WEBVTT 00:00:12.269 --> 00:00:14.990 Thanks for tuning in. HamTalk Live will be on 00:00:14.990 --> 00:00:32.929 the air shortly. Please stand by. Thanks for 00:00:32.929 --> 00:00:35.689 tuning in. HamTalk Live will be on the air shortly. 00:00:35.969 --> 00:00:54.109 Please stand by. Thanks for tuning in. HamTalk 00:00:54.109 --> 00:00:56.549 Live will be on the air shortly. Please stand 00:00:56.549 --> 00:01:30.640 by. And good evening, everyone. This is HamTalk 00:01:30.640 --> 00:01:35.680 Live episode number one. Dr. Scott Wright, KZeroMD, 00:01:35.879 --> 00:01:42.280 recorded on Thursday, February 18th, 2016. And 00:01:42.280 --> 00:01:46.599 I am the aforementioned host, Neil Rapp. My call 00:01:46.599 --> 00:01:51.719 is WB9VPG. And I want to thank you for tuning 00:01:51.719 --> 00:01:56.829 in to the first episode of HamTalk Live. Tonight 00:01:56.829 --> 00:01:59.969 on the show, you'll have your chance to get to 00:01:59.969 --> 00:02:02.269 know me a little bit better. And then my good 00:02:02.269 --> 00:02:05.469 friend, Dr. Scott Wright, KZeroMD will join us. 00:02:05.709 --> 00:02:07.650 Scott's a well -known contester and he's been 00:02:07.650 --> 00:02:10.349 on several of the expeditions. So he will join 00:02:10.349 --> 00:02:12.870 us and we'll talk about his experiences with 00:02:12.870 --> 00:02:15.430 Ham Radio. And during the last part of the show, 00:02:15.650 --> 00:02:18.669 we'll be taking your calls live. One of the things 00:02:18.669 --> 00:02:20.909 we want to do with the show is hear from you, 00:02:20.990 --> 00:02:24.659 the listener. So... Some nights we're going to 00:02:24.659 --> 00:02:27.159 just ask some questions of our special guest 00:02:27.159 --> 00:02:30.199 and get to know the people in our hobby and service, 00:02:30.199 --> 00:02:34.259 but as the show grows we hope to have some nights 00:02:34.259 --> 00:02:36.060 where we just take some calls and talk about 00:02:36.060 --> 00:02:39.659 the latest happenings in Ham Radio. We have some 00:02:39.659 --> 00:02:41.819 fabulous guests lined up for the next few weeks 00:02:41.819 --> 00:02:44.199 and as we get closer to the Dayton Hamvention 00:02:44.199 --> 00:02:47.400 we will have a preview of some of the activities 00:02:47.400 --> 00:02:51.750 there. And I do want to mention one breaking 00:02:51.750 --> 00:02:56.469 news item. I did see a notice that W1AW was off 00:02:56.469 --> 00:03:00.469 the air today, so if you missed W1AW bulletins 00:03:00.469 --> 00:03:03.750 and code practice, that kind of thing, due to 00:03:03.750 --> 00:03:08.050 some unforeseen circumstances, they were off 00:03:08.050 --> 00:03:12.210 the air, but they'll be back on tomorrow. So 00:03:12.210 --> 00:03:14.250 I wanted to pass that along in case you didn't 00:03:14.250 --> 00:03:17.389 know that. So just sit back, relax, and enjoy 00:03:17.389 --> 00:03:22.240 this episode of HamTalk Live. Want to take a 00:03:22.240 --> 00:03:24.840 few minutes just to let you get to know me in 00:03:24.840 --> 00:03:27.360 case you don't already so you have an idea of 00:03:27.360 --> 00:03:29.139 Some of the things we may be talking about on 00:03:29.139 --> 00:03:32.139 the show I don't want to take too much time if 00:03:32.139 --> 00:03:35.599 you listen to the demo episode on the website 00:03:35.599 --> 00:03:38.719 That tells a whole lot more about me and how 00:03:38.719 --> 00:03:41.740 I got into ham radio and that kind of thing it's 00:03:41.740 --> 00:03:44.919 on ham talk live comm if you want to know more 00:03:44.919 --> 00:03:48.719 about that, but the short version is that I became 00:03:48.719 --> 00:03:51.520 a ham when I was five years old and at the time 00:03:51.520 --> 00:03:54.580 was the youngest ham in the world and I upgraded 00:03:54.580 --> 00:03:58.620 to technician class at 6, general at 7, advanced 00:03:58.620 --> 00:04:03.599 at 9 and extra at 18 and so ham radio has been 00:04:03.599 --> 00:04:07.560 a part of just about all of my life that I remember. 00:04:08.300 --> 00:04:11.300 I became interested in repeaters and started 00:04:11.300 --> 00:04:14.379 helping operate a repeater network, the years 00:04:14.379 --> 00:04:17.689 wide area repeater network. one of the things 00:04:17.689 --> 00:04:20.529 I've been involved with most is teaching young 00:04:20.529 --> 00:04:24.449 people. I teach high school chemistry at Bloomington 00:04:24.449 --> 00:04:27.269 High School South in Bloomington, Indiana. I'm 00:04:27.269 --> 00:04:29.610 the amateur radio club sponsor there and we have 00:04:29.610 --> 00:04:33.269 a great club thanks to some great students, great 00:04:33.269 --> 00:04:35.970 parents, and some donors and sponsors, so if 00:04:35.970 --> 00:04:38.490 you've helped us along the way we want to say 00:04:38.490 --> 00:04:43.670 thanks for all of that. At the club, we do some 00:04:43.670 --> 00:04:46.310 contesting. That's one of the things that we're 00:04:46.310 --> 00:04:48.290 going to talk about a little bit tonight with 00:04:48.290 --> 00:04:52.910 Scott. And we also do some fox hunting, some 00:04:52.910 --> 00:04:57.009 project building and just learning about what 00:04:57.009 --> 00:05:00.350 RST is and what universal time is and those kinds 00:05:00.350 --> 00:05:03.629 of things to make people aware of ham radio. 00:05:05.289 --> 00:05:09.730 Personally, I enjoy FM. I like some of the VHF 00:05:09.730 --> 00:05:15.189 and UHF stuff and APRS. I also enjoy HF and DXing 00:05:15.189 --> 00:05:20.850 and contesting and some PSK 31. I can do CW, 00:05:21.129 --> 00:05:24.790 but it's been a long time since I've really used 00:05:24.790 --> 00:05:27.829 it. I did pass my 20 words a minute code for 00:05:27.829 --> 00:05:31.050 my extra and I still remember it and still teach 00:05:31.050 --> 00:05:36.649 it a little bit. just haven't haven't made use 00:05:36.649 --> 00:05:39.129 of it in a while so if you have any questions 00:05:39.129 --> 00:05:41.050 about any of those things I'll do my best to 00:05:41.050 --> 00:05:44.029 answer those but perhaps the best thing I can 00:05:44.029 --> 00:05:48.189 do is point you to the right person to ask being 00:05:48.189 --> 00:05:52.790 in ham radio for this long and and some of the 00:05:52.790 --> 00:05:55.949 the fame that I had in early age anyway I've 00:05:55.949 --> 00:05:59.329 been pretty blessed to know many knowledgeable 00:05:59.329 --> 00:06:02.980 and helpful hams over the years Tonight's guest 00:06:02.980 --> 00:06:08.339 is no exception. Dr. Scott Wright, K0MD from 00:06:08.339 --> 00:06:10.839 Rochester, Minnesota is our guest this evening. 