Memories of Donn S. Dengel

Donn Dengel (BSEE '82) mans the Badger Amateur Radio Society's station, W9YT, in the basement of Engineering Hall. (56K JPG)

In the late '70s and early '80s, a group of us kept the Badger Amateur Radio Society busy with a flurry of activity. Our interest in amateur radio caused many of us to take up electrical engineering. Our hobby gave us an intuitive grasp of many of the concepts taught in our engineering courses. In turn, our engineering courses deepened our understanding of the hobby. Some of our favorite engineering classes, such as Professor Stremler's ECE 333, Introduction to Communication Systems, had the unofficial title of "Advanced Ham Radio."

The "hamshack" in the basement of the Engineering Building was open most of the day as we met each other between classes to discuss radio topics. We also chatted between classes with handheld two-way radios. (This was before the days of handheld cellular phones.) Occasionally, we'd forget to turn off our radios during lectures, only to be startled by a voice coming out of our backpacks!

At commencement at Camp Randall Stadium, a friend and I wore our handheld two-way radios underneath our graduation gowns. We signaled our friends and family as we approached the podium to receive our diploma (covers), so they could recognize us in the crowd. As we left the podium, we heard the voices of our friends congratulating us over the radio. It was a fitting beginning to our careers.

Donn S. Dengel (BSEE '82)
Senior Electrical Engineer
Northbrook, IL