Patrick (Pat) Brown, AK5TX, has always had a love for radio leading to opportunities from Chicago to Alaska to Texas! Amateur radio was the game-changer for Pat when he suddenly lost his eyesight, almost 20 years ago. Pat is now “More than able, I am Handi-Capable!” He continues his journey including contributing to our art, hobby, craft, sport, and science in the amateur community residing in Tyler Texas. He is a part of our amazing hobby. Today, my QSO is AK5TX!
Apr 16, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 347
Dan Marler, K7REX, owes much of his professional opportunities and success to his amateur radio background. A people person, K7REX, likes to give back to the amateur radio community as an ARRL Section Manager and founder of the RATPAC, a group that does not include Sammy, Dean, and Frank. Dan tells his ham radio story in this QSO Today.
Apr 09, 2021•1 hr 16 min•Season 1Ep. 346
Tom Robinson, G0SBW, made a very interesting presentation at the Expo called, “Amateurs Research Poor Radio Communications at the Battle of Arnhem, in 1944”, where the British lost this WW2 battle because of poor communications. I urge you to go view Tom’s presentation at the Expo. I interviewed Tom back in September of 2017, because Tom likes to operate backpack mobile on the English Shore, dragging his counterpoise, like a tail behind him. He has had amazing success with this operating mode, a...
Apr 02, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 345
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 Signetic NE602 mixer chip. Bob was my guest in this interview over 200 episodes ago and shares his story in this replay in this QSO T...
Mar 23, 2021•1 hr 17 min•Season 1Ep. 344
FlexRadio is the Platinum Sponsor at the next QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo. I wanted to bring back an interview that I had with Steve Hicks, N5AC, VP of Engineering at FlexRadio. Steve will be a speaker at the Expo. Steve is a natural teacher in addition to leading a team developing the most advanced software defined radios for amateur radio. Of course, he also has a great ham radio story that he tells in this QSO Today.
Mar 06, 2021•1 hr 13 min•Season 1Ep. 343
John Ackermann, N8UR, was my guest almost 200 episodes ago and is a speaker in the upcoming QSO Today Virtual ham Expo. John spends much of his time as a proponent of open source, freely sharing both hardware and software designs with the TAPR community. Join us as we discuss TAPR, SDR transceivers, and the issues around open source and the maker movement.
Feb 27, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 342
Gerald Youngblood, K5SDR, is the founder and CEO of FlexRadio that is now on the cutting edge of building advanced software defined radio (SDR) platforms for amateur radio, as well as for government, business, and the military. Gerald is a leader and pioneer in the development of SDR leading to the founding of FlexRadio. This episode is a newly minted version of the original interview that I had with K5SDR in 2015.
Feb 20, 2021•58 min•Season 1Ep. 341
Patrick Stoddard, WD9EWK, is best known for his satelite QSOs using portable gear from grid squares all over the World. He documents and captures many of his contacts and the equipment that he uses on his website and YouTube Channel. WD9EWK is a recent addition to the AMSAT board of directors and is my QSO Today.
Feb 13, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 340
Bob Allphin, K4UEE, was my guest in Episode 79 over 5 years ago. As he is one of the speakers in the next QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo, his ham radio story would interest today’s listeners. K4UEE has traveled the World in pursuit of activating DX entities that are isolated, desolate, and uninhabited. Forty in total. Out of his love for travel, he has been to 126 countries during his lifetime. I know that you will enjoy my Bob Allphin, K4UEE.
Feb 05, 2021•59 min•Season 1Ep. 339
Jerry Weisskohl, AC4BT, always had a love of radio and short wave listening. He got a late start in amateur radio but thinks that the art and practice of CW, or Morse code, is exactly what quiets and relaxes the mind after an engaging day as a computer scientist. AC4BT has taken lead roles with CWops and CW Academy and is my QSO Today.
Jan 30, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 338
Peter Butler, W1UU’s ham radio journey began with the purchase of a J38 code key and a trip to the library. Sputnik inspired Peter to a career in microwave engineering reinforced by this ham radio interest. Peter is the Vice President of CWops and actively involved in sharing his love for CW and good operating practice with the hundreds of amateurs who are signing on to do the same. W1UU is my QSO Today.
Jan 23, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 337
Mel Swanberg, WA6JBD, has a love of radio that goes back to his childhood. Growing up in Southern California, Mel found his Elmers and Mentors that led him into a career in the land mobile business and public safety radio. Mel is the former president of the Cactus Intertie, perhaps the largest point to point full duplex amateur radio network in the World. Other interests include microwave communications and he is a leader in the San Bernardino Microwave Society. WA6JBD is my QSO Today
Jan 16, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 336
Clint Turner, KA7OEI, is an experimenter, builder, and operator on all bands and modes. He shares his background in microwave communications, EME or Moonbounce, and his involvement in the Northern Utah Web SDR Project, an amazing on-line resource hams who want to listen to all of the lowbands with waterfall display at the same time. KA7OEI is my QSO Today.
Jan 09, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 335
Tim Deagan, KJ8U, loves to build just about anything to try out a new tool, and he has an amazing assortment of tools to support his construction of amateur radio antennas as well as Burning Man like propane powered visual displays. KJ8U is a maker, and since ham radio operators were the original makers, Tim’s cross-over between the maker community and the amateur radio community is just natural. Tim tells this story in this QSO Today.
Jan 02, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 334
Joe Reisert, W1JR, continues to pay forward, the kindness of his early ham radio mentors, with his contributions to our amazing hobby. Amateur Radio paved the way to a successful career and amazing encounters, Worldwide, with people and technology. W1JR tells his amateur radio story in this QSO Today.
