QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo will be held 2021-08-14 and 15.
I mention this conference briefly in Zero Retries Issue 0003 (to be published 2021-07-30), but space there didn't permit me to list all the interesting presentations. I hope these will be recorded and available for later viewing becuause there's going to be a lot of overlap during only two days for all these presentations.
There are many good presentations; I'm amazed at the range, and depth, of presentations they've managed to pull together. Below are the presentations of most interest to me.
- A next generation beacon network to promote VHF/UHF propagation studies - Hans van de Groenendaal ZS6AKV
- The SARL is building a 2m next generation beacon network to study propagation phenomena on focussing on what drives long distance propagation.
- Adventures with Repeater Builder - Michelle Thompson W5NYV
- The Repeater Builder is a Raspberry Pi based Multi-Mode Digital Voice Modem that gives new life to analog repeaters by allowing them to become digitally capable. This presentation shows how it is used at ORI for M17 protocol space and terrestrial work.
- Beacon in LEO - Vidya Gopalakrishnan K4VGK
- Ambsat provides space enthusiast with DIY satellite development kit. Currently, this kit comes with LoRa RFM 95 transceiver for transmitting data from the sensors. Our project is to piggy back the sensor section with 6 cm or 3 cm band beacon.
- BG0AUB's QO-100 Satellite QSO/DIY Journey - Feng zhao BG0AUB
- I, BG0AUB, will present my QO-100 story, including how I start this activity, gear development and fun bits of my QO-100 experiences.
- Build a Mesh Tower Generator Trailer Fleet for Public Service - Erik Westgard NY9D
- Minnesota Hams have converted fifteen surplus 30' class 6KW diesel construction light towers into ham radio assets. We support mesh, HF/WinLink, a database/dashboard and have used the trailers to provide live YouTube video and a repeater at three days of winter ski events in 2021.
- Building your first fully functioning Hydrogen Line Radio Telescope - Pablo Lewin WA6RSV
- The Ultimate Galactic DX. A 21cm Radio Telescope for less than $300 that will allow you to make movies of the passage of the Galaxy arms in real time including the doppler effect. Day or Night, sunny or rainy...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgTAw_SvH48
- Design your own communication protocols - Brian Callahan AD2BA
- 47 CFR § 97.309 permits amateurs data transmission using any technique that has been publicly documented. This permits hams to create and use their own communication protocols. In this talk we will design and implement our own first communication protocol.
- Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? -- Atomic Time and Frequency Standards - John Ackermann N8UR
- Today's newest atomic clocks are so accurate that they gain or lose a second every 15 billion years. This presentation will describe how atomic clocks provide incredibly precise standards of time and frequency and how they impact our daily lives.
- DVBS2 Based Transponder Demo - Anshul Makkar
- Demo for full path of packet transmission via DVB-S2 transmitter. Demo will cover following blocks. -- GSE-encoding for IP packets. -- DVB-S2 protocol blocks -- BBFRAME to RF transmission.
- Free Open Source Software for your Ham Shack - William Stearns NE4RD, Cheryl Jones W5MOO, Russ Woodman K5TUX
- Alright, it's Linux in the Ham Shack. It's for old computers, new computers, and single board computers like the raspberry pi. With over 12 years of content from the podcast and too many years to mention in the industry, the crew is here to share!
- FlexRadio - the Accidental Company - Part 2 - Gerald Youngblood K5SDR
- Getting Started with Amateur Satellites - Patrick Stoddard WD9EWK
- Presention discussing how amateurs can try working amateur satellites, often with equipment they already have.
- How to Comply With the FCC RF-Exposure Rules - Ed Hare W1RFI
- The FCC recently made changes to the RF-exposure rules. The limits haven't changed, but the ways that some amateur stations can determine whether they are exempt from evaluations are different. Ed explains the rules and to evaluation your station.