00:06:11.300 --> 00:06:15.079 Scott works for the Mayo Clinic. He teaches cardiology 00:06:15.079 --> 00:06:18.779 with them and that often takes him abroad where 00:06:18.779 --> 00:06:22.199 his ham radio can go with him. Scott is an excellent 00:06:22.199 --> 00:06:24.620 contester. He's been on some de -expeditions 00:06:24.620 --> 00:06:29.230 and Scott and I met when we were kids. We went 00:06:29.230 --> 00:06:32.509 to the FCC test session in Louisville, Kentucky. 00:06:32.649 --> 00:06:36.149 Back in those days you had to take all your exams 00:06:36.149 --> 00:06:41.389 from an FCC examiner and so they would travel 00:06:41.389 --> 00:06:44.069 a few times a year. They would go to different 00:06:44.069 --> 00:06:47.810 federal buildings around the country and Louisville, 00:06:47.829 --> 00:06:51.689 Kentucky was the closest one for me and so we 00:06:51.689 --> 00:06:55.350 went down there quite a few times to take Tess 00:06:55.350 --> 00:06:58.129 and Scott was down there too, and I'll let him 00:06:58.129 --> 00:07:00.750 tell that story I was only seven at the time 00:07:00.750 --> 00:07:04.029 so he remembers it a lot better than I do but 00:07:04.029 --> 00:07:06.529 I wanted Scott to be the first guest on the show 00:07:06.529 --> 00:07:10.990 because Scott's done a lot in just recent years, 00:07:10.990 --> 00:07:15.529 especially to motivate and support the school 00:07:15.529 --> 00:07:19.790 club efforts but also because we do have a long 00:07:19.790 --> 00:07:22.860 history and Thought that might make it a little 00:07:22.860 --> 00:07:25.680 easier for you to get to know where I'm coming 00:07:25.680 --> 00:07:30.540 from with the show. So with that, Scott, welcome 00:07:30.540 --> 00:07:34.220 to HamTalk Live. Thank you very much, Neil. It's 00:07:34.220 --> 00:07:36.300 a pleasure to join you, and it's an honor to 00:07:36.300 --> 00:07:39.540 be your first guest. And congratulations on launching 00:07:39.540 --> 00:07:42.199 a new program. This is a tremendous thing, and 00:07:42.199 --> 00:07:44.620 I'm glad to see that you've done it. And we've 00:07:44.620 --> 00:07:47.620 both come a long way since we met at the FCC 00:07:47.620 --> 00:07:51.220 office in Louisville, Kentucky. many years ago 00:07:51.220 --> 00:07:53.800 taking our general class examinations. I remember 00:07:53.800 --> 00:07:56.740 it though like it was just a few days ago and 00:07:56.740 --> 00:07:59.839 meeting you there as well. And it was great to 00:07:59.839 --> 00:08:02.379 reconnect at Dayton now about eight or nine years 00:08:02.379 --> 00:08:06.319 ago and to see each other again. You know, I 00:08:06.319 --> 00:08:08.360 remember this was the third time I had taken 00:08:08.360 --> 00:08:10.959 the general exam. Neil, I don't know about you, 00:08:10.959 --> 00:08:13.079 but it took me three tries and I passed it on 00:08:13.079 --> 00:08:17.180 the third try. And I remember meeting you because 00:08:17.180 --> 00:08:19.629 you were very friendly little guy you came up 00:08:19.629 --> 00:08:22.029 and introduced yourself and handed me a QSL card 00:08:22.029 --> 00:08:24.209 that introduced yourself as the world's youngest 00:08:24.209 --> 00:08:27.930 ham and I was quite impressed that all you had 00:08:27.930 --> 00:08:30.509 done because you got licensed at age 5 as I recall 00:08:30.509 --> 00:08:34.029 and I got licensed right around age 12 or 13 00:08:34.029 --> 00:08:38.509 so if you were you were 7 then I must have been 00:08:38.509 --> 00:08:43.690 14 or 15 taking the exam that day and Always 00:08:43.690 --> 00:08:46.169 intimidating to go to the FCC office wasn't it 00:08:46.169 --> 00:08:53.909 that What I remember was that this really tall 00:08:53.909 --> 00:08:59.169 guy with blonde hair that always wore this white 00:08:59.169 --> 00:09:03.289 business shirt and never cracked a smile. Never. 00:09:04.710 --> 00:09:07.690 And I'd taken tests in Indianapolis a couple 00:09:07.690 --> 00:09:11.090 of times but mostly at Louisville and I too took 00:09:11.090 --> 00:09:15.769 three tries on my general class. So we had the 00:09:15.769 --> 00:09:19.240 exact same number. but he just didn't crack a 00:09:19.240 --> 00:09:24.700 smile and He was pretty intimidating to be honest 00:09:24.700 --> 00:09:29.299 and After a while which I was going with my mom 00:09:29.299 --> 00:09:32.220 and dad they were getting upgrades and licenses 00:09:32.220 --> 00:09:34.639 at the same time My mom got her license a year 00:09:34.639 --> 00:09:37.860 later and and dad and I were working on upgrades 00:09:37.860 --> 00:09:44.960 We actually ran into the guy in the basement 00:09:45.210 --> 00:09:48.590 the federal building we would go and eat breakfast 00:09:48.590 --> 00:09:51.570 down in the basement of this federal building 00:09:51.570 --> 00:09:56.110 and he came down to grab something to eat real 00:09:56.110 --> 00:09:58.529 quick and he came over and said aren't you guys 00:09:58.529 --> 00:10:03.590 the rap family and like yeah said yeah I remember 00:10:03.590 --> 00:10:06.750 you know giving you tests and everything so so 00:10:06.750 --> 00:10:09.970 this really intimidating guy that we were scared 00:10:09.970 --> 00:10:13.929 to death of uh you know was really friendly and 00:10:13.929 --> 00:10:17.409 and we got to know him his name was jerry uh 00:10:17.409 --> 00:10:19.629 and and we got to know him and after a while 00:10:19.629 --> 00:10:21.470 he kind of started playing around whenever i 00:10:21.470 --> 00:10:23.610 would pass he would hide the paperwork because 00:10:23.610 --> 00:10:26.509 he knew i was sitting there watching waiting 00:10:26.509 --> 00:10:30.009 for you know to see if i passed or not and so 00:10:30.009 --> 00:10:32.409 he'd play a tick you know a trick on me and saying 00:10:32.409 --> 00:10:36.289 well you know gee i'm really sorry but uh you 00:10:36.289 --> 00:10:41.799 passed Yeah. And so, uh, I