The Highland Amateur Radio Association
The Highland Amateur Radio Association (HARA), an ARRL Special Service Club located in Hillsboro, OH was formed in 1977 and serves a small rural population in Highland County. As a result of ongoing licensing classes and elmering sessions, the club reached an all-time high membership in 2021 with 143 members. Since 2015 membership has grown by 86% and the membership is comprised of Hams from 10 surrounding counties in southwest Ohio and 2 states. The club maintains 5 repeaters within Highland County, of which 2 are linked to provide a broader footprint. The club hosts both a weekly 2m and 10m net with an average attendance of 28. There are bi-monthly programs as well as a monthly gathering to discuss the hobby, the “Brunch Bunch”. Much of the club’s success can be attributed to the passion it has in sharing the hobby at every opportunity.

The club has an excellent relationship with the local newspaper and leverages that relationship to make the community aware of their events and of the value and importance of Amateur Radio. HARA is active in the community, setting out and removing flags for Memorial Day at the local cemetery and also providing communications support for the annual Hillsboro Christmas Parade. Members are engaged with the local EMA officials and local NWS, ready to assist in any emergency. Outside of club business meetings, over 100 members participated in Field Day Activities, Ohio State Parks on the Air along with running a Special Event Station from the world’s largest horseshoe crab (located in Hillsboro, OH). The club also launched their own Laurel VE team to aid in their ongoing efforts to promote the hobby and bring new Hams aboard. HARA is a very passionate club and is dedicated to the promotion of Amateur Radio. HARA is also home to the 2021 ARRL Philip McGann Silver Antenna Award recipient.

Respectfully submitted by Patrick Hagen – N8BAP. President – Highland Amateur Radio Association (HARA)

Special Achievement: Kerry Banke N6IZW
Kerry Banke, N6IZW, is an advanced class radio amateur, first licensed in 1961. Banke, now retired, spent most of his career in the research and development of electronics systems as a microwave RF electrical engineer. This included 14 years as Qualcomm engineer, developing innovative microwave wireless technologies. Kerry’s electronic interests span DC to light with particular interest and expertise in microwaves. His ham radio operations have included transmissions on 136KHz through to Laser. Since 1982 he has served as host of the San Diego Microwave Group’s monthly meeting, sharing his expertise with other hams of like interest.

Banke’s exceptional support to Human Spaceflight Amateur Radio started in 1994 where he served as a school technical mentor and certified ground station for the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment (SAREX) program. When NASA transitioned from the Shuttle to the International Space Station (ISS), Kerry became an exemplary member of the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) hardware team. For seven years, working from his home and electronics lab garage in La Mesa, California, Banke led the circuit design, breadboarding, flight circuit board layout, assembly and testing of the ARISS developed Multi-Voltage Power Supply (MVPS). This compact, but powerful, power supply innovation serves as the backbone of the ARISS next-generation on-orbit radio system, also called the Interoperable Radio system or IORS. Banke’s innovations also included specially designed test equipment needed to perform a comprehensive battery of tests in his electronics lab and at NASA to flight certify the radio system. A total of 11 next-gen radio units are needed for ARISS ops.

Kerry’s stellar contributions to the recently launched ARISS hardware system has significantly enhanced current ham operations on ISS. Additionally, they enable future radio expansion and experimentation that will permit exciting, new educational and operational capabilities for youth and hams. Banke’s impact on ham radio and youth STEM education is awe inspiring. Each year, hundreds of thousands of ISS ham QSOS are performed via the voice repeater and APRS digipeater and hundreds of thousands of youth are inspired and engaged through ARISS ham radio connections with astronauts on-board ISS.

Technical Achievement:Adam Farson, VA7OJ/AB40J
Adam Farson VA7OJ/AB4OJ has dedicated his professional life’s work to RF and telecommunications engineering issues and innovation. He has been a ham since he was a teenager.
Adam is best known to the amateur radio community for his development of multiple sources of technical support for Icom radios. He started an Icom technical support net on 20 meters in the 1980s and came to know several senior Icom Japan engineers due to his work, travel and living in Japan. Adam actively helped other hams solve challenging technical and logistical issues, as each week’s net brought a new set of problems to solve.

