QSO Today Podcast - Interviews with the leaders in amateur radio

Jim George, N3BB is an active contestor, DXer, and rag chewer.  Jim has many contest awards and was a team member in the 2000 World Radiosport Team Championship, or WRTC,  in Slovenia.  Now retired, Jim divides his time between ham radio, his wife, Diana, grandchildren, and authoring books.  His most recent book, Contact Sport, about the 2014 World Radiosport Team Championship, brings the exciteme...

After a successful career in finance, Tom Gallagher, NY2RF, embarks on a new career as the ARRL’s new executive director succeeding the retiring David Sumner, K1ZZ.  Tom joins Eric, 4Z1UG, in this QSO Today to discuss his ham radio story and his future role at the ARRL.

When it comes to home brew single side-band transceivers and test equipment,  Ashhar Farhan, VU2ESE, is the master of building amateur radio equipment on a budget, with common parts. Ashhar is the designer of the BITX "open source" HF SSB transceiver, and has an international reputation as a home brewer, and is referred to as the “home brew hero” by Bill Meara, N2CQR, of the Soldersmoke podcast. A...

If you wanted to homebrew QRP radios with vacuum tubes, or thermatrons, then the goto guy would be Grayson Evans, TA2ZGE, author of the book, Hollow State Devices.  Grayson joins Eric, 4Z1UG, to discuss his ham radio life, thermatrons, home brewing, and operating QRP, from his QTH in Turkey.  

Amateur radio was the early beginning for a career in radio for Art Bell, W6OBB, who became one of America’s number one late night talk show hosts.  Art's audience on Coast to Coast AM grew to 15 million listeners in over five-hundred markets. Art discusses ham radio and his broadcast radio career in this QSO Today with Eric, 4Z1UG.

The local city dump was the source of parts for Peter Parker, VK3YE's first ham radio projects. This humble beginning made Peter one of the most prolific contributors of videos and articles on the art of amateur radio.  Peter builds his own gear, operates QRP from the local beach, and gives valuable advice on how to be a successful operator. VK3YE is 4Z1UG's guest on QSO Today. 

Jim Kutsch, KY2D, has enjoyed almost fifty years of amateur radio because a local ham club reached out to him as a teenager after a life altering accident. It was through this act of kindness and mentoring from the ham fraternity that started Jim's passion for amateur radio leading to a successful career as a computer scientist, professor, and CEO of a remarkable non-profit organization. He is Eri...

Keith Kaiser, WA0TJT, works every single day to bring kids into the Boy Scouts and amateur radio and has been doing it since 1988. He shares his love of digital modes, ham radio operations, high altitude ballooning, the Boy Scouts, and geocaching in this episode of QSO Today.

Propagation, especially in the HF bands still remains a mystery for many amateur radio operators. Eric is joined in this QSO Today by Tad Cook, K7RA, author of the weekly ARRL Propagation Bulletin to discuss our hobby and the effect of Space weather on low band propagation.

If you were stranded on a desert island with Mike Rainey, AA1TJ, and a compact fluorescent light bulb, the chance is good that Mike could build you a low frequency QRPP transceiver to send your distress messages. Eric, 4Z1UG, discusses with Mike his approach to amateur radio and the satisfaction that he gets from his home brew projects and operating at the 50 milliwatt level.  

Bob Allphin, K4UEE, has traveled to 126 countries and has gone on forty DXpeditions to the far corners of the Earth to active exotic and remote locations. Bob discusses his early amateur radio beginnings, his love of our hobby and DXing, and provides some advice on how to attract new hams to the hobby in this episode of QSO Today.

Bob Hopkins, WB2UDC, joins Eric, 4Z1UG, in this QSO Today about the importance of ham radio Elmers, especially in the lives of kids, and how to pay it forward to future generations of hams. Bob is an active elmer with kids through the New Jersey Boy Scouts of America as well as creating opportunities for kids to speak to astronauts first aboard the Space Shuttle and now to the International Space...

Radio kit design for the Four State QRP Group is one of the passions of Dave Cripe, NM0S.  As a amateur  radio generalist, with a strong discipline and technical background, Dave enjoys a wide range of operating modes and power levels, and home-brewing in addition to mentoring prospective hams through the Boys Scouts of America. NM0S is Eric, 4Z1UG’s guest on QSO Today.

