Qso Today - A Conversation For Amateur Radio Operators

Bob Wolbert, K6XX, owns and operates a multiple position contest station in the coastal hills of Northern California.  According to Bob, you need every dB to get contacts in your log during a contest. As the team leader for the US in the World RadioSport Team Championship 2010,  he is especially qualified to speak about what it takes to be a great contest operator. As an employee of Elecraft, Bob gets to be a professional amateur radio operator in addition to his hobby operating ham radio. Join, Eric, 4Z1UG, in his QSO Today with Bob, K6XX.   

Scott Zimmerman, N3XCC, founder of the W3WAN repeater network in Pennsylvania, joins Eric, 4Z1UG, on the QSO Today podcast, to discuss the FM world of repeaters above 50 Mhz.  Coming to amateur radio from a commercial two-way radio background, Scott applies his expertise to maintain a network work of interconnected amateur radio repeaters that provide wide area coverage, international access through the Allstar linking network, and public service in times of emergency.  Scott is also a contributor to the Repeater Builder website, the one-stop for any ham who wants to reassign commercial land mobile radios to amateur service.

  Bruce Perens, K6BP, is a self described evangelist for amatuer radio. As the creator of the Open Source Definition used for the free exchange of software code, Bruce has appled this to amateur radio towards the development of Codec2 and FreeDV, digital modulation schemes for HF and VHF.  Through his new company, Algoram, Bruce hopes to create the ultimate open source handheld software defined radio.  As an evangelist, Bruce founded No Code International, where he successfully eliminated the Morse code requirement for amateur radio licenses Worldwide.

You can still build a beautiful tuna can transmitter, especially if it uses vacuum tubes instead of solid state components.  Join Eric, 4Z1UG, in his QSO Today with Steve Johnston, WD8DAS, where they discuss Steve’s ham radio journey that includes experimentation in the 630 meter band, restoration of Chinese military radio gear, and the love of amateur radio.

  The right elementary school teachers who challenged their students with the Morse Code was just the beginning of Hap Holly’s, KC9RP’s, ham radio career leading to the RAIN Report and The Dayton Hamvention’s 2002 Amateur of the Year.  Join Eric, 4Z1UG, and Hap in their QSO Today.  

  The team of Sharon and Wayne Spring, K6IRD and W6IRD, make a powerful combination, not only in amateur radio, but as a lesson in commitment, hard work, and attention to detail. This has led both to not only a successful 50 year marriage, but to a rich, hands on amateur radio life.  Join Eric, 4Z1UG, in this inspiring conversation with both Wayne and Sharon Spring on QSO Today.

  Elecraft’s co-founder and CTO, Wayne Burdick, N6KR, joins Eric, 4Z1UG, on another QSO Today. Waynes fascination with home brewing from an early age combined with his love of QRP led to the development of some of the best amateur radio transceivers on the market. Wayne and Eric’s conversation reveals some insights into what makes a successful ham radio product.  

  Stan, WB2LQF, does more with less in his 50 year ham radio journey starting with a single tube transmitter loaded in to his bed springs to the Elecraft KX3 and an attic antenna.  Always a CW operator, ham radio played a major role in Stan’s professional and personal life.  Stan joins Eric, 4Z1UG, in his QSO Today.

  John Portune, W6NBC, may have more hams to his credit due to his teaching methods and one day amateur radio licensing courses than any of his peers.  John joins Eric, 4Z1UG, on the QSO Today Podcast to discuss this and John’s other ham radio interests from Amateur Fast Scan Television  to residential disguise antennas for antenna restricted neighborhoods.

One of the original founders of the Amateur Radio Service in Israel, Amnon Bar Giora, 4X1DF, joins Eric, 4Z1UG, in a conversation about his early beginnings as a radio operator for the pre-Israel Haganah, his training of Yugoslav partisans in the use of radio behind the Nazi lines, his pursuit of the Nazi doctor of Auschwitz across South America, and his co-founding of the Amateur Radio Service in Israel. At 91 years of age, Amnon has a rich history of radio, service to his country and people, and entrepreneurship.