Adam has always had a keen eye for emerging trends and started one of the most widely cited internet resources on HF radios, where for three decades he has maintained a website which has become a repository for highly technical information on Icom and other HF transceivers and amplifiers.
He independently performs measurements on nearly all new radios, including Noise-Power Ratio, a measure he developed. His work includes producing the only data radio hobbyists have which clearly delineates how modern SDR rigs perform across the spectrum of band noise levels. Adam has written multiple articles for technical and amateur radio journals. Recently he penned a multi-part series on modern HF solid-state amplifier design principles.

Amateur of the Year: Jim Simpson KF8J
Jim Simpson, KF8J was first licensed as a teen in 1966, his elmer was Don Hinton, W8RTL, a very active ham at the time that gave him his first DX contact in Italy. Jim was mostly speechless but got over that quickly. He built his first tower in same year, 40 ft. His first ham call was WN8UZJ and worked 39 states including Hawaii in his first year while still living with his parents, sister and brother. His first shack was in the back corner of his dad’s garage. He built all his equipment from HealthKit’s. He upgraded to General in the late 70’s and received the call, WB8QZZ which he held until 2014.

He built two towers at his current location in Xenia, Ohio 40 years ago in 1980, a 100 ft Rohn 25 guyed tower and a 55 ft free standing tower for satellite communications and local tv reception. He uses a 4 element SteppIr beam and 10-80 long wire inverted V, plus several other ancillary antennas up and down the 100 ft tower. Jim operates 10 thru 80 meters, mostly voice, some digital plus 2 and 440.

Jim attended his first Hamvention in 1972. He was a member of the committee for 1973-74, was the Assistant Prize Chair for 1975-76 becoming the Prize Chair in 1977 and remained so for 6 years. Jim was first to use computers in Hamvention and the DARA Club to streamline recording data.

In 1974 a devasting and lethal tornado devastated the town of Xenia, Ohio. Jim saw a way to help serve the community and as a young man, in 1975, founded The Xenia Weather Radio Network. He remains very active in this organization

Jim was appointed Second assistant to the Hamvention General Chair in 1983. In 1984 and 1985 he was appointed to Assistant General Chair. He was appointed to be the Hamvention Chairman, DARA Board for the 1986 and 1987 Hamventions. Jim has served on the Hamvention committee continuously since 1973.

First to live stream video forums and other activities during Hamvention
First to live stream video at other domestic and foreign Hamfests DARA attended
First to acquire video and stills of Hamvention and other Hamfests using UAV’s.
Hamvention Senior Advisor for many previous and current chairs.

Over many years he taught and elmered many local hams and has hundreds of very close ham radio friends. He has assisted in radio tower and antenna construction projects in his 56-year ham radio history. Jim was very key in forming the 4-H Amateur Radio Club in Xenia. They built and outfitted a 55 ft Rohan 55 tower, installed 4 antennas, 1 for VHF-UHF, 1 for 10-80 inverted V long wire, 1 for 40-80-160, inverted V long wire and a 6BA, JK Beam for 6 thru 40 meters, pulling all cables through the attic of The Greene County Extension Office. He built a patch panel for antenna distribution, setup 3 full HF stations and a VHF-UHF station. He also installed cable and modem for High-Speed internet and Wi-Fi for logging and search access in the 4H radio room. He is still very involved in this project.

Jim’s contributions include the many offices and committees he led for both DARA and Hamvention. He was a leader in the reorganization of the Hamvention Committee and paid contractors reverting to an all volunteer committee. This move was key to the survival of Hamvention. Jim brings a high level of energy and team spirit wherever he is, especially around Amateur Radio. He is a true ambassador of Amateur Radio throughout the world and is ready to help on any project or with any Ham.

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It has been a real struggle during the last few years; however, we have persevered. Despite our
challenges, we have continued to select well deserving winners and we will continue our
pursuit of those among us that contribute in the highest way to our avocation.

We again will be opening nominations for the Hamvention awards honors. We are looking for
those who dedicated themselves to the betterment of amateur radio and humankind.

The Hamvention awards event has been held since 1955. Over these years many deserving
radio amateurs have been honored for their dedication and selfless contributions.

The Technical Achievement Award will be given to a selected radio amateur who has made
important contributions toward technical excellence in the world of radio. Examples are
inventions, processes, discoveries, experiments and other technical accomplishments or any
other outstanding technical achievements that contributed to our great pursuit.

The Special Achievement Award will be given to a deserving amateur that has made an
outstanding contribution to the advancement of the radio art and or science. This award is
usually given to a respected amateur who spearheaded a single significant project.

