I just received this news this morning (nearly 2 weeks after). -------- Forwarded Message -------- Subject: [OpenDV] John Hays K7VE SK Date: Sun, 28 Apr 2024 05:54:08 -0700 From: Jonathan Naylor via groups.io <naylorjs=yahoo.com(a)groups.io> To: OpenDV(a)groups.io My friend John Hays K7VE died unexpectedly on April 16th. The Facebook algorithms didn't see fit to show me this information and I had to be told days later by Jim KI6ZUM. Instead FB insisted on feeding me pages that I don't follow, rather than stuff that matters to me. Anyway I digress. I knew John pretty well. He had been an early supporter of my software, and my first dealing with him were in Autumn 2009 only a few months after the release of my first D-Star and FM repeater software, and before it was in widespread use. Many of our emails were about the poor performance of the then popular GMSK modems and what we could do about them, as well as more software related items. Once I had released the ircDDB Gateway in Autumn 2010 he moved his repeater, then based on an Icom repeater stack, over to use it rather than Icom's G2 software. The next few years would see many more emails being eschanged as I enhanced my software and he suggested changes, reported bugs, etc. John came up with the idea for StarNet which is still included with the ircDDB Gateway. I first physically met John in 2014 as I was to attend Hamvention as a guest of NWDR, which was John and Bryan Hoyer at the time. We manned a booth at the old Hara arena, and despite being used to Ham Radio in Friedrickshafen, nothing could prepare me for the onslaught of Hamvention. I had a great time, and by the time that Sunday rolled around, I was burned out! Too much of a good thing I suppose. John backed off a bit with my software with the release of the MMDVM. He wasn't happy with me supporting purely commercial protocols like DMR. It was indeed ironic that I got my first DMR radio at that very Hamvention from Jerry Wanger of CSI, and I also crossed swords with the DMR-MARC guys, which strongly encouranged me to go down the route that would become the MMDVM a little while later. Since then I would see John at various shows, and then after Covid when things had more or less returned to normal, I saw him at Ham Radio in 2022, and 2023 manning the ARDC stand. I also saw him at Pacificon in October 2023 which would turn out to be the last time I saw him. We would sit and have long conversations about development work and potential projects. I was very much looking forward to seeing him at Hamvention in a few weeks. Rest in peace John, it was an honour to be your friend. Jonathan  G4KLX -- Charles J. Hargrove - N2NOV NYC-ARECS/RACES Citywide Radio Officer/Skywarn Coord. NYC-ARECS/RACES Nets 441.100/136.5 PL ARnewsline Broadcast Mon. @ 8:00PM NYC-ARECS Weekly Net Mon. @ 8:30PM http://www.nyc-arecs.org NY-NBEMS Net Saturdays @ 10AM & USeast-NBEMS Net Wednesdays @ 7PM on 7.036 Mhz USB (alt 3.536)/1500 hz waterfall spot; MFSK-16 or 32 "Information is the oxygen of the modern age. It seeps through the walls topped by barbed wire, it wafts across the electrified borders." - Ronald Reagan "The more corrupt the state, the more it legislates." - Tacitus "Molann an obair an fear" - Irish Saying (The work praises the man.) "No matter how big and powerful government gets, and the many services it provides, it can never take the place of volunteers." - Ronald Reagan