10/07/2022

ARRL Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) Committee member Gerald J. Ramie, KI6LGY, received the Laurence G. Cumming Award for Outstanding Service on August 4, 2022. Presented by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) EMC Society, the award recognized Ramie for promoting meaningful EMC immunity testing for utility control products over the last decade.

Ramie's work began in 2010 with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Smart Grid Interoperability Panel (SGIP) Electromagnetic Interoperability Issues (EMII) Working Group. The group's report was completed by November 2012, but when compared to the inventory of existing electromagnetic interference (EMI) standards, five major gaps were found. Soon, three additional gaps were found, including one that addressed resistance to emissions below 80 MHz. One existing IEEE standard addressed resistance to emissions above 80 MHz.

Ramie worked for the next 10 years to get these eight missing immunity tests included in the IEEE Power & Energy Society list of EMC Immunity Standards for substation communications equipment.

"ARRL deserves the Cumming award as much as I do," said Ramie. "None of this Standards [work could] have been done without that support, and it will save lives. It has certainly been life-changing for me."

ARRL Laboratory Manager Ed Hare, W1RFI, said Ramie's work ensured that the modern power grid would be immune to the transmissions of nearby transmitters. "This protects the grid against threats from radio transmissions of any kind," said Hare. "This work demonstrates the value of amateur radio and its continuing contributions to the development of new technology." Hare also said that if amateur transmitters were to cause the grid not to function, the value of amateur radio would be diminished, and, in many cases, amateurs could be held to blame.

Ramie was granted his General-class license in 2017 at the suggestion of Hare. "He asked if we could work together more on amateur radio issues, and suggested that I should acquire a license to make that easier," said Ramie. "I started studying materials that Hare sent me and went for a course and 2 days of testing in Fremont, California. I try now to log into UHF nets sometimes and have several good friends in local ham clubs."

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