Past San Diego engineer Phil Wells, 66, died quietly on December 21, 2021, of cancer at the UCSD Thornton Hospital. He is survived by his wife, Carol Hyne, stepdaughter Kat, and sister Janet Brandt.

Phil grew up in Syracuse, NY, where, as a teenager, he built a pirate AM station effective enough to get the attention of the FCC. He got a legitimate job in broadcasting there with a mixture of on-air and technical work at WOLF-FM 92.1, later moving to KPSI 100.5 Palm Springs. After a few years, he was recruited by the owners of KKLQ 106.5 FM in San Diego to be the station’s Chief Engineer. He later became the Chief Engineer of KYXY (FM) and KJQY (FM) and an active SBE member from the late 1980s until 1997. He then went on to build and maintain small business telephone and IT systems until retiring. He was a seasonal frequency coordinator with the NFL from 2012 until the Chargers left San Diego at the end of 2016.

Phil had an inquisitive mind and an extroverted personality that made him an interesting person to be around. We built an exquisite ham station for Field Day in 2010, and I will never forget his 6′ 10″ frame hoisting a 50′ mast, nor his working the radio bands through the night because he was largely nocturnal.

No memorial service was announced.