Maker Spotlight: Wayne Yoshida

Technology
Maker Spotlight: Wayne Yoshida

Name: Wayne Yoshida
Home: Orange County, CA
Makerspace: San Bernardino Microwave Society (SBMS)
Day Job: Technical writer at Agility Fuel Solutions, a leading supplier and manufacturer of natural gas fuel systems for heavy duty vehicles: http://www.agilityfuelsolutions.com/

 

Youtube | Website | Bebee | Linkedin

How’d you get started making?

See Wayne At The Bay Area Maker Faire

When I was a little kid, I remember spending a lot of time behind the TV set, looking at the glowing glass tubes through the ventilation holes and hearing the high pitched whine and enjoying the warmth and the smell coming from the TV. When I was about 9 or 10 years old, I subscribed to Popular Electronics. Throughout elementary and high school, I tinkered with electrical and electronic things in electric shop. I quickly became bored with making “blinking light projects” and decided I needed to find more interesting projects – and started making ham radio gadgets.

What type of maker would you classify yourself as?

I am an electrical, electronics, radio and mechanical builder, with furniture making thrown in. My current “big project” is building a racing car (a Factory Five Racing Type 65 Coupe) from the ground up.

What’s your favorite thing you’ve made?

The 10 GHz transverter system built from kit and surplus telecommunications modules. Using the setup, I broke a North America amateur radio distance record for two-way radio communication on 10 GHz in August 2007 – distance of 1448km/899 mi

My 10 GHz transverter (transmitter-receiver) system. I used it to break a North American distance record for making a two-way ham radio contact on the 10 GHz microwave ham band.

This is a project using a surplus aircraft tanker control panel. I decided to turn it into a piece of electronic art, and added lights, switches and noise-makers. It turned out to be quite popular at the San Diego Maker Faire.

What’s something you’d like to make next?

I am building a pair of low power transmitter-receivers for the ham radio “low bands” – getting back to my ham radio roots of making contacts on Morse Code.

Any advice for people reading this?

Our Maker Faire mission statement is about ham radio, and how it is much more than an “old man’s hobby.” Some of us – Makers – do much more building and experimenting with advanced and modern wireless technology.

 


We highlight different makers from our broad community to show you the faces and stories behind the projects. Meet all the amazing people featured in Maker Spotlight. Want to nominate someone, maybe even yourself? Send a note with your responses to the bolded prompts above to makerspotlight@makermedia.com.

What will the next generation of Make: look like? We’re inviting you to shape the future by investing in Make:. By becoming an investor, you help decide what’s next. The future of Make: is in your hands. Learn More.

Tagged

I get ridiculously excited seeing people make things. I just want to revel in the creativity I see in makers. My favorite thing in the world is sharing a maker's story. find me at CalebKraft.com

View more articles by Caleb Kraft
Discuss this article with the rest of the community on our Discord server!

ADVERTISEMENT

Escape to an island of imagination + innovation as Maker Faire Bay Area returns for its 16th iteration!

Prices Increase in....

Days
Hours
Minutes
Seconds
FEEDBACK