Category: Antennas

Episode 519 - Adam Kimmerly - K6ARK

Adam Kimmerly, K6ARK, discovered amateur radio almost by accident through his participation in the San Diego Mountain Rescue organization. Adam’s ham radio interests evolved from VHF to HF SOTA, or Summits on the Air, learning CW, and reaching SOTA Mountain Goat status. The need for light weight kits to carry to the most difficult to reach summits demanded new expertise in antenna design and construction with 3D printing. K6ARK tells his ham radio story in this QSO Today.

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N7HQ

9/14/2024

Episode 518 - Dan Quigley - N7HQ

Dan Quigley, N7HQ, is a true veteran in the world of ham radio and technology. Like many of us, Dan's passion for radio began early, with a crystal radio, and earned his license while delivering newspapers to pay for his new hobby. Dan’s professional career evolved based on the specific needs of clients and customers, creating long and successful stints through Microsoft and Amazon before joining FlexRadio as their Director of Strategic Solutions. N7HQ is a kindred spirit, perhaps to many of us, and tells his ham radio story in this QSO Today.

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zl2tw

6/15/2024

Episode 506 - Stuart Watchman - ZL2TW

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.

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Vk7mo

6/8/2024

Episode 505 - Rex Moncur - VK7MO

Rex Moncur VK7MO, holds the world record for the longest 10GHz EME and terrestrial contacts using a 50 watt transmitter to a 120 cm dish. Since his retirement over 20 years ago, Rex has garnered expertise, contacts, and equipment for operating VHF and above for EME, ducting, meteor, aircraft, and now lighting scatter from his home in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. VK7MO tells his ham radio story and his microwave exploits in this QSO Today.

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4Z5OT

5/18/2024

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Episode 502 - Louis Hammer - 4Z5OT

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.

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W4YRL

3/2/2024

Episode 491 - Paul Barnes - W4YRL

Paul Barnes, W4YRL, now a ham for over 65 years, enjoys FT8, CW, and getting on the air with modest wire antennas. Paul has traveled to over 50 countries and enjoyed operating from abroad. He credits the hobby for a happy career in electronics focused on simulators for space, military, and nuclear power plants, and for the life long friends that he has made along the way. W4YRL is my QSO Today.

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K5TR_2

9/30/2023

Episode 469 - George Fremin - K5TR

Today's podcast is a reprise of my interview with George Fremin, K5TR in April of 2017. George is a world class contester and DXer, with years of experience building and maintaining first class multi-operator contest stations. George gives some important advice on tower safety and working on antenna towers. We also touch on the “flow state” that is achievable during intense contesting rounds in this QSO Today.

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K1VT_2

8/26/2023

Episode 465 - Jack Mandelman - K1VT

Dr. Jack Mandelman, K1VT, was my guest in 2018, after meeting him on a DMR talk group. As my head is down in preparation for the upcoming QSO Today Academy Event, I wanted to bring back this great interview with Jack. Jack is on the short list for holding the most patents, over 700 Worldwide, in the area of semiconductor physics, while at the same time a successful ham radio operator working DX and CW. Jack is exploring satellite communications and DMR. K1VT shares his ham radio story episode of QSO Today.

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AB2KT_2

8/19/2023

Episode 464 - Frank Brickle - AB2KT

Dr. Frank Brickle, AB2KT, was my guest in Episode 212, in August of 2018, five years ago. He is both a musical composer and a technology expert. He earned a Ph.D. in Music from Princeton University and has been involved in computer science and signal processing since 1970. He was an early pioneer in development of Software Defined Radio for the US Government, and later by private industry, and was the Co-deleloper of PowerSDR software with Bob McGwier, N4HY. Frank is also a classical music composer and has his written compositions performed worldwide. AB2KT is my QSO Today in this remastered audio version of the original interview.

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N2APB_2

5/27/2023

Episode 452 - George Heron - N2APB

George Heron, N2APB, loves the design, collaboration, and building of electronic devices for amateur radio, along with his friend and mentor, Joe Everhart, N2CX, now a silent key. Together, they shared their discoveries live on their Chat with the Designers podcast, until October 2018. Every aspect of amateur radio interests George, from test equipment and restored vintage radios to stand alone SDR transceivers and more efficient designs of magnetic loop antennas. N2APB is Eric, 4Z1UG’s QSO Today.

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WD5AGO

1/21/2023

Episode 435 - Thomas Henderson - WD5AGO

Thomas, “Tommy” Henderson, WD5AGO, has always found EME or Moonbounce operation on the bands above 6 meters fascinating and worthwhile, making thousands of contacts by phone or CW. Building his own EME rigs has led to deep technical expertise and ham radio success. As a teacher and now department head of the Electronics Technology program at Tulsa Community College, he uses amateur radio to enhance his full curriculum while demonstrating its utility. WD5AGO is my QSO Today.

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K6AQ

12/3/2022

Episode 428 - Mooneer Salem - K6AQ

Mooneer Salem, K6AQ, discovered that amateur radio provides plenty of opportunities for hams who also love computers and computer programming. K6AQ loves open source, contributing to HF digital voice development in the Free-DV Project, and improving on WinLink HF digital email gateways. Combine all this with Software Defined Radio and you have an active 21st century ham. K6AQ is my QSO Today.

