The Grand Prize Winner of the 1976 MITS World Altair Computer Convention Demonstration Contest was Don Alexander of Columbus, Ohio.
He won the contest with his home-built, computer-controlled amateur Radio Teletype (RTTY) station.
System Details
- Hardware: His setup consisted of an Altair 8800 computer modified with 8K of memory, a video display, an ASCII keyboard, a Baudot Teletype and Teletype converter, and a standard radio transmitter and receiver.
- Software: Alexander built the hardware and wrote his own custom software for the system from scratch, including his own editor and assembler.
- The Demonstration: To prove what his rig could do, he actually hooked it up and entered a live Radio Teletype contest that was running during the convention weekend, letting his Altair 8800 track and handle the communications.
Award Category: Grand Prize / Best Demonstration
Winner: Don Alexander (WA8VNP)
Demonstration: Computer-controlled amateur Radio Teletype station
The First Annual World Altair Computer Convention was held from March 26 to March 28, 1976, at the Airport Marina Hotel near Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Organized by David Bunnell of MITS (Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems), it is recognized as the world’s first major convention dedicated to personal and microcomputers.
Key Details & Highlights
- Attendance: Over 700 enthusiasts, hobbyists, and industry figures attended, representing 46 U.S. states and 7 countries.
- The Centerpiece: The event centered around the Altair 8800, a build-it-yourself microcomputer kit created by MITS that had sparked the personal computer revolution after appearing on the cover of Popular Electronics in January 1975.
- Bill Gates’ Speech: On March 27, 1976, a 20-year-old Bill Gates gave the opening address. He used the platform to publicly address software piracy, referencing his famous “Open Letter to Hobbyists” published in the Computer Notes newsletter, where he criticized users for sharing BASIC code without paying.
- Innovations & Contests: The convention featured a competition for the best Altair demonstrations. The winner of the most innovative demonstration award was BYTE Magazine.
- Legacy: This gathering served as a major launching pad for early personal computer culture, solidifying Albuquerque as an early hub for microcomputing and giving early visibility to Microsoft (then spelled “Micro-Soft”).
The First Computer – Controlled Ham Station – Grand Prize winner at the WACC! (page 84 of the pdf)
First Personal Computer Convention
