Jeff's Walk

Today I talked with Jeff Johnson, VK4XJJ on the phone about his cross-country walk.


He had ham radio along for the ride -- among other things.


Jeff was raising money for charity in the process of this 2,500 km "walkabout".




Show notes (many lifted from Jeff's site):

www.jeffswalk.com

eBook now available. Five months backpacking over 2,500kms across Oz with 5W FT-817nd US$5.

DeafBlind
Association (NSW) Inc.
www.dbansw.org.au

Other DeafBlind Links

Walking Club Links

Wireless
Institute of Australia

Magazines

D*STAR with Cal

Today I talked with Cal, WA1WOK about D*STAR. We discussed the past, present, and future of the hobby (AM, SSB, digital modes) and specifically how D*STAR fits in.


You can get in on the ground floor of this new part of amateur radio, if you want to. Listen in and you will get an idea of what to expect with this new mode, with the help of guys like Cal who can show you the ropes.

Show notes:

http://www.dstarusers.org
http://www.dstarinfo.com
http://www.washcoares.org/d-star/index.html
http://www.icomamerica.com/amateur/dstar/
Promotional video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8PYZOc9L9o
Cal's email address is his callsign at arrl.net

My hamfest vacation - part two

I talked to quite a few people at the Orlando Hamcation 2009, covering lots of ham radio subjects, as well as some not-so-technical things. What a great time, and in the winter sun! Kick back and enjoy this one. It's a little long, nearly 25 minutes, but close your eyes and pretend that you are in Florida.....

Show notes:

www.ten-ten.org
www.lidomounts.com
www.farcircuits.net
www.hamtestonline.com
Brenda's Catering

My hamfest vacation - part one

I stopped in Richmond, VA on the way to Florida, and visited the Richmond Frostfest 2009. It was a decent-sized hamfest held on the international raceway.

I talked to several very interesting people who have done some unusual things with ham radio. This was a lot of fun!


Show notes:

Dominion DX Group web site
ARRL listing for local clubs
K-9 Alert Search and Rescue Dogs, Inc
VA Dept. of Emergency Management - Terry's email addr
Zuni Maritime Foundation

Learning by kit-building

Last November I spoke with Rich Mitchell, N3III about his award-winning article in QST in November, 2007. It is always memorable when you are speaking with someone who has such passion, and also who loves the hobby like this. This one was so much fun I couldn't stop. Run time is long.

Rich is http://www.qrz.com/n3iii
November article in QST (won the Cover Award for the month) (you may need to be an ARRL member to access this)
http://www.arrl.org/qst/2007/11/mitchell.pdf

New blood

This morning I joined our monthly breakfast with the PART radio club. I had a chance to interview Kimberly Stewart, KB1PZG, who was licensed in February of this year. She is bright, articulate, and shows an obvious passion for the hobby. I think we will be hearing a lot about her as the years go by.

Links: PART of Westford: www.wb1gof.org

The Radio Club of JHS 22, NYC

Tonight I had a nice chat with Joe Fairclough, WB2JKJ. Joe is the president of the Radio Club at JHS 22 in New York. We discuss the club and what they do, and also talk about how you can get involved. A great story.

This one is a little longer than usual, and worth every second.

Show notes

www.wb2jkj.org
Apple Slices Newsletter is at home.triad.rr.com/michaelbest/

Your own podcast?

Have you ever thought about doing your own podcast about amateur radio? It's easier than you may think. I discussed this with Mark Jensen, KB2EGB, who just recently returned from a podcasting exposition. Mark gives some tips and suggestions about how you can get started making podcasts!

Digital modes: Can you do it? Yes.

I was shooting the breeze with my friend Joe, WY3T, on the telephone and the subject of PSK came up. You guys know Joe already (previous podcast)

Joe had told me about his recent foray into the digital modes. While we were talking, I asked him if I could turn on the podcast machine to record this conversation, and what you hear now is the answer. Awesome. Very fun.

Show notes:

CQ magazine
Rigblaster