QSO Today Podcast - QSO TODAY AMATEUR RADIO PODCAST

VK3HN

4/18/2020

Episode 298 - Paul Taylor - VK3HN

Paul Taylor, VK3HN, loves to operate QRP, SOTA, or Summits on the Air, with his homebrew pocket-sized multi-band transceivers that he designs and builds in his home workshop. Paul enjoys a weekly 160 meter AM net using his homebrew 200 watt solid-state AM transmitter. VK3HN is my QSO Today.

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ZL2CTM

4/4/2020

Episode 296 - Charlie Morris - ZL2CTM

Charlie Morris, ZL2CTM, builds his QRP rigs, the old fashioned way, starting with a paper and pencil, combining basic components to make each stage of a receiver or transceiver. Once the radio is made, he adds an Arduino micro-controller, touch screen, and other advanced components to bring his masterpiece into the 21st century. Charlie is a prolific creator of You-Tube videos to document and demonstrate his creations. ZL2CTM is my QSO Today.

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HA6NN

12/28/2019

Episode 282 - Andras Bato - HA6NN

Andras Bato, HA6NN, or “Andy” is coming up on his 50th anniversery as an amateur radio operator in Hungary, having grown up behind the “Iron Curtain” under Soviet influence. Andy is active at every level of amateur radio from his involvement in Hungary's national radio club and as a representative of Hungarian hams at the IARU.

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W8TN

11/23/2019

Episode 277 - Clark Stewart - W8TN

Clark Stewart, W8TN, started in amateur radio over 55 years ago, has worked every country but North Korea. He began working EME or moon bounce on two and 70 cm years ago making CW contacts. Clark is the consummate amateur radio mentor and was awarded the outstanding West Virginia Amateur of the Year in 2015. W8TN is my QSO Today.

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K6HTN

11/16/2019

Episode 276 - Kate Hutton - K6HTN

Kate Hutton, K6HTN, a retired Seismologist at CalTech in Pasadena, California, discovered CW, CWOPS, and passing traffic through the National Traffic System. Kate would agree that amateur radio is a great way to spend time and that getting on the air with NTS is the best way to hone operating skills and to be ready for the next natural disaster.

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WA2IKL

10/12/2019

Episode 271 - richard Factor - WA2IKL

Richard Factor, WA2IKL, joined the amateur radio ranks 60 years ago, and was inspired by the technology dreams of the popular science fiction writers of that era. His interest in radio, electronics, and science led WA2IKL to establish his own technology business, now fifty years old. WA2IKL tells his ham radio story and how he uses is Toyota Prius as a backup power supply for his house.

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W3NA

8/17/2019

Episode 263 - John Nowacki - W3NA

John Nowacki, W3NA, was a teenager in the early sixties when he won a contest to name a popular amateur radio line of antennas that are still sold today. John shares his ham radio story that began with a friendship more that sixty years ago that continues to this day. Now a retired high school physics teacher, W3NA, chases DX shares his ham radio activities with his fellow NERDS.

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K9PL

8/3/2019

Episode 261 - Philip Lazar - K9PL

Philip Lazar, K9PL, is the editor of the K9YA Telegraph monthly newsletter, a wonderful journal of technical articles and ham radio history. Like many budding amateurs, Philip’s story began with the gift of a shortwave radio receiver and listening to the shortwave bands. A ham operator for over 40 years, Philip likes CW, vintage equipment, QRP, and kit building. Getting on the air is key to Philip’s ham radio success and is the subject of this QSO Today.

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W1PJE

7/20/2019

Episode 259 - Phil Erickson - W1PJE

Phil Erickson, W1PJE, sits on a million watt UHF transmitter, where he is a group leader at the MIT Haystack Observatory. There he studies the atmosphere and radio propagation. Phil is a long time radio guy but a newcomer to amateur radio. As you will hear in this QSO Today, the tools, modes, and technology of amateur radio complement the research achievements of scientists like Phil, W1PJE.

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G4NSJ

7/6/2019

Episode 257 - Ray Heffer - G4NSJ

Ray Heffer, G4NSJ, commandeered the family shortwave radio, as a kid, to further his interest in shortwave listening and ultimately amateur radio. Ray made his career as a television, radio, and audio visual equipment repairman, and now specializes in the repair and restoration of 1940’s vintage AM radio sets. I found this endeavor to be fascinating and Ray has created some clever and novel solutions to keep these radios entertaining their owners in the QSO Today.

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W5NDS

6/22/2019

Episode 255 - Rod Moag - W5NDS

Rod Moag, W5NDS, interests in radio and electronics paralleled an interest in American folk and country music leading to advanced degrees in linguistics and South Asian languages. Ham radio plays a solid role throughout this story as it weaves it way in and out of Rod’s professional career. Rod’s musical career and performances are one of the diamonds in this episode of QSO Today.

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K1HTV

6/15/2019

Episode 254 - Rich Zwirko - K1HTV

Rich Zwirko, K1HTV, was quickly bitten by the DX bug in the late fifties and has gone on to log just about every DX entity on every band. Rich made a career of radio serving as a teenage broadcast engineer in his hometown of New Haven, Connecticut, and later ended his career at the Voice of America in Washington DC. Getting on the air is Rich’s mantra that he shares with us in this QSO Today.

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W0GJ

6/8/2019

Episode 253 - Glenn Johnson - W0GJ

Glenn Johnson, W0GJ, began his ham radio journey as a teenager and from his love for chasing DX, has since been to many DX entities around the world including Heard Island, an attempt last year to land on Bouvet Island, and an upcoming DXpedition later this year to Pitcairn Island. Glenn’s interest and determination to provide these rare DX entities along with his DXpedition group, is worth the weeks at sea, sometimes in terrible conditions. Glenn was able to break from his preparations for Pitcairn to record with me this QSO Today.

