High hopes for low frequencies.

• Position: Digital Recorders Inc. - Tar Heel Tattler

High hopes for low frequencies

If you're looking to round out your resume, shoot for a Dewar's Profile. In 1981, Phil Johnston, a High Point lawyer and businessman, added that distinction to his list of accomplishments: a law degree, seats on several corporate boards and 25 businesses bought and sold.

Johnston is using his credentials to convince investors to back Digital Recorders Inc. The 7-year-old Research Triangle Park company makes radio transmitters used to relay information to motorists.

Founded by Raleigh inventor Virgil Duncan, Digital Recorders' transmitter uses less electricity than a tape recorder and can run off a car battery or even a solar panel. The company has sold about $1.5 million of transmitters and has more than 300 scattered around at places such as the Rose Bowl, the New York Port Authority and Raleigh-Durham International Airport.

"This is embryonic...