We start off the new year by warping back to early 1990 prior to the introduction of the RAIN Report. Before RAIN, snow Holly/KC9RP produced what he called the RP Report. Here is one of the programs Chap produced under that moniker that gave his listenership an early glimpse -- or rather sound bite of talking technology. the developer of the DX Packet Talker was Bill McConnell/N9US. Bill's DX Packet Talker would be considered primitive technology by 2016 standards. Nevertheless the DX Packet Talker was a step in the right direction in 1990. We leave you on a sad note this week with the passing of Steve Parker/KC9KU. Steve was a RAIN script reader some years ago. Steve and Hap were good friends going back to 1983. Hap reports that Steve was a very kind and thoughtful member of the blind ham community. He left us on Christmas day, one day short of his 60th birthday. Our warmest sympathies go out to his devoted wife, Holly. The RAIN Report can be heard on www.therainreport.com, via Twitter @therainreport; and iTunes. The RAIN Report can be heard on www.therainreport.com, via Twitter @therainreport; and iTunes.