AFC, APCO’s frequency coordination department, is pleased to introduce its network of dedicated local advisor volunteers. APCO’s advisors are responsible for frequency coordination in their home state and we would like to bring awareness and recognition to the dedication they exhibit on a daily basis. Please feel free to reach out to our local advisors with any questions dealing with FCC Part 90 licensing and frequency coordination.

Bob began his career in public safety as a Dispatcher for the Utah Highway Patrol in 1959 and within a year he was advanced to the position of Radio Engineer.  He served in this position with the Patrol servicing northern Utah until 1990 when the Public Safety Communications Division was integrated with the State’s IT department.  Bob retired from State service in 1998. Bob joined APCO in 1966 as a member of the then Intermountain Chapter and later that year was made the Frequency Coordinator for the State of Utah. Bob was the only member from Utah until the Utah Chapter of APCO was formed in 1972. When Bob was appointed as the Utah coordinator there were no previous records of Public Safety frequency use to be found so he spent a day at the FCC offices in Denver copying Utah Public Safety users and their frequencies from the FCC records.

Bob served as a member of the committee to determine the data contractor when AFC went digital in 1987.  In 1989 he was selected to serve as Chairman of the “Needs Analysis” committee, made up of a Frequency Advisor form each APCO Region, to determine what the Advisor’s wanted in the first APCO owned frequency coordination system. He later served on the team selected to build this system as well as a Beta tester. The system would go on-line at the Annual Conference held in Seattle in 1992. As a member of the AFC Advisory Committee on which he served for 14 years, he participated in making decisions with respect to the upgrades that would be implemented into the system. He was also part of the team, as well as a Beta tester, of APCO’s the first “window’s based” coordination system.

Over the years Bob served as the Utah Chapter’s elected appointee to the National Executive Committee for 14 years as well as serving on other National Committees and holding Chapter Offices. He was awarded APCO’s Life Membership in 1991 and has received other “President’s Awards”, Awards as AFC’s “Coordinator of the Year”, as well as “Special Achievement” awards. Bob was one of the initial 6 recipients inducted into Utah’s Public Safety’s “Communications Hall of Fame”.

Bob served as a member of South Ogden City’s Volunteer Fire Department for 26 years, 10 of those years as Fire Marshal, Assistant Fire Chief and Fire Chief. During his time with the Fire Department, Bob was instrumental in South Ogden obtaining their first two-way public safety and public works radio systems.  Bob also served 9 ½ years as a member of the National Guard. Bob attended the University of Utah and Utah State University. He has a wife, Patricia, 3 children, 12 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren as of this writing.