Doug Crompton, WA3DSP’s, interest in ham radio began as a kid in Pennsylvania in the ‘60s. Doug’s careful attention to detail and documentation of his projects make him an Elmer’s Elmer.  Doug joins Eric, 4Z1UG, in this QSO Today about boat anchors restoration, Allstar linking using the Raspberry Pi, and WSPRnet.

What is a DX contact on 10 Ghz?  Paul Wade, W1GHZ, tells his ham radio story, about his ham radio operations in the amateur radio frequencies above 1 Ghz, and how these contacts are made. Paul is a regular contributor on amateur radio microwave subjects to both QST and QEX magazines. He joins Eric, 4Z1UG, in this week’s QSO Today.

Don Greenbaum, N1DG, comes from a ham radio family and started in the hobby as an eleven year old Novice, over fifty years ago. A veteran of the some of the most challenging DXpeditions and co-founder of CW Ops organization, Don shares his insight and experience on amateur radio,  with Eric, 4Z1UG, on this episode of QSO Today.

Alan Wolke, W2AEW, is a master mentor and elmer who uses YouTube to produce and share his electronic and ham radio educational videos. This is in addition to being a an active ham, volunteer examiner, and advisor to the “maker movement” of things.  He his Eric, 4Z1UG’s, guest on QSO Today.

Bob Heil, K9EID, is no stranger to ham radio, as a pioneer in audio systems, not only for the rock and roll stars in the 60’s and 70’s, but for ham radio as well. As the founder of Heil Sound, Bob’s injection of audio experience and know how has raised the bar of what is acceptable for good sounding voice communications on amateur radio. Bob shares his ham radio story with Eric, 4Z1UG, on this epi...

HF digital modes are synonymous with Murray Greenman, ZL1BPU, creator of MFSK, WSQ, DominoEX, MFSK16, FSK-Hell and S/MT-Hell, and most recently FSQ.  Murray is a ham’s ham, who creates, contributes, and shares in exhaustive detail the developments and discoveries that he has made during his 49 years in amateur radio.  Murray joins Eric, 4Z1UG, in this QSO Today.

Bill Tippett, W4ZV’s ham radio journey is a series of firsts. He was the first USA Novice licensee to achieve DXCC, first teenager to achieve DXCC Honor Roll, first 160 meter DXCC from “0” land, and the first amateur operator Worldwide to work 300 DXCC countries on 160 meters. Bill shares his ham radio story with Eric, 4Z1UG, on QSO Today.

If you wanted to operate two meter EME or “moon bounce”, then you're Elmer should be Howard Sherer, AE3T, who has made over 700 contacts with a modest station and antenna array. Howard discusses his ham radio journey, travel and ham radio, and EME, with Eric, 4Z1UG,  on this episode of QSO Today.  

When it comes to hams making their own kind of music, one has to think of Don Huff, W6JL, who notes on his QRZ page that people who make things are happier than those who buy them. Don operates a completely modular home-brew HF station and power amplifier that is continuously variable in output power from 50 mw to 550 watts. Don loves to rag chew and share, and this is why he is Eric, 4Z1UG’s gues...

According to Nick Kennedy, WA5BDU, we live in the “golden age” of home brewing in amateur radio. Nick explains how this golden age is possible, what he does with a former AT&T long-lines microwave site, and highlights his amateur radio journey, with Eric, 4Z1UG, on QSO Today.

If you want to meet a ham that works every contest and operates every mode, from 160 meters to 1296 Mhz, then John Thompson, K3MD, would come to mind. With over 350,000 contacts in his logbook since 1991, John is just a guy that loves operating, especially contests. At the same time, he collects classic rigs, writes articles, and mentors hams, and is active in many ham organizations. John joins Er...

From the hills of Tennessee, Kirk Pickering, K4RO, operates a SO2R, single operator 2 radio, contest station and makes over ten-thousand contacts a year. Using Beverage antennas, Kirk is able to operate 160 meters, the “top band”, as solar cycle band conditions fade.  Kirk is Eric, 4Z1UG’s, guest on QSO Today.