Mike has had a keen interest in electronics since age nine, and as a child used to dismantle everything mechanical or electronic he could find. Sometimes they went back together, but most of the time they didn’t. While attending Junior High School he spent his afternoons after school studying the “Boy’s Book of Radio and Electronics” series, building electronic projects from the books with parts he had gathered up. He started with a simple crystal radio kit and moved on from there. His grandparents later donated an old Zenith shortwave radio recovered from their home’s attic for the cause, and Mike soon discovered the magic of shortwaves.   

Now a forty-year plus Life Member of the ARRL and very active ham, Mike was first licensed in 1974 as WN6HKP, and earned his Amateur Extra in 1983. His main radio interests are competitive radiosport, DXing, and mentoring for both. He has served as an ARRL Emergency Coordinator, is an ARRL Accredited Volunteer Examiner, ARRL Registered License Instructor, author, and seminar presenter on a variety of ham radio topics. He has also penned several articles published in ARRL periodicals.

From 2019 to 2024, Mike served as Director for the Northwestern Division. From 2019 to 2024, he also served as a Board member for the ARRL Foundation, spending 2022 to 2024 as its Vice President. In January 2024 Mike was elected ARRL 2^nd Vice President.

Professionally, Mike holds science and technology degrees from Foothill College and San Jose State University and spent 35 years in high technology field (microwave and digital telecommunications), first as an engineer and manager, then moved briefly into product management.  Mike finally took on role of Director of Product Marketing for a global telecom hardware manufacturer, where he focused on strategic relationships with OEM suppliers, collaboration between international business units, and strategic/business plan generation and execution. He was also a Subject Matter Expert (SME) on telecom network timing and synchronization, and frequently lectured on the subject at technical seminars. He retired in 2014 to focus on building his amateur radio contest station and working his 2-acre hobby farm with his wife Shelley, W7VOX.