N5OLA

Episode 538 - Will Everett - N5OLA

Bill and Pete at the SolderSmoke Podcast refer to my guest today as the Heathkit Guru of South Texas, a mantle that Will Everett, N5OLA, wears with pride. After returning from civilian life as a reporter and aid worker in Afghanistan in 2015, Will relicensed in 2019 and took his passion for vintage Heathkit amateur radio transceivers to a new level, restoring them to their former glory before sending them on to new owners. Operating from South Padre Island, Will enjoys CW on his Heathkit HW-101, finding quiet moments between running his coffee shops and pursuing his restoration passion. N5OLA is my QSO today.

Show Notes

Sponsor Transcription

Listen to Podcast

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People

• Will Everett / N5OLA — Restores vintage Heathkit amateur-radio equipment and operates CW — https://www.qrz.com/db/N5OLA
• Will’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@N5OLA
• Will’s Website: http://www.willeverett.net/n5ola.html
• Eric Guth / 4Z1UG — Host of the QSO Today amateur-radio podcast -- https://www.qrz.com/db/4Z1UG

Places

• South Padre Island, Texas — N5OLA’s operating location and Heathkit restoration base -- https://www.myspi.org/
• Conroe, Texas — N5OLA’s teenage amateur-radio hometown -- https://www.cityofconroe.org/

Organizations & Publications

• QSO Today Podcast — Amateur-radio interview podcast hosted by Eric Guth, 4Z1UG -- https://www.qsotoday.com/
• SolderSmoke Podcast — Amateur-radio homebrewing and electronics podcast -- https://www.soldersmoke.com/
• QRZ.com — Amateur-radio callsign database and ham-radio community site -- https://www.qrz.com/
• QRP Labs — Maker of QRP amateur-radio kits and transceivers -- https://qrp-labs.com/
• Heathkit — Historic electronics-kit maker strongly associated with amateur radio -- https://shop.heathkit.com/
• QST — ARRL’s monthly amateur-radio membership journal -- https://www.arrl.org/qst
• CQ Amateur Radio — Long-running amateur-radio magazine -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CQ_Amateur_Radio
• ARRL — U.S. national association for amateur radio -- https://www.arrl.org/

Equipment

• Heathkit HW-101 — Five-band vintage HF amateur-radio transceiver -- https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/heath_hot_water_hw_101_hw101.html
• Heathkit HW-8 — Vintage QRP CW amateur-radio transceiver -- https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/heath_cw_transceiver_hw_8_hw.html
• Heathkit SW-717 — Solid-state shortwave receiver used by amateur-radio beginners -- https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/heath_sw_717_sw717.html
• Heathkit HW-5400 — Synthesized solid-state HF amateur-radio transceiver -- ​https://ke9ns.com/heathkit.html
• Heathkit HW-16 — Vintage CW HF amateur-radio transceiver -- https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/heath_cw_transceiver_hw_16_hw1.html
• Kenwood TS-520 — Hybrid HF amateur-radio transceiver -- https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/trio_kenwo_ts_520.html
• Kenwood TS-440S — Solid-state HF amateur-radio transceiver -- https://www.kenwood.com/usa/Support/pdf/TS-440.pdf
• Icom IC-7300 — Modern SDR-based HF amateur-radio transceiver -- https://www.icomamerica.com/lineup/products/IC-7300/
• Drake — Manufacturer of vintage amateur-radio and communications equipment -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._L._Drake_Company
• Swan Electronics — Former maker of amateur-radio transceivers -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swan_Electronics

Modes & Bands

• CW — Morse-code radio communication mode -- https://www.arrl.org/cw-mode
• Morse code — Code system historically central to amateur radio -- https://www.arrl.org/learning-morse-code
• FT8 — Popular weak-signal digital amateur-radio mode -- https://www.arrl.org/digital-data-modes
• RTTY — Radioteletype digital amateur-radio mode -- https://www.arrl.org/rtty-roundup
• QRP — Low-power amateur-radio operation -- https://www.arrl.org/why-qrp
• HF — High-frequency amateur-radio operating range -- https://www.arrl.org/hf-digital

Technology

• SDR — Software-defined radio technology used in modern amateur-radio equipment -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software-defined_radio
• Antenna tuner — Device used to match transmitter, feedline, and antenna impedance -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antenna_tuner
• Vertical antenna — Common amateur-radio antenna type used for HF operation -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monopole_antenna
• Linear amplifier — RF amplifier used to increase amateur-radio transmitter output -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linear_amplifier
• Variac — Variable AC transformer used when servicing vintage radio gear -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autotransformer

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Heathkit HW-101 HF Transceiver

Heathkit HW-8 QRP Transceiver

Kenwood TS-440 HF Transceiver

N5OLA Shop View

Heathkit HW-5400
From KE9NS Restoration Article at
​https://ke9ns.com/heathkit.html