QSO Today Podcast - Interviews with the leaders in amateur radio

  The launch of the first satellite, Sputnik, by the Russians, in October of 1957, inspired Don Keith, N4KC, to become a ham radio operator as a kid. Since then, Don has followed a path through radio broadcasting and is now the author of over 20 books, both fiction and non-fiction. A series of non-fiction books on World War II submarines has made Don an expert in this area.  Don joins Eric, 4Z1UG,...

Tim Duffy, K3LR operates one of the most prestigious amateur radio contest stations in the United States with twelve operating positions, two for each band.  Tim shares his ham radio journey, from his early entry into ham radio as a twelve year old, to a career in cellular telephony, and culminating in his position as COO of DX Engineering.  Join Tim and Eric, 4Z1UG in their QSO Today.

  Amateur radio was the key driver that led Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA, to a MSEE in Electrical Engineering and then a career as an RF design engineer with both Motorola and later Magnavox. When the hobby bites us at an early age, doors open to a bright and successful future. Carl has written hundreds of articles on the propagation of radio signals over the years.  He shares this knowledge with Eric...

Sixty years in the hobby hasn’t diminished Frank Fahrlander’s, N7FF, enthusiasm for amateur radio and the exploration of new technologies and operating modes.  With a solid foundation in electronics that began in grade school and through a career in computers, Frank continues to build projects and kits, elmer new hams, lead his DX club,  and volunteer in his community.  N7FF joins Eric, 4Z1UG, in...

In California, San Bernardino County Fire has a unique program that includes over 200 amateur radio volunteers to provide auxiliary communications to the county during disasters and special events. Tracy Lenocker, WA6ERA, heads this group of ham radio volunteers that is one of the most comprehensive public services by hams to the largest county in the United States. Tracy joins Eric, 4Z1UG, in his...

  After spending a career working on the railroad, Jerry Buxton, N0JY, is sending satellites into space with AMSAT, as their new VP of Engineering on the FOX-1 cube satellite project.  Amateur radio opens doors to new experiences and opportunities. Jerry shares his amateur radio story and his busy ham radio life with Eric, 4Z1UG, in this episode of QSO Today.

Amateur radio has its renaissance men that include Greg Latta, AA8V. By day, Greg is a university physics professor and lecturer, an avid homebrewer of vacuum tube transmitters and receivers, and metal fabricator. By Night, he is an award winning musician and folk artist. An attention to detail and organization, in perfect harmony, is the successful formula that Greg discusses with Eric, 4Z1UG, in...

Ron Milliman, K8HSY, has spent over 60 years in ham radio only to still find satisfaction, connections, and opportunity from the hobby he has loved all this time.  As a boy who lost is sight, Ron was fortunate to have a father, friends, and schoolmates who supported his ham radio projects and interests.  Join Ron and Eric, 4Z1UG, in their QSO Today.

Beginning at the age of five, when his father could get him inside a Gates broadcast transmitter to change out the bypass capacitors in the final amplifier, to a childhood of radio and audio repair, Kevin Custer, W3KKC, has gone on to make radio his life’s work.  Kevin’s Repeater Builder website has become the go to Internet resource for information on surplus land mobile radios, equipment, and te...

Greg Lane, N4KGL, tells us how amateur radio adds to his enjoyment of his other outdoor hobbies that include Rocketry and model airplanes.  As one of the key US proponents of RaDAR, or rapid deployment amateur radio, Greg is the master of foot portable HF operation in the Southern forests and swamps, to the Gulf’s beautiful Florida beaches.  Greg Lane, N4KGL joins Eric, 4Z1UG in QSO Today.

 Ward Silver, N0AX, author of the QST magazine column, “Hands-On Radio”, editor of ARRL Handbook for Radio Communications, and author of many books on ham radio joins Eric, 4Z1UG, in his QSO Today.  In the podcast, Ward describes his ham radio beginnings and his amateur radio journey that includes his authoring many books and articles on ham radio. He also offers practical advice to new and return...

