior to 9/11 into the proactive, vital emergency service clearing house and educational operation that it is today."
During his tenure as League president, Haynie's effort to define Amateur Radio's role in homeland security was among his top initiatives. In 2003, he signed a formal Statement of Affiliation between the Department of Homeland Security and ARRL. He has an abiding interest in emergency communication and has promoted Amateur Radio's emergency communication value and contributions on Capitol Hill and elsewhere.
Haynie also championed "The Big Project" -- now the ARRL Education and Technology Program (ETP) -- to bring ham radio and wireless technology into schools.
Special Achievement Award: Ed Hare, W1RFI
ARRL Lab Manager Ed Hare, W1RFI [ARRL Photo] |
Dayton Hamvention will honor Hare for his extensive work calling attention to the potential threat of BPL interference to licensed radio communication services and in documenting it. The Special Achievement goes to an individual who makes an outstanding contribution to the advancement of Amateur Radio. "Ed's single minded determination to protect our radio spectrum from unwarranted interference is such an outstanding contribution," the Hamvention award announcement said.
Hare said he's honored but believes the award really is one for Amateur Radio. "What I did would have had no meaning without the work of hundreds of hams across the country working on BPL issues locally," he said. "They have put in countless hours as volunteers, making a difference when a difference was really needed. Seeing the changes in the BPL industry, starting with outright denial of interference issues and more recent moves to completely avoid the use of the ham bands in major BPL deployments, it is clear that by working together, hams can make a difference."
Hamvention said Hare "has brought a tremendous level of technical expertise to bear on the BPL problem and assembled a coherent case for attacking the issue." It noted that his modeling of BPL interference "made a convincing argument" about the threat. "Hare even outfitted his own automobile so he could travel the Northeast and conclusively document BPL interference," Hamvention said.
Hare has been on the ARRL Headquarters staff for more than 20 years and is a member of several professional engineering societies and committees. In addition to writing numerous articles for QST over the years, Hare was a principal author/editor of The ARRL RFI Book and the author of RF Exposure and You. He compiled Ham Radio FAQ in collaboration with Al Alvareztorres, AA1DO (SK).
Hare said the award would have a place in the ARRL Lab "to honor and thank all of those who have given their time to protect Amateur Radio."
Technical Excellence Award: David Cameron, VE7LTD
Dave Cameron, VE7LTD [UBC Photo] |
The Hamvention's Technical Excellence Award goes each year to a person who has made an outstanding technical advancement in the field of Amateur Radio. The award announcement said Cameron "was instrumental in development of the software, hardware, and technology" to permit worldwide radio and repeaters linking via the Internet Radio Linking Project.
"His work literally transformed FM repeater communication from a local entity into a worldwide communication network that has been of immense value in emergencies and has helped unite the world's radio amateurs over the Internet and radio," the award nomination said.
Born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Cameron attended the University of British Columbia where he joined the UBC Amateur Radio Society. He built his first repeater and computer-based repeater controller in the 1990s. In 1997, the Internet Radio Linking Project was born as an attempt to use the Internet to link radio systems across Canada. A variety of problems led to the system's shutdown the following year, however.
Cameron set out to design a more robust system using a Linux platform. He designed an interface board to connect the radio to the computer, wrote and improved the software and ultimately succeeded in creating a nearly seamless radio link between two remote sites on the Internet.
The IRLP system runs a large network of dedicated servers and nodes offering excellence in voice communications. "IRLP and its derivatives have opened up a whole new world of communications in VHF/UHF repeaters with the power of the Internet," the award announcement said.
The world's largest Amateur Radio gathering, Hamvention each spring attracts more than 20,000 people to the greater Dayton area.
Hamvention Chairman Jim Nies, WX8F, praised the recipients. "On behalf of the Dayton Amateur Radio Association and Hamvention 2007, it is my pleasure to congratulate this year's award winners," he said. "Please join me in recognizing the outstanding contributions and the many years of devotion the winners have given to the Amateur Radio service."
Dayton Hamvention this year takes place Friday through Sunday, May 18-20, at Hara Arena near Dayton, Ohio. The theme of the 56th Hamvention is "Local Clubs: The Heart of Ham Radio."
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