Michelle mandera kf7dyz
Michelle and husband Tom KE7VUX could be called the dynamic duo. Both are computer programming and systems design experts. It was Tom’s encouragement that motivated Michelle to get into ham radio as a way they could stay in touch when he was four-wheeling. She rose to the challenge, learned amateur radio, and discovered a way to be involved in Tom’s hobbies. Daughters Audrey and Joleigh are now in the fourth and seventh grades. But when Michelle earned her technician ticket at a Hamfest, Audrey was a baby in a stroller and Joleigh was a toddler. While Michelle was taking the test, Joleigh was watching Dora the Explorer on a little TV rigged up by Tom on her stroller tray with the battery under her seat. Audrey was working her traveling baby bottle with Tom in charge. Michelle’s first radio was a Yaesu FT-60.
In 2014 she got her General license, and now enjoys listening to the four-wheeling exploits of Tom and his friends on mobile. APRS provides a great way to monitor the four-wheelers, and 2-meter keeps her in touch with local contacts. After majoring in computer science and business at MSU Northern and at MSU, Michelle took post-baccalaureate courses in geographic information systems from Penn State. She met Tom while working as a software engineer at BDM. After seventeen years at BDM/TRW/Northrop, she moved into the State Department of Labor and Industry, enhancing and maintaining the Employment Relation Division systems. Michelle is a Girl Scout helper who makes sure the girls learn the basics of coding and of ham radio, and often brings her troop to Jamboree on the Air. She is not only a computer and electronics expert, Michelle is also an artsy-craftsy person who enjoys crocheting. She uses scrapbooking to record family adventures and momentous events such as the raising of Tom’s ham radio tower. A busy lady whose hands are always full, Michelle uses radio to stay in touch. Photos by Michelle. December 2018.
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