QSO Today Podcast - Interviews with the leaders in amateur radio

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 both his personal, professional, and amateur radio life.

In episode 33 of the QSO Today podcast, Dr. Greg Latta, AA8V, was described as a renaissance man, a master home-brewer 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.

After running maritime mobile from his 40 foot sailboat for many years, Arnold Ziegel, W2HDI, switched to power boats and all of the challenges to amateur radio brought on by the new boat. Not deterred by these challenges, W2HDI discovered remote control operation, over the Internet, from his new boat. We dive deeper into Arnold's ham radio story and remote operation in this QSO Today.

While exposed to amateur radio at an early age, it was not until Mark Rosenberg, 4X1KS, got his first license and upgraded quickly within a few short months, in Memphis, Tennessee. In Memphis, Robert Barbee, W4AMI, became Mark's ham radio mentor driving Mark to satellite excellence. Now in Israel, Mark is active in just about every on-air activity, as well as being the consummate fixer and home-brewer. 4X1KS is my QSO today.

Ken Oelke, VE6AFO, stepped up to the plate for his local amateur radio club and ended up making leadership in local and national Canadian amateur radio organizations the major focus of his ham radio activity. Ken is now the president of the QCWA, the Quarter Century Wireless Association, when not operating both CW and SSB, or fixing one of his broken rigs. VE6AFO is my QSO Today.

Stephen Hicks, N5AC, is vice president of engineering for Flex Radio, is deep in to SDR or software defined radio, likes to chase grid squares in his microwave rover, and observes the growth and trends in our amazing amateur radio hobby. From Steve's position on the cutting edge of technology, he has a lot to say in this QSO Today.

Tom Wright, NN2X, grew up in the sixties in the foster care system. Amateur radio provided a way out of the system and into the US Army and a career in satellite communications. Tom loves his family, the digital modes, especially the new FT8Call, and helping kids escape poverty by training them for careers in information technology. This QSO is packed with little jewels as NN2X shares his ham radio story.

In addition to his may hobbies and interests, Ray Poularas, VK2GRP, restores vintage military surplus radios back to new condition by carefully tearing down the chassis to the bare metal and rebuilding, sometimes remanufacturing the parts by casting, milling, or 3-D printing. Ray goes into great detail on his processes and also shares his time management tips that bring him success in all of his pursuits in this QSO Today.

Mike Bryce, WB8VGE, collects and restores the old Heathkit and Drake rigs that we remember from the 60s and 70s, works QRP on his favorite Ten-Tec transceivers, and has enough solar electric power to run everything. WB8VGE shares the background of all of these things and his current view of the state of ham radio in this QSO Today.

As an eleven year old, watching his dad put pins in a World map while working DX, Bernie McClenny, W3UR, became hooked on ham radio and working his own DX. Bernie has made working DX, not only his hobby, but his profession as well. Bernie is the publisher of The Daily DX, and author of the monthly QST Magazine column, How's DX. We will get into W3UR's ham radio story and his unusual collaboration with his neighbor this QSO Today.