The Amateur of the Year Award is given to a radio amateur that has made a long-term
commitment to the advancement of amateur radio. This individual will usually have a history of
ham radio contributions and has had a dedication to service, professionalism, and the
advancement of amateur radio.

The Club of the Year will be honored for demonstrating their involvement in varied aspects of
amateur radio for the greater good of their community and/or their nation.

The above awards are given every year and represent the “best of the best” in the world of
amateur radio.

Nominations will open on 1 November 2021 and close on 15 February 2022. Nomination forms
will be on our website and are dedicated to the appropriate award nomination. At a minimum,
each form should be completed with the information indicated. Additional information can be
included as attachments. Please make sure that the nominating person is identified with a
method to reach-back to them in the case of questions from the nominating committee.
Forms may submit using the following methods:

• Email: awards@hamvention.org
• US Postal Mail:
  Hamvention
  Attn: Awards Committee
  Box 964
  Dayton, OH 45401-0964

Soon after, the committee selection will take place, and an announcement will be made
through selected media outlets. The winners will be posted with details on their
accomplishments in the Hamvention program as well as the Hamvention website. An honors
celebration and award presentation will be held on Saturday evening of Hamvention at a
location yet to be announced. Presentations of the award winners will also be made at the
general Hamvention audience on Sunday afternoon prior to the prize award activity.

Thank you and please address any questions to awards@hamvention.org

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Our winners are:

Technical Achievement: WX6SWW – Tamitha Mulligan Skov is well known as the “Space Weather Woman”. Folks that have seen her space weather forecasting show will freely admit that she is full of energy and excited about her work. She is a real space pioneer.

Special Achievement: W3WL – Wesley Lamboley was nominated by his peers for his lifetime, high energy support for the science and art of amateur radio. Not only has Wesley supported youth coaching, membership recruiting and technical problem assistance, he always does it with a smile and great humor.

Amateur of the Year: WP3R – Angel M. Vazquez is known for being one of the principal support engineers for what was one of the greatest antennas in the world – the National Science Foundation’s Arecibo parabolic dish antenna. Angel’s award stems from his unswerving and diligent support of amateur radio throughout the entire territory of Puerto Rico and extends worldwide.

Club of the Year: K4HTA – The Vienna Wireless society  As always, it is very difficult to choose the club of the year as we receive many deserving club nominations from around the world. The Vienna Wireless society was chosen this year for its 58 years of service to the amateur radio community. K4HTA with its 280 members focus on youth education, public service and promoting the overall growth of radio through the DC area and around the world.

The following are short biographies of our 2021 award selections. Please join us in congratulating all of them for their lifetime achievements supporting our great radio amateur community.

Special Achievement Award: Wes Lamboley W3WL

Wes spent 40 years in the Aerospace Industry. He was a technical writer, Electrical and Systems Engineer, manager and wound up in England as an Engineering Liaison for Boeing on a jointly developed tactical radar-guided missile with the Marconi/British Aerospace Corporation. His bottom line has always been that “I love my job, and never worked a day of my life,” adding that at times that was a bit of a stretch.

He truly enjoyed his career, but says, unequivocally, that “I owe most of my success to ham radio.”
Wes was introduced to Ham Radio in 1955, one of his buddies invited him to attend Field Day, and the rest is history. Not only did he get hooked on ham radio, but it provided the spark for a career in electronics. “Many Elmers helped me and I try to pay it forward as best I can, especially for young people.”

Wes also enjoys working with various civic groups and ham radio clubs, getting involved and helping them to be successful.

Wes views ham radio as a catalyst for an adventure! It seems that most aspects of life can be made more interesting by adding a bit of ham radio to the activity. A good example may be the five SWODXA “DXpedition of the Year” plaques hanging in his shack. The real adventure is going to far-off places, but once we are there and enjoying the cultures and landscapes, we get to play radio too!

Technical Achievement Award: Dr. Tamitha Mulligan Skov WX6SWW

Tamitha Skov is a credentialed Space Weather forecaster. Her forecasting work as the “Space Weather Woman” is widely known on social media such as You Tube, Twitter, and Facebook. She has been featured in Popular Science Magazine, MIT Technology Review, and on television shows for The Weather Channel and The History Channel. Her weekly space weather video podcast episodes are frequently featured on QRZ.com and she makes regular appearances on other amateur radio-related shows such as Ham Nation on Ham Radio Crash Course (formerly on TWiT.TV) and Space News on TMRO.TV.

