QSO Today Podcast - Interviews with the leaders in amateur radio

Guy Lemieux, VE2BWL, built his dream contest station, including a one-hundred ten foot self supporting tower, from metal stock delivered to his bard, in a rural area of Southern Quebec. while attempting to relax in the evenings and weekends from a stressful career. Guy shares this project and the stories behind his seven tower contest station in this QSO Today.

Fred Schramm, K2HA, visited Israel a few weeks ago and contacted me to meet with him in Jerusalem. Howard, 4X1ZZ, and I visited Fred at his hotel and recorded this interview with him. Fred tells his ham radio story, his life in Fairbanks, Alaska, and his thoughts on keeping old hams connected when they can no longer get on the air.

Michael, Mike, Foerster, W0IH, loves to ragchew with his friends on 80 meters in the evening. Mike is a frequent contributor to QST magazine including articles on finding and solving electronic noise problems and remote control of your HF station while on the road. We also discuss his broadband adjustable 80 meter dipole in this episode of QSO Today.

George Byrkit, K9TRV, was first licensed in 1966, in Madison, Wisconsin. He returned to amateur radio as a licensee many years after letting that Novice license expire. George has since jumped back into amateur radio with both feet that include a board position in TAPR, projects in TAPR, including software development, work with HamSCI, and his local radio club and emergency groups. We touch on George's many special projects in this QSO Today.

Michael, Mike, Murphy, WU2D, separates his professional and his personal radio and electronics life by building, using, and working with vintage radios made no later than the early 1960s. As a collector and builder of old time and military surplus radios,

Ward Silver, N0AX, author of the QST magazine column, ·Hands-On Radio·, editor of ARRL Handbook for Radio Communications, and author of many books on ham radio joins Eric, 4Z1UG, in his QSO Today. In the podcast, Ward describes his ham radio beginnings

Andrash Bato, HA6NN, or "Andy" is coming up on his 50th anniversery as an amateur radio operator in Hungary, growing up in what is now the Former Soviet Union, or "FSU". Andy is active at every level of amateur radio from his involvement in Hungary's national radio club and as a representative of Hungarian hams at the IARU.

If you want to get stuff done, you give it to a busy person. Yoram Rotbach, 4Z1YR, is the busy ham who has become the repeater tzar for Israel Amateur Radio Club. Now retired from the Israeli military, but now full time with an international corporation,

Fred Kemmerer, AB1OC, had a love for radio and electronics as a boy growing up leading to a career as an electronic engineer for ATT. It was not until much later in Fred·s life that he officially joined the amateur ranks. Along with his wife Antia, AB1QB

Bob Dixon, W8ERD, retired after 49 years as an Ohio State University radio astronomer working on SETI, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, and supporting the electronic and communication needs of the University. Now Bob is one a key member of the Delaware Amateur Radio Club's deployment of a radio mesh network.

This week I joined Denny Johnson, K5DCC, in his Digicomm Cafe, the name of his amateur radio podcast, where he has a ham radio guest almost every night to discuss our hobby. Denny invited me to a conversation over virtual coffee about our lives, both ham radio and personal. This show is "off the rails" from the traditional QSO Today format and is simulcasted in Denny's podcast.

Clark Stewart, W8TN, started in amateur radio over 55 years ago, has worked every country but North Korea. He began working EME or moon bounce on two and six meters years ago making CW contacts. Clark is the consummate amateur radio mentor and was awarded the outstanding West Virginia Amateur of the Year in 2015. W8TN is my QSO Today.

Kate Hutton, K6HTN, a retired Seismologist at CalTech in Pasadena, California, discovered CW, CWOPS, and passing traffic through the National Traffic System. Kate would agree that amateur radio is a great way to spend time and that getting on the air with NTS is the best way to hone operating skills and to be ready for the next natural disaster.

Bob Logan, NZ5A, enjoys the simple pleasures of exploring new modes as well as mastering old modes, as well as ultra-low frequency bands. Bob is a collector and restorer of old ham radio gear and old broadcast radios. Bob reminds us that we hams are a com

Andrew Barron, ZL3DW, is an active ham, loves to discover what's new in ham radio, and is the author of four amateur radio books, one on SDR or software defined radio, and 3 user guides on the latest Icom transceivers. In addition, we discuss the Russian Sputnik ham satellites and amateur radio's diversity in this QSO Today.

