This Ham Radio podcast deep dives on making, DIY, electronics, and technical topics of interest to the amateur radio operator. Your host, George KJ6VU, discusses current developments in ham radio while introducing listeners to a plethora of topics and skills such as test equipment, radio technology, Arduino, Raspberry Pi, and more.

RATPAC Panel introduction and discussion

This presentation will kick off his Expo's theme, "New (Technician ) License, now what. Anthony will provide the kick off to a world of possibilities beyond the Baofeng radio on the local VHF/UHF Repeaters.

The most common transmission line used with ham radio is coaxial cable ("coax"), which is used to connect our antennas to our radios. There are three main classes of coax available, each with its advantages and disadvantages. It is important to consider the signal loss in a particular length of cable, which increases with frequency. Coaxial connectors must be attached to the ends of the cable, typically PL-259, BNC, Type N, or SMA connectors.

You have a new license and perhaps a portable or mobile VHF/UHF radio. Now what? This presentation will tell you how to use the OpenSource Repeater-START, a new downloadable application, to find your local repeaters, their location, frequencies, and CTCSS or PL Tone codes, to access them. Repeater-Start supports repeater searching using Maidenhead-grid-square coordinates, WhatThreeWords Position, a mountain or peak on Openstreetmap, repeater frequency/IRLP node, and finding your current location.

The SDR Rover Kit project uses off-the-shelf software-defined radio for an 8-band low-power contesting solution under $400. The idea is to keep the system "simple and stupid" by using wideband components. The prototype has been proven effective in lab and field tests. However, it takes additional optimizations to achieve ideal performance.

In this presentation, Michael Walker VA3MW, takes you through the reasoning and process to get on HF, as an alternative to starting with the portable radio on the local repeaters. Going HF rapidly builds skills, expertise and understanding of radio in general, and amateur radio specifically.

Following my previous expo talk of magnetic loops, where foil tape and PVC pipe were seen a far better construction materials than traditional heavy metal pipes. This presentation explores more unusual materials -- conductive, fabrics, tapes, paints sprays. It further present a fun but also practical novel and highly portable mag loop -- a "blow up" loop. If you think copper pipe an coax are the only things to make magnetic loops out of -- think again.

The Novice class license was eliminated years ago. Many newly licensed Technician hams are both attracted to affordable VHF/UHF equipment and intimidated by expensive, sophisticated HF equipment. The excitement of the 1st modest HF station and 1st contacts is still available at reasonable cost with help available on-line or via local clubs. In this talk, we will discuss Ed's experiences and identify ways to overcome the barriers to your 1st HF contacts

How can we make the ham radio hobby interesting for the young generation and get their attraction. During the pandemic days, the Mars On Earth Community conducted many ham radio activities on QO-100 geo-stationary satellite with the children and ham radio operators all around the coverage of QO-100 satellite. In this presentation we would like to present details of our activities (KGSTV activity for the pictures drawn by children, Fox hunting - chasing for the fox and the secret message over a satellite-, video ham meetings on a satellite, etc.)

OK, YOU have your amateur license, so what's next? In this build-a-thon, we will build a very simple 40 meter transceiver that anyone with the desire and a minimal amount of equipment should be able to complete in a single 2 hour session on Saturday March 25th, at 10:00 PDT (1800 UTC). This is a very simple design that should get you on their air on 40 meter CW. A Morse code key and antenna wire is included in the kit. The builder just needs to supply a battery and some headphones. Assembly should be completed during the 2 hour session with enough time afterwards to try the complete working station on the air. We will coordinate this operating with the hope that we will all make contacts with a followup session on Sunday morning. Of course band conditions, propagation and lots of other factors will attempt to thwart our little on air event but the prospect of a hundred of the same rigs with the same output to the same antenna all operating on the same 7110 Novice frequency should increase the odds that somebody will be contacting somebody else during the event. Click on this link to order your Simple Station Kit:

A look at what goes into making a good first workbench for building kits and working with amateur radio gear.

Ham radio antennas in urban environments can be a challenge to the amateur radio operator, especially when dealing with small lot, HOA restrictions, and neighbors who do not understand radio and the need for often visible and large antennas. Andy will discuss simple approaches to HF antenna building to satisfy the challenges of the urban environment and allow for fun, on the air contacts.

