Hello there! My name is Chris Vig, and I live in Lenexa, Kansas, which is a suburb of Kansas City. I was born in 1984, so I’m 41 years old at the time of this writing (March 2026). I was first licensed as an amateur radio operator in March 2025, and have been enjoying the ride ever since.
Thank you for taking the time to check out my web site and read a little about me!
Background
I was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada in 1984, and spent most of my childhood there. I immigrated to the United States in 2007 to get married to my wife Hannah, who is from Kansas City. As of 2026, we still live in the suburbs (Lenexa) of Kansas City.
School
I attended the University of North Dakota from 2002 to 2006, and obtained a bachelor’s degree in Atmospheric Sciences (meteorology). I had originally intended to study commercial aviation, with the intention of becoming an airline pilot, but eventually decided to change my major after realizing that I didn’t want to spend my entire life flying airplanes.
In 2024, I started taking online courses (again from the University of North Dakota) towards earning a second bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering. I’m hoping to finish this up by around 2028, while continuing to work full time.
Professional Career
I am currently an engineer for an avionics company (Garmin) in Kansas City, working on civilian radar technologies. I joined Garmin in 2008, and have spent my entire professional career there.
Hobbies
Other than radio, my main hobby is music – I play the piano, drums, guitar, and bass, all with different degrees of terribleness. I also enjoy going to concerts and listening to live music with my wife and friends.
I also like learning languages. I am fluent in standard Arabic (MSA / Fusha) and can speak a little bit of some of the local Arabic dialects. I am also OK-ish at Spanish, although I’d like to get better.
I enjoy books a lot, and usually spend at least one or two hours a day reading. I read a lot of non-fiction books, especially about science and math. I don’t read a whole lot of fiction, but when I do, I like science fiction and horror.
Finally, my wife and I really enjoy being outdoors, whether it’s just taking the dog for a walk, or going on a cross-country backpacking expedition across the mountains of Colorado. I love POTA because it combines my love of radio with my love of being outside, and I’m hoping I can get into SOTA eventually.