via the ARRL: ARRL Awards Phil Karn, KA9Q, with Mary Hobart, K1MMH, Medal of Distinction

ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio® has honored Phil Karn, KA9Q, with the Mary Hobart, K1MMH, Medal of Distinction. He was presented the honor at the ARRL donor reception on May 15, 2025, at the National Museum of the United States Air Force on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio. The annual event — in the museum’s Presidential Gallery, surrounded by retired Air Force One aircraft — kicks off ARRL’s activities around Dayton Hamvention®

Karn is a graduate of Cornell University and Carnegie Mellon University with degrees in Electrical and Computer Engineering and has retired from a technology career including Bell Labs, Bellcore, and Qualcomm. He is co-founder of AMPRnet, is founder and past-President of Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC), a private foundation that exists to support amateur radio and digital communication science and technology through grants and scholarships, and the management of 44Net. Karn continues to serve on the ARDC Board of Directors. The work of ARDC has contributed approximately $30 million to amateur radio since 2020.

Karn has been licensed since he was 15. “It’s been a major factor in my life, directly and indirectly,” he said. Karn views amateur radio as a creative outlet. “I’m an engineer, so I need an outlet for my technical ideas. I’m retired, so amateur radio now fulfills that need. It’s very gratifying to see others using your ideas and works,” said Karn.

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