The recipients of the 2024 Hamvention Awards were announced on March 8, 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.
Technical Achievement Award: Ward Silver, N0AX
For the past 15 years, Silver has been the Lead Editor of The ARRL Handbook and The ARRL Antenna Book, and he was a primary author of all three ARRL license manuals and study guides from 2004 until his retirement in 2023. As an electrical engineer, he designed microprocessor-based products and medical devices for 20 years before beginning a second career as a teacher and writer. Licensed since 1972, he is a co-founder of the World Radiosport Team Championships and was inducted into the CQ Contest Hall of Fame in 2015, with numerous top scores and records. He is President of the Yasme Foundation, and he is also a board member of the Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation (HamSCI) collaborative research group. Silver’s primary interests in amateur radio include radiosport, antenna design, and supporting his local emergency response team.
Club of the Year Award: The Young Ladies’ Radio League (YLRL)
The Young Ladies’ Radio League, Inc. (YLRL), is proud to be celebrating its 85th anniversary this year. With members from all over the world, the organization has been involved in everything from contests, to emergency events, to helping new hams get licensed and on the air, as well as everything in between. Established in 1939, YLRL has been found at hamfests and conventions all over the world. The club is proud to have had a booth at Hamvention® every year since the 1950s and a YL Forum since the 1960s. “Women helping women in amateur radio” is a mission statement for this organization, but there are also contest and award opportunities for the OMs who support their YLs. YLRL has the motto “QRV — I am ready,” as they are always ready to assist in the radio community.
Amateur of The Year Award: Edward Engleman, KG8CX
Engleman, KG8CX, is from Menominee, Michigan. He is the co-founder of the Young Amateurs Communications Ham Team (YACHT). He was first licensed in 1991 and received his Amateur Extra-class license in 2000. He has been a member of ARRL since 1991. Engleman serves his home club, the Marinette & Menominee Amateur Radio Club, as a volunteer examiner. Engleman’s 33-year background as an elementary educator and principal was instrumental in developing the talents he now uses in his work with young amateurs.
ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio® and Hamvention® have announced that Hamvention will host the 2024 ARRL National Convention on May 17, 18, and 19 at the Greene County Fairgrounds in Xenia, Ohio. ARRL has an exciting lineup of forums and presentations for the ARRL National Convention. For information about the 2024 ARRL National Convention, go to www.arrl.org/expo. For tickets to Hamvention and further information, head to www.hamvention.org.
You can read more about the 2024 Hamvention award winners and the 2024 ARRL National Convention at ARRL.org.