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APRS Developer Bob Bruninga, WB4APR, SK

Posted on by VA3DBJ

The creator of the Automatic Packet Reporting System (APRS), Bob Bruninga, WB4APR, of Glen Burnie, Maryland, died on February 7. An ARRL Life Member, Bruninga was 73. According to his daughter, Bruninga succumbed to cancer and the effects of COVID-19. Bruninga had announced his cancer diagnosis in 2020. Over the years, he readily shared his broad knowledge of and experience with APRS, among other topics in the amateur radio and electronics fields.

While best known for APRS, Bruninga was also a retired US Naval Academy (USNA) senior research engineer who had an abiding interest in alternative power sources, such as solar power. In 2018, he authored Energy Choices for the Radio Amateur, published by ARRL, which explores developing changes in the area of power and energy, and examines the choices radio amateurs and others can make regarding home solar power, heat pumps, and hybrid and electric vehicles. Bruninga drove an all-electric car and had experimented with a variety of electric-powered vehicles over the years.

APRS originated in 1982, when Bruninga wrote his first data map program that plotted the positions of US Navy ships for the Apple II platform. A couple of years later, he developed what he called the Connectionless Emergency Traffic System (CETS) on the VIC-20 and C64 platforms for digital packet communications to support an endurance race. The program was ported to the IBM PC platform in 1988, and was renamed APRS in 1992. The recognized North American APRS frequency is 144.39 MHz, and APRS is globally linked via the internet. Bruninga founded the Appalachian Trail Golden Packet (ATPG) event, which fields APRS nodes from Stone Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine each July.

ARRL Contributing Editor Ward Silver, N0AX, remembered Bruninga this way: “Bob kept pushing APRS beyond its origins as a position reporting system. He developed and helped implement numerous other uses of APRS in support of what has become the ‘Ham Radio of Things,’ with great potential for future amateur radio applications. Bob’s far-reaching vision and imagination were as good as it gets.”

Bruninga mentored USNA midshipmen in building and launching amateur radio satellites and CubeSats, beginning with PCsat in 2001. PCsat was the first satellite to directly report its precise position to users via its onboard GPS module. Subsequent USNA spacecraft included PSK31 capability (HF to UHF) and other innovations.

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) ARRL liaison Rosalie White, K1STO, recalled that Bruninga attended many ARISS-International meetings and contributed “enormously” to ARISS APRS activities, leading a team in developing protocols and software for rapid message exchange via a packet “robot.”

White said APRS remains a key staple in the new ARISS InterOperable Radio System (IORS) that’s now on board the ISS. She added that Bruninga offered input for future NASA Lunar and Gateway opportunities in which ARISS hopes to take part.

Last year, ARRL CEO David Minster, NA2AA, on behalf of ARRL, honored Bruninga with a brick in the ARRL Diamond Club Terrace at ARRL Headquarters. ARRL sent him a letter of appreciation along with a replica of the brick.

Bruninga held a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Georgia Tech (Georgia Institute of Technology) and a master’s degree in electrical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School. Bruninga was a 20-year US Navy veteran. Dayton Hamvention® honored him in 1998 with its Technical Excellence Award.

Bruninga authored and co-authored numerous academic papers over the years, and was frequently in demand as a speaker and presenter at amateur radio gatherings.

Survivors include his wife, Elise Albert; daughter, Bethanne Bruninga-Socolar, WE4APR, and son A.J. Bruninga, WA4APR. Arrangements are pending, although his daughter said that a celebratory memorial service will be held this summer in Annapolis, Maryland.

Former RAC President Farrell (Hoppy) Hopwood, VE7RD SK

Posted on by VA3DBJ

From RAC

Radio Amateurs of Canada has received the sad news that former RAC President, Farrell Hopwood, VE7RD, became a Silent Key on December 8, 2020 at age 91.

The following information was extracted from the online obituary notice which was published in North Shore News on December 30.

“Farrell worked for BC Tel for many years and was active in St. Stephen’s parish, North Vancouver as well as instrumental in the founding of the Radio Amateurs of Canada.

He is survived by his son David, brother Brendan, sisters Eileen and Deidra, sister-in-law Lee, their spouses and many nieces and nephews.

The family is grateful to the staff of Delta Hospital as well as Wexford Independent Living in Tsawwassen for their care and support. Due to the current Covid restrictions, a celebration of Farrell’s life will be limited to a private Mass with a graveside service to follow at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, donations to the Alzheimer’s Society would be appreciated.”

RAC would like to extend its sincere condolences to his family and friends.

Member of Canadian Amateur Radio Hall of Fame 2015

Farrell (Hoppy) Hopwood, VE7RD, was inducted into the Canadian Amateur Radio Hall of Fame in 2015 and the information provided below was published in the January-February 2016 issue of The Canadian Amateur magazine in recognition of this significant achievement. We will be including a tribute article to Farrell in the March-April 2021 issue of The Canadian Amateur magazine.

Farrell Hopwood, VE7RD, better known as “Hoppy”, was born and raised in British Columbia. Hoppy’s parents were influential mentors in his early telecommunications career.

His father, Jack, was a telegrapher with Canadian Pacific (CP) Telegraphs; his mother, Mona, was a Teletype operator who worked alongside Jack. Hoppy learned the landline Morse code from his dad.

Hoppy started his telecoms career in Vancouver as a telegraph lineman for CP Telegraphs in 1948 and then transferred to BC Telephone, where he worked his way through maintaining telephone dial offices to long-distance carrier systems in Vancouver.

After the changeover to public distance dialing in 1959, Hoppy was involved with mechanical switching, TD2 microwave and large digital switching networks; and in 1971, formed a Systems Coordination Centre (SCC) to help BC Telephone and other large business users to install new telecom networks. He managed the SCC until he retired in 1992.

In 1955, Hoppy obtained his Amateur Radio licence and his first call sign, VE7AHB. He held a strong interest in all aspects of Amateur Radio, particularly DX, VHF/UHF linking and packet. He was an early member of the Canadian Radio Relay League (CRRL), the Canadian Amateur Radio Federation (CARF), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), Telephone Pioneers and the North Shore Amateur Radio Club. He was also a member of the team that created an Amateur Radio station and exhibit at EXPO 86 in Vancouver.

These memberships introduced him to government regulations and the various threats to Amateur Radio bands. This led Hoppy to become an Assistant Director for the Canadian Amateur Radio Federation, followed by Director and Vice-President.

He sought the CARF Presidency on the condition that the CARF Board commit to meet with the CRRL Board to revisit prior discussions with the CRRL to create one national society. Thus began a series of meetings between CARF and CRRL.

Merging the two societies was a complex and delicate process for the whole merger team and when roadblocks occurred it was up to the two Presidents to find a way around.

Hoppy particularly appreciated working with CRRL President Dana Shtun, VE3DSS (now also VE3DS), who shared the vision for a strong national Canadian Amateur Radio society and served as RAC’s first Vice-President.

Hoppy was appointed RAC President and remained in this post for six years. During this period the new RAC team improved services to members and to the Amateur Radio community in Canada. Hoppy retired at the end of 1998 after serving three terms as President.

Hoppy was inducted into the Hall of Fame on December 10, 2015 at the annual banquet of the North Shore Amateur Radio Club in North Vancouver, BC.