Steve Adler, VK5SFA, is a lifelong lover of radio and electronics, worked in the broadcast industry, and has recently retired. Steve developed a skill set and relationships that helped him to create a 160 and 80 meter magnetic loop antenna that won him fi

Ganesh Subramaniam, VU2TS, began his ham radio journey in 1959 trying to find someone, anyone, somewhere in his native Bangalore, India, who could provide basic information about the amateur radio service in India. Ganesh has been a ham over 50 years and is the editor of the Amateur Radio Society of India's magazine, Ham Radio News. VU2TS shares his ham radio story in this QSO Today.

Richard Factor, WA2IKL, joined the amateur radio ranks 60 years ago, and was inspired by the technology dreams of the popular science fiction writers of that era. His interest in radio, electronics, and science led WA2IKL to establish his own technology business, now fifty years old. WA2IKL tells his ham radio story and how he uses is Toyota Prius as a backup power supply for his house.

Frank Howell, K4FMH, has a love for radio and electronics that goes back over 60 years, but is only a recent licensee. Frank serves as the ARRL Assistant Director of the Delta Division, and avid ham radio journalist, and podcaster. He makes a great case for recruiting retired people into the hobby by the energy, volunteerism, and technical devotion that he discusses in this QSO Today.

Dennis Kidder, W6DQ, is an amateur radio renaissance man, a collector of the game changing radios from pre-World War 2 to the present. He enjoys 80 meter AM on his Collins broadcast transmitter and working 10 Ghz SSB with the San Bernardino Microwave Society. Dennis is the co-author of Arduino Projects for Amateur Radio and a sought after speaker at ham radio events. W6DQ is my QSO Today

Paul Andrews, W2HRO, re-entered amateur radio, after a 35 year break, by working FM satellites with a Yaesu portable and a dual band antenna. Experimentation with a simple moon bounce array led to bigger and better antenna arrays, power amplifiers, low noise preamplifiers, higher frequencies, and more QSOs.

Burt Fisher, K1OIK, raised a stir and perhaps the ire of many hams with a 2008 YouTube video critical of amateur radio operators and their operating practices. While it is easy these days to have conversations with anyone who shares our opinions and beliefs, it is more difficult to have conversations with people who do not share our views. K1OIK tells his ham radio story and shares his opinions that led to the controversial video and the rest of the story in this QSO Today.

Ralph Fedor, K0IR, has participated in at least 15 DXpeditions to the most remote parts of the World. Ralph shares his amateur radio story leading up to his DXpedidions, the opportunities, the lessons learned, and the avoidance of fate off of Bouvet Island in 2018. K0IR took a break from preparing for the upcoming Pitcaryn DXpedition in October for this QSO Today.

Eric Sears, ZL2BMI, who joins me from New Zealand, is famous for this 80 meter QRP double sideband rig that he designed and documented in the 1980s for his personal use when "tramping" in the forests and mountains of New Zealand. Eric's stated design philosophy and rigs proved to be robust and foundational for other QRP rig builders, especially in the southern hemisphere through the years.

Gordon West, "Gordo"WB6NOA, may be one of ham radio's most well known ambassadors and promoters of our amateur radio hobby today. Through his books and courses over the years, Gordo, has licensed thousands of individuals to become amateur radio operators. Gordo tells me that this is the first time that he has told his ham radio story from the beginning in this episode of QSO Today.

John Nowacki, W3NA, was a teenager in the early sixties when we won a contest to name a popular amateur radio line of antennas that are still sold today. John shares his ham radio story that began with a friendship more that sixty years ago that continues to this day. Now a retired physics teacher, W3NA, chases DX shares his ham radio activities with his fellow NERDS.

Dr. Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF, is the 2019 Dayton Ham of the Year because of this contribution to the amateur radio art though his combined professional interest in ionospheric physics and the amateur radio modes, such WSPRnet and FT-8, that build big data bases of propagation data. HamSCI is an organization founded by Nathaniel on this concept. Nathaniel tells his ham radio story leading through Svalbard and McMurdo Station in Antarctica, to a National Science Foundation grant to HamSCI that arrived during the recording of this QSO Today.

