The ARRL Board of Directors has conferred the 2018 International Humanitarian Award jointly on the Amateur Radio population of Puerto Rico — served by ARRL Section Manager Oscar Resto, KP4RF — and the radio amateurs of the US Virgin Islands, served by ARRL Section Manager Fred Kleber, K9VV. Radio amateurs in Puerto Rico and in the US Virgin Islands aided in relief and recovery after a punishing hurricane season in the Caribbean.

The Board noted that radio amateurs in Puerto Rico and on the US Virgin Islands were “pressed into immediate service before and during the devastating storms” during the 2017 Hurricane Season. “The efforts of the local amateur communities continue to support the relief and recovery efforts even now,” the Board said, “and the ARRL leadership in each section continues to do extraordinary service to their communities.” ARRL established the International Humanitarian Award to recognize “truly outstanding Amateur Radio operators in areas of international humanitarianism and the furtherance of peace.”

In a separate motion, the Board recognized the outstanding work and service and commended all involved with the various hurricane relief communication efforts during 2017. The Board cited the Amateur Radio communities of Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, the Caribbean island, and in south Florida and Texas for “outstanding service during the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season, calling their efforts “a demonstrable exhibition of Amateur Radio public service.

With the recommendation of the ARRL Technical Advisors Committee and the ARRL Programs and Services committees, the Board conferred the 2017 Doug DeMaw, W1FB, Technical Excellence Award on Joe Taylor, K1JT; Steve Frank, K9AN, and Bill Somerville, G4WJS, for their articles, “Work the World with WSJT-X” (parts 1 and 2), which appeared in QST for October and November 2017.