William Eckberg, usually known as Bill, was born February 11, 1939 near Manlius, Illinois. He moved with his family to various farms on which his parents worked, going to grade schools in Thomas and New Bedford and graduating from Manlius High School in 1957. After finishing his high school studies Bill studied communications for two years at DeVry Institute of Technology in Chicago and earned a First Class FCC license.
Bill was employed at Reynolds Television Servive in Sterling, Illinois for five years. When he worked there color television was new and he was fascinated by the technical aspects of this new technology. After his job at Reynolds, Bill also worked at GTE and Admiral Corporation for brief times.
Bill served six years in the Illinois National Guard (from 1961-1967) , working in transportation units in Rock Falls and Kewanee, Illinois. He also served six months on active duty including basic training in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.
Besides his employment in the electronics industry and his military service, Bill farmed for over thirty years on his farm ten miles southeast of Dixon, Illinois. He is currently retired and living on his farm. He has never married.
Long distance television reception has been one of Bill's life-long interests. He has belonged to the American Ionispheric Propagation Association (AIPA) and currently is a member of the Worldwide TV-FM Dx Association. He has written feature articles in some national publications on the subject of long distance television reception, most recently in the September 2000 issue of Popular Communication.
Despite being retired, Bill keeps very active with his hobbies.He travels frequently to television and communications conventions. This year alone he has been to Lake Placid, New York; Madison, Wisconsin; Ithaca, New York and Louisville, Kentucky. A few years ago he toured the WWV in Boulder, Colorado, a government installation that sets the time standard for the world. He has several other interests as well, including Eckberg family history.
Bill and his father Art near a corn shock, on the Olson farm east of Thomas, Illinois.
Bill at home, about ten years of age.
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