  Yehuda, 4X1TQ, survived the electic shock of his life at the tender age of 13, while working on the high voltage power supply for his homebrew transmitter.  Fortunately, for all of us, this led Yehuda on a life of innovation, teaching, and paying forward on his ham radio journey.  Join Eric, 4Z1UG, on his QSO Today with Yehuda Cern, 4X1TQ.  

  Eric Nichols, KL7AJ, has Plasma dreams and chanrges up the ionosphere using high power transmitters based upon his years of experience in ham and broadcast radio.  Starting in 1972, as a high school senior in Southern California, Eric first earned his Novice Class Amateur Radio license, WN6TEE.  Upgrading to General Class, two years later, and adding a First Class Radio Telephone license, Eric made his way to North Pole, Alaska where he spent over 20 years as a broadcast engineer. He shares his ham radio journey through his contribution of over 150 published articles in QST, QEX, eHam and other publications, and even a ham radio novel, Plasma Dreams. Join Eric, 4Z1UG, in his QSO Today, with Eric Nichols, KL7AJ.

Ron, W6OM, carries on the tradition of “paying it forward” by “Elmering” neighborhood teenagers, Donnie and David to their Extra Class ham radio licenses.  Beginning in the Summer of 1957, at 10 years of age, Ron started his ham radio journey under his Elmer, the original W6OM, George Hutchins. Going on for his Novice license the following September, Ron’s first contact on 15 meters was another 10 year old, Andy Chesnioff, UA3AB, of the former Soviet Union.  That original contact created an international friendship that has lasted over 50 years and survived the “Cold War”.  His second contact was Stan, F05IW, another ham to become a lifelong friend and business partner. Follow with me on Ron’s ham radio journey.

Rich's ham radio journey began, in the suburbs of Detroit, on a bicycle, when he was sixteen years old, in search of the source of ham radio conversations heard on his portable all band radio.  Looking for "big" antennas on the neighborhood houses, he found his Elmer, Charlie, W8LVR, who led him through his first Novice license in 1964. This led Rich on a 40 year career through General Motors, slow scan televsion, working DX, and developing antennas. Rich is the developer of the "fractional wave loop antenna", a theme and variation on the magnetic loop antenna. Listen in on Eric's, 4Z1UG, QSO Today with Rich, K8NDS.

  Angel Santana, WP3GW travels around the World, from his home on the island of Puerto Rico, not by ship or airplane, but on the wings of ham radio. Angel says, “the magic for me is speaking to people in other countries”. He likes to meet people, make connections from different countries, from different backgrounds.  Join Eric, 4Z1UG, in his QSO with Angel about his beginnings in ham radio, his “wall paper”,and the contributions he has made and continues to make to amateur radio as the Public Information Office in his ARRL section for Puerto Rico.  

Bob Greenberg, W2CYK, is a third generation ham radio operator, whose "Elmer", was his grandfather, Art Greenberg, the original W2CYK.  Follow Bob's ham radio journey from its beginnings almost 40 years ago.  

Join Eric, 4Z1UG, in his QSO with Arie Kliengold, PA3A on QSO Today.  Arie discusses his early beginnings in radio as a Merchant Marine radio operator and how he went on to do DXpeditions in Africa in conjunction with Mercy Ships, hospital ships that bring advanced medical care to Africa.  See the show notes at www.qsotoday.com/podcasts/pa3a  

This is the first podicast of the new QSO Today weekly program where Amateur Radio operators are interviewed by Eric, 4Z1UG. Our audience are prospective, new, and returning members of the ham radio community who wish to learn more about the hobby though conversations, or QSOs, with experienced hams.  The goal of the podcast is to introduce the wide range of ham radio options by experts in these areas.