The Analysis of the End Fed Half Wave Antenna (EFHW) for HOA applications using EZNEC will show how the EFHW antenna works its performance using the EZNEC Antenna Modeling Software and how it can be a stealthy antenna for HOA and restricted space applications EZNEC software is free to download and allows you to see and analyze your antenna radiation patterns, your antenna gain and the antenna feed point impedance versus frequency so you can see the SWR. The End Fed half Wave antenna may be just the thing you need to finally be able to get on the air in your HOA or restricted residence.

Bruna Begali's presentation on the history of the Begali family business, originally known as Officina Meccanica Begali, traces the company's evolution from its inception to its current focus on manufacturing Morse code keys. The presentation highlights the early years of the business when it was involved in the production of machinery and equipment for the agricultural sector. The shift towards manufacturing Morse code keys began in the 1980s, and the company has since become one of the leading manufacturers of high-end keys for amateur radio operators worldwide. Bruna Begali discusses how the company has evolved over the years, adapting to changes in technology and the market while staying true to its values of quality and craftsmanship. The presentation also covers the manufacturing process of the Morse code keys, including the design and production of the key's various components, such as the paddles and the base. Begali emphasizes the attention to detail that goes into each key, with many of the manufacturing processes still done by hand. Overall, Bruna Begali's presentation provides a fascinating insight into the history and evolution of the Begali family business, highlighting its commitment to quality and craftsmanship in the production of Morse code keys.

Our distinguished panel of experts, hosted by Eric Guth 4Z1UG, includes amateur radio enthusiasts, researchers, and professionals from the aviation industry, who will share their thoughts and insights on the current state and future of amateur radio balloons in the context of evolving security concerns. During the panel, we will explore the various challenges and opportunities presented by the recent developments in airspace security, and discuss potential ways in which the amateur radio balloon community can adapt and thrive in this changing environment.

An introduction to many of the digital modes available to amateur radio operators. Jon will be discussing the modes available for voice and data, as well as many of the hardware options available. Jon will also be presenting a very simple design for a way to connect a Raspberry Pi to your radio safely. A demonstration of slow scan television (SSTV) will be made to end the presentation before Q&A.

10 Meter propagation is highly dependent on solar activity. As solar flux climbs over the next few years, the band should open for worldwide communications. It is the only HF band on which Tech licensees have phone (SSB) and data (FT8) privileges. No matter your license class, there is something for everyone, including CW, SSB, FM, repeaters and more, with the smallest antenna size on HF.

A practical presentation on batteries, chargers and solar panels for portable operating (SOTA, POTA, Field Day and Field Operations)

A brief look at Begali Keys with some history of the company, the types of keys they produce and a brief Q&A with Bruna Begali.

In the March 2022 QSO Today Ham Expo, I presented an idea for a new sort of contest. One that all licensed hams with even the least expensive 5w HT could take part in, and one that could work across continents - if enough hams take part. The idea is this - starting at one edge of a country, or a state or even a Maidenhead grid square, we send a verbal message from one ham operator to the next until it reaches the other end. We see how many hams that message passes through, how long it took to get there, and how intact the message stays throughout its journey. In January 2023, I started working with amateur radio clubs and operators in my home grid square - DM04 - to develop a small, local version of this contest. DM04 includes the north half of Los Angeles county, nearly all of Ventura and Santa Barbara counties and is home to over 22,000 licenced hams. 3% of all hams in the US and 22% of all hams in California live here. It reaches from the Pacific Ocean over the Santa Monica mountains and the Los Padres National Forest with peaks over 6000', all the way to a sparsely populated high desert. Getting an FM transmitted message, 5w maximum, from ham operator to ham operator, across this terrain will be a challenge. During my presentation, I will update the QSO Today community with the challenges I'm facing. I will also implore other hams to try this contest in their own grid square, county, or country and explain how to get started.

