Qso Today - A Conversation For Amateur Radio Operators

Rudy Hardy, W5HRH, was introduced to electronics and radio at a young age by a favorite uncle. His interest in the hobby deepened through his experiences with CB radio and the influence of mentors in college. Rudy pursued a career in federal law enforcement, eventually teaching criminal justice at a community college in Houston. He's also a skilled sports photographer. In this episode, we explore Rudy’s journey with Parkinson’s disease, his successful treatment, and how amateur radio can benefit retirees and those facing complex health challenges. W5HRH is my QSO Today.

Susan Gayle Nordskog, LA0CY, was practically born into ham radio. She learned Morse code from her mother and grew up in Los Angeles, surrounded by her parents' ham radio friends. After college, Susan developed a deep love for the sea and a passion for crewing large vessels, even during a time when American ships rarely hired women. Undeterred, she immigrated to Norway, completed a three-year ship’s officer course, and started a family. Her career took her across the world’s oceans on some of the largest ships afloat. Now, LA0CY is back on the air, actively participating in the local ham radio scene on two meters and always ready for a chat on any topic with fellow operators. LA0CY is my QSO Today.  

Steve Corley, N5BZM, discovered ham radio, almost by accident, by the intervention of his mother with an FCC official attempting to scare a teenager out of operating a CB radio improperly.  Steve loves the range and variety of amateur radio opportunities and started a Ham Radio Auctions business to aid amateurs to find buyers and the heirs of deceased ham radio operators to properly dispose of their equipment.  N5BZM stresses the importance of HF to amateur radio and tells his story in this QSO Today.   

Lee Barrett, K7NM, has had a wonderful career, in broadcast radio,  military projects, command and control, spacecraft, and medical device development.  His early initiation into amateur radio set in motion all that came later in both professional and amateur radio life. From early in his ham radio career, Lee published papers on vertical antenna beam tilt for repeater networks, and well as his most recent “C-Match Method of Phasing HF Vertical Antennas.  He was a presenter at the QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo, speaks to radio clubs all over the United States, and at the Dayton Hamvention.  K7NM is my QSO today.

Justin McAllister, K5EM’s early interest in ham radio in high school, set him on a professional path to electronic engineering for industry,  startups, and entrepreneurship.  In ham radio,  Justin  adopted a few favorite areas of special interest.  Justin likes to operate satellites with his portable full duplex rig, operate the digital modes both actively and passively, creating new antennas designs, and getting out in nature to operate POTA and SOTA.  K5EM is my QSO Today.

Jim Halfpenny, K9YNP, spent his career in the great outdoors tracking wildlife, educating and leading groups into the wilderness all around the World and in Yellowstone National Park.  Ham radio has always been a parallel track of interest and education.  For K9YNP, serving his community with Montana Tour bike race and mountain marathon support through the Rocky Mountains keeps his ARES team at the top of their game.  K9YNP is my guest in this QSO Today.

Mike Padron, N1CC, had an early love for amateur radio that was eclipsed by aviation leading Mike to become the longest serving captain pilot at FEDEX.  Returning to ham radio during the Covid 19 Pandemic, Mike rediscovered his love for CW through the Long Island CW Club and remote controlling his FlexRadio home station while traveling the World.  N1CC is my guest in this QSO Today.

Will Harris, KI4POV, followed in his father’s footsteps, from his junior workbench along side his dad’s to become a licensed ham at age 12.  While Will did not pursue and engineering career, he has become a prolific homebuilder in the tradition of Doug DeMaw, W1FB, and Wes Hayward, W7ZOI.  KI4POV discussed his 5 band homebrew transceiver and the rest of his ham radio story in this QSO Today.  

Amateur Radio operation for Bob Wertz, NF7E is a family affair, beginning with regular round table rag chews with his brother and father.  Bob likes to chase DX confirming over 340 DX entities with the latest,  Bouvet Island 3YOJ his crowning achievement.  His Flagstaff Arizona ham radio club special events, including Route 66 and Quartzfest provide ample opportunities to get out and meet the hams.  NF7E tells his ham radio story in this QSO Today.

Bob Phinney, K5TEC, created a new and dynamic afterschool science and amateur radio program called New England Sci-Tech, Inc, after his private school, where Bob taught, closed his program from their lack of vision.  K5TEC refocused his energies and built an amazing after school program for kids that re-enforces STEM learning and makes new and exciting amateur radio operators.  Bob, K5TEC, tells this fascinating story on this QSO Today.

