User:Pneumatek

I’m a retired Navy nuclear electrician’s mate and educator with a lifelong interest in understanding how things work by taking them apart, rebuilding them, and experimenting with them.

I served in the U.S. Navy from 1979 to 1996, initially as an Interior Communications Electrician and later as an Electrician’s Mate (Nuclear). I completed Naval Nuclear Power School in 1980 and served aboard submarines. That experience gave me a strong foundation in electronics, instrumentation, troubleshooting, documentation, and the disciplined approach to diagnosing complex systems.

After leaving the Navy, I spent many years in education and technology. I taught electronics- and computer-related subjects at the vocational and college levels and eventually became a tenured faculty member and department head in computer information systems, computer science, and related technology programs. I earned a BS in Computer Information Systems, an MS in Computer Information Systems, and a graduate certificate in cybersecurity.

I have never really stopped being a student. These days my interests range across amateur radio, SDR, networking, cybersecurity, digital fabrication, CNC machinery, embedded systems, and experimental electronics. I maintain a hands-on laboratory where I prefer to learn by measuring, modifying, testing, documenting, and repeating.

I’m particularly interested in older and discontinued equipment that still has useful hardware hiding inside it. Rather than simply getting something working again, I enjoy understanding the architecture and determining what can be repurposed, reconfigured, or improved with modern tools.

I recently became interested in the SmartRF 900 MHz radios and have been exploring their hardware, firmware, configuration, and possibilities for reconfiguration. The 2.4 GHz equipment I have is old enough that documentation and firmware availability are becoming challenges, which makes the reverse-engineering and experimentation aspect particularly interesting to me.

My general philosophy is simple: Instrument → Measure → Experiment → Understand → Document.

I’m here primarily to learn, share what I discover, and see what these older pieces of technology can still teach us.