Philip Lazar, K9PL, is the editor of the K9YA Telegraph monthly newsletter, a wonderful journal of technical articles and ham radio history. Like many budding amateurs, Philip's story began with the gift of a shortwave radio receiver and listening to the shortwave bands. A ham operator for over 40 years, Philip likes CW, vintage equipment, QRP, and kit building. Getting on the air is key to Philip's ham radio success and is the subject of this QSO Today.

Jeanne Socrates, VE0JS, who, once her current voyage ends hopefully at the end of August, will have the distinction of being the oldest person to sail solo around the World without touching land or getting any help of any kind while underway. This interview conducted by satellite phone to Jeanne somewhere in the South Pacific near Tahiti. Ham radio has been key to Jeanne's voyages and this one especially. VE0JS shared her ham radio story in this QSO Today.

Phil Erickson, W1PJE, sits on a million watt UHF transmitter at the MIT Haystack Observatory, where he studies the atmosphere and radio propagation. Phil is a long time radio guy but a newcomer to amateur radio. As you will hear in this QSO Today, the tools, modes, and technology of amateur radio are complimenting the research achievements of scientists like Phil, W1PJE.

Dino Papas, KL0S, leads the Williamsburg Area Amateur Radio Club in Williamsburg, Virginia, using the leadership skills that he acquired after 26 years in the US Army. Dino is a frequent contributor to amateur radio magazines, including QST, offering his unique and needed perspective on our ham radio hobby. Along with his wife Toby, KL0SS, Dino provides a ham radio maker space in his garage to share his knowledge and resources with his fellow hams.

Ray Heffer, G4NSJ, commandeered the family shortwave radio, as a kid, to further his interest in shortwave listening and ultimately amateur radio. Ray made his career as a television, radio, and audio visual equipment repairman, and now specializes in the repair and restoration of 1940's vintage AM radio sets. I found this endeavor to be fascinating and Ray has created some clever and novel solutions to keep these radios entertaining their owners in the QSO Today.

Steven Bible, N7HPR, made a career in the US Navy, spending almost two years under water on the Trident submarine. Steve is a long time contributor to TAPR, the Tucson Amateur Packet Radio Corporation, perhaps amateur radio's "Bell Labs". Steve and I discuss his ham radio storym the developments of TAPR, and TAPRs contributions to advancing the state of the art in amateur radio.

Rod Moag, W5NDS, interests in radio and electronics paralleled an interest in American Folk and country music leading to advanced degrees in Linguistics and South Asian languages. Ham radio plays a solid role throughout this story as it weaves it way in and out of Rod's professional career. Rod's musical career and performances are one of the diamonds in this episode of QSO Today.

Rich Zwirko, K1HTV, was quickly bitten by the DX bug in the late fifties and has gone on to log just about every DX entity on every band. Rich made a career of radio serving as a teenage broadcast engineer in his hometown of New Haven, Connecticut, and later ended his career at the Voice of America in Washington DC. Getting on the air is Rich's mantra that he shares with us in this QSO Today

Glenn Johnson, W0GJ, began his ham radio journey as a teenager and from his love for chasing DX, has since been to many DX entities around the world including Heard Island, an attempt last year to land on Bouvet Island, and an upcoming DXpedition later this year to Pitcairn Island. Glenn's interest and determination to provide these rare DX entities along with this DXpedition group, is worth the weeks at sea, sometimes in terrible conditions. Glenn was able to break from his preparations for Pitcairn to spend this QSO Today.

David Reed, W5SV, began his ham radio story in Mexico at the age of 6, and was undoubtedly one of Mexico's youngest hams at age 7. W5SV has a rich and interesting story that includes stints in electronics technology, advanced education, as a US Marine Corps pilot, and as homicide detective. The twists and turns in this story makes this QSO Today an interesting ride.

Mark Ziegler's ham radio story began as a youngster that moved him into a career as an electronics engineer with the famous Bell Laboratories. Now retired, Mark enjoys operating from an RF quiet QTH in rural New Hampshire. Wind power is WA2ILB's alternative power source of choice and is one of the subjects that we discuss in this QSO Today.

Exploration of the edge of space, first by astronaut Jordan Kittinger in Project Man-High, began Bill Brown's, WB8ELK's, fascination with, adaptation of amateur radio to high altitude weather balloons and later to smaller pico balloons that Bill tracks around the world using amateur radio beacons that he fabricates for his balloon launches. With over 600 launches to his credit, it easy to say that WB8ELK is an expert in high altitude ballooning and amateur radio.