She has held a technician’s class license since 2018, call sign WX6SWW, and she specifically became an amateur radio operator to better understand the needs and serve the amateur radio community. Tamitha has taught at Contest University multiple times and has given invited talks for the ARRL, Hamvention, and for many amateur radio clubs across the world.

Outside of her professional position as a research scientist for The Aerospace Corporation, she is currently teaching the art of Space Weather forecasting to meteorologists at Millersville University, and working with the ARRL and HamSCI.org to help create new official education materials for new hams and the ARRL community. She is always seeking new ways to bring an awareness of Space Weather and its effects into the mainstream and hopes to herald in a new era of TV weather broadcasting before the end of Solar Cycle 25.

Club of the Year Award:  The  Vienna Wireless Society K4HTA

The Vienna Wireless Society was founded 58 years ago by amateur radio operators in the Town of Vienna, Virginia. An ARRL affiliated club, it is now the largest and most active Amateur Radio Club in the Washington, DC area. Our priorities are fostering a fun and inclusive environment, building comradery, and focusing on the key areas of: Service, Education, and Communication.

Our Service work includes providing communications for numerous organizations, including the Marine Corps Marathon, as well as many local events. We are also proud of the services we offer to the amateur radio community. Our antenna installation team installs, removes and replaces over one antenna per month. We have an Elmer team which encourages and provides equipment to new hams. The club has an estate committee that supports and helps the families of SKs, a sad but important service.

In the area of Education, we offer licensing classes, workshops, and four educational programs a month at our meetings. These efforts help us reach out to youth, one of our major areas of focus. We record and archive these programs for use by the community at large. They cover a wide range of topics, from volcanoes to HF propagation to Smith Charts. We also offer workshops at our own regional hamfest, called Winterfest, which now hosts the Virginia Section Convention of the ARRL.

Communications is a major focus for us. Our two repeaters support a number of communications efforts, including local EMCOMM networks, and Presidential Inauguration security. We host five nets each week, including our latest which is about having fun with “wild and wacky” digital modes. We enjoy working together as a club in contests like the NAQP and Field Day, where we have finished in the top five in our category for several years.

We love to have fun with amateur radio, and we hope we are helping amateur radio and the community at large at the same time.

Amateur of the Year:  Angel M. Vazquez WP3R

Angel M. Vazquez was born in Arecibo, PR but grew up in Brooklyn, NY from the age of 2-22.
Graduated from CUNY, Brooklyn campus. Worked at WNYC as a radio engineer before moving back to Arecibo and taking a job at the Arecibo Observatory in 1977. He worked in telescope operations then headed the IT support team, eventually accepted position as Head of Telescope Operations and Puerto Rico Coordination Zone Spectrum Manger. (Current).

He became a radio amateur novice class operator in 1993 WP4MBP. Previous calls held include NP3FU (General) KP3AP (Advanced + Extra). In 1997 he acquired vanity call WP3R.
Angel led the MoonBounce effort from the Arecibo Observatory in April 2010 and multiple special events from the observatory using the KP4AO club call of which he is the president and trustee.
He is involved in and enjoys DX (5BDXCC) and contesting. In 1998 along with longtime friend, Dr. Jim Breakall WA3FET constructed a contest station on a hill owned by Jim just outside the Arecibo Observatory that was active and which won numerous ARRL and CQWW events using his WP3R call including a 10-year ARRL SS streak (KE3Q), until being destroyed by hurricane Maria in 2017.

Angel provided emergency communications every day for 8 weeks for hundreds of families after hurricane Maria leveled the power and communications grids. With the help of the WWROF, generators were provided to needy ham families in Puerto Rico. These efforts earned him Amateur of the Year in Puerto Rico in 2018 and the YASME Excellence Award in 2019.

Has been a VE since 1997 and started the first Virtual/online Bi-Lingual testing program as part of the GLAARG (Greater Los Angeles Amateur Radio Group) VEC.

