Ham Radio Workbench Podcast

In this episode we talk with Brian, AB6D, about his software development project SOTAMAT (pronounced sota-mate).  SOTAMAT has many features that allow you to spot yourself over the air, send messages, and even remotely control hardware.  This is a very interesting discussion with Brian who is a professional engineer and high tech executive who started out trying to solve a problem to spot his activations without access to the internet.  For more information check out the SOTAMAT web site https://sotamat.com 

On this episode, George KJ6VU, Thomas K4SWL, and Vince VE6LK are invited to join Morten LB0FI and crew on the European Ham Radio Show on YouTube.  We had a great time getting to know eachother and talking about all things ham radio. Check out their channel:  https://www.youtube.com/@hamshoweu 

In this episode we talk with Gaston, KT7RUN, about his software development project called EmComm tools.  Gaston hosts a very popular YouTube channel called The Tech Prepper.  Check it out.  https://www.youtube.com/@TheTechPrepper  

In this show we talk about what is on Dan's workbench and the increased demand for HF spectrum.  Dan is a wealth of knowledge on ham radio and electrical engineering in general.  We cover a wide range of topics in this show.

In this episode we talk about great gifts for your spouse, friends, yourself or even the HRWB staff !  (Just sayin') We talk about our top picks for radios, tools, test equipment, and even non-radio gear for the shack and the field.

Yes you heard that right.  The very first HRWB live on the air operating event will be Sunday December 3rd from 10 AM to 2 PM PST.  We will have multiple stations operating on multiple bands and modes.  Come join the fun ! For more details go to https://hrwbota.com/

In this episode we meet Caryn KD2GUT, Paul WD9GCO and Skeeter N5ASH of the Amateur Radio Newsline.  The AR Newsline has been the premier amateur radio news source for decades.  Founded by Bill Pasternack, the AR Newline carrys on Bill 's legacy with a team of news and media professionals who bring their talents and time to serve the amateur radio community.  Best of all, the AR Newsline team are a real pleasure to hang around with and talk ham radio.   Amateur Radio Newsline™ is a 501(C) (3) tax-exempt corporation operating as a public service.  It primarily survives on contributions made by listeners (and readers of the text version) such as you. Any shortfall has traditionally been paid out of pocket by their team members. Please consider making a donation to keep AR Newsline in operation !   

In this episode we met Rex Harper, W1REX, a prolific designer and builder of ham radio projects.  Rex is famous as the owner of QRPme.com where he sells a huge nubmer of ham radio kits.  Rex is famous for the Tuna Tin 2, a version of Rockmite transciever and MePADs, a system for construction projects with small pieces of PCB mateiral.  We talk about what's on Rex's bench and the origin of some of his cool kits.

In this episode we interview Derek, KD9MEQ, president of the Purdue University Amateur Radio Club.  Derek and his fellow club members have created a very successful amateur radio club that has grown significantly in the last few years.  The combination of welcoming leadership and a LOT of hands-on projects have made this an outstanding college radio club.  The club has built antennas, radio, rotors and many other projects.  Join us in this episode as we explore what makes for a successful club, how to attrack young people to our great hobby and we learn about a lot of cool projects along the way.

In this episode we talk with Rex, KE6MT, the SOTA (Summits On The Air) program manager for California.  Rex gives us an update on the SOTA program and why you should be interested in this great aspect of ham radio.  In the last segment we talk about the Wilderness Protocol and how, while it's a good start, its just not very practical.  We define a new proposal called the Adventure Radio Protocol which uses CTCSS tones to signal various type of activity on the air on a common frequency of 146.580 MHz.  Of course, as a HRWB episode, we also turn this into a hardware project that is a PCB that can handle the tone decoding and alerting.  The Adventure Radio board can be used at a base station, remote receiver or on a repeater system to alert listeners for traffic or emergencies. Check out adventureradio.info for more details.  

We are coming to you live, well recorded live actually, from the QSO Today Academy.  On this episode we are joined by our favorite mega-fan Troy K4JDA and the regular crowd including Vince VE6LK, Thomas K4SWL, Mike VA3MW, Mark N6MTS and host George KJ6VU.  We talka bout all sorts of ham radio workbench related projects and topics.  

In this episode we learn all about the Mastodon social media network.  Mastodon is becoming very popular in the ham radio commnunity.  Christopher M0YNG is an expert in Mastodon and hosts the popular mastodon.radio space for ham radio and SWLing. 

In this episode we talk with Don K9AQ who has build many HF RF amplifiers.  We take a dive in to the details about modern solid state amplifiers using LDMOS semiconductor technology.  

In this episode, Gary, W9XT, tells us all about Beverage antennas.  Invented in the 1920's by Harald Beverage at AT&T, the Beverage antenna is widely used by serious DXers on the low HF bands including 160, 80 and 40 meters.  The Beverage antenna reduces the received signal strength and greatly reduces noise to make it easier to pick out weak signals.  

In this episode we meet Garrett Dow, Kd6KPC, the owner of the popular web site Repeater Book.  We talk abour how Repeater Book came to be and also Garrett's radio trailer build projet.

In this episode, Thomas K4SWL, Mark N6MTS, Rod VA3ON, Mike VA3MW and Vince VE6LK join George KJ6VU to talk about the projects on their workbenches and take a deep dive into Field Day 2023.  The crew discuss what they did for Field Day, what worked and what they would do differently in 2024. 

In this episode we talk with Vance, N3VEM, all about ham radio, POTA and rocketry.

Encore presentation of our talk with Bill Meara of the Soldersmoke podcast.

In this episode we prepare for field operating !  Spring is in the air and it's time to get your radio gear organized.  We offer up tips and tricks to do just that in time for Field Day.   We also talk about several projects on our workbenches.

In this episode we talk with Jon and Andy from SDR Play.  Jon gives us the background on the company and hardware and Andy talks about the development of the software that drives the SDR Play radios.  SDR Play makes some of the best, user friendly and cost effective, SDR receivers on the market.