‘Ham Radio Operator of the Year’ honored
The High Desert Amateur Radio Group (HIDARG) has announced its annual “Ham Radio Operator of the Year” award for 2016.
Bill Johnson, of Bend, call sign N7RGB, was presented with the award at the group’s recent meeting.
Each year, the Board of Directors selects a recipient for this special award. They look for a ham who has been crucial to the success of our local ham community. The recipient is a person who has shown a dedication to ham radio that exceeds all expectations over a long period of time.
Bill Johnson was chosen for the award primarily for years of service provided as part of the team that designed and engineered the ham radio repeater system covering a major portion of Oregon.
This extensive repeater system stretches across much of Central and Eastern Oregon. The primary function is to provide backup emergency communications. Agencies served include all hospitals in Central Oregon and all public safety agencies.
The system consists of six mountaintop radios-all linked together. Many of the sites are independent of telephone and power systems. Those sites run on solar and wind power, or on rechargeable battery systems. He is involved in maintenance and repair of the entire system. He spends a lot of time visiting the sites on various mountain tops supporting the system. His radio expertise is a tremendous resource.
His interest in electronics began at age 10 when he and his father built an AM radio receiver from a kit. That sparked a lifelong education and training effort that fostered his career in radio.
In his early years, he worked in two-way radio shops and eventually was hired by the State of Oregon for a 25-year career working on radio systems for ODOT and the Oregon State Police.
He retired in 1997 and now is a more than “full time volunteer” with HIDARG and the Deschutes County Amateur Radio Emergency Service.
He keeps a fully stocked go-kit in his truck for emergency or public event communications. He can set up an emergency communications station almost anywhere in a matter of minutes.
Bill Johnson and his wife, Wilma, live in Bend.