actually was able 00:10:41.799 --> 00:10:45.500 to call on him for some help with some, some 00:10:45.500 --> 00:10:49.480 QRM we had, uh, going on. And I was actually 00:10:49.480 --> 00:10:52.000 able to call him and, and anything I needed, 00:10:52.299 --> 00:10:54.899 man, I tell you what, I gave Jerry a call and 00:10:54.899 --> 00:10:58.639 he was on it. He, he knew exactly what to do 00:10:58.639 --> 00:11:02.419 and knew who he was dealing with. So we got to 00:11:02.419 --> 00:11:06.019 see a side of Jerry that a lot of people didn't 00:11:06.019 --> 00:11:09.440 get to see but I suspect it was the same guy 00:11:09.440 --> 00:11:14.320 there that you had. I think that's right and 00:11:14.320 --> 00:11:17.460 I had come up about three and a half hours from 00:11:17.460 --> 00:11:20.500 southern Kentucky where I live to take this exam 00:11:20.500 --> 00:11:22.879 because I've been to Knoxville, Tennessee twice 00:11:22.879 --> 00:11:27.500 and my parents did not bring me that day. They 00:11:27.500 --> 00:11:31.360 had taken me the previous two times but A retired 00:11:31.360 --> 00:11:34.639 pharmacist in my hometown had decided to get 00:11:34.639 --> 00:11:38.600 his license. His son, who was a pharmacist as 00:11:38.600 --> 00:11:40.759 well, was licensed, had gotten me interested 00:11:40.759 --> 00:11:44.960 in the hobby. And so Mr. Burgess was his name, 00:11:45.000 --> 00:11:47.860 and his daughter -in -law, the wife of his son, 00:11:47.940 --> 00:11:51.000 the pharmacist who was a ham, had driven the 00:11:51.000 --> 00:11:53.779 both of us up to Louisville. And I distinctly 00:11:53.779 --> 00:11:56.919 remember getting home that evening. And my mother 00:11:56.919 --> 00:11:59.179 came to pick me up and she asked Mr. Burgess, 00:11:59.379 --> 00:12:02.379 how did it go? And he said, well, it must not 00:12:02.379 --> 00:12:04.460 have been too hard because Scott and another 00:12:04.460 --> 00:12:09.899 little boy passed and I failed. And he just didn't 00:12:09.899 --> 00:12:13.340 realize how much I guess we had studied for it, 00:12:13.379 --> 00:12:17.379 Neil, and taken it a few times. And I don't know 00:12:17.379 --> 00:12:19.879 if he ever upgraded his license after that. Oh, 00:12:19.879 --> 00:12:23.399 really? I didn't know that. His son is still 00:12:23.399 --> 00:12:26.840 on the air, W -A -4 -O -J -T, Jim Burgess, now 00:12:26.840 --> 00:12:30.220 somewhere in Florida, southwest Florida. And 00:12:30.220 --> 00:12:34.179 Jim and I stay in touch on email. And his father 00:12:34.179 --> 00:12:39.019 has subsequently passed away. But that was a 00:12:39.019 --> 00:12:43.980 memorable time. For those who don't remember 00:12:43.980 --> 00:12:46.120 those days or never had them, we had to first 00:12:46.120 --> 00:12:49.000 take the Morse code, and it was 13 words a minute, 00:12:49.019 --> 00:12:50.960 and you had to pass that. And if you passed it 00:12:50.960 --> 00:12:52.899 good, you could go on to take the written. And 00:12:52.899 --> 00:12:55.259 if you didn't pass it, you were done. And even 00:12:55.259 --> 00:12:57.100 if you failed the written, you did not get credit 00:12:57.100 --> 00:12:59.139 for passing the code. You had to take it each 00:12:59.139 --> 00:13:02.759 time. So you probably remember, like I, working 00:13:02.759 --> 00:13:05.500 to keep your code speed up and to make sure that 00:13:05.500 --> 00:13:08.700 it was faster than the 13 words per minute. so 00:13:08.700 --> 00:13:11.840 that you would have no trouble passing it because 00:13:11.840 --> 00:13:14.279 as I recall in those days they didn't always 00:13:14.279 --> 00:13:16.659 have headphones for us to use I remember one 00:13:16.659 --> 00:13:18.440 testing session where they just played a cassette 00:13:18.440 --> 00:13:21.000 recorder and if the speaker was loud enough you 00:13:21.000 --> 00:13:24.100 heard it and if it wasn't you didn't yeah yeah 00:13:24.100 --> 00:13:26.659 and some of those headphones that they did have 00:13:26.659 --> 00:13:34.440 were were not high quality no no and of course 00:13:34.440 --> 00:13:36.720 this is a totally different era than we are today 00:13:38.620 --> 00:13:42.240 And those were the days. Those were tough days 00:13:42.240 --> 00:13:47.960 to get to. But like you, and think about it, 00:13:48.259 --> 00:13:51.200 for two young guys who had never had algebra 00:13:51.200 --> 00:13:54.240 or physics, the general class exam was pretty 00:13:54.240 --> 00:13:59.440 tough. And I marveled now that we were able to 00:13:59.440 --> 00:14:01.740 pass it at that age without ever having had any 00:14:01.740 --> 00:14:04.240 high school physics or algebra. I remember in 00:14:04.240 --> 00:14:07.779 high school, when I took algebra that I finally 00:14:07.779 --> 00:14:11.639 understood Ohm's law because if E equals IR then 00:14:11.639 --> 00:14:14.500 E divided by I equals R I had never understood 00:14:14.500 --> 00:14:16.539 why that was the case taking the exam until I 00:14:16.539 --> 00:14:20.120 had algebra then it made total sense yeah I was 00:14:20.120 --> 00:14:25.200 the same way and it made it made chemistry and 00:14:25.200 --> 00:14:28.259 which I ended up going into and physics a lot 00:14:29.000 --> 00:14:33.360 Lot easier because I knew what mega and kilo 00:14:33.360 --> 00:14:36.840 were and you know, I'd already learned, you know 00:14:36.840 --> 00:14:42.720 how to do equals IR just with a calculator and 00:14:42.720 --> 00:14:49.080 So it really helped me Be more confident of what 00:14:49.080 --> 00:14:52.580 I was doing in school The same for me the same 00:14:52.580 --> 00:14:54.860 for me. And of course it opened the world for 00:14:54.860 --> 00:14:58.860 me I tell people today, young physicians that 00:14:58.860 --> 00:15:02.460 I have who are training with me, you know when 00:15:02.460 --> 00:15:04.980 I grew up we didn't have the internet. I grew 00:15:04.980 --> 00:15:08.820 up in Appalachia and you grew up in a very rural 00:15:08.820 --> 00:15:12.740 part of Southwest Indiana as I recall and we 00:15:12.740 --> 00:15:15.139 didn't have a lot of outside activities and Ham 00:15:15.139 --> 00:15:17.600 Radio opened the world up for me and probably 00:15:17.600 --> 00:15:20.360 did for you and I'm grateful for that. I met 00:15:20.360 --> 00:15:23.240 some really neat people. I remember one contact 00:15:23.240 --> 00:15:27.029 when I was a teenager. I was on the 15 meters 00:15:27.029 --> 00:15:30.570 or 20 meters one afternoon, likely 15, talking 00:15:30.570 --> 00:15:33.590 to a guy named Tom, who had a very funny call 00:15:33.590 --> 00:15:38.409 sign, a Victor Papa 8, I believe. VP8TC, as I 00:15:38.409 --> 00:15:44.730 recall. Or maybe VP6TC, I forget his call now. 00:15:44.850 --> 00:15:46.990 It was Tom Christensen from Pitcairn Island. 