Our own Gerald Marchant WB5NZV has been awarded the ARRL North Texas Ham of the Year for 2023.
To many people in the North Central Texas area, Gerald Marchant is known as the Godfather of Amateur Radio. He has served in various roles from technical to financial and has a kindred spirit that seeks to provide a level of expertise that is unmatchable by many. Gerald has served as one of the longest running officers of the Denton County Amateur Radio Association. While he may not have founded the organization, he holds the knowledge of what was before history was considered worthy of recording.
Today, Gerald still serves in the role of Treasurer of the DCARA, but he serves in many other ways as a technical expert to all of Denton County’s amateur radio clubs new and old alike. His knowledge and passion has lead the way to developing robust communication systems to support public safety across the state and he continues to train and learn new techniques in various groups including serving in roles with Denton County ARES, Texas Army MARS, Texas State RACES, and now the US Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 5-3 out of Lake Lewisville. He was also one of the original founding members of the State of Texas Communication’s Coordination Group (CCG) operated out of the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Statewide Interoperability Coordinator’s Office (SWIC).
Gerald’s passion has bled over into the professional world with many being able to call on him for knowledge or a connection to find an answer. Whether a team is deployed to the coast for hurricanes or the pan-handle for wildfires, Gerald is just a phone call away to help with expertise or resources.
It would be a stretch to find a more worthy individual to be named the ARRL NTX 2023 Ham of the Year.
Congratulations Gerald!