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K1QAR

11/26/2022

Episode 427 - Ted Robinson - K1QAR

Ted Robinson, K1QAR, was a speaker in the last QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo on the subject of magnetic loop antennas, especially in noisy urban areas, HOAs, and urban lots. Ted has a long ham radio history, a love of surfing, aviation, restoring Collins Equipment, and now expertise in the construction and use of high power magnetic loop antennas. K1QAR tells his ham radio story in this QSO Today.

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AE4S

8/27/2022

Episode 415 - Bill Jordan - AE4S

Bill Jordan’s, AE4S, love of electronics and radio paralleled his professional career as college professor. As a founding member of the Tallahassee Amateur Radio Society and the AE4S repeater, Bill is connected and communicates with the lifelong friends he has made through ham radio. AE4S tells his ham radio story in this QSO Today.

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K1KA

7/23/2022

Episode 410 - Dave Mackey - K1KA

Dave Mackey, K1KA, like many amateurs of his generation, was influenced by broadcast radio, broadcast hosts like Jean Shephard, and the magic of radio in the late 50’s and 60’s. Dave went on to work with companies like Multitone, Microwave Associates, and Cushcraft before spending a generation in his own manufacturing company. Amateur radio played a serious role in Dave’s career choices and personal successes. K1KA tells his story in this QSO Today.

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KC8VKA

7/16/2022

Episode 409 - Frank Roman - KC8VKA

Frank Roman, KC8VKA, was born in Puerto Rico, grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, enlisted in the Navy, and served in Vietnam. Frank is a successful business entrepreneur, now retired, who has continued to leverage his education and experience both professionally and in his pursuit of amateur radio. KC8VKA enjoys mentoring hams in Cleveland, Puerto Rico, and in Panama City, Florida in conjunction with the Panama City Amateur Radio Club. Frank is my QSO Today.

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VE3TWM

6/4/2022

Episode 403 - Tracy McKim - VE3TWM

Tracy McKim, VE3TWM, believes in the effectiveness of low power communications to communicate across town or around the World. Tracy uses his YouTube Channel, Outdoors On The Air, to first demonstrate the use of fiberglass poles to install wire antennas, and then to successfully demonstrate outdoor ham radio operation using those full size antennas to operate QRP single-sideband. VE3TWM is my QSO Today.

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WA6CDR

4/2/2022

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Episode 394 - Robin Critchell - WA6CDR

Robin Critchell, WA6CDR, had a profound influence on many young hams operating in the VHF and UHF bands in Southern California in the 70s’ and 80s. He and Alan Burgstahler, WA6AWD, at the time and now a silent key, created the Cactus Intertie, now the World’s largest full duplex radio linked amateur radio network. “Top band” or 160 Meters is Robin’s favorite band, and he has participated on DxExpeditions, had an incredible career in the communications industry, and can fix just about anything. WA6CDR, is my QSO Today.

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KD3CR

2/12/2022

Episode 388 - Corey Ruth - KD3CR

Corey Ruth, KD3CR, was a speaker in last August’s QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo, with a presentation titled, HF in an HOA: The BBTD Attic Antenna. His presentation captured my attention because Corey is a relatively new ham, living in an HOA, an immigrant to the United States, and using an antenna that for all intents and purposes, was too good to be true. You will hear in this interview that my conversion from being a skeptic to a believer is complete. I know that you will find this interview with KD3CR very interesting, allowing you to draw your own conclusions.

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M0MCX

2/5/2022

Episode 387 - Callum McCormick - M0MCX

Callum McCormick, M0MCX, is YouTube's DX Commander and maker of a line of antennas of the same name. Callum says that he has the best business in the world, is an active ham, on the air, always testing and fine tuning his antenna creations. M0MCX shares his discoveries with antennas and ham radio on regular YouTube postings, growing his audience to over 42,000 subscribers. Callum McCormick, M0MCX, is my QSO Today.

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NN4U

1/21/2022

Episode 385 - Chip Lohman - NN4U

Chip Lohman, NN4U, was introduced to amateur radio during an early stint as a US Marine stationed next to an Army MARS station. Fascinated by the technology that could connect him to his family around the World, Chip got his first license. NN4U has reinvented himself a few times over his career, and he tells this story in this QSO Today.

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W8GNM

1/15/2022

Episode 384 - Geoffrey Mendenhall - W8GNM

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Geoffrey Mendenhall, W8GNMs, early interest in electronics, germanium transistors, and later high power triodes led him to a career, as an engineer, designing, building, and managing broadcast transmitters projects for Gates Radio and later Harris Broadcast. Geoff made a presentation in the last QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo on Beverage Antennas, urging us to try building Beverages even if conditions are not optimal, and being surprised by the result. W8GNM is my QSO Today.

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WO9B

11/20/2021

Episode 376 - Michael Johnson - WO9B

Michael Johnson, WO9B's ham radio career has evolved through a number of phases over the last 50 years that now include CW and QRP operation, with his dog, during CWOPs weekly tests from local parks in Milwaukee. Mike’s park operation has become a weekly meetup for his local radio club. WO9B also enjoys DMR and HF digital modes and is my QSO Today.

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KB0YH

9/11/2021

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Episode 367 - Augie "Gus" Hansen - KB0YH

Augie, “Gus” Hansen, KB0YH, always had an interest in radio, but did not get his first ticket until he was in his mid-thirties. Gus enjoys operating the 80 meter nets and building antennas, now especially STL or Small Transmitting Loop, also known as magnetic loop antennas. On this 20th Anniversary of the World Trade Center attack, Gus tells his on the scene story in this QSO Today.