Introducing:email: al7eb_at_amsat_dot_org
Born in Norwich, NY in 1944, Ed Cole lived in rural Michigan for most of his youth. Having no athletic ability, he spent that time generally with his nose stuck in some book. His childhood hero was Dr. Verner Von Braun, head of U.S. Rocket Program which eventually led to the space program. Ed discovered A.C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein, and Poul Anderson before many SETI Leaguers were born! Ed discovered the world of amateur radio in 1957 and became licensed in 1958. Those interests led to pursuing a B.S. degree in Mathematics and a minor in Electrical Engineering at Michigan State University. His Senior year included a research paper on Radio Astronomy.
In the fall of 1968 Ed was invited by Dr. John Kraus to study Radio Aastronomy at Ohio State University . Unfortunately this was not to be. Ed accepted an engineering position at Hughes Aircraft in Los Angeles. It was there that he became involved with the San Bernardino Microwave Society which led to his being employed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. At NASA's Goldstone Spacecraft Tracking Facility he progressed from Microwave Engineer to Systems Analyst, and participated in the Voyager, Pioneer, and Viking projects. While at Goldstone he helped build and operate the West Coast command station for the AMSAT OSCAR 6 ham radio communications satellite. His final three years at JPL were in Pasadena, California as a Senior Engineer.
In 1979 Ed moved to Alaska seeking a different lifestyle. He settled in a small gold rush "ghost town" of 75 people, purchased a small piece of wilderness, and built a log house from trees harvested from the local forest. He acquired a sled dog and now has a team of eleven dogs. Through the next few years Ed maintained his interest in space communications by operating the ham radio satellites and starting a satellite TV dealership. 1989 was a turning point when he went to work in Valdez, Alaska participating in the Exxon Valdez oil spill cleanup.
Ed now lives in a modern home on five acres in the country near Nikiski, Alaska (pop. 1000), where he works for an Oil Spill Response Organization in charge of their communication department. He joined the SETI League in 1997. Ed encountered Paul Shuch at an AMSAT conference, and was persuaded to take on the regional coordinator position for Alaska. Ed is currently actively building radio equipment for 144 MHz and 1296 MHz moon bounce. A five meter dish will be shared for use at 23 cm and 21 cm, the latter wavelength to be used for amateur radio astronomy and a Project Argus station. Ed is the Alaska coordinator for AMSAT and a member of the Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers.
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