00:15:47.909 --> 00:15:51.210 And my dad passed through my bedroom and heard 00:15:51.210 --> 00:15:53.940 me talk to him. And Tom had mentioned he was 00:15:53.940 --> 00:15:55.600 on the Pitcairn Island. And so my dad pulled 00:15:55.600 --> 00:15:57.059 up a chair and sat down and listened to the rest 00:15:57.059 --> 00:16:00.000 of the contact. And then he started asking me 00:16:00.000 --> 00:16:03.320 to ask Tom questions. And I did, and didn't really 00:16:03.320 --> 00:16:06.059 follow the line of thought or questioning that 00:16:06.059 --> 00:16:09.620 my dad was pursuing. And when I got off the radio, 00:16:09.679 --> 00:16:11.820 my dad said, you don't recognize who you just 00:16:11.820 --> 00:16:14.039 spoke to. He's a celebrity. I said, really? And 00:16:14.039 --> 00:16:16.059 he explained to me about Mutiny on the Bounty 00:16:16.059 --> 00:16:18.940 and Fletcher Christian, Tom's father, and all 00:16:18.940 --> 00:16:22.440 that had happened. then all that Tom had done 00:16:22.440 --> 00:16:25.940 and was doing in the Pitcairn Island and I'm 00:16:25.940 --> 00:16:29.519 sure you like I found in the 70s and early 80s 00:16:29.519 --> 00:16:32.779 that ham radio opened the world and It made the 00:16:32.779 --> 00:16:35.740 world a much different place and of course today 00:16:35.740 --> 00:16:37.440 I've traveled to nearly all the continents of 00:16:37.440 --> 00:16:40.519 the world and I still find that ham radio is 00:16:40.519 --> 00:16:44.600 one of the unifying forces that allows us to 00:16:44.600 --> 00:16:48.019 cross cultures and backgrounds and all kinds 00:16:48.019 --> 00:16:52.279 of demographic criteria to just have a connection 00:16:52.279 --> 00:16:54.440 and a bond with people that we meet who otherwise 00:16:54.440 --> 00:16:56.860 would be total strangers. It's been great for 00:16:56.860 --> 00:16:59.740 my career and it's been great for opening doors 00:16:59.740 --> 00:17:02.820 when I travel the world. You know, Neil, one 00:17:02.820 --> 00:17:05.440 of the most enjoyable times I had with the hobby 00:17:05.440 --> 00:17:09.440 was in 2007, I was invited to speak in Beijing 00:17:09.440 --> 00:17:12.059 by the People's Republic of China as part of 00:17:12.059 --> 00:17:14.160 a delegation from the Mayo Clinic to talk about 00:17:14.160 --> 00:17:17.279 healthcare, the future healthcare reform, things 00:17:17.279 --> 00:17:21.200 like that. And I had asked if I could get a radio 00:17:21.200 --> 00:17:23.920 license, and they helped arrange for me to get 00:17:23.920 --> 00:17:27.200 a radio license in China. And I was able to operate 00:17:27.200 --> 00:17:32.599 with B1Z, the Beijing Amateur Radio Club, and 00:17:32.599 --> 00:17:38.799 do the CQWPX sideband contest, not sideband, 00:17:38.920 --> 00:17:43.059 CW contest, in May of 2007. And it was really 00:17:43.059 --> 00:17:45.720 neat to meet the hams who had just been to Scarborough 00:17:45.720 --> 00:17:48.519 Reef. two or three of the Chinese hams who had 00:17:48.519 --> 00:17:51.859 been and to see them and to see their club and 00:17:51.859 --> 00:17:55.119 to see what a station they had and I subsequently 00:17:55.119 --> 00:17:58.240 wrote a nice article for DX magazine about that 00:17:58.240 --> 00:18:02.319 and last year Dayton fan bin Bravo Alpha one 00:18:02.319 --> 00:18:04.839 radio Bravo came to Dayton and I was able to 00:18:04.839 --> 00:18:08.339 host him and two others from from China the PRC 00:18:08.339 --> 00:18:11.660 at Dayton at the DX dinner and to return the 00:18:11.660 --> 00:18:14.839 hospitality and it sure makes the world a much 00:18:14.839 --> 00:18:17.309 smaller place when you're have a hobby that connects 00:18:17.309 --> 00:18:19.450 you with people you would never have the opportunity 00:18:19.450 --> 00:18:23.009 to meet and enjoy developing a friendship with. 00:18:24.470 --> 00:18:28.430 Absolutely, that's some great things and I've 00:18:28.430 --> 00:18:33.190 met a lot of great people along the way and that's 00:18:33.190 --> 00:18:38.509 a great thing that Ham Radio has done. I want 00:18:38.509 --> 00:18:40.789 to mention to the listeners here, we originally 00:18:40.789 --> 00:18:44.069 had planned for a 30 minute show and just today 00:18:44.069 --> 00:18:47.410 we switched that to 45 minutes. It looks like 00:18:47.410 --> 00:18:52.490 that was a wise decision. So we will be here 00:18:52.490 --> 00:18:56.930 for about another 25 minutes or so, but we need 00:18:56.930 --> 00:18:59.849 to take a break. It's time to pay a few bills 00:18:59.849 --> 00:19:03.430 here on the show, but we'll be back and we'll 00:19:03.430 --> 00:19:06.299 talk some more. And then in the final segment, 00:19:06.440 --> 00:19:09.240 we'll take your calls with Dr. Scott Wright, 00:19:10.099 --> 00:19:13.539 K0MD, right after this word from one of our sponsors, 00:19:14.200 --> 00:19:16.619 Tower Electronics, right here on HamTalk Live. 00:19:17.079 --> 00:19:19.319 This episode of HamTalk Live is brought to you 00:19:19.319 --> 00:19:22.440 by Tower Electronics. Tower Electronics has been 00:19:22.440 --> 00:19:25.980 the Ham's dime store since 1978, bringing connectors, 00:19:26.339 --> 00:19:28.720 antennas, cables, and other parts to the world. 00:19:29.000 --> 00:19:31.339 Scott and Jill travel the country bringing their 00:19:31.339 --> 00:19:34.039 store to you at HamFest, but you can also order 00:19:34.039 --> 00:19:41.480 online at PL -259 .com or by calling 920 -435 00:19:41.480 --> 00:19:47.049 -2973. Stock up on those supplies like PL259 00:19:47.049 --> 00:19:50.190 and end connectors, audio cables, mobile antennas 00:19:50.190 --> 00:19:53.490 and hamsticks. Their silver plated end connectors 00:19:53.490 --> 00:19:56.349 are even in use on the International Space Station. 