About

Art Zygielbaum, KØAIZ

Excepting the tragic loss of our daughter in a traffic accident in 2018, I’ve had a rich, rewarding, fortunate life. And amateur radio has been part of my life for more than 65 years. Along the way, I’ve built a career as an engineer, scientist, educator, and leader. I was lucky enough to have long careers at both NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and I’ve truly enjoyed serving as Midwest Division Director for ARRL.

Many of the electronics and communications skills I carried into my work started with amateur radio. Staying on the air has kept me learning, connecting with people, serving others, and exploring what new technology can make possible.

Where It Started

I was the kid who took apart clocks to see how they worked, including one of my dad’s favorites that never quite worked again. A Boy Scout Scoutmaster introduced me to amateur radio, and hearing a local operator talk with someone in Europe made an impression I never forgot.

I earned my first amateur radio license at 14 in 1961. Before long, I built equipment, made contacts around the world, and took part in weekly emergency communications net control with the Los Angeles County Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service. These experiences showed me early on what amateur radio could do when people needed help. During a bike race through the San Gabriel Mountains, a bicyclist was struck by a car, and witnesses saw me with the radio and asked me to call for an ambulance. The quick communication was later credited with helping save his life.

From there, amateur radio became a way to keep learning, serve others, and stay connected to people around the world.

From Radio to Deep Space

The technical skills I developed through amateur radio helped me advance my career. I joined NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in 1968 and spent nearly 30 years working in spacecraft tracking and navigation, scientific information systems, engineering, and management. My work put me alongside teams supporting some of NASA’s most recognizable deep-space missions.

Engineering for Deep Space

I worked on spacecraft tracking systems, computer communications, scientific information systems, and eventually became a manager and executive.

4 Patents

Although the technology is now obsolete, I earned or helped earn four NASA patents involving video displays, computer communications, controls, and spacecraft ranging technology.

Viking Mission

The ranging system I helped develop supported Viking navigation and experiments testing Einstein’s theory of relativity. I was lucky enough to be one of the first humans to see the surface of Mars from my console.

Voyager Mission

NASA awarded me a certificate for helping develop the high-precision ranging technology used to navigate Voyager past Saturn and on to Uranus and Neptune. I still remember the shiver I felt sitting at my console as the first close-up images of Jupiter and its moons came in. Through the JPL Amateur Radio Club, I also helped transmit Voyager images to fellow hams around the world.

The Move to Nebraska

A conversation with Senator Bob Kerry at JPL led me to form a team that created a NASA education project jointly between JPL and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. I began traveling to Lincoln regularly and fell in love with the state. My wife and I moved here in 1998.

What started as a career change became another opportunity to keep learning. I eventually returned to graduate school, earned my Ph.D. in Geography/Remote Sensing, and joined the UNL research faculty. My work at UNL focused on using remote-sensing technology to study stress in crops, and I continued researching, publishing, and teaching until retiring in 2018.

Government & Public Service

Over the years, I’ve served on many boards and committees. After retirement, it seems I’ve only become busier. My wife complains that I can’t say “no” when asked to serve, and I’ve served on the following boards.

  • City of Lincoln Telecommunications and Cable Advisory Board — Former President 

  • City of Lincoln Comprehensive Plan Committee — Member

  • Nebraska Appleseed Center for Law in the Public Interest — Member and President, Board of Directors

  • Lied Center for Performing Arts Statewide Advisory Board — Member and President

  • ACLU of Nebraska — Board of Directors

  • South Street Temple — Board of Trustees

  • ARRL Board of Directors — Midwest Division Director

  • ARRL Foundation Board of Directors — Board Member

  • Lincoln Downtown Rotary — Board Member

  • Friends of the University of Nebraska State Museum — Member and President

  • Lincoln Amateur Radio Club — Board Member

  • National Research Council National Weather Service Modernization Committee

  • Department of Commerce Patent and Trademark Independent Review Committee

  • Congressional/NASA Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel

  • Department of the Navy Sea Systems Command Safety and Engineering Process Independent Review Committee

Get In Contact.

I want to hear what’s working, what isn’t, and what you want ARRL to do better.

Contact Art