One of the greatest aspects of our amateur radio hobby is our ability to make friends across the world around our common interest of amateur radio and electronics. This has been pointed out in many of the QSO Today episodes by my guests, that we are a “fraternity” (includes YLs and XYLs) with a shared interest in all things radio. As we travel around the World, some of us will knock on the doors of homes and apartments where we see ham radio antennas just to meet another ham radio operator. Often these meetings result in lifelong friendships. I still stop and introduce myself on my travels around Israel when I see a ham radio antenna. These days, I do not see many. In fact I made a mental note of an inverted V that I saw on the side of the road in my travels last week. I need to stop there on my next pass. “Do you have a ham radio operator in there?” I say on the intercom. “I am Eric, 4Z1UG. Can I meet you and say hello?” Most of the time, the answer is a resounding “YES”.
It is with this in mind that my meeting with Eddie Leighton, ZS6BNE, my guest in Episode 28 of the QSO Today Podcast, was like the meeting of two old friends last month when I was visiting South Africa with my wife, Karen. Our friends in Johannesburg, where we stayed, were only too delighted to allow me to invite Eddie to their home so we could meet in person, catch up on ham radio, and to operate Eddie’s RaDAR (rapid deployment amateur radio) rig on the outside patio. I was grateful that Eddie agreed to drive almost three-hundred kilometers to meet with me from his home QTH in Lichtenburg. It was a great afternoon and I hope that I will meet Eddie again on our ham radio travels.
This episode departs from my normal format as the audio is the conversation and demonstration of Eddie’s “minimalist” RaDAR backpack. This tiny but simple system allowed us to make an 800 kilometer SSB QSO with another ham in South Africa using five watts and a 40 meter end-fed wire. I picked up a Zoom H5 audio recorder, thanks to your support, and used it for the first time to record this “eyeball” QSO. I hope that you enjoy it as much as we did.
It is with this in mind that my meeting with Eddie Leighton, ZS6BNE, my guest in Episode 28 of the QSO Today Podcast, was like the meeting of two old friends last month when I was visiting South Africa with my wife, Karen. Our friends in Johannesburg, where we stayed, were only too delighted to allow me to invite Eddie to their home so we could meet in person, catch up on ham radio, and to operate Eddie’s RaDAR (rapid deployment amateur radio) rig on the outside patio. I was grateful that Eddie agreed to drive almost three-hundred kilometers to meet with me from his home QTH in Lichtenburg. It was a great afternoon and I hope that I will meet Eddie again on our ham radio travels.
This episode departs from my normal format as the audio is the conversation and demonstration of Eddie’s “minimalist” RaDAR backpack. This tiny but simple system allowed us to make an 800 kilometer SSB QSO with another ham in South Africa using five watts and a 40 meter end-fed wire. I picked up a Zoom H5 audio recorder, thanks to your support, and used it for the first time to record this “eyeball” QSO. I hope that you enjoy it as much as we did.
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