About
I’m Konrad Roeder, callsign WA4OSH — first licensed in 1976, upgraded from Advanced to Extra class pre-Covid, FCC General Radiotelephone licensee since 1978, and a retired RF and systems engineer with about 50 years of experience across telecommunications, satellite, and test engineering.
Background
My career has spanned T-Mobile (WiFi engineering), Amazon Kuiper (now LEO) (Ku-band satellite), Tethers Unlimited (TT&C radios), and Amplifier Research, among others. I hold a BS in Computer Science (1986) and an MS in Computer Engineering / Systems Engineering (1995). I’ve been issued 15 patents in telecommunications, and I co-authored the Wi-Fi Handbook (McGraw-Hill, 2003) with Frank Ohrtman.
Current Projects
GoBox — A portable emergency communications station built around the Icom IC-2820H, packaged in a Nanuk 920 case with a Windows mini-PC running Winlink, VARA-FM, and digital modes. Fully documented using systems engineering discipline: requirements, test plans, RTM traceability. Built for ARES/EMCOMM deployment supporting both tactical (Jeffco R1D6) and logistical (Bellevue Communications Support) operations.
AI Partnership Handbook — A book in progress targeting McGraw-Hill, using the GoBox build as a primary worked example of AI-assisted systems engineering. The thesis: AI partnership multiplies engineering leverage — the gain comes from asking the right question, not from automating the obvious one.
LoRa-APRS — I sponsor Ricardo Guzman CA2RXU’s LoRa-APRS firmware on GitHub.
10GHz Microwave — Mountain and cirrus cloud scatter - Washington State.
ARES / EMCOMM
Active volunteer with:
- Bellevue Communications Support (BCS) — fire-centric, logistical, 72-hour sustained ops when in Washington
- Jefferson County ARES R1D6 — police-centric, tactical, storm spotting, DMR, when in Colorado
What I Write About Here
- HAM radio projects and field reports
- Systems engineering applied to amateur radio
- AI-assisted engineering — methods, tools, lessons learned
- GoBox build log
- ARES/EMCOMM operations and preparedness