00:19:56.809 --> 00:20:00.069 Tower Electronics is a dealer for MFJ, Comet, 00:20:00.390 --> 00:20:03.769 Daiwa, OPEC, Workman and HamPro technologies. 00:20:04.349 --> 00:20:08.829 Tower Electronics online at PL -259 .com. Proud 00:20:08.829 --> 00:20:22.930 to sponsor this episode of HamTalk Live. Oh, 00:20:23.069 --> 00:20:27.789 yeah, you're talking ham radio, baby You're listening 00:20:27.789 --> 00:20:34.849 to ham talk live with Neil rap And welcome back 00:20:34.849 --> 00:20:37.410 to ham talk live we'd like to thank Scott and 00:20:37.410 --> 00:20:39.670 Jill over at tower electronics for sponsoring 00:20:39.670 --> 00:20:43.279 the show tonight and That way we can bring you 00:20:43.279 --> 00:20:46.559 HamTalk Live each Thursday night. Be sure to 00:20:46.559 --> 00:20:49.519 listen to every Thursday night at 9 p .m. Eastern 00:20:49.519 --> 00:20:53.539 time right here on HamTalkLive .com. Also check 00:20:53.539 --> 00:20:55.720 out our Facebook page and our Twitter feed to 00:20:55.720 --> 00:21:00.599 search for HamTalk Live. Dr. Scott Wright KZeroMD 00:21:00.599 --> 00:21:03.279 has been kind enough to join us on our first 00:21:03.279 --> 00:21:06.700 show this evening and we were talking about some 00:21:06.700 --> 00:21:11.240 of the DXing in China. And why don't you tell 00:21:11.240 --> 00:21:16.619 us about some of your work in Chile and the recent 00:21:16.619 --> 00:21:20.200 trip down to Turks and Caicos. Oh, thanks, Neil. 00:21:20.319 --> 00:21:24.339 I'd be delighted to. In 1999, I made my first 00:21:24.339 --> 00:21:29.000 trip to Chile, having met a cardiologist from 00:21:29.000 --> 00:21:32.339 Chile the year before in Ecuador when I was speaking 00:21:32.339 --> 00:21:36.710 at a conference. I'd never been to Chile. had 00:21:36.710 --> 00:21:38.910 never really been into that part of Latin America 00:21:38.910 --> 00:21:42.529 so to speak but it was a September day and I 00:21:42.529 --> 00:21:46.049 went down for a week and we became quite good 00:21:46.049 --> 00:21:49.650 friends and decided to continue to try to bring 00:21:49.650 --> 00:21:52.029 speakers from North America including myself 00:21:52.029 --> 00:21:58.690 down and over the last 15, 16, 17 years now I've 00:21:58.690 --> 00:22:02.430 made about 30 trips between Minnesota and Chile 00:22:03.710 --> 00:22:06.789 and have developed a lot of really good friendships. 00:22:08.069 --> 00:22:11.950 In 2007 or so, I decided to really try to combine 00:22:11.950 --> 00:22:15.890 Ham Radio with some of my business travel because 00:22:15.890 --> 00:22:20.549 I would end up being in Chile and having some 00:22:20.549 --> 00:22:22.730 afternoons and evenings with several hours of 00:22:22.730 --> 00:22:29.009 free time. So I bought a vertical dipole from 00:22:29.009 --> 00:22:32.230 Force 12. The N6 Bravo Tango has designed a number 00:22:32.230 --> 00:22:35.579 of really compact antennas that cover 40 through 00:22:35.579 --> 00:22:38.640 10 meters that radiate very efficiently. And 00:22:38.640 --> 00:22:42.180 I had an ICOM 7000 radio that was fairly lightweight, 00:22:42.619 --> 00:22:44.779 so I could pack the radio and power supply and 00:22:44.779 --> 00:22:48.299 antenna tuner in my briefcase, put the antenna 00:22:48.299 --> 00:22:51.940 and some coaxial cable in a golf bag, a golf 00:22:51.940 --> 00:22:55.440 club bag, and would check it on the airline and 00:22:55.440 --> 00:22:58.660 have operated from two hotels there. And several 00:22:58.660 --> 00:23:01.700 years later, one of my children at that time 00:23:01.700 --> 00:23:04.279 was doing a science fair project and he needed 00:23:04.279 --> 00:23:06.259 an idea about a science fair project. And I said, 00:23:06.400 --> 00:23:08.940 well, why don't you do this? Why don't you consider 00:23:08.940 --> 00:23:14.720 doing some computer modeling to see what countries 00:23:14.720 --> 00:23:17.740 I should be able to work during the CQ Worldwide 00:23:17.740 --> 00:23:20.039 CW contest because I was going down for a November 00:23:20.039 --> 00:23:22.920 meeting. And then let's get on the air and work 00:23:22.920 --> 00:23:26.339 the contest and just see. how many countries 00:23:26.339 --> 00:23:29.079 I can work, you know, observe to expect it, so 00:23:29.079 --> 00:23:32.079 to speak, and whether the propagation models 00:23:32.079 --> 00:23:35.460 are effective or not. And she said, no, that's 00:23:35.460 --> 00:23:37.000 really not that interesting to me, Dad. I don't 00:23:37.000 --> 00:23:39.859 want to do it, but thanks anyway. And then about 00:23:39.859 --> 00:23:41.680 three weeks later, she said, you know, I mentioned 00:23:41.680 --> 00:23:44.660 your idea to some guys at school, and they think 00:23:44.660 --> 00:23:46.619 it's a pretty cool idea, and they really want 00:23:46.619 --> 00:23:49.579 to come with you to do this as a project. So 00:23:49.579 --> 00:23:52.250 do you mind if I come? And I'll do this as a 00:23:52.250 --> 00:23:53.910 project. I can't think of anything else and I 00:23:53.910 --> 00:23:56.069 said no, I don't mind We'll do it. So she and 00:23:56.069 --> 00:23:59.390 I left one Thanksgiving day much to my wife chagrin 00:23:59.390 --> 00:24:01.430 and we flew to Chile for this conference which 00:24:01.430 --> 00:24:04.609 would begin on a Saturday and The hotel actually 00:24:04.609 --> 00:24:07.589 set my antenna up on the roof. It's kind of funny 00:24:07.589 --> 00:24:10.710 because in Chile there are no roof there are 00:24:10.710 --> 00:24:13.670 no stairwells up to the roof of hotels you have 00:24:13.670 --> 00:24:16.750 to actually climb from the top floor up and so 00:24:16.750 --> 00:24:20.650 the hotel has since 2008 or 2009 has been providing 00:24:20.650 --> 00:24:23.690 service individuals to just put my antenna up 00:24:23.690 --> 00:24:28.430 for me and we did the contest and She did very 00:24:28.430 --> 00:24:30.529 well the science fair with her poster. She did 00:24:30.529 --> 00:24:33.329 a nice poster and won the regional science fair 00:24:33.329 --> 00:24:37.490 in southern Minnesota with that idea and on the 00:24:37.490 --> 00:24:41.049 last Day that I was there operating I met a ham 