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1955- William C. Jenney, W8FYW; Westlake , OH. & Benjamin S, Zieg, W9EHU, K4OQK; Atlanta, GA.
1956- Edmund C Ryan, W8LRR; Mansfield, OH.
1957- Ralph Crammer, W8VHO; Columbus, OH.
1958- Rev.C. Lynn White, K4CC; Traverres, FL.
1959- Harlow Lucas, W8QQ; Columbus, OH.
1960- Paul Wolfe, W8IVE; Cincinnati, OH.
1961- Ed Bonnet, W8OVG; Dayton, OH.
1962- Dana Cartwright, W8UPB; Cincinnati, OH.
1963- Chester Funk, K8EUF, K7ZKL; Phoenix, AZ.
1964- H. Ruble, W8PTF; Dayton, OH.
1965- Carl B. Snyder, W8ARW; Greenville, OH.
1966- Robert K. Caskey, W9DNQ; Indianapolis, IN.
1967- Jack Gray, W8JDV; Mason, OH.
1968- Elmer Schubert, W8ALW; Cincinnati, OH.
1969- Wayne Walters, W9DOG; Plainsfield, IN.
1970- Kay Anderson, W8DUV; Huntington, WV.
1971- Al Michel, W8WC; Cincinnati, OH.
1972- Don C. Miller, W9NTP; Waldron, IN.
1973- Ray E. Myers, W6MLZ; San Gabriel, CA.
1974- Barry Goldwater, K7UGA; Scottsdale, AZ.
1975- Richard A. Daniels, WA4DGU. Arlington, VA.
1976- Joseph M. Hertzberg, N3EA; Bryn Mawr, PA.
1977- Rafael M. Estevez, WA4ZZG; Hialeah, FL.
1978- Frank Schwab, W8OK; Dayton, OH.
1979- George G. Batterson, W2GB; Rochester, NY
1980- Wayne Overbeck, N6NB; Woodland Hills, CA.
1981- Eric C. Shalkhauser, W9CI; Washington, IL.
1982- Robert G. Heil, Jr., K9EID; Marissa, IL.
1983- Katashi Nose, KH6IJ; Honolulu, HI.
1984- Dave L. Bell, W6AQ; Los Angeles, CA.
1985- John J.Willig, W8ACE; Sarasota, FL.
1986- Roy Neal, K6DUE; Woodlawn Hill, CA.
1987- Carole Perry, WB2MGP; Staten Island, NY
1988- Bill Bennett, W7PHO; Seattle, WA.
1989- Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF; Saugus, CA.
1990- Stephen Mendelsohn, WA2DHF; Dumont, NJ
1991- John B. Johnston, W3BE; Derwood, MD.
1992- Richard Baldwin, W1RU; Waldoboro, ME.
1993- Harry Dannals, W2HD: Charlottsville, VA.
1994- Perry Williams, W1UED; Unionville, CT.
1995- Rosalie White, WA1STO; Newington, CT.
1996 William A. (Bill) Tynan, W3XO, Kerrville, TN
1997 Leo L. Meyerson, W0GFQ, Omaha, NE
1998 Andrew J. Feldman, WB2XFN Coram, NY
1999 Kenneth M. Miller, K6IR, Rockville, MD.
2000 Martti Laine, OH2BH, Finland
2001 George Jacobs, W3ASK, Silver Springs, MD
2002 Alanson “Hap” Holly, KC9RP, Des Plaines, IL
2003 Larry “Tree” Tyree, N6TR, of Boring, OR
2004 David Kopacz, KY1V, Hopkinsville, Kentucky
2005 Alan S. Kaul, W6RCL, La Canada, California
2006 Gordon West, WB6NOA, Orange County , California
2007 Jim Haynie, W5JBP, Frisco, TX
2008 Ward Silver, NØAX, Seattle, WA
2009 Wade D. “Danny” Hampton Jr., K4ITL, Raleigh, North Carolina
2010 Jim Stafford. W4QO, Roswell, Georgia
2011 Shirley Roberts, N8LX Dayton, Ohio
2012 S. Suri, VU2MY Hyderabad, India
2013 None Awarded
2014 Dr. Larry E Price, W4RA Statesboro, GA
2015 Tim Duffy, K3LR, West Middlesex, PA,
2016 Joe Taylor, K1JT
2017 Frank Bauer, KA3HDO
2018 Valerie Hotzfeld, NV9L
2019 Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF
2020  Yasuo Zorro Miyazawa, JH1AJT

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The Hamvention Awards committee is pleased to announce the winners of the four Hamvention 2019 awards. Co-chairs Michael Kalter, W8CI, and Frank Beafore, WS8B, thanked all those who nominated a candidate. They also thanked the selection committee for its efforts, “This is done with much deliberation and thought within the awards team to judge the best of all the applications we receive.”

The Hamvention Awards event has been held since 1955. Over these years many amateurs have been honored for their dedication and selfless contributions to our avocation and to mankind.  An honors convocation will also be held on Saturday evening of the Hamvention weekend and a presentation of the award winners will be made to the general audience on Sunday afternoon prior to the prize award activity.