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K6QU

5/4/2019

Episode 248 - Jerry Lewine - K6QU

Jerry Lewine, K6QU, began his career in radio as a young ham in 1959, that led to a career as a broadcast engineer, first as a teenager in his native Pennsylvania, through the Air Force, and later to markets in Hawaii and California. While Jerry’s broadcast radio career sidelined his ham radio adventure for a number of years, Jerry is back with a passion for CW and FT-8 while the current solar cycle is at its low. K6QU is my QSO Today.

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WA0QZK

4/20/2019

Episode 246 - Jack Worth - WA0QZK

Jack Worth, WA0QZK, is a retired pastor with over 50 years of amateur radio operating experience who likes to QSO on CW from the Warsaw Wireless Telegraph Office. Jack collects and restores antique Morse code telegraph keys and bugs and uses them to work the World and ragchew on QRP with his modified G5RV antenna. WA0QZK is my QSO Today.

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WB2UZE

4/6/2019

Episode 244 - Howard Bernstein - WB2UZE

Howard Bernstein is the co-founder of the Long Island CW Club along with Rich Collins K2UPS, where they train amateurs of every age to be CW operators over Zoom video conferencing. Howard has a long history in ham radio extending back over 50 years. WB2UZE still has his first Drakeline and is a collector of vintage things including old radios and automobiles. Howard is my QSO Today.

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VA7DX

3/23/2019

Episode 242 - Neil King - VA7DX

Neil King, VA7DX, shares his ham radio story that began as a kid when is father introduced him to the Morse code. Now after almost 40 years, Neil has over 16 DXpeditions under his belt and continues to enjoy traveling and operating CW from some of the most remote locations in the World. When he his not traveling as an international IT consultant, VA7DX resides in Vancouver, British Columbia, is active in his radio club and club station. We also discuss the BCWARN amateur radio microwave backbone in this QSO Today.

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K1IG

3/9/2019

Episode 240 - George Allison - K1IG

Sputnik and an uncle inspired George Allison, K1IG, to become a radio amateur. George had a long and successful US Navy career where radio was always the center of his activity including MARS stations, a visit to the South Pole, and the operation of very high powered VLF and ELF stations around the World. George promotes the Wordsworth method of raising CW speed above 40 words per minute. K1IG is my QSO Today.

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k4ZLE

3/2/2019

Episode 239 - Jay Slough - K4ZLE

Jay Slough, K4ZLE, has over 60 years in the amateur radio hobby and still enjoys CW as his primary operating mode. An accomplished DXpeditioner, having operated in over 40 DX entities including South Sandwich Island. Always ready to extend the hand of friendship, either by knocking on the doors of houses with amateur antennas or sharing his own station through RemoteHams. K4ZLE is my QSO Today.

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W6AWO

2/9/2019

Episode 236 - Richard Dillman - W6AWO

Richard Dillman, W6AWO, is the founding member of the Maritime Radio Historical Society, where they preserve the skills, traditions, and folklore of maritime telegraph operators, from the California Bay Area coastal station, KSM. The “Summer of Love” brought Richard to California, in the Sixties, to pursue broadcast engineering and a 30 year career with Greenpeace. W6AWO is my QSO Today.

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KJ6VU

1/12/2019

Episode 232 - George Zafiropoulos - KJ6VU

George Zafiropoulos, KJ6VU, is the the co-host of the Ham Radio Workbench Podcast, one of the more popular ham radio podcasts. George has a long and interesting ham radio history as well as he is an accomplished home-brewer, builder, operator, and high tech executive. We touch on a few of our favorite subjects that include repeaters and repeater controllers, the Cactus Intertie, DMR, and building with Arduino micro-controllers. KJ6VU is my QSO Today.

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K7NJ

12/8/2018

Episode 227 - Riki Kline - K7NJ / 4X4NJ

Riki Kline, K7NJ, has a long and interesting ham radio career, from humble beginnings in Las Vegas, Nevada, as a teenage ham, to his current QTH on over 40 rural acres in Utah. Riki also lives in Israel, part time, in the village of Na’aleh, overlooking Israel’s coastal plain and the Ben Gurion, Airport. K7NJ shares his perspective as an amateur radio operator who frequently works from either side of the World, likes to chase DX and operate contests in this QSO Today.

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KD6RM

11/17/2018

Episode 224 - Phil Sittner - KD6RM

Phil Sittner, KD6RM, has a ham radio story that goes back over 50 years, from childhood. Still living in Northern California, Phil builds his own radios and test equipment, operates CW on 80 and 40 meters, using his fence mounted 80 meter end-fed Zepp and a pair of phased 40 meter verticals in an HOA neighborhood where antennas are forbidden. We harness Phil’s extensive technical expertise and hear his ham radio story in this QSO Today.

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WB9MSM

11/10/2018

Episode 223 - Denny Berg - WB9MSM

Denny Berg, WB9MSM, has a fascination for old rigs, including the Swan 500 HF transceiver, ham shack software that enhances his on the air user experience, and a love for just getting on HF and operating. One of the first to get DXCC operating FT8, Denny has a positive, “can-do”, attitude that brings success to his personal, professional, and amateur radio life.

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AA8V_Rev1

11/3/2018

Episode 222 - Greg Latta - AA8V

In episode 33 of the QSO Today podcast, Dr. Greg Latta, AA8V, was described as a renaissance man, a master homebrewer who designs and builds the old tube rigs and fabricates the beautiful metal enclosures that encase them. Greg is also a college physics professor who says that vacuum tubes are one of the best ways to provide to students a visual representation electrons in motion. We reprise and update this QSO with AA8V.

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