QSO Today with Ralph Haller, N4RH

N4RH

11/21/2020

Episode 328 - Ralph Haller - N4RH

Ralph Haller, N4RH, started his ham radio journey as a nine year old with a knack for electronics leading to his first amateur license. Within a few years, Ralph earned broadcast engineering licenses, radio station jobs, education, and a career at the Federal Communications Commission. N4RH was the driving force behind many of the FCC initiatives that have had a lasting impact on radio amateurs in the USA and around the world. N4RH is my QSO Today.

Show Notes

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Hometown: Topeka, KS
Mentor: Oroville Stemples, W0UPU
First Club: Kaw Valley Amateur Radio Club
First License: 1959, Age 9, Novice, KN0YMA
Upgrade: 1960, Age 10, General
Age 14 Radio Station Engineer, KLWN

First Rig:
Hallicrafters S-85 Receiver
Novice 3 Tube CW Transmitter
Johnson Viking Valiant Transmitter

Terms
Third Class Radio Telephone
2nd Class Radio Telephone License
First Class Radiotelephone License, Age 14
University of Kansas, Law School
Radio Station KLWN, University of Kansas
Radio Station KEWI, Topeka, KS
ARRL Handbook, 1959
40 Meter CW Saturday Morning Net
Motorola 80D FM Transceiver
Dynamotor Power Supply
Locktel Tubes
RCA - Radio Corporation of America
Atchison, Topeka, and SantaFe Railroad
Sputnik Satellite
Top 40 Radio Station
University of Kansas, BSEE
FCC Field Office, Kansas City, KS
Reed Hundt, FCC Chairman
PCS - Personal Communications Service
FCC Monitoring Station
FCC Private Radio Bureau
Amateur Radio Official Observers
FCC Part 15
Certified Frequency Coordinator
First Responder Network Authority or FirstNet
AT&T - American Telephone and Telegraph
FirstNet Handset
National Public Safety Telecommunications Council
Barry Goldwater Amateur Radio Award
FCC Vanity Call Sign System
Amateur Radio Morse Code Requirement Removed
FCC Universal Licensing Point Radius Search

Advice to amateurs: Amateur radio can be a lot of things to a lot of people. Improve your skills.

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Hallicrafters S-85 GC Receiver

Johnson Viking Valiant Transmitter

Motorola 80D VHF Mobile Transceiver
with Dynamotor Power Supply

FirstNet Handset by Sonim Technologies

5 Comments

Arden McCartney

11/24/2020 07:02:00 am

Hi Eric,
I really enjoy your podcast, look forward to them every week. I was wondering if you heard of the book "ZEN AND THE ART OF RADIOTELEGRAPHY" by Carlo Consoli? it is a great read wasnt sure if you were making reference to it in this podcast.

Eric 4Z1UG link

11/29/2020 12:36:02 am

No, I was actually referring to Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert M Pirsig. Great book. I will also check out your book recommendation. I just purchased it from Amazon.

Richard Rudman link

11/30/2020 07:31:28 am

Hi, Eric:
I thoroughly enjoyed your podcast featuring Ralph Haller. While Ralph was still with the FCC I worked with him on several broadcast-related issues having to do with my involvement with the Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE) and met with him in person in Washington on several occasions. We became friends and even had dinner a couple of times in DC.

I had lost contact with Ralph after he retired from the Commission but will always remember him as one of Commission’s employees who lived as close as you can get to the precepts of being a Federal “Elmer” as far as his commitment, actions, and support to make things easier and better for those using licensed services.

73 - W6TIA

Ralph A Haller

12/5/2020 01:17:46 pm

Richard, good to hear from you and thanks for the kind words. It has been many years since I have seen you, but still recall the partnership you created between the FCC and SBE. I miss those days, but I also like retirement. Hope you are well.

Ralph

Terry Reim

12/5/2021 06:26:50 pm

Hi folks, well Ralph Haller and I went to the same Junior High. Ralph was kind of a mentor to me and inspired me to get my ham ticket, Also to pursue broadcasting, We both were in the Kaw Valley Radio club also which was an additional inspiration towards hamming and radio career. As he spoke a bunch of memories came back. Thanks for interviewing Ralph and hi to Ralph.

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N4RH

Episode 328 - Ralph Haller - N4RH

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