N7RSK
Ryan Kocourek
➤ About Me
I am Ryan Kocourek, an 18 year old programmer, amateur radio operator, and student pilot. I am currently a freshman at Purdue University in First Year Engineering. I am hoping to move into Computer Engineering after this year. I've been programming since I was eight years old and have a special interest in graphics, OS development, and networking. I got into amateur radio a couple years ago and have learnt a lot about radios and electronics in general.
I am constantly trying to learn new things and keep my brain active with unique hobbies. It has always been my goal to know a little bit of everything and master a few topics. I am taking advantage of all the time I have now as a teenager to accomplish this goal. My plan for the future is to graduate with a bachelors in Computer Engineering and get a job in the defense sector working on embedded electronics and its code.
➤ Programming
I have been programming for about as long as I've had access to computers. I published my first video game to the Amazon Appstore in September of 2015 when I was 9 years old. After spending a year or two tinkering with creating small games, I moved on to modding Minecraft where I learned Java. Messing with the source code of Minecraft gave me a lot of skill in Java and enough confidence to start creating standalone applications with Java. About at the same time I also tried out the Unity game engine. I used JavaScript on Unity until they stopped supporting it and I had to use C# instead. My first introduction to networking was running Minecraft servers on a cheap Linux VPS box and learning how to set it up from an SSH terminal.
More recently, I have been using C++ and OpenGL and I created my own 3D engine to make a Minecraft terrain generation clone. I also joined my high school's robotics team and I am the head programmer of the team. I also wrote this website from scratch and run it on a Linux VPS. I have been able to learn a lot about networking and Debian OS, especially after I acquired a /24 block of IPv4 IPs through AMPRNet. That taught me a lot about the BGP protocol and how to handle managing a server with many public IPs attached to it.
➤ Electronics
In 2017 I started messing around with breadboards and making very simple circuits with LEDs and 555 timers. After playing with basic electronic components, I bought an Arduino and started making more advanced little devices. The Arduino came in a kit with a bunch of sensors and other little modules. None of these devices were particularly interesting but it was really neat to apply my programming knowledge and interfacing it with the physical world. I also learned to solder by putting together kits such as an AM radio receiver.
In about 2020 I found out about amateur radio and by January of 2021 I had my license. I played around with radios for a few years before finding out about ham radio, but now I was allowed to do so much more. Amateur radio is probably the best possible hobby that combines everything that I am interested in with regards to electronics. Ever since getting my license I have been able to get a lot more experience with electrical engineering.
➤ Airplanes
For my entire life I have lived near an active regional airport. Almost every day I would see the small planes buzzing over my house and I always imagined myself as the one flying it. One day when I was 16 I decided that I really wanted to take flying lessons so I called up the nearest flight school at the regional airport and within a few hours I was talking to my future instructor. The airport I train at is Batten International in Racine and the school is Centurion Aviation. I currently fly a Cessna 150 and I have completed my first solo and first cross country solo. I am hoping that I will be finished with training by the end of the summer before school starts.
I do not have any intentions of doing aviation as a career but I suppose having a private pilot license keeps the door open if I ever change my mind. I also do not see myself getting an instrument rating or commericial license any time soon due to the cost and amount of time. If I ever find myself with a bunch of time in the future then it is definitely something I can see myself doing.
➤ Contact Me
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