QSO Today Podcast - Interviews with the leaders in amateur radio

When is comes to homebrewing QRP HF radios with simple parts and test equipment, then one of the go-to guys is Tony Fishpool, G4WIF, current membership chairman of the G-QRP group in the UK, and frequent contributor to its quarterly SPRAT magazine. Tony is also a co-author with Graham Firth, G3MFJ, of Simple Test Equipment for the QRPer, and numerous articles on equipment building with attention to detail and budget. Tony believes, along with his co-hearts at G-QRP, that ham radio does not have to be expensive to be fun. G4WIF is my QSO today.

Randy Hall, K7AGE, has been a ham for almost 50 years and is well known for his You-Tube channel with his hundreds of ham radio videos. Randy is also a regular contributor to Ham Nation on the TWIT network where he works with George, W5JDX, on the Smoke and Solder segment videos. He works just about all bands and modes. Randy is a ham's ham and elmer, and a popular guest on a number of the ham radio podcasts. K7AGE is my QSO Today.

In 1954, at 19 years of age, Bob Eshleman, W4DR, and two buddies decided to put Navassa Island back on the ARRL DXCC list, the first activation of Navassa since the end of World War II. Prepared with a National Receiver, Harvey Wells transmitter, and an old generator, the three lads pulled off their first DXpedition. This would be the first of many DXpeditions for Bob. W4DR is my QSO Today where he shares his amateur radio story as a DXer and now grid square chaser.

Bob Wilson, N6TV, is a bay area contester and CW operator. Having developed his CW craft on the National Traffic System as a teenage kid, he now enjoys the North American Sprint, a four hour contest and using the latest SDR receivers to see what's up on the bands during a contest event. A professor at Contest University in Dayton and a member of the World Radiosport Team Championship, Bob shares what he know about this and more on this QSO Today.

Jeff Briggs, K1ZM, is the author of DXing on the Edge- The Thrill of 160 meters and he operates an amazing DX station on Canada's Atlantic shore. Eric, 4Z1UG, and Jeff discuss 160 meters, DXing, building a super station and more on this episode of QSO Today.

Paul Topolski, W1SEX, was just meters from ground zero working the communications center, when terrorists struck the 2013 Boston Marathon, killing three and injuring hundreds of spectators and participants. Paul shares with Eric, 4Z1UG, this experience, his ham radio story, and how he continues to make a difference in his community in this QSO Today.

Beginning as a scanner listener, Gary Hoffman, KB0H, discovered amateur radio shares his love of it with his wife, Nancy, N0NJ. Gary is focused on emergency communications where he is the assistant emergency coordinator, operations for St. Louis County ARES. He writes about amateur radio and the human condition on his blog, The Amateur's Amateur. KB0H is Eric, 4Z1UG's QSO today.

My guest today, Brian Clarke, VK2GCE, has been a ham since his childhood in New Zealand, went on to get advanced degrees, built a recording studio in London for Pink Floyd, and now resides in Australia. Brian is a collector of ex-military radios and is a promoter of amateur radio in his spare time. VK2GCE is my QSO Today.

My QSO Today with Mike Myers, VA3MPM, a very active ham in Ottawa, Canada, and enjoys ham radio through rag chewing on 80 meters, collecting old rigs, participating in his ham clubs, and helping new radio amateurs become successful hams. Mike is also a musician and shares his interest in tube type guitar amplifiers.

David White, WN5Y, is a home-brewer from the beginning of his ham radio story, and loves to build receivers for ham radio. Originally inspired by the designs of the late Lew McCoy, W1ICP, and later Wes Hayward, W7ZOI, David's latest receivers are called electroluminescent because he incorporates LEDs as components in the receiver design itself, and not just as front panel indicators. David shares his story in this QSO Today.

In this QSO Today, Ian Keyser, G3ROO, discusses with Eric, 4Z1UG, his amazing "maker space", collecting and refurbishing World War 2 vintage spy radios, his top band, 160 mhz operations, and his reflections on ham radio today.

Brooke Allen, N2BA, joins Eric, 4Z1UG, on episode 127 of the QSO Today Podcast to discuss "gamifying" amateur radio to make it attractive to young people, both men and women, while at the same time understanding what it means to be a ham radio operator to older hams. Brooke touches on the "flow state", field day at the annual Burning Man event in the Nevada desert , and social skills for nerds.

Since the mid-1970s, Rob Sherwood, NC0B, founded Sherwood Engineering, in Colorado, to build Drake receiver upgrades and to test the performance of amateur radio receivers and transceivers beginning with Drake receivers. Rob's list has become the gold standard by which many amateurs, including contest operators, choose their next rig. Licensed since 1961, NC0B shares his amateur radio story with Eric, 4Z1UG in this QSO Today.

