2024 Amateur Radio Software Award Announced

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The 5th annual Amateur Radio Software Award was recently granted to Jakob Ketterl (DD5JFK) and Marat Fayzullin (KC1TXE) for their contributions to OpenWebRX and OpenWebRX+, respectively. Both projects allow software defined radio (SDR) receivers to be accessible through a web browser with full waterfall display and tuning controls. OpenWebRX+ includes support for noise reduction and decoding of additional digital modes.

The Amateur Radio Software Award is designed to recognize projects that enhance amateur radio through software innovation that is open source and unique.

OpenWebRX - https://www.openwebrx.de/

POTA Begins Park Prefix Updates

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In an effort to reorganize the Parks on the Air (POTA) database in a way that meets ISO standards, POTA has begun rolling out changes to the way park entities are prefixed. Beginning with the United States and Puerto Rico, parks previously coded with a K prefix will now be listed with a US prefix. For example, the Appalachian National Scenic Trail was previously K-4556 and is now US-4556. Additional prefixes will be updated in the coming days.

While the changes are largely seamless from a systems perspective, activators will be required to use the new prefixes when uploading logs. Logging software supporting POTA will also need to be adjusted.

From a political perspective, the prefix change has resulted in China choosing to no longer participate in the POTA program due to the 96 standard recognizing Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan as sub entities of China.

Parks on the Air - https://parksontheair.com/

Dayton Hamvention® 2024 Award Winners Announced

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Dayton Hamvention® 2024 Award Winners Announced

The recipients of the 2024 Hamvention Awards were announced on during March 2024.

Special Achievement Award: Anthony Luscre, K8ZT

Luscre is from near Akron, Ohio, and he was first licensed in 1981. He has been a low-power operator, contester, and teacher throughout his amateur radio career. He received his Amateur Extra-class license in 2000. Luscre is active on HF and VHF/UHF, and he operates on CW, phone, and digital modes. His low-power contacts now top 115,000. Between licensing classes, club programs, webinars, hamfests, conferences, youth and school radio demonstrations, and other in-person and online talks, Luscre has presented more than 500 sessions since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. He has presented multiple times for Contest University, the QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo, and Dayton Hamvention®. He holds a weekly class, "The Joy of Operating," for the Long Island CW Club. Anthony serves as the ARRL Ohio Section Youth Coordinator and he is an officer in the Cuyahoga Falls Amateur Radio Club.

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