Drs. Miller and Frissell Share Award for Technical Writing

The ARRL Foundation’s 2025 Bill Orr, W6SAI*, Technical Writing Award has been awarded to Dr. Ethan Miller, K8GU, and Dr. Nathaniel A. Frissell, W2NAF, for their August 2025 QST article, “About Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances.”  Their article (QST0825 Miller-Frissell About TIDs.pdf ) was prominently featured in that issue of QST, which featured HamSCI on the cover as well as in a special section.

The Bill Orr, W6SAI, Technical Writing Award is awarded on a yearly basis to the QST author or authors who write an outstanding QST article on new or existing technologies (or methods or means of amateur communication). The article should be written in an easily understood style, worthy of the Bill Orr "stamp of approval" - it should encourage interest and expand the knowledge and understanding of amateurs who may not have a strong technical background.
 
Miller and Frissell have a long history of collaboration, including work above the Arctic Circle, where they jointly installed and calibrated research equipment over a decade ago.  They have shared author/co-author status on many papers detailing space weather and propagation research.
 
*William I. Orr, W6SAI, was an engineer, educator, and communicator of extraordinary ability. Over a period of 40 years, he wrote and edited scores of technical books and articles of interest to amateur radio enthusiasts. His topics ranged from basic electronic theory to microwave communications and the theory, design, construction, and magic of antennas. Whether explaining electronic theory or the intricacies of a microwave amplifier for EME communications, Bill had the ability to use a simple, plain language. He wrote about technical subjects in a way that naturally attracted amateurs who had an interest in the topic but lacked a technical background in the area.

[Photos courtesy of the award winners, and permission to post the QST article gratefully provided by the ARRL, The National Association for Amateur Radio©.  Original story by the ARRL]