As a 2009 QRP ARCI Hall of Fame inductee - Hans Summers, G0UPL, is an electronic experimenter and amateur radio innovator extraordinaire. Hans pays careful attention to compact and minimal parts count to achieve the design goals of his homebrew projects. Hans is the owner of QRP Labs joins Eric, 4Z1UG, in a conversation about QRSS slow data transmissions, high altitude balloon transponders, and shares his ham radio and electronic builder story.

Eric, 4Z1UG, host of the QSO Today Podcast, has an "eyeball" or in-person contact with Eddie Leighton, ZS6BNE, creator of RaDAR, or Rapid Deployment Amateur Radio, in Johannesburg, South Africa during Eric's recent visit. Eric and Eddie set up and operate Eddie's RaDAR setup while discussing the amateur's options for carrying ham radio equipment into the field.

Jim Veatch, WA2EUJ, is a three time winner of the ARRL Homebrew Challenge contest where his winning entries pushed the limits of homebrew design and implementation within the financial constraints of the contest. Jim has gone on to create other projects, some of which are now available in kit form, such as the Hardrock 50 amplifier and automatic antenna tuner available from HobbyPCB. Jim is Eric, 4Z1UG's QSO Today.

Contest Super Station owner, Frank Donovan, W3LPL, will tell you that his ham radio story began in 1923 when his grandfather collected parts and built single tube receivers for friends and family. These parts and grandpa's expertise were young franks introduction to electronics and radio many years later. With the support of his radio clubs and Elmers, Frank, focuses on the technology and engineering of great ham radio station design and performance to win contests throughout the year. W3LPL is my QSO Today.

Dale Green, VE7SV, is a 2013 CQ Contest Hall of Fame winner who chases the endless Summer by dividing his time between his homes in Renaca Beach, Chile and Chilliwack, British Columbia. Dale operates a contest super station for over 20 years in Canada where he has honed his skills to become one of the top contesters in the World as well as a contest mentor and elmer. He credits ham radio for his love for travel and meeting new people.

Jim Stafford, W4QO, was recognized at the 2010 Dayton Hamvention for over 50 years of ham radio achievements that include mentoring and elmering, QRP building and operating, and revitalizing the North Fulton Amateur Radio League into one of the premier ham radio clubs in the USA. Jim tells his amateur radio story to Eric, 4Z1UG, in this QSO Today.

IIn a country, like Chile, that gets 70% of the earthquakes recorded around the World, hams like Dr. Dino Besomi, CE3PG, have to be ready at a minute's notice to provide emergency communications when traditional communications channels fail. Dino shares his ham radio story and the role of amateur radio operators in Chile, with Eric, 4Z1UG, in this QSO Today.

Bill Murray, W9VC, likes to spend his ham radio time building tube type transmitters of his own design from old equipment purchased at hamfests. In addition, Bill likes to rebuild old gear and and operate QRP in the field. W9VC shares his ham radio story in this episode of QSO Today.

From time to time, one of the listeners to the QSO Today podcast reaches out to me to dialog about something in ham radio often related to a previous episode. I began a conversation with Gerry Jurrens, N2GJ, that resulted in this QSO Today conversation. Gerry has a wide range of ham radio interests, including QRP and emergency communications, and… he loves to Elmer other hams in the art of amateur radio. N2GJ is my QSO Today.

Scott Wright, K0MD, travels the World extensively as part of his responsibilities as a doctor with the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. This creates for Scott opportunities to take his portable station on DXpeditions around the globe from China, the Caribbean, to South America. K0MD shares his ham radio story and some practical advice on this QSO Today.

Bob Witte, K0NR, is an amateur radio blogger with a long history of ham radio homebrewing, repeater building, and operation using many bands and modes. From his home in Monument, Colorado, Bob is also an excellent Elmer and is a partner in Ham Radio School dot com for teaching the amateur radio basics beyond the first license. K0NR is my QSO Today.

Sometimes, amateur radio can play an important role in shaping the news around World Events. For BBC correspondent and amateur radio operator, Laurie Margolis, G3UML, it was on amateur radio that Laurie discovered, reported and scooped the invasion by Argentina of the Falkland Islands starting the Falklands war in 1982. Laurie and I discuss this event and the rest of his ham radio journey in this QSO Today.

Bill Kelsey, N8ET, has a long and interesting amateur radio career beginning in 1962. From his interest in QRP and QRP kits, Bill founded the Kanga Kit Company, creating radio and test equipment kits for the ham community for many years. While Bill is recovering from a recent stroke, he still has projects on his workbench, now using Arduino processors, pursuing UHF moon bounce, and finds time to operate the Digital modes. Bill joins Eric, 4Z1UG, in this QSO Today.

