Electronics Whiz`s Home A Temple To Technology

February 12, 1985|By Neal Templin, Staff Writer

He has a pool that takes its own temperature, a doorbell that rings before it`s touched, and enough radio equipment for a small-scale lunar expedition.

Herman Hinz`s life is a tribute to technology. His Coral Springs home is his temple.

An electronic display in his living room tells him the temperature of his pool and spa as well as the inside and outside air temperatures. A pump automatically kicks in if rain water raises the water level.

Sensors on his porch see visitors before they reach the door. Immediately, bells go off at three different locations in his house. At night, lights at the front of his house go on automatically as soon as a visitor is detected.

But Hinz`s real love is his radio equipment. Five years ago, he founded an organization of Coral Springs radio buffs designed to help police in emergencies.

``I like anything that is high tech,`` Hinz says. But there is a method to this electonic madness.

``I don`t get anything that`s just a gadget,`` he says. ``It has to have practical purposes.``

Hinz, 66, has a lifelong interest in technology. He got his first radio at the age of 10. In World War II, he was a radioman in the U.S. Merchant Marine.

After the war, Hinz started a printing company in Illinois. He loved to tinker with his presses. And he invented gadgets for his factory.

Hinz thought the loud horns used byo Communication Group in Coral Springs with eleven other radio users. The group now has 26 members.

Group members help police. They usually carry hand-held radios at all times. If they see a traffic accident, they radio police.

The group is designed to provide emergency communications in the wake of a natural disaster, such as a hurricane. Hinz said Coral Springs has not had a serious emergency in the past five years.

Hinz believes in preparing for problems before they hit. He compares the radio group to having lifeguards at the beach. ``You don`t start to train people and give swimming lessons when you see someone out there drowning,`` he says.

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