My amateur background started as a youth. I built my first transmitter at age twelve and I have enjoyed science, electronics and amateur radio ever since. I got my First Phone Commercial license at age 16. W4IZH was my first call, followed by W6IRI when I joined the staff of Cal Tech’s Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena, CA, as a Senior Scientist and Senior Research Engineer where I was the Cognizant Engineer of the Lunar Lander Surveyor Television System and some other space experiments. While there I developed many state-of-the-art items and was able to shoot the moon with a laser, which created a lot of publicity for NASA.

Later, because the Lunar Lander Television Experiment was so successful, NASA asked me to head the Mars Viking Lander Imaging Experiment, plus other experiments, to go to Mars, which required a move to the Denver, Colorado area where I was issued the call W0OLI. Then my work took me to Florida to work on the manned Space Shuttle Program, where I was issued W4MMC (Mickey Mouse Club). The hectic pace of the space work did not allow me a lot of time to do much hamming, but I enjoyed it when I could. I became known as "Captain Video" on the Space Shuttle program.

My work at the Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral , and at the nearby Guided Missile Plant (where, among other things, the Cruise Missiles were designed and made) in addition to television, included, among other things, space experiments, rocket motor evaluations, fiber optics experiments, communication experiments, ice studies, Shuttle Spacecraft thermal tile studies, training astronauts, thermal imaging evaluations, mission on-orbit operations support, shuttle engine tests, weapons systems design and analysis, bear tracking, navigation systems evaluations, plus working in NASA’s Toxic Vapor Lab evaluating and experimenting with new chemical analysis techniques and instrumentation.

My professional background includes, among other things:

• Broadcasting [radio and TV; station installation, operations, supervision, TV station trouble shooter for RCA]

• Teaching [college level (and astronauts): science, electronics, math, and special space scientific instrumentation]

• Military, on active duty (six invasions and two sea battles {including the largest one ever fought, the battle of "Leyte Gulf"} [electronics, communications, navigation, ECM, aircraft {both manned and unmanned}, avionics, radar, teaching]

• Military, as a consultant, designer, and global trouble shooter [electronics, communications, ECM, avionics, radar, weapons systems, guided missile systems, jet aircraft redesign, co-authored pilots' handbooks for two types of jet aircraft], space science research and design [participating in space craft program operations and scientific analysis, plus doing some designing for the Space Station and a Lunar base station.

• Helped design a 500-KW ampliphase modulated AM transmitter prototype model for RCA. The first one went to Mexico.

• Prior to retirement, had been in contact with HCJB, Trans World Radio (TWR), and Wycliff’s Jungle and Aviation Radio (JAARS), as well as the Toccoa Falls College Radio Network (TFCRN). After retirement, joined TFC Radio Network. In addition to engineering, I give station breaks and announcements from time to time on the air.

If you have any questions I will be pleased to help you any way that I can.

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Best Regards,