QSO Today Podcast - Interviews with the leaders in amateur radio

When Craig Thompson, K9CT, wanted a place to spend a contest weekend with his amateur radio friends he built a multi operator contest station on a rural property, not far from his home in the city. Drawing on the experience and expertise of other multi operator contest station owners, Craig built his ultimate man cave. Craig discusses his amateur radio story and the details of building this station with Eric, 4Z1UG, in this QSO Today.

Larry Makoski, W2LJ, is a QRP CW operator, founder of the “Skeeder Hunt”, an outdoor QRP contest, and a blogger with many stories to tell and observations to make about amateur radio. Larry joins Eric, 4Z1UG, in this episode of QSO Today.

Phil Anderson, WOXI, founded Kantronics in 1971 to build wiring harnesses for automobiles. The company morphed over time to become one of the premier manufacturers of terminal node controllers or TNCs for amateur packet radio. Now retired, Phil is as active as ever pursuing new avenues in ham radio. Phil joins Eric, 4Z1UG, in this episode of QSO Today.

Maybe the ultimate home-brew project is to build the modern “KWM4” based on the Collins KWM2, then soup it up, like a hotrod, with an Arduino microprocessor, a digital synthesizer, and a digital display. This was and is Pete Juliano, N6QW’s dream rig. Pete joins Eric, 4Z1UG, for a conversation on home-brewing, construction technique, and ham radio on QSO Today.

Lance Collister, W7GJ, has had a fascination with VHF, six and two meters, for over fifty years, when he had a Heathkit Twoer and a three element yagi. Now Lance travels to the far corners of the Earth with his Elecraft KX3 to bounce his six meter signal off of the moon. Lance tells us how he does it in his conversation with Eric, 4Z1UG, on QSO Today.

Chuck Adams, K7QO, is working the world with his single channel 20 meter transceiver just to show that he can. CW is Chuck’s mode of choice because of its efficiency and as a gateway to making ham radio affordable to anyone. Chuck shares his ham radio life, his Manhattan Muppet board construction method, and how to copy call signs at 140 words a minute, with Eric, 4Z1UG, on this episode of QSO Today.

Who could imagine that an offer to build fifty experimental SDR radios called the SDR1000 would turn into an order for five-hundred units in the first year launching Gerald Youngblood, K5SDR, into the SDR business. FlexRadio Systems was launched, in 2003, on the kitchen table of K5SDR's Austin, Texas house to become the premier ham radio supplier of turn-key SDR radios. Gerald joins Eric, 4Z1UG, in this episode of QSO Today.

The book, SOS at Midnight, by Walker Thompson, inspired Glenn Elmore, N6GN, to become an amateur radio operator. Son of a Caltech physicist, Glenn follows in the family’s tradition of careful research and documentation of his experiments in WSPRnet for VHF and UHF propagation, and his use of quad-copters as a sky hook for his surface wave transmission line experiments. Join N6GN and Eric, 4Z1UG, in a fascinating discussion on QSO Today.

According to Joe Shupienis, W3BC, a “real ham” is an active ham, who takes part in any aspect of the hobby. Joe is the founder of the Quad Counties Amateur Radio Club, over 40 years ago, and he continues to lead the hobby with his ham radio blog and contributions to the club newsletter. Besides being active on the air, Joe is the ARRL WPA club coordinator under Section Manager, Tim Duffy, K3LR. W3BC joins 4Z1UG on QSO Today.

Becoming a top contester in the World of amateur radio is about skill, practice, experience, and a great station according to Pat Barkey, N9RV. Pat combines all of these attributes, including his SO2R, single operator two radio, station, to be one of the top contesters in the World. Now he is the editor of the National Contest Journal, a professor at Contest University, and Eric, 4Z1UG’s, guest on QSO Today.