At its July 2013 meeting the ARRL Board of Directors gave the wrong award to the right person. Brian D. Justin, WA1ZMS/4, was recommended by the Programs and Services Committee to receive the 2013 ARRL Technical Innovation Award, but a drafting error crept in that changed the name of the award in the motion that came to the Board. The error has been corrected by unanimous e-mail vote of the 15 directors.

The Technical Innovation Award honors accomplishments and contributions “of the most exemplary nature within the framework of technical research, development and application of new ideas and future systems in the context of Amateur Radio activities.” Justin earned the award through “a distinguished lifelong Amateur Radio career” during which he has orchestrated expeditions that garnered the first VUCC on 47 GHz, 76 GHz, 122 GHz, 145 GHz and 241 GHz. The Board also recognized Justin’s accomplishments in building several homebrew millimeter-wave equipped stations, for continuing to operate a transatlantic, high-power 2 meter CW beacon, and for operating repeaters from 146 to 1200 MHz. Justin, an ARRL Life Member, was the recipient of the 2003 Microwave Development Award.

At the same time the Board recognized James Klitzing, W6PQL, as the recipient of the 2012 Doug DeMaw, W1FB, Technical Excellence Award for his October 2012 QST article “Solid State 1 kW Linear Amplifier for 2 Meters.” The Technical Excellence Award was established in 1975 and was renamed in 1997 to honor the late Doug DeMaw, W1FB, a former ARRL Headquarters technical editor and well-known Amateur Radio author.