00:24:41.049 --> 00:24:43.150 on the air from Uruguay and I said, you know, 00:24:43.150 --> 00:24:44.990 I'm coming to Uruguay day after tomorrow I'm 00:24:44.990 --> 00:24:46.430 gonna speak there to meeting and he said are 00:24:46.430 --> 00:24:49.109 you So I actually went to his home on the way 00:24:49.109 --> 00:24:51.529 from the airport to the hotel in Uruguay and 00:24:51.529 --> 00:24:53.069 chatted and operated with him a little bit and 00:24:53.069 --> 00:24:55.230 got to know him and we became good friends and 00:24:55.230 --> 00:24:57.730 he's an American ex -pat, retired airline pilot 00:24:57.730 --> 00:25:02.849 who now was living in Montevideo, Uruguay. But 00:25:02.849 --> 00:25:04.869 since then I've had the urine to contest and 00:25:04.869 --> 00:25:07.309 so I've done several CQ Worldwide Contests from 00:25:07.309 --> 00:25:12.740 Chile in 2000 and... 15 I was able to operate 00:25:12.740 --> 00:25:15.900 from North America on Friday night from the contest 00:25:15.900 --> 00:25:18.440 I flew to Chile on Saturday night and then Sunday 00:25:18.440 --> 00:25:20.259 afternoon I spent the last four hours of the 00:25:20.259 --> 00:25:24.880 contest operating At CE2 AWW is QTH in Maniaca, 00:25:24.900 --> 00:25:28.200 Chile So I had two entries Neil for CQ Worldwide 00:25:28.200 --> 00:25:30.500 CW. Neither score was worth mentioning. They 00:25:30.500 --> 00:25:34.640 both were pretty low But one was a single Band 00:25:34.640 --> 00:25:36.980 entry from Chile and the other I think was a 00:25:36.980 --> 00:25:39.329 single band entry from North America but it was 00:25:39.329 --> 00:25:41.990 kind of fun to actually be able to do both contests 00:25:41.990 --> 00:25:45.009 and I enjoy it because operating from Chile because 00:25:45.009 --> 00:25:47.049 from my hotel room it's a nice way to spend part 00:25:47.049 --> 00:25:50.690 of the evening and you can work Europe across 00:25:50.690 --> 00:25:54.910 North America into Asia as the sun sets and I 00:25:54.910 --> 00:25:59.190 can follow the Terminator line from Central Russia 00:25:59.190 --> 00:26:01.569 and Eastern Europe and then follow it essentially 00:26:01.569 --> 00:26:05.069 North and West as it crosses into Northern Europe 00:26:05.069 --> 00:26:07.809 and then Northwestern Europe, and then it crosses 00:26:07.809 --> 00:26:10.470 into North America, the US stations become quite 00:26:10.470 --> 00:26:12.829 powerful. This is all without a beam. It's all 00:26:12.829 --> 00:26:16.210 with a vertical dipole, which is a very efficient 00:26:16.210 --> 00:26:19.049 antenna, weighs about five or eight pounds that 00:26:19.049 --> 00:26:21.890 I take in a golf club case, and a little radio 00:26:21.890 --> 00:26:26.630 running 100 watts of power. I've probably worked, 00:26:26.630 --> 00:26:30.049 I want to say 70 countries now, confirmed in 00:26:30.049 --> 00:26:32.970 logbook from Chile, just doing it in evenings 00:26:32.970 --> 00:26:35.769 and occasionally on weekends. And in fact, I've 00:26:35.769 --> 00:26:37.890 now left my antenna that I took down. I've left 00:26:37.890 --> 00:26:39.549 that in Chile. And I just bring a radio with 00:26:39.549 --> 00:26:43.430 me when I want to operate. And it's just a lot 00:26:43.430 --> 00:26:45.470 of fun. And you can really do this if you have 00:26:45.470 --> 00:26:48.410 any work travel, whether it's in the US or Central 00:26:48.410 --> 00:26:51.750 America, the Caribbean, Hawaii, or Chile, or 00:26:51.750 --> 00:26:53.690 South America, Europe. Do it. It's so easy to 00:26:53.690 --> 00:26:57.269 get a license. And I've also started contesting 00:26:57.269 --> 00:27:00.269 now in the Caribbean with WZero, GJ, Glenn Johnson, 00:27:00.349 --> 00:27:02.440 and others. from Minnesota. You know we have 00:27:02.440 --> 00:27:04.220 pretty tough winters in the northern Midwest 00:27:04.220 --> 00:27:07.359 so we need a little break from the minus 20 degree 00:27:07.359 --> 00:27:10.099 weather and the 20 plus inches of snow a month 00:27:10.099 --> 00:27:13.099 it seems. So I've enjoyed going to Jody's place 00:27:13.099 --> 00:27:15.519 in Turks and Caicos and I was supposed to be 00:27:15.519 --> 00:27:18.019 there this weekend but this year I couldn't make 00:27:18.019 --> 00:27:21.599 the contest there so I'll be on from here. But 00:27:21.599 --> 00:27:24.099 some of my teammates are down right now operating 00:27:24.099 --> 00:27:26.960 and will be Victor Papa 5 Kilo in the contest. 00:27:27.000 --> 00:27:29.660 I've had a contest call of Victor Papa 5 Sierra 00:27:30.360 --> 00:27:33.519 BP5S, S picked for Scott. And I've also operated 00:27:33.519 --> 00:27:37.599 with Glenn at Victor Papa 5 Hotel, BP5H. And 00:27:37.599 --> 00:27:39.880 with Glenn and Mark Indorf, a few years ago, 00:27:39.900 --> 00:27:41.819 we placed number one in the world as a multi 00:27:41.819 --> 00:27:43.680 -single station high power from the Caribbean. 00:27:44.299 --> 00:27:46.500 And it's really a hoot to place in the top one 00:27:46.500 --> 00:27:49.839 or two worldwide in a contest. You can't imagine 00:27:49.839 --> 00:27:51.579 the pileups and the runs from the Caribbean. 00:27:52.160 --> 00:27:55.440 We frequently have QSO rates of 200 to 400 QSOs 00:27:55.440 --> 00:27:58.519 an hour on sideband and 100 to 200 an hour on 00:27:58.519 --> 00:28:01.140 CW. for the entire 48 hours of the contest, Neil. 00:28:01.500 --> 00:28:03.960 You can get a lot of ham radio activity in 48 00:28:03.960 --> 00:28:06.940 hours. I'd say. It's a lot of fun, you know? 00:28:07.039 --> 00:28:10.039 It's just a lot of fun. And I have a little shout 00:28:10.039 --> 00:28:12.759 out to ICOM North America. Ray Novak in the past 00:28:12.759 --> 00:28:16.359 has been very nice about letting us use some 00:28:16.359 --> 00:28:21.519 loader equipment at times. We had the 7600 when 00:28:21.519 --> 00:28:23.920 it was relatively new and tested it in the contest. 