Date & Time: 18 Jan 2024, 06:00 PM to 07:30 PM

Location: Virtual Meeting via Zoom

Speaker: Jim George

Topic: Contact Sport – A Book about one World HAM Operator Competition Event

Abstract: Starting in 1996, a competition event was held once every four years in the Amateur Radio Operator Community. It started in San Francisco, CA, then Slovenia, Finland, Brazil, Rusia and back to US. The goal is for the two-person team to make as many contacts (voice or morse code) as they can within 24 hours window with other ham radio operators around the world. It sounds crazy but it is quite an experience for both the participating teams as well as hundreds of thousands of regular “hams” sitting at their home stations and calling in. The author will give details of the dramatic events, chosen technics and characters of number of competing team from different countries. He will paint the picture of this unique experience from both the perspectives of competitors, the referee, and the folks at home.

Biography: After 38 years in the Semiconductor industry Jim retired in 2002 from Motorola Semiconductor Sector as a Corporate Vice President in Austin, Texas. This allowed Jim more time to pursue reading and try writing after joining a book club. He published his first novel “Reunion” in 2012 which may turn into a movie later.

Jim was offered an opportunity to cover an international Olympic-style competition in New England in the summer of 2014, the WRTC, World Radio-Sport Team Championship, a widely followed competition of 59 teams from 40 countries. A contract for a second book, describing the WRTC, was secured, and the book was published in 2016 in Hard Cover and eBook. The title of the book is “Contact Sport”. Both books can be found in the Amazon.com and selected bookstores in Austin.

Jim graduated from Virginia Tech for his BS EE and Arizona State University for his MS EE.

Registration: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/394463