In 2022, we began working with Long Island CW Club, who had contacted us about whether Morse Code could be taught with music. They’d reached out after using a video of ours for one of their more advanced “head copy” classes. Join me to find out: 1) why we chose electric bass; 2) how many bassists worked on the project; 3) what feedback we’ve received so far; 4) what in the world is a “Puppy Player!” These answers and more await you. You might even meet the pups who stole the show. Hope to see you there. 73 – Lauren KK6NGE

Mike VA3MW and Dave WO2X discuss the big difference between a ATU that is part of an HF radio and a tuner that is external to your HF radio. This is for the new ham who is getting started in HF radio.

State-of-the-art ham gear can be exciting, but the cost and complexity are often detriments to a new ham. This presentation illustrates how older HF equipment can be successfully used to operate newer digital modes such as FT8, Winlink, etc. Such gear is available at low cost and sometimes even free. It is simply a matter of knowing how to assemble a workable setup. Appropriate hardware, interconnections, operating techniques, and antennas are described and illustrated. These methods have been used by the author to achieve Worked all States (WAS), DXCC and digital Emergency Communications despite living in an antenna restricted HOA.

This is an introduction to ham nets for operators of all experience levels. Nets are an easy way to get on the air, talk to other hams, and to be part of the ham radio community. Ham nets operate on all bands and often even on local repeaters. If you have a brand new Technician license, or a dusty old Extra, come learn all about what ham nets are and how you can participate.

A review of the opportunities and challenges using telescope "goto" mounts for amateur radio satellite and EME operations. I will review the various telescope mount types, the technical challenges, and how to interface with various amateur radio software solutions. I will demonstrate satellite operation with a small arrow 2M/70CM antenna and EME operations with a 2.4M dish antenna.

I will cover the Frequencies allocations, Equipment available both commercial & HB and Propagation modes used when operating above 1 GHz, using power less than 5 Watts, which is open to everyone with a technician or above license.

Based on the January/February 2023 QEX article of the same name and subsequent ARRL-TAPR conference paper, this presentation discusses and demonstrates a bot, which can be built using as little as an inexpensive SDR antenna, a Raspberry Pi or laptop, and open source Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning software, that can listen to VHF/UHF frequencies for amateur radio transmissions and transcribe those transmissions into text. We will discuss and demonstrate potential uses of the transcribed text and the bot generally. The bot can augment anyone's experience and enjoyment of being on the air, from new operators who may only have their Technician license to seasoned operators.

If you are planning a trip to a foreign country, why not take your rig and work SOTA and POTA? Paul and Peter share their experiences operating SOTA abroad; Paul in Japan, and Peter in Europe. What are the ramifications of traveling with radio equipment, overseas licenses and what to expect when activating summits and parks abroad?

An introductory presentation what you can "see" on amateur television. Also, focusing on the assembly of an amateur television receiving station and a transmitting station.

The Internet Archive now has the Digital Library of Amateur Radio and Communications, subsidized by the ARDC. In the six months that I've been growing the DLARC library, I have come across fascinating and hilarious documents, learned about the community, and re-discovered lost bits of ham radio's history. A fast-paced talk that shows some of the highlights.

Sajjad shares his story and background about how he got into the hobby and tried different methods, as a poor yet passionate teenager. Years later, when he, as a nerdy engineer, discovered uSDX, it helped him to get on the air. This is an introduction to the uSDX project and how it became a trend in the QRP radios and kits. It is an opportunity for newly licensed hams to get on the air.

Randy will give brief overview who and what Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS). Randy will give quick update on 2022 highlights for Operations with ISS and also will talk about engineering projects beginning worked on currently. Randy will then give quick update on future projects ARISS team are starting work on with other space partners and new communication technologies. Time permitting and maybe in QA, Randy will cover how to get started with working ISS as amateur radio operator and/or helping with school contacts

Proper station grounding and lighting protection are often overlooked when building an amateur radio station. There are right and wrong ways to make these installations that both protect the station equipment and the operator. Mark Persons W0MH will show you how.

Simple to build wire antennas including Dipoles, C-poles, Loops, and Beams: Concepts, Construction and On-the-Air test results.

The goal of this presentation is to give the amateur radio operator an idea of how to successfully build and operate a low power Earth-Moon-Earth radio station. This is done by describing the KC1HTT 2 meter, QRP EME amateur radio station in detail. Included in this presentation are the hardware implementation and EME operations. EME operations are reported, including QSO planning, safety considerations, EME support web sites, and six successful QSOs.