Vi Barrett, W6CBA, celebrates 70 years as a radio amateur. Vi's love for radio began with an uncle getting back on their air after the Second World War. Growing up in Southern California, W6CBA became the first female radio dispatcher for the FBI, raised a family, operated phone patches for US servicemen during the Vietnam War. Still active on the air on both CW and SSB, W6CBA is my QSO Today.

Jerry Lewine, K6QU, began his career in radio as a young ham in 1959, that led to a career as a broadcast engineer, first as a teenager in his native Pennsylvania, through the Air Force, and later to markets in Hawaii and California. While Jerry's broadcast radio career sidelined his ham radio adventure for a number of years, Jerry is back with a passion for CW and FT-8 while the current solar cycle is at its low. K6QU is my QSO Today.

George Misic, KE8RN, is an RF and analog engineer by training, a collector of vintage American amateur radio equipment, and an early pioneer in the development of MRI or magnetic resonance imaging machines and whose name is on 38 patents around this technology. George is a frequent author of articles for QST and Electric Radio Magazines, and is my QSO Today.

Jack Worth, WA0QZK, is a retired pastor with over 50 years of amateur radio operating experience who likes to QSO on CW from the Warsaw Telegraph Office. Jack collects and restores antique Morse code telegraph keys and bugs and uses them to work the World and ragchew on QRP and a modified G5RV antenna. WA0QZK is my QSO Today.

Joe Everhart, N2CX, is well known is QRP circles for his technical contributions and articles in the ham radio magazines. Along with George Heron, N2APB, my guest in Episode 151, of the QSO Today podcast, they produce a live talk show called Chat with the Designers, as well as present at the QRP Event, four days in May, that precedes the opening of the Dayton Hamvention in May. Joe is a builder and ham radio designer, and share some of his insight into homebrewing while enjoying amateur radio in this QSO Today.

Howard Bernstein is the co-founder of the Long Island CW Club along with Rich Collins K2UPS, where they train amateurs of every age to be CW operators over Zoom video conferencing. Howard has a long history in ham radio extending back over 50 years. WB2UZE still has his first Drake line and is a collector of vintage things including old radios and automobiles. Howard is my QSO Today.

Bob Sumption, W9RAS, was raised on Popular Electronics and Popular Mechanics magazines, learned how to fix anything from his father, and became a ham radio operator in the 1950s. Bob was an electronics technician at Heathkit who assembled the prototype SS9000 synthesized HF amateur radio transceiver. Now a collector of everything Heathkit, he has restored one of the three original Heathkit SS8000 HF transceivers that never made it to market. Bob is a consummate long term, big project builder and radio restorer, who shares his success, knowledge, expertise, and history in this QSO Today.

Neil King, VA7DX, shares his ham radio story that began as a kid when is father introduced him to the Morse code. Now after almost 40 years, Neil has over 16 DXpeditions under his belt and continues to enjoy traveling and operating CW from some of the most remote locations in the World. When he his not traveling as an international IT consultant, VA7DX resides in Vancouver, British Columbia, is active in his radio club and club station. We also discuss the BCWARN amateur radio microwave backbone in this QSO Today.

Joe Lynch, N6CL, began his ham radio story over 50 years ago in Bonita, California. After a stint in Vietnam, an amateur radio journalist for CQ Magazine focused on VHF and above, and a career as minister, Joe, is now the director of religious education at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. Both he and his wife, Carol, are active ham radio operators. N6CL has always been active in amateur radio emergency services, including at the site of the 1995 bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City. N6CL is my QSO Today.

Sputnik and an uncle inspired George Allison, K1IG, to become a radio amateur. George had a long and successful US Navy career where radio was always the center of his activity including MARS stations, a visit to the South Pole, and the operation of very high powered VLF and ELF stations around the World. George promotes the Wordsworth method of raising CW speed above 40 words per minute. K1IG is my QSO Today.

Jay Slough, K4ZLE, has over 60 years in the amateur radio hobby and still enjoys CW as his primary operating mode. An accomplished DXpeditioner, having operated in over 40 DX entities including South Sandwich Island. Always ready to extend the hand of friendship, either by knocking on the doors of houses with amateur antennas or sharing his own station through RemoteHams. K4ZLE is my QSO Today.