The Club of the Year will be honored for clearly demonstrating their involvement in varied aspects of Amateur Radio for the greater good of their community and/or their nation.

Club of the Year: Nashua Area Radio Society

The Nashua Area Radio Society (NARS) is an ARRL Special Service club in southern New Hampshire with a focus on mentoring and youth outreach to bring new amateurs into the hobby and help them to get on the air. More than 200 club members contribute to activities which include license class training, youth activities, on the air operating activities, and emergency communications training. A 501(c3) non-profit organization, the club has raised more than $8,000 to enable its Amateur Radio mentoring and outreach activities and programs.

NARS is committed to bringing new people, young and old into the amateur radio.  Technician, General and Extra classes are each taught twice yearly and have helped more 210 students earn a license or an upgrade with a success rate exceeding 90 percent. Club Field Day operations provide its members with ample opportunity to develop practical Emergency Communications skills, station building expertise, and develop on-air operating skills. In addition to monthly membership meetings, the club holds a monthly “Tech Night” where members provide hands-on training which helps new and experienced Amateurs to build stations, develop technical skills, and try new activities. Video from these sessions is professionally produced to provide a library of over 50 hours of Amateur Radio demonstrations and training.

NARS holds Amateur Radio Youth Expos at local events including the Boxboro ARRL New England Convention, NEAR-Fest, and local schools and libraries. These Expos feature hands-on displays and a kit building activity along with three GOTA stations to engage interest from young and old in Amateur Radio.

The club has partnered with four local high schools and middle schools to develop and deliver STEM learning programs based upon Amateur Radio. One such project provides 14 hours of member delivered classroom presentations about Amateur Radio and High-Altitude Balloons (HABs).  Students in the HAB programs launch a HAB to the edge of space and track it via Amateur Radio. As part of the ARISS program, NARS has also partnered with Hudson Memorial School, a local middle school, to help students to contact Astronaut Serena Aunon-Chancellor on the International Space Station using Amateur Radio.

The Amateur of the Year Award is given to a ham that has made a long-term commitment to the advancement to amateur radio. This individual will have a history of ham radio contributions and has had a dedication to service, professionalism and the advancement of the avocation of amateur radio.

Amateur of The Year: Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF

Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF, has been a licensed ham since 1998 and is the principal founder and leader of the Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation (HamSCI), a collective designed to join professional scientific researchers and the amateur radio community together to help each other. Nathaniel first learned about ham radio while in middle school from his elmer, Greg Nitkowski, N2BSA, at a Jamboree on the Air event. The SSB voices he heard from around the world while in that small cabin in the woods captured his imagination and led him to study the ionosphere ever since! Scouting has played an incredibly important part of Nathaniel’s amateur radio career. He started the W2FSR ham radio station at Forestburg Scout Reservation, where he served as Technology Center Director and taught radio merit badge and licensing for 6 summers. He also served on K2BSA National Scout Jamboree staff three times, is an Eagle Scout, a Vigil Honor member, and remains an active scouter.

While finishing his B.S. in Physics and Music Education from Montclair State University (MSU), Nathaniel returned to the Dayton Hamvention where he met students from K4KDJ, the Virginia Tech Amateur Radio Club. Based on this meeting, he went to pursue his Ph.D. from the Virginia Tech (VT) SuperDARN HF Radar laboratory. At both MSU and VT, Nathaniel was active in the school clubs, teaching licensing classes, and serving as a VE. Nathaniel’s PhD research discovered that medium scale traveling ionospheric disturbances (MSTIDs) are primarily associated with polar vortex activity rather than auroral activity as previously thought. His research on the ionosphere also gave him the opportunity to travel to and operate from many remote locations, including Adak Island, Svalbard, and McMurdo Station, Antarctica.

Today, Nathaniel is a Research Professor at the New Jersey Institute of Technology Center for Solar-Terrestrial Research (NJIT CSTR) where leads the HamSCI effort and works with undergraduate students. Nathaniel led the Solar Eclipse QSO Party (SEQP) during the August 21, 2017 Total Solar Eclipse, a contest-like amateur radio science experiment to study eclipse ionospheric effects. Peer-reviewed results were published in Geophysical Research Letters. He now coordinates the annual HamSCI workshop, where amateurs and professionals meet in person to work on science projects together. Nathaniel is a co-advisor to the NJIT Amateur Radio Club, K2MFF, a member of the American Radio Relay League, the Radio Club of America, the American Geophysical Union, and holds DXCC.