Keith Ranger, G0KJK, now retired from the Church of England, has had a lifelong love of electronics and radio who has never owned a commercially manufactured amateur radio. Instead Keith builds his own receivers and transmitters, works the World, makes contacts, and rag chews. He quickly dispels the notion that ham radio is an expensive hobby and demonstrates how to have fun and enjoy the amateur radio hobby for very little money. Keith joins Eric, 4Z1UG, on this episode of QSO Today.

Imagine that you get your dream job out of college, and later as part of that job, your employer wants you to solve a riddle that will take years or never to complete. For Tom Vinson, NY0V, that dream job for a ham was with the Collins Radio Company, later Rockwell Collins, and the riddle was to find the wreckage of Amelia Earhart's Lockheed Electra aircraft somewhere in the South Pacific. He could use the technology and human resources of the company to solve this riddle. Tom recounts this story with Eric, 4Z1UG, in this QSO Today.

Many of us entered the ham radio hobby from building a crystal set or using a short wave receiver growing up. Tom Witherspoon, K4SWL, established his credentials in short wave radio before joining the ham radio ranks. Active in QRP as well as short wave listening, Tom is the founder of Ears to our World, a non-profit organization that brings radio to rural and undeveloped parts of the World. K4SWL joins Eric, 4Z1UG, in this QSO Today.

There is no time like the present to sail the South Pacific, solo, with amateur radio. This is exactly what my guest today, Susan Meckley, W7KFI, did for almost twenty years until she turned eighty and retired from the open seas. As a ham for almost seventy years, Susan developed a love for 20 meter CW and sailing and combined them both in her journey that she shares with me, Eric, 4Z1UG, in this QSO Today.

Tony Brock-Fisher, K1KP, is a frequent contributor to both QST and CQ Magazine, and he enjoys a well rounded amateur radio operation. Tony always take a deep dive approach to any of his ham radio projects including rebuilding old gear, redesigning his 40 meter beam, or reducing the noise from his new solar electric array. K1KP joins Eric, 4Z1UG, on this episode of QSO Today.

Since 2001, Bill Sexton, N1IN has been the public relations officer of US Army MARS, one of the oldest collaborations between the Amateur Radio Service and the US Government. Now over ninety years of age, MARS is using cutting edge technology in the HF bands to become even more relevant in a time of national emergency. Bill shares his amateur radio and the MARS story with Eric, 4Z1UG, in this QSO Today.

Bob Leo, W7LR, began his ham radio journey in the 1930s as a kid growing up in California. He went on to become a member of the first commercial DXpedition to Africa and later a co-founder of the Amateur radio club of Thailand. Bob had a rich career as an electrical engineer and Professor of Electrical Engineering at Montana State University. Now, his 90's, Bob resides in Bozeman Montana with Cobi, his wife of over 60 years. Bob is my QSO Today.

When it comes to understanding how antennas really work, then the "go to" ham is Bob Zavrel, W7SX, author of the ARRL book, Antenna Physics - An Introduction. Through this book, Bob bridges the gap between "how to" antenna books, and calculus based antenna theory books for engineers. Bob has a long resume in radio and electronics, is the accidental creator of the Signetics NE602 mixer chip, and shares his story with us in this QSO Today.

Dick Stroud, W9SR, took his first ham radio test in 1938 that began a ham radio and professional journey as an electronic engineer. This journey, over 75 years, included witnessing the hydrogen bomb tests in the 1950, a successful engineering career, and numerous contributions to the amateur radio hobby of articles on home-brewing, antennas, and propagation. W9SR is my QSO Today.

Rich Holoch, KY6R, is an avid DXer and needs only two more entities to get to the top of the DX Honor Roll. As the Sunspot cycle fades into memory, you will find Rich on 160 meters with his phased loop receiving antennas and a strategy for operation out of a difficult HF location by using HFTA, or High Frequency Terrain Analysis. More on this in my QSO Today with KY6R.

Rex Harper, W1REX, became an amateur radio operator from his early memories of radio as a kid and his desire to do electronics as a hobby. His love for QRP and later QRP kit building came from wanting to build electronic devices in an evening or two that just worked. Rex shares his ham radio story and the development of his business, QRPme, with Eric, 4Z1UG, in this episode of QSO Today.

Graham Firth, G3MFJ, joined our amateur radio hobby almost sixty years ago as a kid growing up in Yorkshire, England. Electronics and electronics building was the driver and is still Graham's first love in the hobby. QRP was the natural choice of this builder and a way to avoid television interference to his neighbors. Graham is active in the G-QRP group, builds QRP kits for the group, and still plays a mean bass guitar. G3MFJ is my guest on QSO Today.

