Qso Today - A Conversation For Amateur Radio Operators

Dave Mackey, K1KA, like many amateurs of his generation, was influenced by broadcast radio, broadcast hosts like Jean Shephard, and the magic of radio in the late 50’s and 60’s.  Dave went on to work with companies like Multitone, Microwave Associates, and Cushcraft before spending a generation in his own manufacturing company.  Amateur radio played a serious role in Dave’s career choices and personal successes.  K1KA tells his story in this QSO Today.

Frank Roman, KC8VKA, was born in Puerto Rico, grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, enlisted in the Navy, and served in Vietnam. Frank is a successful business entrepreneur, now retired, who has continued to leverage his education and experience both professionally and in his pursuit of amateur radio. KC8VKA enjoys mentoring hams in Cleveland, Puerto Rico, and in Panama City, Florida in conjunction with the Panama City Amateur Radio Club.  Frank is my QSO Today.

Will Ravenel, AI4VE, like many of us,  returned to amateur radio after raising a family.  Will is active in the QRP-ARCI, as its treasurer, and takes leadership positions in his ham clubs.     Will loves to operate ham radio’s first digital mode, CW, using either hand, at low power.  AI4VE shares his operating expertise, running low power, in the field and on the beach, in this QSO Today.

Arun Kumar, W8ARU, builds most of the gear that he uses on the air, based on a skillset that he learned from becoming an amateur radio operator in India in the 1960s.  This skill set combined with advanced degrees in engineering has put Arun on the cutting edge of solar and battery technologies used in big equipment as the World is going green.  Arun was also Ashhar Farhan, VU2ESE’s original mentor, one of his many major contributions to our hobby.  W8ARU is my QSO Today.

Jerry Arnold, K9AF, is a long time commercial broadcaster and amateur radio operator, originally from Southern California, and now living in Terre Haute, Indiana.  While Jerry likes to operate CW, he also has a restored AM Broadcast transmitter on 160 meters to transmit that warm AM sound we like to hear.  K9AF and I discuss a whole range of ham radio topics in this QSO Today.

Herb Goodluck, N7HG, is a member of the Navajo Nation and son of one of the famous World War 2 heros called the Navajo Code Talkers.  Herb keeps the Code Talkers memory alive with an annual special event at Window Rock, Arizona.  N7HG is also an active amateur radio operator and my QSO Today.

Desiree Baccus, N3DEZ, while a relatively new ham, has an infectious excitement and enthusiasm for amateur radio that cannot be underestimated.  She is already a mover and shaker for advancing amateur radio and a key player for NASA on the Air, NASA’s year long amateur radio celebration.  N3DEZ is my QSO Today.

Tracy McKim, VE3TWM, believes in the effectiveness of low power communications to communicate across town or around the World.  Tracy uses his YouTube Channel, Outdoors On The Air, to first demonstrate the use of fiberglass poles to install wire antennas, and then to successfully demonstrate outdoor ham radio operation using those full size antennas to operate QRP single-sideband.  VE3TWM is my QSO Today.

Geoffrey Mark, KM6TVJ, is one of the new kids on the block, a recent new amateur radio licensee.  Geoffrey has some fresh ideas and our QSO around his career in the entertainment industry, a pilot, and “maker” caused me to think of some non-traditional ways that we hams can communicate.  KM6TVJ is my QSO Today.

Bruce Prior, N7RR, loves to operate SOTA in Washington State’s great outdoors where he has cataloged for SOTA all of the available mountain peaks in the state.  I had the great pleasure of spending an afternoon last week with Bruce in Washington, activating Mt. Walker in Washington’s  Olympic Mountain range.  My first SOTA activation where I learned the basics of SOTA activation.  This was a great opportunity to get to know my guest in this week’s QSO Today.

Jim Wilson, K5ND, returns to interview QSO Today Podcast host Eric Guth, as Eric reaches the 400th episode milestone of QSO Today.  Jim and Eric discuss the changes to QSO Today that have evolved since the 200th episode milestone include the four QSO Today Virtual Ham Expos and the upcoming, soon to be announced QSO Today Academy for the advancement of amateur radio expertise.

John Raydo, K0IZ, had a great mentor at the beginning of his ham radio story that laid the foundation for John’s approach to operating amateur radio and building radio equipment from scratch. John shares this story and how he now remotely controls and has the noise benefit of his rural Colorado rig when operating from his QTH in Missouri.  K0IZ is my QSO Today.

John Fallows, VE6EY, when faced with an urban HF noise problem, applied this knowledge, expertise, and background from his years of experience in amateur radio to find a solution.  This solution, John presented, last March,  in the last QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo.  Every problem leading to a solution has a story, and VE6EY tells it in this QSO Today.

Ed Wilson, N2XDD, discovered radio as a kid with a gifted four channel public safety scanner.  This led to an interest in radio, a career in law enforcement,  and exposure to amateur radio.  Now an active ham, Ed has become a booster of the M17 project, a native ham radio digital mode for VHF and above.  NX2DD is my QSO Today.

Jordan Makower, WA2BRV, spent his career influencing kids in the sciences as well as supporting their amateur radio interests.  Now retired, Jordan is a frequent contributor to the K9YA Telegraph magazine.  WA2BRV is my QSO Today.

Dave Slotter, W3DJS, like many hams who had an early interest in radio, but postponed joining our fraternity, is here now.  Dave takes the skills that he developed over the years in software development and design to create a distribution of over 100 amateur radio softwares deployed on the Raspberry Pi called HamPi.  W3DJS demonstrates through his contributions to amateur radio just how valuable new blood in ham radio can be.  Dave is my QSO Today.

Robin Critchell, WA6CDR, had a profound influence on many young hams operating in the VHF and UHF bands in Southern California in the 70s’ and 80s. He and Alan Burgstahler, WA6AWD, at the time and now a silent key, created the Cactus Intertie, now the World’s largest full duplex radio linked amateur radio network. “Top band” or 160 Meters is Robin’s favorite band, and he has participated on DxExpeditions, had an incredible career in the communications industry, and can fix just about anything. WA6CDR, is my QSO Today.

Hans van de Groenendaal, ZS6AKV, has been a mover and shaker in South Africa amateur radio for as long as he has been licensed, almost 65 years.  In that time he has taken leadership positions in the South African Radio League, represented his country at the International Amateur Radio Union, involved himself in high altitude balloon launches, AMSAT South Africa, and a host of projects going back to his early beginning.  Hans is an alumni speaker at the QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo and is my QSO Today.

Dave Bottom, WI6R, a second generation amateur radio operator, credits this early exposure to radio and spending his teenage years in Palo Alto, to a stint in the famous Hewlett Packard labs and a lifetime electronics career.  WI6R is a builder of his own rigs, kit rigs, and a restorer of popular vintage rigs.  Dave likes DX, QRP, and operating and is my QSO Today.

Rod Fritz, WB9KMO, is a fixer and builder, who is a pioneer in amateur television, amateur television repeaters in the UHF and microwave bands, and now the Amateur Television Network, a combination of amateur analog and digital television, over RF links and the Internet.  This network allows amateurs to share video, over amateur radio, Worldwide.  Rod, WB9KMO, discusses the details of this history in this episode of QSO Today.