Dec 26, 2020•1 hr 21 min•Season 1Ep. 333
Wayne Yoshida, KH6WZ, has been an active ham since the 1970s, growing up in Los Angeles. Wayne is a home brewer, especially microwave equipment on 10 GHz, and has taken our amateur radio hobby to the Maker Faire in the Bay Area for live demonstrations. As a technical writer and Contributing Editor to CQ Magazine, Wayne is in one of the best places to experience just about everything in ham radio.
Dec 19, 2020•1 hr 13 min•Season 1Ep. 332
Michelle Thompson, W5NYV, is a third generation amateur, beginning her ham radio journey in elementary school. Her interest in microwave circuit design and computers led her to a successful engineering career and now a board member of AMSAT. Michelle is an advocate for open source applied to satellite design fueling future generations of amateur spacecraft. W5NYV is my QSO Today.
Dec 12, 2020•1 hr 26 min•Season 1Ep. 331
Rob Suggs, NN4NT, is a space scientist at NASA, specializing in outer space environments that protect our astronauts from the hazards of space including space junk and debris. We discuss NASA, Apollo space technology, and amateur radio in this QSO Today.
Dec 05, 2020•1 hr 10 min•Season 1Ep. 330
Rick Miller, N1RM’s ham radio story began at McMurdo Station in Antarctica and weaves its way through Russian submarine hunting to operate APRS on the back of a Harley Davidson motorcycle, on a grand tour of the United States. N1RM will fill in all of the open spaces in this QSO Today.
Nov 28, 2020•1 hr 11 min•Season 1Ep. 329
Ralph Haller, N4RH, started his ham radio journey as a nine year old with a knack for electronics leading to his first amateur license at age 9. Within a few years, Ralph earned broadcast engineering licenses, radio station jobs, education, and a career at the Federal Communications Commission. N4RH was the driving force behind many of the FCC initiatives that have had a lasting impact on radio amateurs in the USA and around the world. N4RH is my QSO Today.
Nov 21, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 328
Stan Johnson, W0SJ, started his amateur radio career in high school. A scavenger of junk, and a kid with the knack, led Stan to electronic project building with his collected parts. These skills filtered and honed through the Air Force and the Bell Telephone Laboratories. Stan would say that his involvement in amateur radio resulted in a life of curious exploration.
Nov 14, 2020•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 327
Bob Weed, W7SCY, was born and raised in the Oregon Cascade Mountains over eighty years ago. In this retirement, Bob has returned home to an area that has always been subject to fire, mudslides, earthquakes, and active volcanoes. W7SCY shares his seventy plus years as a radio amateur that includes his interest in traffic nets and emergency operations in his area, in this QSO Today.
Nov 07, 2020•56 min•Season 1Ep. 326
Ria Jairam, N2RJ, discovered amateur radio on her native Caribbean Island of Trinidad back in the 90s. As an immigrant to the United States, Ria pursued a degree in Electronic Engineering and learned from great ham radio mentors. Now an electronic security professional, mother, active ham radio operator and contester, Ria was recently elected ARRL Hudson Division Director. N2RJ tells her story and the ham radio issues that interest her in this QSO Today.
Oct 30, 2020•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 325
Keith Schlottman, KR7RK, is not only a mountain goat, he is also a super sloth. Terms like this are not endearing, however if you are a SOTA activator or chaser, then you know how important these terms are to SOTA operators. KR7RK tells his ham radio story in this QSO Today.
Oct 23, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 324
Jim Moss, N9JIM, portable 6, spends his ham radio life above 50 Mhz. He has made contacts on every band above 50 MHz and is now working in the 122 Ghz band. If you are considering a new and different frontier, N9JIM tells his amateur radio story and how to make the transition to VHF and Microwave in this QSO Today.
Oct 16, 2020•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 323
Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R, discovered amateur radio as a kid, like many of the QSO Today guests. One of his desires was to work at the ARRL, where he started his career and has been for 29 years. Bob shares his ham radio story and speaks about the ARRL and what he has learned about amateur radio in this QSO Today.
Oct 10, 2020•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 322
Steve Masticola, WX2S, took a 30 year vacation from amateur radio to pursue his life. Now he is back. WX2S loves to operate in the field, necessitated by living in an HOA. This has created a new passion for SOTA, Parks on the Air, and QRP Fox Hunting. All this and more in my QSO Today with WX2S.
Oct 02, 2020•53 min•Season 1Ep. 321
Jim Heath, W6LG, has been a ham for over 56 years. Jim is an Elmer’s Elmer with an amazing You-Tube channel, with over 30,000 subscribers. Jim not only reviews the basics of amateur radio, and he makes that content up close and personal, reflecting on his years of experience as an amateur radio operator.
Sep 25, 2020•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 320
Bill Salyers, AJ8B, had a great ham radio start as a kid in the Seventies. Bill loves to work CW to pursue DXCC and just to ragchew and communicate. He hones his skills with the help of CWOPS and is open to the opportunities afforded by all of the new digital modes.
Sep 19, 2020•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 319
Eric Silverthorn, NM5M, has a great ham radio story, especially at the beginning with the support of his family for this ham radio interest. Eric was a speaker at the QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo and gave a fine talk on CWOPS. You can tell in these weeks that I want to make sure that you know the Expo speakers and that is why NM5M is my QSO Today.
Sep 12, 2020•55 min•Season 1Ep. 318