Stuart Watchman, ZL2TW, hails from New Zealand where he began his early career working for the New Zealand Post Office on telephone exchange equipment, then made the transition to medical school, becoming a physician.  Ham radio was an early passion leading Stuart to work in technical positions to pay for medical school and later to leadership positions with the New Zealand Association of Radio Transmitter (NZART), New Zealand’s “League”.  ZL2TW shares his amateur radio experience in this QSO Today.   

Rex Moncur VK7MO, holds the world record for the longest 10GHz EME contact using a 50 watt transmitter to a 70CM satellite TV dish.  Since his retirement over 20 years ago, Rex has garnered expertise, contacts, and equipment for operating VHF and above for EME, meteor, aircraft, and now lighting scatter from his modest home in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.  VK7MO tells his ham radio story and his microwave exploits in this QSO Today.

Ian Kahn, NV4C, with the encouragement of his father in law joined the amateur radio ranks in his mid-thirties.  He hit the ground running, operating on his local club’s repeater and involving himself in the North Fulton Amateur Radio League to aid its resurgence the the introduction of new programs attracting new and old hams.  NV4C discusses his ham radio journey, his operating passions, and what excites him about our hobby in this QSO Today.

Todd McKenney, KN4TPG, found his way into amateur radio through a teenager’s deep dive into YouTube and discovering  meteorological balloon launches leading to Bill Brown WB8ELK and Pico Ballooning. Todd’s entry into ham radio may be the key to attracting young people into amateur radio by using our hobby as a tool to complement and extend the usability of their other STEM or Maker  projects and hobbies.  KN4TPG tells his ham radio story through his high school ballooning interest leading to graduate work at the University of Alabama, Huntsville  in this  QSO Today.

Louis Hammer, 4Z5OT, is a good friend here in Israel and has taken outdoor and park operations to a new level.  Faced with antenna challenges and inflexible neighbors at home, operating events, like lighthouses on the air, and other portable operations has opened new opportunities for Louis to be active, gain better operating experience, and to be ready with his portable rig in a flash when necessary.  4Z5OT is my QSO Today.

Ron Hranac, N0IVN, is not only a long time ham radio operator but a 50 year pioneer in the cable television industry, author of hundreds of articles and presentations for the Society of Cable Television Engineers.  We discuss the crossover of amateur radio and cable television technology, interference to amateur radio from leakage, and the potential opportunities for young people who want to enter the industry on the ground floor.  N0IVN is my QSO Today.

Hiroki Kato, AH6CY, was born and raised in Hiroshima, Japan, 20 miles from the epicenter of the atomic bomb blast in August 1945 that killed approximately 100,000 Japanese.  Hiroki was fascinated with radio as a youngster and was first licensed in Japan.  After moving to the USA, Hiroki continued to pursue amateur radio and began to research and collect the military radios that both the Japanese used to bomb Pearl Harbor, and the radios that were on the Enola Gay, the US bomber that dropped the Hiroshima bomb.  AH6CY tells his ham radio story and about these radio restorations in this QSO Today.

Chris Rutkowski, NW6V, had the best radio elmer and teacher for life in his father, a career Navy radio officer, who taught life·s lessons and the proper way to handle a CW key with methods that challenge the current conventions. Chris shares this histor

Glam Ham, Natalie, NW6S, is a lot of things including actress, comedian, writer for both film and television, painter, and now an amateur radio operator.  The awareness of amateur radio came to Natalie almost naturally and has become and enjoyable sideline in her life.  As Glam Ham on TikTok, she has amassed almost one-hundred thousand subscribers who are interested in what she says and demonstrates about amateur radio.  NW6S is my QSO Today.

In this episode of QSO Today, we are joined by Steve Shorey, G3ZPS, who shares his captivating journey through the world of amateur radio. Starting with his early days of constructing tube transmitters from found parts, to securing electronics apprenticeships fueled by his passion for the hobby, and taking a hiatus to focus on family life, Steve's story is one of passion and dedication. Now back in the fold, he finds joy in revisiting old operating modes and refurbishing the vintage equipment that once seemed unattainable in the 1960s. Join us as G3ZPS delves into his ham radio adventures and reflects on the profound impact this hobby has had on his life, right here on QSO Today.