In this presentation I will take you through the steps in creating your Go-Kit that works for YOU! I will show you that the best way to create a go-kit is to define YOUR requirements, then go from there. It is a simple process, but one that many people miss.

The health and growth of Amateur Radio is very dependent on newcomers to the hobby, and their assimilation becomes a point of major importance to local clubs and amateurs of all levels. We all benefit from a healthy community of ham radio enthusiasts. This presentation will explore the various ways that the ham radio club can find and attract new hams, and how the club will grow and prosper because of these newcomers. While the traditional one-on-one Mentoring process (Elmers) still works fine for the new ham to find and explore their niche in the world of radio, there are certain activities that a club can entertain that will guide both the Elmer and his/her mentee to a better result. In this presentation, Dave W7DGJ (Columnist, QRZ.com) and Marty KB4MG (President, Cherokee Amateur Radio Society) will give practical examples of how clubs can find and identify those with an interest in Ham Radio, in addition to recruitment methods and meeting/workshop activities that have been proven of interest for newcomers. Examples from many clubs around the country will be discussed, as well as personal reflections from a successful club President. In this presentation, the speakers will describe how clubs can form a better, more welcoming community for these new hams. Because over 50% of FCC license holders in the US are Technician class licensees, it is up to the local clubs to reach out, find them, and assist them in their transition to higher license grades. Many technician class operators are not active in the hobby for a variety of reasons, and one of these is that they really don’t get the full “taste” of what amateur radio is all about when they are restricted to Technician privileges on the air. The presenters will explore some of the reasons for Technician “burn out” and ideas for improving participation by these newcomers in the radio club. Marty and Dave will discuss the important role that Technician class operators can have in bringing new blood, new ideas, and energy to a Ham Radio Club. Amateur radio is a tremendous community. But in every community, there can exist people who went after their hobby with curiosity and drive, but on a completely independent basis. It’s critical for those who are in this position to find others . . . not just for help when needed, but to show them the way and the various “sub-hobbies” that our community takes part in. If you are presently in the management ranks of a local ham club, or even a member who wants to see the club grow and expand with “new blood,” you will benefit from this presentation.

This presentation follows the Saturday build-a-thon where we built the Simple Station 40 meter CW transceiver. We will discuss our on the air operating results and the inner workings of our simple transceiver, it's shortcomings and how to improve our chances in the future for operating QRP in the HF world..... Click on this link to order your Simple Station Kit:

Over the last year I've been working on a project dubbed "The Radio Rocket." I have 4 young kids that got interested in model rocketry, which was a past hobby of mine, so as I got re-engaged in it with them, I decided to add a ham radio twist! We built both APRS and 70cm LoRa into the first version of the rocket, set up a basic ground station to receive the data and be able to do messaging through the rocket, using it like a LoRa repeater, and a node-red based dashboard for viewing the live data. Everything in this projects used off-the-shelf micro controllers and parts, only basic hand tools, and very basic coding. We had a glorious crash of version 1, which we learned quite a bit from, and we are now incorporating those learning's into version 2 of the rocket! It's a great example of something 'unique' that can be done in ham radio, by someone with just the basic technician license!

This is an introduction and explanation of the DX Marathon Program, its history, the current categories, and why it is in fact a program for all hams who want to chase DX. The DX Marathon Program is experiencing significant year over year growth and this presentation explains why.

There are thousands of satellites in low earth orbit above us transmitting radio signals. Many of those signals contain telemetry, that is information about the spacecraft and its environment and built in sensors. A great way to learn about satellite telemetry is to use the AMSAT CubeSat Simulator, a functional model of a 1U CubeSat designed for the classroom and public demonstrations. In this presentation, I’ll show how to receive and interpret telemetry from it using the same tools and apps used for in orbit satellites launched by AMSAT and other amateur radio organizations. I will also show you how you can build your own CubeSatSim with some intermediate soldering and 3D printing skills as the project is fully open sourced and available on GitHub.

The QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo's closing session features a panel discussion with select speakers from the event, addressing the weekend's activities, fielding questions, and evaluating the achievement of the "new amateur radio license - now what?" objectives. To participate, visit qsotodayhamexpo.com.