For those of you who remember the 1997 Hamfest, Jerry was the person who gave the satellite communications demo in the Elks parking lot, and made a contact with Alaska on a handheld antenna.
* Gerald G. Schmitt, KK5YY, SK: Jerry Schmitt, KK5YY (ex-KC5EGG), of Los Alamos, New Mexico, died unexpectedly May 23 after an apparent heart attack. He was 60. Schmitt was especially well-known within the AMSAT and APRS communities and was the designer and primary promoter of the portable Arrow antenna used for satellite work; he also had a hand in developing antennas for AO-40. "Jerry was a very good friend of AMSAT's," said AMSAT President Robin Haighton, VE3FRH. At Hamvention 2003 Schmitt assisted at the AMSAT booth and did a live ham satellite demonstration. "He was just a great guy all around and full of humor," Haighton said. "We're all going to miss him." An ARRL member, Schmitt served as a net control operator for the New Mexico Swapnet and took part in providing ham radio communication during the Cerro Grande fires in New Mexico. In 2001, Schmitt managed Earth-station duties during an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) school group contact from the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science in Albuquerque. He was nearing retirement from Los Alamos National Laboratories and planning to move with his wife, Barbara, KD5CGU, to Alaska. Arrangements are pending.--Brian Mileshosky, N5ZGT, provided some information for this report