00:28:24.500 --> 00:28:27.700 Glenn and I subsequently bought 7600s after using 00:28:27.700 --> 00:28:31.240 them in the contest. And so we appreciate all 00:28:31.240 --> 00:28:34.700 the support that we've gotten from some of the 00:28:34.700 --> 00:28:38.160 manufacturers to help us with contesting activity 00:28:38.160 --> 00:28:41.779 and to really take it to the next level. Yeah, 00:28:41.779 --> 00:28:45.359 that always helps when you have good equipment 00:28:45.359 --> 00:28:49.119 and some support on those kinds of things. And 00:28:49.119 --> 00:28:52.890 so we want to... Get a shout out there to Ray. 00:28:52.950 --> 00:28:56.190 I know he does a lot with youth and the Boy Scouts 00:28:56.190 --> 00:29:00.789 and a lot there for ICOM So thanks for for all 00:29:00.789 --> 00:29:05.029 you do and as well as some of the other manufacturers 00:29:05.029 --> 00:29:09.549 that help out with those things Let's talk a 00:29:09.549 --> 00:29:15.910 little bit about Contest University at Dayton 00:29:15.910 --> 00:29:20.700 and and we got together you you gave us a an 00:29:20.700 --> 00:29:25.099 inspiration to get involved there and so tell 00:29:25.099 --> 00:29:29.720 us a little bit about What happened there with 00:29:29.720 --> 00:29:33.059 with the contest University last year? Well, 00:29:33.059 --> 00:29:36.359 I have been going to contest University for several 00:29:36.359 --> 00:29:40.680 years. I find it to be really one of the best 00:29:40.680 --> 00:29:42.660 things happening at the Dayton hand -vention 00:29:42.660 --> 00:29:47.000 Tim Duffy and his team of Premier contest operators 00:29:47.000 --> 00:29:50.980 put on a fabulous one -day workshop on how to 00:29:50.980 --> 00:29:54.940 be a better HF operator and contestor. And I 00:29:54.940 --> 00:29:57.500 learned more about propagation, antenna design, 00:29:58.119 --> 00:30:01.599 operating tactics, station management, ergonomics 00:30:01.599 --> 00:30:04.440 from the day I spend there than almost anything 00:30:04.440 --> 00:30:08.920 else I do. And you have been the mentor and advisor, 00:30:09.180 --> 00:30:12.799 probably the premier school radio club in North 00:30:12.799 --> 00:30:15.380 America. You haven't mentioned that on the show, 00:30:15.380 --> 00:30:18.559 but I will. Your club is one school club round 00:30:18.559 --> 00:30:20.680 up more than any other club that I've ever heard 00:30:20.680 --> 00:30:24.880 of. Your students have written QST articles about 00:30:24.880 --> 00:30:30.319 DXing. They've led DXing activities. And so last 00:30:30.319 --> 00:30:32.720 year I wrote and said, Neil, why don't you bring 00:30:32.720 --> 00:30:35.480 a few students to Contest University? And let's 00:30:35.480 --> 00:30:37.720 see if we can't find some scholarships so that 00:30:37.720 --> 00:30:39.660 it doesn't cost them anything to come. Because 00:30:39.660 --> 00:30:42.980 like you, if we don't see more younger people 00:30:42.980 --> 00:30:45.380 in the hobby, This hobby is going to die off. 00:30:45.500 --> 00:30:48.819 You and I are relatively young among active DXers 00:30:48.819 --> 00:30:52.000 and contesters, Neil. The average age is unfortunately 00:30:52.000 --> 00:30:55.519 for the DX community in the mid to late 60s. 00:30:55.640 --> 00:30:57.700 And so we need to revitalize the hobby a bit. 00:30:58.900 --> 00:31:00.900 And what better place to start than with contesting, 00:31:01.000 --> 00:31:04.539 which fits the interest, the gaming interest, 00:31:04.619 --> 00:31:07.700 and the social interest of today's young people, 00:31:07.920 --> 00:31:10.079 teenagers and college students. And you brought 00:31:10.079 --> 00:31:12.750 along several high school students. to Contest 00:31:12.750 --> 00:31:16.250 University and they were the talk of the Contest 00:31:16.250 --> 00:31:19.490 U, the hit of the Contest U, and they really 00:31:19.490 --> 00:31:23.390 sparked a lot of enthusiasm. I was really amazed 00:31:23.390 --> 00:31:27.250 to see the adults like us who were just excited 00:31:27.250 --> 00:31:29.970 to see some young people there. And of course 00:31:29.970 --> 00:31:32.670 we need to thank Tim Duffy and the Northern California 00:31:32.670 --> 00:31:34.970 DX Foundation for providing the scholarships 00:31:34.970 --> 00:31:39.859 to allow you and the team to come. I said, you 00:31:39.859 --> 00:31:41.660 know, why don't you guys go home and see if you 00:31:41.660 --> 00:31:46.460 can't get DXCC with either the CQ Worldwide Rudy 00:31:46.460 --> 00:31:49.160 or Sideband Contest? Because I think you can 00:31:49.160 --> 00:31:52.400 do it after Contest University. And I'll be darned. 00:31:52.420 --> 00:31:55.279 I remember I was operating at VP5S in the Caribbean 00:31:55.279 --> 00:31:59.319 for CQ Worldwide Sideband. And K9SOU works me 00:31:59.319 --> 00:32:04.059 on several bands. And the next thing I know, 00:32:04.099 --> 00:32:08.089 your club has achieved DXCC in one weekend. I 00:32:08.089 --> 00:32:09.589 know before the show you were telling me that 00:32:09.589 --> 00:32:12.990 you worked Shanghai China So you've got a lot 00:32:12.990 --> 00:32:15.650 you you covered a lot of distance from Bloomington, 00:32:15.650 --> 00:32:19.529 Indiana off a hundred watts and a little radio 00:32:19.529 --> 00:32:22.509 and a two -element Yagi you guys did a phenomenal 00:32:22.509 --> 00:32:26.309 job and Your students who did that Ryan and his 00:32:26.309 --> 00:32:29.829 team teammates are to be commended for all that 00:32:29.829 --> 00:32:35.299 they did to achieve DX CC in a weekend For some 00:32:35.299 --> 00:32:37.599 of us it takes decades to get DXCC in your club 00:32:37.599 --> 00:32:41.039 did it and what about 24 hours? Yeah, yeah, not 00:32:41.039 --> 00:32:44.859 quite. I think it was ended up being 17 hours 00:32:44.859 --> 00:32:50.099 That we we got that so We got our logs back yesterday 00:32:50.099 --> 00:32:55.579 and and had three mistakes So it's very Very 00:32:55.579 --> 00:32:59.039 proud of those kids for especially Ryan Ryan 00:32:59.039 --> 00:33:03.349 did almost all of it by himself really proud 00:33:03.349 --> 00:33:06.069 of them for doing that. And that was right after 00:33:06.069 --> 00:33:09.369 School Club Roundup. We had a one -minute break 00:33:09.369 --> 00:33:13.470 between School Club Roundup all week and CQ Worldwide. 00:33:14.190 --> 00:33:18.190 So that was a long week, but very productive. 