When Eddie Leighton, ZS6BNE, created “shack in a sack” as a working concept for portable operation, in South Africa's great outdoors,  for ham radio activity and contests, he had no idea it would become an international ham radio phenomena he renamed RaDAR, or rapid deployment amateur radio. RaDAR, could be ham radio's "iron man" contest that combines outdoor activity with ham radio.  Eddie joins...

  Amateur Radio opened many doors for David Larsen, KK4WW, that began in high school, with the US Navy, a front row seat to the burgeoning computer industry, a career at Virginia Tech, World travel, and a visit to the White House.   David joins Eric, 4Z1UG, in his QSO Today to discuss his ham radio life and all of the wonderful opportunities and relationships that amateur radio created. Now as the...

Scott Andersen, NE1RD, has evolved a system,  over the years, that combine a family vacation and a serious DXpedition, especially during contests that he calls the 100 pound DXpedition.  In this episode of QSO Today, Scott shares his secrets that include how to plan and execute the perfect combination of ham radio contesting and vacation in an exotic location. Some of this simple wisdom and experi...

Dan Romanchik, KB6NU, is one of the most prolific bloggers about ham radio on the Internet today.  As an advocate for ham radio and as a teacher of ham radio, both with his study guides and the local classes that he teaches, Dan practices what he preaches.  Join the QSO Today between Dan and Eric, 4Z1UG, on the amateur radio topics that most interest them.

  Dan Walker, WG5G, works DX and has worked almost every country in the World, except four, with a simple Kenwood TS-130V and five watts of power.  All QRP.  Dan joins Eric, 4Z1UG,  in his QSO Today to discuss his ham radio story and what it really takes to be the best QRP DX operator in the World.  His answers might surprise you.

Dennis Blanchard, K1YPP,  started his ham radio journey in 1962 at the age of twelve, after discovering an old Hallicrafters receiver in the attic of the family home. Ham radio became a passion that eventually pulled his father and brother into the hobby.   In 2007, Dennis combined his love for backpacking and ham radio when he started a 6 month trek of the 2100 mile Appalachian Trail.  Dennis joi...

  In 1980, when the hospital where she worked had a phone system failure, April Moell, WA6OPS, gave a call to local hams to come provide support. She discovered that hospitals in every community frequently have communications failures that risk the lives and safety of patients. Thirty years after founding the Hospital Disaster Support Communications System, April and her group now provide emergenc...

Join Eric, 4Z1UG, in his QSO Today with Eric Manning, VA7DZ.  Eric and Eric discuss the Reverse Beacon Network and the use of the CW Skimmer software as tools for contesting and understanding of real time low band openings.  VA7DZ has a lifetime of amateur radio beginning in 1948, in his 5th grade classroom.  His ham radio journey led him to a career in computers and computer science, culminating...

  After 60 years in the hobby, Martin Huyett, K0BXB, loves ham radio as much as he did when he first started. After a career in electronic engineering, inspired by ham radio, and an operating career that included homebrew slow scan television, 2 meter FM on surplus mobile equipment, and packet radio,  Martin has gone back to his ham radio roots and now enjoys a simple CW QSO on a straight key. Joi...

Join Eric, 4Z1UG in his QSO Today with Dean Mertz, K0MKT.  Dean and Eric have been friends for almost 40 years after meeting at the local ham radio club, in Southern California.  While their lives have taken them around the World, there is always an opportunity, a few times a year, to catch up on ham radio projects and personal lives. As a software engineer and hardware tinkerer, Dean always has a...

Is is possible for ham radio operators to have a broadband wireless network for the transmission of voice, video, and data as a backup, to the Internet and the commercial infrastructures, that we depend upon? Jim Kinter, K5KTF, thinks it is. Jim is the chief evangelist for the Broadband Hamnet group in Austin, Texas. Ham radio broadband mesh networks is the topic of conversation in Eric’s, 4Z1UG,...

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...

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 throu...

  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 ra...