After earning his degree in electrical engineering from the University of California at Berkeley, he was hired to work on innovative radar systems for combat airplanes during WW II.
A well known DXer and a DXCC Honor Roll member, he also conducted a few personal DXing expeditions to exotic locations like Monaco, St. Pierre, and Miquelon.
In early 1960, William Orr joined a group of radio amateurs (mostly electronic engineers) working to launch a private satellite.
"Oscar stayed in orbit for 3 weeks and broadcast "Hi" in Morse Code to "more than 570 Radio Amateur tracking stations in 28 countries including Japan, China, Antarctica, and the Soviet Union.
Over a period of 40 years, Orr wrote and edited scores of technical books and magazine articles of interest to amateur radio enthusiasts.