Engineer and problem solver. At a stage in life where my main goal is to help others to reach their goals. Experienced in low- and high-level design, and I have basic software programming skills, a solid engineering background, and good project management skills. I work well by myself or as a part of a large team. I also know HTML, CSS, and basic JavaScript, Python, and Gnome/GNU/Linux. Also, understand network topology and hierarchy and VBA for Excel.

Career Summary
♦   A problem-solving engineer with over 15 years of management experience
♦   Like to teach and mentor
♦   Comfortable talking before large groups of people
♦   Past President of Auburn Elks (BPOE) Lodge, and active at the State District Level
♦   Active in projects and efforts that help the local community
♦   Writer, many articles. Also wrote four books. History and geology buff
♦   Built and retrofitted many media facilities
♦   Developed & maintained websites in support of projects using HTML, CSS, JavaScript
♦   Some experience in Node.js, React, and Github environments
♦   Have written Python scripts and C++ programs
♦   Familiar with the Gnome/GNU/Linux stack
♦   Wrote extensive VBA code to allow Excel to automate various tasks and complete processes
♦   Extensive RF experience - terrestrial TV, microwave, plus C & KU band satellite uplinking
♦   Managed engineering and operations staffs
♦   Very good at working in challenging environments

Education:
Cleveland State University, Fenn College of Engineering. BSEE 1993
Received a student leadership award from the Electrical Engineering department for Student Leadership as spearhead of the school’s entry into a robotic vehicle competition. Also, took first place in my senior year in the engineering competition week ping-pong ball harvest contest, building my entry from discarded VTR parts.

Experience
Writer, & Journalist
Self Employed
1997-Present
Wrote my first novel. Now finishing a new book about how the television industry settled on an unlikely outpost.

Co-Authored the two editions of TV on Wheels - The Story of Remote Television Production – the premier teaching guide for remote television production. George Hoover, retired CTO of NEP Inc, and I talked to over 250 industry insiders. This edition not only covers what's changed in the last 10 years but delves much deeper into business, operations, and technical issues. Here is a review of the book by Cal State Long Beach.
Tour of a typical truck at the turn of the century.

In addition, I was a for hire technical writer for technical publications and wrote white papers for television equipment vendors and integrators.

In 1999 wrote the DTV Survival Guide for McGraw-Hill. This book explained the retrofit process and technology behind a television station converting from analog to digital technology. This opportunity grew out of the dozens of articles that I wrote for Broadcast Engineering magazine. In addition, I have written sections of the National Association of Broadcasters Engineering Handbook.

Freelance videographer and Editor
Self Employed
3/17 - 9/21, Sacramento
Panasonic AG-HMC150P HD (1080i/720p) camera
AES Audio Mixer, Sony Movie Studio 13 editing software

Adviser
Veteran's Educational TV
11/18 - 11/19, Grass Valley, Ca
Volunteer on the advisory board. I provided technical and engineering support.

Volunteer
VBA Excel and Website Coder
6/10 - Present
Volunteer who provides Excel scripts for friends and organizations using Visual Basic for Applications. Also know HTML, CSS, and intermediate JavaScript which I also provide for non-profits and friends. This website is totally built on my own HTML, CSS, and Javascript code. Have also written Python scripts. I have also been exposed to React, Node.Js, and Github.

Project Engineer
Broadcast Management Group
11/19-3/20, Las Vegas Nevada
Did miscellaneous projects from equipment setup, NAS commissioning, television production support and project reverse engineering. Position eliminated the week Las Vegas shut down due to the Corona Virus.

Engineering Manager
KREN-TV
8/17-3/18, Reno Nevada
Short term engineering manager and mentor

President, Chief Engineer, Instructor, and Janitor
Northeast Technical Training Group/Atwood Video Productions
4/14 – 9/17, Auburn, CA
Developed and started a non-profit organization dedicated to teaching qualified veterans high tech skills using professional television equipment, including two 53' purpose built television production trailers.

NTTG taught basic television production operations, remote television logistics, basic math, electrical and electronic technician skills, along with project management (Curriculum). Company evolved into a content production studio known as Atwood Video Productions. While the school was going, I also became the school’s webmaster and thus know many of the web front end technologies. The www.ntt-group.org site and this personal website were coded by me. As such I have a good understanding of coding in raw HTML, and the use of CSS, along with using Javascript, jQuery, and Bootstrap. We lost our lease and that forced us to liquidate and close the production facility.

Technical Support
Telestream
6/11 – 4/14, Nevada City, Ca
Resolved issues for customers using company’s enterprise scale video/audio transcoding, processing, media management and delivery systems.

Systems Engineer
Independent Contractor – Systems Integration July 1998 – June 2011
Worked on many integration projects for companies such as Sony SI, Signasys, Conseho LLC, and Panasonic, Scripps-Howard, CNN, Fox Sports, Sports Net NY, ESPN, along with many retrofits and rebuild of local television broadcast stations. Was involved with all phases of these projects, from conceptual through to final design, and implementation, testing, commissioning, and punch list resolution.

Oversaw H verses CP RF propagation tests at KICU for the NAB Model Station group in 1999.

Wrote C+, Javascript, and VB code for testing, diagnostic, and control of equipment that comprised part of larger systems.

Was a technical consultant and designer for the Nextel Broadcast Auxiliary Service microwave frequency repacking project for the Raycom group of broadcast stations 2008-2010.

I oversaw the RF integration for Panasonics jumbotron project at Charlotte Speedway, in conjunction with SBE and BST, in 2010 & 2011.

Sustaining/Systems Engineer
Sony Electronics, Inc.
July 1993 – June 1998, San Jose, Ca.
Sustaining Engineer for Sony high end broadcast cameras, and VTRs. This involved training field engineers, being a technical liaison with Japan engineering, investigation and suggesting engineering fixes for systemic issues, and writing diagnostic software and firmware for various equipment using C, C+, VB, and assembly languages. Also, became the Sustaining Engineer for Sony system level products, namely television routers, and newsroom/ video server systems. Ended up working closely with Sony’s System Integration division integrating products into small to extremely large installations, including those on foundations and on wheels. Also, developed field method for determining how close a digital signal is to its error cliff. Made presentations of the procedure to SMPTE, and NAB before large groups, designed (wrote 8051 controller code) automatic handheld tester for the process.

Additional interests:
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks
Boy Scouts of America
Geography - Check out my website to the bottom left!