Subj : Amateur Radio Newsline (C) To : All From : Daryl Stout Date : Fri Jan 08 2021 00:44:58 SILENT KEY: JAMES GOLDEN KD0AES STEPHEN/ANCHOR: A popular net control operator with the Handiham Program for disabled amateurs has become a Silent Key. Christian Cudnik, K0STH, tells us about him. CHRISTIAN: James Golden, KD0AES, a Life Member of the Handiham Program, was perhaps best known as net control for the Tuesday Handiham Radio Club net, a busy gathering place for disabled amateurs like him. According to his obituary in the Nevada Daily Mail, the Nevada, Missouri radio operator, who had cerebral palsy, brought such enthusiasm to his on-air responsibilities that at one point he served as net control for three nets a week. Grateful for his skill in handling busy traffic in an always-polite manner, a number of amateurs pooled their money to purchase a Handiham Life Membership for him. James continued with his activity until two weeks before his death on December 9th. James Golden, who was 46, died of COVID-19. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Christian Cudnik, K0STH. (HANDIHAM, NEVADA DAILY MAIL) ** SILENT KEY: LOGGING SOFTWARE DEVELOPER DAVE PRUETT K8CC STEPHEN/ANCHOR: We also report the death of NA Contest Logging Software Developer Dave Pruett, K8CC. Dave became a Silent Key on the 29th of December. A chairman of the Michigan QSO Party and a log-checker for the ARRL's 10-meter and 160-meter contests, Dave's most widely known contributions were perhaps in the area of contest log development. Early on, he was the developer of a program for RadioShack computers that checked logs for duplicate contacts. He also created the NA contest logging software which is capable of handling a number of contests. He was also a former editor of the National Contest Journal. Dave was 66. (ARRL) ** SILENT KEY: FORMER RAC PRESIDENT FARRELL (HOPPY) HOPWOOD VE7RD STEPHEN/ANCHOR: An influential member of the Canadian Amateur Radio Community has become a Silent Key. John Williams, VK4JJW, tells us about his long career. JOHN: Farrell Hopwood, VE7RD, who had been president of RAC, and a member of the Canadian Amateur Radio Hall of Fame, has become a Silent Key. Known as Hoppy, he died on December 8th. The son of a telegrapher father and a Teletype-operator mother, Hoppy began his long career in telecommunications in his native British Columbia in 1948. In 1955, Hoppy became an amateur radio operator with the call sign VE7AHB. Those who attended Expo 86 in Vancouver saw the amateur radio station and exhibit there that was created by Hoppy and his team. An avid DXer, he was also involved in VHF/UHF linking and packet. Hoppy became an early member of the Canadian Radio Relay League and the Canadian Amateur Radio Federation, rising through its ranks into leadership. He also became involved in key discussions to merge the two organisations into the RAC. Hoppy later became president of the RAC, retiring from the post in 1998 after serving three terms. He was inducted into the Canadian Amateur Radio Hall of Fame in 2015. Hoppy was 91. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm John Williams, VK4JJW. (RAC) ** NOVA SCOTIA CONTEST WEATHERS THE STORM STEPHEN/ANCHOR: A recent winter contest hosted by one Canadian amateur radio club turned out to be a disaster -- and the members couldn't have been happier. Kevin Trotman, N5PRE, has those details. KEVIN: The Halifax Amateur Radio Club called their contest the "2-Meter Get on the Air Winter Event," and it was designed to challenge the hams' ability to stay connected in the face of an emergency. For four hours on January 2nd, it was a dry run for disaster for John Bignell, VE1JMB, the club's director-at-large, and 50 or so other club members. It also turned out to be a frozen run: the contest went forward despite a heavy snowfall that covered much of Nova Scotia. John, who is also an EHS Advance Care Paramedic, said the contest underscored the need for hams to have a reliable communications network when disaster strikes, as it did in 2017 when Bell Aliant suffered a connection outage of landlines and cellphones in Eastern Canada. John told the Saltwire Network website that the contest was also about having fun but it's important to remember too that when the Red Cross, rescue teams or ground-search personnel need communications backup, hams should be there and ready. That makes everyone a winner in every contest. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Kevin Trotman, N5PRE. (JOHN BIGNELL VE1JMB) --- SBBSecho 3.11-Win32 * Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - tbolt.synchro.net (618:250/33) .