After over 50 years in amateur radio, the hobby still gives Ned Stearns, AA7A, a new challenge every day. Ned has operated every mode on every band during his ham radio career, and currently operates EME or moon bounce on two meters. As a long time DXer, Ned recently returned from the South Sandwich Islands as a member of the Intrepid DX Group DXpedition. AA7A is my QSO Today.

Jeff Murray, K1NSS is a cartoonist and story teller who specializes in being a keen observer of ham radio and ham radio operators. He uses his website, dashtoons.com, to share his cartoons and stories with all of us. Cartoonists, especially political and social cartoonists, use their medium to get us to lighten up a bit, look in the mirror, and put everything into perspective. Jeff does the same with this amateur radio cartoons, and his main character, Dash, the dog faced ham. K1NSS is my guest on this QSO Today.

It's not often that we think of amateur radio contesting as a sport. It is according to my guest today a radio sport, one that has international competitors who have the experience and training of Olympic athletes in the sport of ham radio contesting. Randy Thompson, K5ZD, was bitten by the radio sport bug early in his ham radio career and is one of the top contesters in the World today. Randy is my guest on QSO Today.

One of the pioneers in ATV or amateur radio television is Art Towslee, WA8RMC. Originally,an ATV signal, over the ham bands, was similar to the commercial television broadcast standard. However, Art and the DATV-Express Project are moving the state of the art to ham television delivered in digital mode. Art shares his ham radio story and his knowledge of this fascinating subject with Eric, 4Z1UG, in this episode of QSO Today.

Bill Dean, W0OR, is a long time ham and contestor from Minnesota, where he has lived much of his life, even serving four terms in Minnesota's legislature. Now a snowbird, who in his mid-seventies learns Spanish, does DXpeditions with friends, and operates from from a second home, high in the Andes mountains, in Ecuador, during Minnesota's cold Winter months. Our subject today is Bill's ham radio story, operating, DXpeditions on a budget, and contesting.

From his first long nose pliers, at the age of six, to his private use of the chemistry lab at his junior high-school, Pete Friedrichs, AC7ZL, has had a fascination with technology, chemistry, and radio. Often this is old but amazing technology that he recreates with the remnants of discarded objects. Pete is a renaissance man whose study and fabrication of "simple" technology rivals that of some of America's great inventors. He is a published author of books based on his experiments, as well as fiction and ghost stories. AC7ZL is Eric's guest on QSO Today.

If we could apply the term "grand dame" to amateur radio, then the grand dame of amateur radio must be Ellen White, W1YL. Ellen began her amateur radio career, as a love story, just as World War 2 ended. Her ham radio career spans over 70 years. And today as Ellen enters her nineties, she is still an active ham operating on 40 meter CW. I am so grateful that Ellen is a listener to the QSO Today podcast and is my QSO Today.

One of the best ways to get some real hands on experience in electronics, especially as a beginner, is to build electronic kits. Even the seasoned veteran ham can enjoy even the more complex kits. In amateur radio circles, the kit building guru is Joe Eisenberg, K0NEB. Joe spends his free time, in addition to operating his favorite contests and attending hamfests, testing kits, making recommendations, and teaching others how to be successful in kit building. Joe is Eric, 4Z1UG's, QSO today.

With almost sixty years in our amazing hobby, Bob Epstein, K8IA, and his wife Sandy, N7RQ, pursue their love of the contest through their Arizona Outlaws Contest Club and their multi operator contest station, based in their home. Bob shares his story with me in this QSO Today.

Jack Falker, W8KR, has been a ham for over 60 years. He now divides his time between ham radio, rose gardening, and writing an international blog on rose gardening. Now that his tower and beam are retired, Jack uses phased vertical antennas above the rose garden to work DX around the World. Jack discusses amateur radio, vertical antennas, and the mystical side of amateur radio with Eric, 4Z1UG, in this QSO Today.

Gregory Andracke, W2BEE, is an accomplished news cameraman and documentary cinematographer, with Academy and Emmy awards to his credit. He is also an accomplished amateur radio operator, with over fifty years in the hobby. His love for ham radio is as strong as it ever was. Greg joins Eric, 4Z1UG, in this QSO Today.

Jim George, N3BB is an active contestor, DXer, and rag chewer. Jim has many contest awards and was a team member in the 2000 World Radiosport Team Championship, or WRTC, in Slovenia. Now retired, Jim divides his time between ham radio, his wife, Diana, grandchildren, and authoring books. His most recent book, Contact Sport, about the 2014 World Radiosport Team Championship, brings the excitement and suspense of this uniquely ham radio experience to the non-amateur radio audiences. N3BB is Eric’s QSO Today.