- Introduction to the nanoVNA Vector Network Analyzer - Greg Algieri WA1JXR
- This presentation is to help the average ham use this test instrument to measure antennas, feedlines, filters. We will cover how it works, what's inside, and how to use it and get through the menu items, calibrate the device and understand the results.
- Kids On A Budget Can Work The World With QRP Transmitter Kits - Liam Gazeley KI5JXQ
- Making world wide contacts is easier than you think! I'll show how I worked the world on HF with the WSPR Digital mode and QRSS! I learned a lot by building radios and an antenna. I then had the thrill of seeing my signals thousands of miles away!
- Let's Git It: A Review of Open Source Software & Tools - Joshua Carroll AA5JC
- "Open Source" to many people means that the software doesn't cost anything, but that isn't its biggest benefit. Join us for this review of Github, Gitlab, and how you can contribute to ham radio software even if you aren't a programmer.
- M17 Project - The Advantages of Open and Free Digital Modes - Michael McGinty W2FBI
- Amateur radio has stagnated by using protocols that use non-free voice encoders and run on closed-source hardware and software. The M17 project is changing that and advancing the state of the art. Come see the future.
- Phones, Fires and Failures - Alan Thompson W6WN
- This presentation details the colossal emergency communications failures that cost lives during the 2018 Camp Fire, why these failures happened, and why they'll happen again. One thing is clear: we need more resilient disaster communications systems.
- Radio For The Rest of Us - Alan Thompson W6WN
- This presentation offers an innovative approach to how Amateur Radio Clubs can grow and thrive by implementing unique, "non-Ham," Neighborhood Radio Watch programs that help "The Rest of Us," our families, our friends, and our community, stay safer.
- RATPAC (Radio Amateur Training Planning and Activities Committee) - Dan Marler K7REX
- Overview of RATPAC and a chance to meet those that make it happen.
- Software Defined Radio as a commercial platform - Steve Hicks N5AC
- The resurgence of HF Radio and Software Defined technology for not only Ham radio, but the commercial industry (trading, Government and signal intelligence)
- STEM in action: Having fun with school amateur radio clubs - Katherine Campbell KE8LQR
- This presentation will highlight the ways my school club, K8LPS, seeks to interest more students in amateur radio, and give an overview of some strategies that were successful for us, and some that were not.
- TAPR TangerineSDR update - Scotty Cowling WA2DFI
- The TAPR TangerineSDR hardware is nearing completion. Come see what this new, modular SDR can do to for you. Uses include Personal Space Weather Station (PSWS), high-performance HF RX and more. Future hardware will be covered, including VLF RX and HF TX.
- The death of the RS232 port - Welcome to LAN based integration - Michael Walker VA3MW
- The RS232 port is going away and we are now seeing more and more Ham Shack tools that are LAN based. We are no longer limited in how we can expand our station.
- The First Fully Automated Repeater Coordination Service for Ham Radio - Joshua Carroll AA5JC
- In this presentation we will discuss how software can do everything necessary for repeater coordination. We will explore the capabilities of the Arkansas Repeater Council's website: the first fully-automated repeater coordination service.
- The Latest and Greatest in Amateur Television - Rod Fritz WB9KMO
- Digital ATV is only the tip of the iceberg...
- Using AREDN Software to Create a Ham Radio Network - Orv Beach W6BI
- Orv W6BI will cover what's required to deploy a ham radio IP network (like the Internet) over ham radio frequencies, using the AREDN software. He'll discuss available equipment, deployment techniques, and some useful applications.
- Wireless with Congress - Raymond Anderson N7KCB
- I am excited to be given an opportunity to discuss my work with starting National Amateur Radio Operators day and how it will effect the future of Amateur Radio.
- Youth Forum - Carole Perry WB2MGP, Audrey McElroy KM4BUN
- The Youth Forum will showcase young, talented hams who will present creative and interesting projects. They will be role models for other young hams. Carole Perry will announce free resources for teachers and instructors.
Thanks for reading!
Steve Stroh N8GNJ
Bellingham, Washington, USA