Qso Today - A Conversation For Amateur Radio Operators

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.