The Technical Achievement Award is given to a selected amateur radio operator who has achieved technical excellence in the world of amateur radio. Examples are inventions, processes, discoveries, experiments and other technical accomplishments or any other outstanding technical achievement that contributed to amateur radio.

Technical Achievement Award: PIETRO BEGALI i2RTF

Following his mechanical studies and the experience gained at the precision mechanics workshop with his father Guido Begali and later with other well-known personalities in the history of Italian mechanics, he began his work experience in his workshop in Brescia in 1954.

Passionate about his work and dedicated to his family, given the market of knitting machines for which he has always produced details of precision went into recession, he dedicated his amateur radio activity and his experience, in order to save his company and so to be able to continue his work experience in the field of mechanics thus producing Telegraphic Keys.

Always ready to challenge the fate and adversities of life and work, he has always put his heart and his experience at the service of those who requested his intervention.

Always passionate about reading (with about 10,000 pieces in his library), for most of Radio technique, mechanics and science, he wrote his book “History and Stories of Radio” in 2005, including not only history of radio and definitions of radio technology but also personal experience of work and personal life.

The most remote of Piero’s memories goes back to 1943 when he listened to the home receiver (a Philips 538) and heard a dramatic speech: “Italians, I want to be once again sincere, displaced, displaced, displaced”.

Not knowing the meaning of “displaced persons” (move to the countryside to avoid the risk of bombing cities) forced to go out to ask his father who was cultivating the war vegetable garden, he was thus able to fix that listening in his memory.

Passionate about electricity, he built a first Radio in Galena, which was followed by  regenerative Receivers. Failures have never failed his passion. He believed, in 1957, that he had listened to the first Sputnik with a signal jet receiver. A more concrete experience matured, doubts arose, who knows!

The workshop lessons (Workshop yes, but there was talk of radio) given by Professor Renato Luisa, then i1RD, of electromechanical engineer Giuseppe Masserdotti, then i1GME, allowed him to cultivate the best interest in radio communications.

After obtaining the transmission license in 1964, he dedicated himself, in the early days, to the hunt for new countries, then realizing that the main purpose of the ham radio is not the competitive activity. Rather the experimentation of equipment, antennas and radio wave propagation phenomena, not neglecting the dissemination through collaboration with magazines.

As a result of a decline in industrial production that he had been carrying out since 1954, he converted his workshop back to the production of telegraphic keys.

The Special Achievement Award will be given to a deserving amateur that made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of the radio art and or science. This award is usually given to a respected amateur who spearheaded a single significant project.

Special Achievement Award: Christian “Chris” Janssen DL1MGB/KO2WW

Chris Janssen, DL1MGB/KO2WW, as president of the World Radiosport Team Championship 2018, lead the more than 300 volunteers that put on the successful competition in Germany which resulted in 262,746 QSOs.

First licensed in 1990 at the age of 14, Chris began his contest career on VHF. But he changed to HF when he took part in his first CQWW in 1993 and joined the Bavarian Contest Club one year later. The participation in the CQWW SSB 2000 in the team of CN8WW is still the highlight so far, being a world record holder in the Multi/Multi class for over 17 years now. Several activities within the team of DA0HQ followed resulting in several #1 places.

In 1997 Chris found out that Contesting and DXing fit very well when he went on his first DXpedition to the Faroe Islands. Since then he was active from over 20 DXCCs including 4U1VIC, 9Y4TBG, A61AJ, CN8WW, KH6/KO2WW, LX7I, OY6A, Z37M, TX5K (Clipperton), VK9DLX, VK9DNX, VK9DWX or ZL8X. Chris and the Lagunaria DX Group were the organizers of the last four. The last two were awarded as “SWODXA DXpedition of the Year”. Back in Germany, when time permits, Chris also likes to contest or to chase DX. Still missing 10 DXCC’s, he already was active from two of them: Clipperton and Kermadec. His favorite band is 160m with over 200 DXCC’s confirmed.

In 2010, Chris was elected as referee for WRTC in Russia. After this unique experience Chris wanted to take part in the WRTC 2014 as a competitor but had to give up this idea in favor of the organization of the TX5K radio operations on Clipperton Island. Immediately after the WRTC in Boston, a small team of German radio amateurs came together to evaluate a possible WRTC 2018 in Germany. Chris took over the lead together with Michael DL6MHW. With about 100 people involved in the organization, and another over 300 volunteers they made the dream of WRTC 2018 come true.

