Red was always mechanically inclined and wanted to know how things warked. In 1955 Red read an article in a newspaper about weather stations in the Antarctic and the amateur radio operators that staffed these outposts. He wanted to know more about this fascinating group of people. After much research he found the Amateur Radio Relay League in Massachusetts, a national origination for amateur radio operators. Red soon passed the test for an amateur radio license, and at the age of 14. He got on the air with home built equipment in February 1956 while still in high school. For the next few years while still in high school, he experimented with all sorts of electronic circuits, talked on his ham radio station guide a bit, went to high school, and became a regular visitor all at the local radio stations.

Since Red lived out in the country, no one living nearby except the people at the local radio station, knew anything about electronics. This prompted Red to become even more interested in radio. He began experimenting with amplifiers, transmitters, and antennas. This experimentation served as the basis for a deeper understanding of how radio, and later television actually worked. Red became a licensed broadcast engineer in 1959 by passing the FCC test for a First Class Radiotelephone license.

While in college Red worked in broadcast radio both as an announcer and as a licensed engineer.  In addition to working in radio, Red made extra money fixing tv sets that local tv shops couldn't fix.

After college Red moved to Atlanta Georgia and continued his facination with radio and electronics. This was the beginning of a fifty plus year career in radio, television, recording, live sound, satellites, computers, and related electronic businesses.