I am a graduate of the University of Wisconsin - Madison. While in Madison I helped one of the university club stations set-up a Model 15 Teletype & Hal ST5000 for RTTY on HF & 2m FM autostart.

I.ve lived in the Chicago area since 1982 and I.ve worked in the computer industry and in management consulting.

I am a Life Member of both the ARRL & the QCWA and a member of TAPR & the Central States VHF Society.

I attend the Dayton Hamvention every year and periodically attend the HAM RADIO/HAMtronic hamfest in Friedrichshafen in southern Germany.

I periodically write a digital column for CQ VHF.

I was very active in packet radio in the 1980s & 1990s with CAPRA, the Chicago Area Packet Radio Association as a board member. I also founded & was a board member of the NIPRFC, Northern Illinois Packet Radio Frequency Council.

I was responsible for bringing the ARRL/TAPR DCC (Digital Communications Conference) to Chicago in 1998, 2008 & 2009. I co-hosted the DCC in 1998 with K9VWW and in 2008 & 2009 with W9XA.

Since 2008 I have actively promoted TAPR & the DCC and I.ve solicited technical papers & presentations for the DCC.

In early 2006 I became interested in D-STAR Digital Voice & Data technology. I.ve given over 8 dozen D-STAR presentations at ham club meetings & hamfests in Northern & Central Illinois, Southern Wisconsin and Northern Indiana. I have also worked with other amateurs to get D-STAR digital voice & data technology & infrastructure on the air.

I've created & moderate the following digital oriented Yahoo groups: Digital ATV, D-STAR 23 cm, Illinois Packet Radio, Illinois D-STAR, Indiana D-STAR, Illinois D-STAR and Illinois Packet radio.

A couple years ago I created TAPR.s Facebook & Twitter accounts for hams to stay apprised of developments & activities at TAPR.

I am interested in assisting TAPR in any way I can to serve & educate amateurs interested in digital voice & data technologies.

73, Mark, WB9QZB