Stephen Veader, N4DXS, of Dale City, Virginia, died on November 5. An ARRL Life Member, he was 67. As a spectrum manager for the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), Veader was deeply involved on the behalf of NTIA in the effort to secure a new amateur band at 5 MHz.

According to Ross Merlin, WA2WDT, when it became clear that a proposal for a 15 kHz band would not be approved, Veader was instrumental in fashioning the compromise that led to the authorization of the five discrete secondary channels radio amateurs have today, and other countries copied that template for their 5 MHz amateur allocations.

Today, these spot frequencies serve as “interoperability channels” for federal and amateur stations to share in emergencies and exercises.

Veader was active within the SHARES HF radio community as the representative for NTIA. A native of Boston, Veader was a US Air Force veteran. During his years at NTIA, he also provided regulatory guidance on the use of SHARES for federal and non-federal radio users.

“Steve was a good friend to SHARES and to amateur radio,” Merlin said. Veader was also an avid RTTY enthusiast and was active in many contests throughout the year.

A service was held on November 15. — Thanks to Ross Merlin, WA2WDT