Biography

I am known as Wayne, I use my middle name. I retired at the end of 2007 after 40 plus years working in public broadcasting. The last 20 years of employment I served as Chief Engineer - Transmission for UNC-TV, the statewide PBS network in North Carolina. I always wanted to get a ham license (since I was 9 years old when my Uncle Joe gave me an old copy of a 1936 Amateur Radio Handbook) Instead I got my First Class Commercial FCC License as a teenager and was operating a TV Radio repair and Two-Way radio business. Over the years I have built and repaired ham equipment, installed ham antennas and have many friends and co-workers that are hams. I am thankful to the great supervisors, employers, colleagues and friends I have and the many mentors that have influenced me over my lifetime. I left a Chief Engineer position at Connecticut Public Broadcasting (TV & Radio) at the end of 1986 after more than 19 years there to take a Chief Engineer position in North Carolina. I was immediately involved in the construction of many high power TV transmitters, the largest being 280,000 watts peak power. I was responsible for system planning, equipment purchasing, FCC licensing, maintenance and operation of TV transmission systems and statewide microwave systems. For more than the last 10 years of employment I was involved in construction of several new broadcast towers, new digital TV transmitters and a statewide high capacity digital microwave transmission system including 1200 path miles, 34 hops of full duplex, hot standby high capacity digital microwave in NC. In my career I have worked with many wonderful co-workers that I have continuously learned from and have many wonderful experiences and memories. In October of 2013 I relocated the QTH about 150 miles east from Chatham County, NC to Beaufort County, NC to the original Washington, NC where I live with my wonderful wife and we spend time cruising on our sailboat on the coast.

I am a Life member of OCRA (Orange County Radio Amateurs), a member of DFMA (Durham FM Association), Orange County ARES, PARC (Pamlico Amateur Radio Club) CERA (Columbia Emergency Repeater Association) Waterway Radio Cruising Club, Possum Trotters, # 3380 and ECARS # 4875. I used to help maintain the OCRA clubs repeaters when I lived close by there and some of them are on a platform at 1000 ft. AGL on the WUNC-TV tower. I now assist in the maintenance of the local repeaters here in Beaufort County, NC.