Qso Today - A Conversation For Amateur Radio Operators

Tony Hutchison, VK5ZAI, who, from his interest in satellite communications, became an important backup communications link in South Australia for the NASA space shuttle missions, the Mir Space Station, and the International space station when crewed by amateur radio operators.  Tony is a pioneer in this area of ham radio and has been recognized by NASA for his contributions. VK5ZAI is Eric’s QSO Today.

Jim Forkin, WA3TFS,  started contributing to QST and Ham Radio Magazine as far back as 1983 with his series on A Modular Two Band Receiver.  His QRZ page is loaded with pictures of his home brew rigs along with detailed descriptions. Jim shares his ham radio story and his incorporation of old and new technology including Arduino microcontrollers into his still evolving and complex projects in this QSO Today.

Dr. Ulrich Rohde, N1UL, is a pioneer in RF oscillator and receiver design. Over the last 40 years N1UL has authored over 60 articles for QST and QEX magazines, in addition to books, academic papers, and articles. Dr. Rohde has made significant scientific contributions to his family business, the Munich based Rohde and Schwarz test equipment company, and to amateur radio manufacturers including Icom. Ulrich, N1UL tells his ham radio story in this QSO Today.

Mike Mussler, AI8Z, is one of the early pioneers in the 630 meter band experimental trials in 2007 that resulted in the band being opened for amateur radio exploration. AI8Z rebuilds old rigs, especially military surplus WW2 vintage radios that adorn his Cortez, Colorado ham shack. We start with Mike’s ham radio history in this QSO Today.

David Finell, N7LRY described himself to his future wife as a mad scientist, coming from a ham radio family that encouraged deep learning of the subjects that interested him. David shares his ham radio journey, his deep dive into electronics through a career in the US Air Force, his interest in antennas that led to his helix VHF antenna design, as well as his leverage of ham radio skills to his other hobbies. N7LRY is my QSO Today.

Rick Tavan, N6XI, is a Silicon Valley high-tech veteran who loves to contest from his two Northern California contest stations, one in the “valley” and the other in the Sierra Nevada mountains near Lake Tahoe. Rick shares his early beginnings in ham radio from 1961 to the present, his love of contesting, some tips on getting started, operating remotely over the Internet, and the challenges of setting up a proper station and antenna on volcanic soil.

One of the best kept secrets of amateur radio is the amazing QEX Magazine published by the ARRL and edited by my guest today, Kai Shiwiak, KE4PT.  If you are a home brewer and want a more indepth amateur radio technology understanding, then QEX should be on your desk every month. Kai provides a fascinating look at home-brewing, the digital modes, and modest antennas for the antenna challenged ham in this episode of QSO Today.

Mike Marsh, G1IAR, is in love with mastering sound and owes his interest in ham radio to enhancing his professional career in the recording industry. Mike is also the co-host of the TX-Factor video podcast, one of my favorite topical amateur radio shows on the internet. Mike will confirm that his involvement in TX-Factor opens wide the most interesting aspects of the amateur radio hobby. Mike shares his ham radio story, TX- Factor, and an insiders look at a mastering studio in this QSO Today.

Bad ass and blind is how my guest on QSO Today describes himself on his website and the release of his new jazz music album of the same name.  Raul Midon, AE3RM, is also a long time and dedicated amateur radio operator, who takes his ham radio operation on his musical tours around the World.  For those of us who think we are too busy to get on the air, Raul provides an answer to a busy schedule.

My QSO Today is with John Stanley, K4ERO, a frequent contributor of articles about antenna design and performance to QST, QEX, the ARRL Antenna Book, and the ARRL Handbook.  An MIT graduate, John and his wife Ruth, WB4LUA, spent many years abroad working as engineers for Christian Broadcast stations in India and South America. John shares his ham radio story and his antenna expertise in this QSO Today.

In this, the 200th edition of the QSO Today podcast, the QSO Today is with Eric Guth, 4Z1UG, creator of the QSO Today Podcast as the guest and  is hosted by Jim Wilson, K5ND. In this interview, Eric tells his ham radio story, about his early exposure to electronics,his elmers, and how his amateur radio interest evolved to the QSO Today podcast. Eric answers listener questions at the end of the interview with Jim.

Adam Farson, VA7OJ and AB4OJ, began his ham radio journey over 60 years ago as a youngster inspired by electronics and eventually ham radio in his native South Africa.  Pursuing a career in the broad science that surrounds telephony World wide, Adam has adapted telephony methods and test equipment to evaluate amateur radio transceiver performance.  Adam shares his ham radio and professional journey in this QSO Today.

Dr. Jack Mandelman is on the short list for holding the most patents, over 700 Worldwide, in the area of semiconductor physics, while at the same time a successful ham radio operator working DX and CW.  Now in the middle of a QTH move, Jack is exploring satellite communications and DMR. K1VT shares his ham radio story and the period during the space race to the moon that led to the technology that we all enjoy in our QSO today.

From his QTH in Rio De Janeiro, Alex Grimberg, PY1AHD, has mastered the art of the portable magnetic loop antennas for QRP use in the field. This interest, generated from his need for a light and portable antenna, has blossomed into the Alexloop antenna business.  Now Alex travels the ham radio World showing off his Alex Loops and other accessories that make portable QRP field operations that much more enjoyable. PY1AHD is my QSO Today.

Jim Millner, WB2REM, has traveled and operated amateur radio in 72 countries including Cuba and Guantanamo Bay.  He also operates his station by remote control, taking advantage of his prime Florida location with his excellent antenna arrays.  Jim shares his amateur radio story and his remote control insight in this QSO Today.

Roberto Ramirez, CE3CT, from Chile, is a well known South American DXer and Contester who began his ham radio story as a short wave listener.  Now an electronic engineer responsible for the local cell phone company microwave links, CE3CT chases DX across with World from his contest station using beverage receive antennas pointed into the Northern hemisphere.  CE3CT is my QSO Today.

Dr. Ryhor “Greg” Harbacheuski, W3NW, began his ham radio story in Belarus, a republic of the former Soviet Union.  After immigrating to the United States to pursue his career, Greg is a successful orthopedic surgeon by day, and he enjoys melting solder, refurbishing Soviet receivers, and kit building by night. W3NW tells his ham radio story in this QSO Today.

Out of the ashes of ten years of ethnic repression and the Kosovo War in 1998, the amateur radio service in Kosovo was reborn in 2012.  Vjollca Belegu, Z61VB, Kosovo’s (Kosova) first YL ham radio operator, survived this dark period in Kosova’s history, and 25 years after ham radio was closed in Kosova  is helping to re-birth the amateur radio service as the President of the Kosova Amateur Radio Association, in the new Republic of Kosova. Vjollca, Z61VB, tells this important story in this episode of  QSO Today.

Fred Cady, KE7X, took his love of radio and electronics as far as he could go - that was to a PHD in Electronic Engineering where he settled into teaching at Montana State University.  Now retired, Fred is the author of fourteen books on using and operating the Elecraft transceivers and accessories. Fred is also an avid contest operator and DXer. We will dig into this and more on this QSO Today.

Mike Bohn, KG7TR, has been building his own amateur radio equipment since he first entered the ham radio hobby over 50 years ago. Mike builds around the parts he has on hand creating beautiful vacuum tube transmitters, receivers, and high power amplifiers that rival the look and feel of early Collins radio equipment. We take a deep dive into the construction technique of KG7TR in this QSO Today.