Chris is married to Anja, DO2WW, since 2013.

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Club of the Year:

The Portage County Amateur Radio Service

The Portage County Amateur Radio Service (PCARS) was established in November of 2005.  It is an ARRL Affiliated Club and an ARRL Special Service Club.

PCARS has an average of 43 hours of club activities per month including special interest groups, license training, contests run from our club site, and club social events.  Our members cover a wide range of interests that allow us to support public safety organizations, student outreach programs and activities focused on growing our hobby.  We love to share our experiences and have a requirement that our events be filled with a lot of fun.  Members have joined PCARS because of all the activities and fun we have.

We have created our own contests and events including our annual Freeze Your Acorns Off in February and Ohio State Parks on the Air that was used as a model for the ARRL’s NPOTA contest.  We have also donated time and money to our community including over $6,000 in 2017.

We have several   “Build Days” each year where we have projects covering home built transceivers, antennas, and digital equipment to allow members to inexpensively grow into new areas of the hobby.  Each month we have at least one GOTA (Get On the Air Day) where members and non-members can use club site equipment to learn about HF and new modes of operation.  It is all about building our hobby, helping our community, building our skills and most of all having fun.

 Amateur of The Year:
Valerie Hotzfeld, NV9L

Valerie Hotzfeld NV9L, was first licensed in 2006. After being very active in her local amateur radio clubs and ARES, she discovered HF. This is when she became obsessed with DXing and contesting. In the past few years, she has enjoyed inviting new hams to her station to DX or contest.

She is a co-host on the show “Ham Nation” and has created several “how to” videos on YouTube for the ham radio community. She also enjoys delivering various presentations via Skype to amateur radio clubs across the U.S. She’s been the pilot or lead pilot for four major Dxpeditions.

She is currently the treasurer for her contest club and the prize chairman for W9DXCC and SMC-fest. In 2017, she became very active in public service; going to Texas after hurricane Harvey to help rescue small animals as well as being deployed to Puerto Rico with the American Red Cross for 3 weeks as part of the “Force of 50” providing critical amateur radio communications after hurricane Maria. Amateur radio has enriched her life, because of the challenges and great friends this hobby brings.

Technical Achievement Award:
Chip Cohen, W1YW

Chip Cohen, W1YW has been a radio amateur for 52 years. Bitten by the antenna bug, he became a professional radio astronomer and astrophysicist, using the world’s biggest antennas at Arecibo, VLA, Haystack, NRAO, and many others. While a professor at Boston University, he connected fractal geometry with antennas, pioneering a paradigm shift on how antennas are designed, what they make possible, and has seen fractal antennas enable millions, save lives, and make life easier.

Starting with simple flea market treasures 30 years ago, W1YW bootstrapped fractal antennas with modest gear and employed ham radio exclusively to prove out and report this new technology. Fractal antennas are ham-grown. He started Fractal Antenna Systems, Inc. with WA1ZWT (SK) in 1995, and is presently CEO. An inventor with 41 US patent, W1YW is also known for inventing the invisibility cloak, using fractal antenna techniques to make it possible.

Chip is an avid DXer with 355 countries , DXCC Top of the Honor Roll, and is a strong cheerleader for technical ‘innovation culture’ through ham radio. He is a Life Member of the ARRL, and Fellow of the Radio Club of America, where he served as Vice President and presently as Director.

Special Achievement Award:
Heriberto Perez, KK4DCX; Victor Torres, WP4SD and Emilio Ortiz JR, WP4KEY.

Left: Heriberto Perez, KK4DCX; center, Victor Torres, WP4SD and right, Emilio Ortiz JR. WP4KEY.

Puerto Rico was devastated by hurricane Maria, a powerful category 4 storm, the strongest to make landfall in PR in 85 years. It came ashore on September 20th 2017 with 155 mph winds. All the communication services and utilities collapsed.

On September 21st 2017, Ham Radio operator Herb Perez KK4DCX mobilized his radio equipment to the local public broadcasting station Radio Sol in San German, along with Ham Radio Operators Victor Torres WP4SD and Emilio Ortiz JR. WP4KEY. The team immediately set up the gear and began the extraordinary mission of health and welfare traffic to thousands of family members across the continental USA.

Thanks to the support and help of more than 45 Ham Operators across the USA more than 4000 messages were effectively delivered via phone calls to family members in the United States, bringing tearful joy between family love ones.

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