00:33:19.190 --> 00:33:22.970 That is amazing. So that should be an inspiration 00:33:22.970 --> 00:33:25.329 to almost anybody listening to the show, either 00:33:25.329 --> 00:33:31.019 now or on replay. Contesting is a great way to 00:33:31.019 --> 00:33:34.460 get your DXCC totals up and to really finish 00:33:34.460 --> 00:33:37.099 off the countries you need for the basic AWRL 00:33:37.099 --> 00:33:40.660 awards. Absolutely, and we're trying to finish 00:33:40.660 --> 00:33:43.779 up all of our confirmations. We hit 85 today, 00:33:43.859 --> 00:33:47.960 so we're just about there on the confirmations. 00:33:48.880 --> 00:33:54.920 Well, Scott had talked to his His agent earlier 00:33:54.920 --> 00:33:58.599 about extending the time here and his agent cleared 00:33:58.599 --> 00:34:01.460 him for 45 minutes It looks like we're gonna 00:34:01.460 --> 00:34:06.839 use all of it. So We're going to take one last 00:34:06.839 --> 00:34:10.599 break and then we'll come back and then we are 00:34:10.599 --> 00:34:14.059 going to try the the the part that I'm scared 00:34:14.059 --> 00:34:17.780 about We're gonna take live calls. We're gonna 00:34:17.780 --> 00:34:21.380 see how this works We haven't overloaded the 00:34:21.380 --> 00:34:24.639 system yet, so I'm a little nervous about what's 00:34:24.639 --> 00:34:28.219 going to happen if it overloads, but here's how 00:34:28.219 --> 00:34:31.739 you can join us, how you can talk, and you can 00:34:31.739 --> 00:34:35.039 be doing this while we hear from one of our sponsors. 00:34:35.900 --> 00:34:38.679 You can Skype us. That's the best way to connect 00:34:38.679 --> 00:34:42.159 with us is Skype. It sounds a whole lot better, 00:34:42.500 --> 00:34:44.800 and that's how Scott's joining us this evening. 00:34:45.000 --> 00:34:49.599 The name is HamTalkLive, just HamTalkLive, all 00:34:49.599 --> 00:34:53.739 one word on Skype. We also have a phone number, 00:34:54.400 --> 00:35:01.360 and that is 812, the area code 812, NetHam1. 00:35:01.940 --> 00:35:08.219 Again, it's 812, NetHam1. If you don't have all 00:35:08.219 --> 00:35:13.599 the letters in front of you, that's 812 -638. 00:35:16.019 --> 00:35:21.000 4261 and that will call into Skype as well and 00:35:21.000 --> 00:35:23.179 get you on the show. So if you have a question 00:35:23.179 --> 00:35:27.840 for me or for Scott, get ready to give us a call 00:35:27.840 --> 00:35:31.280 on one of those two things and HamTalk Live will 00:35:31.280 --> 00:35:33.780 return following this commercial message from 00:35:33.780 --> 00:35:37.800 HamStation. This episode of HamTalk Live is brought 00:35:37.800 --> 00:35:41.099 to you by The Ham Station. For 35 years, The 00:35:41.099 --> 00:35:43.300 Ham Station has brought new and used radios, 00:35:43.559 --> 00:35:45.980 antennas, accessories, and equipment to the amateur 00:35:45.980 --> 00:35:49.579 radio community. Give Jeff or Dan a call at 1 00:35:49.579 --> 00:35:55.739 -800 -729 -4373. or order online at hamstation 00:35:55.739 --> 00:35:58.599 .com. Hamstation carries all the major brands 00:35:58.599 --> 00:36:01.820 like Icom, Yezu and Kenwood. Shop from a wide 00:36:01.820 --> 00:36:05.099 selection of radio scanners, MFGA accessories, 00:36:05.420 --> 00:36:08.840 Hilesound products, Mirage and Ameritron amplifiers, 00:36:09.320 --> 00:36:12.539 Cushcraft antennas and more. Easy online shopping 00:36:12.539 --> 00:36:15.840 and fast shipping are waiting for you at hamstation 00:36:15.840 --> 00:36:23.590 .com or call 1 -800 -729 -4373. The Ham Station, 00:36:23.929 --> 00:36:26.929 proud to sponsor this episode of Ham Talk Live. 00:36:40.449 --> 00:36:44.590 And welcome back to Ham Talk Live. I'd like to 00:36:44.590 --> 00:36:46.670 thank the Ham Station for sponsoring the show 00:36:46.670 --> 00:36:49.510 tonight so we can bring you Ham Talk Live. Be 00:36:49.510 --> 00:36:52.619 sure to... listen every Thursday night at 9 p 00:36:52.619 --> 00:36:55.539 .m. Eastern Time right here on HamTalkLive .com 00:36:55.539 --> 00:36:59.840 and if you missed the show we do have a podcast 00:36:59.840 --> 00:37:03.059 that will be available shortly after that's on 00:37:03.059 --> 00:37:06.659 the website HamTalkLive .com it's also on Spreaker 00:37:06.659 --> 00:37:11.119 which is our hosting service and then we'll also 00:37:11.119 --> 00:37:14.420 have it uploaded to iTunes, SoundCloud, YouTube 00:37:14.420 --> 00:37:19.179 and it's available on TuneIn. So all kinds of 00:37:19.179 --> 00:37:23.639 ways to get a hold of the show. So if you have 00:37:23.639 --> 00:37:27.059 a chance and you can't catch us live, you can 00:37:27.059 --> 00:37:31.739 catch us on one of those. I'm Neil Rapp, WB9VPG, 00:37:31.760 --> 00:37:35.440 joined this evening by Dr. Scott Wright, KZeroMD. 00:37:35.480 --> 00:37:38.539 So right now we're going to give this live call 00:37:38.539 --> 00:37:41.599 thing a try. We're going to give you the listener 00:37:41.599 --> 00:37:43.679 a chance to participate in the show if you have 00:37:43.679 --> 00:37:46.480 a question for Scott or myself You can join us 00:37:46.480 --> 00:37:50.360 on Skype by connecting to ham talk live or you 00:37:50.360 --> 00:37:53.400 can join us by telephone again a number is eight 00:37:53.400 --> 00:38:00.380 one two net ham one eight one two net ham one 00:38:00.380 --> 00:38:04.000 Or Skype at ham talk live. Keep in mind. This 00:38:04.000 --> 00:38:09.000 is live radio. So If something happens and I 00:38:09.000 --> 00:38:14.300 can't stop it, we're just going to have to live 00:38:14.300 --> 00:38:16.780 with it. So we'll do the best we can to keep 00:38:16.780 --> 00:38:19.780 things family friendly and appropriate, but we 00:38:19.780 --> 00:38:22.099 can't guarantee what people will do because it's 00:38:22.099 --> 00:38:25.860 live. So this is kind of the scary part and hopefully 00:38:25.860 --> 00:38:31.019 we won't get any intentional QRM here. But anyway, 00:38:31.119 --> 00:38:33.360 give us a call right now. If the line is busy, 00:38:33.360 --> 00:38:38.510 try again. whenever our current caller is finished 00:38:38.510 --> 00:38:41.369 and we'll see if we can get you on here. So we'll 00:38:41.369 --> 00:38:45.849 see if we have any any callers here. Let me open 00:38:45.849 --> 00:38:50.469 this up and see if we have anybody. Being the 00:38:50.469 --> 00:38:54.909 first show, don't know how many people are aware 00:38:54.909 --> 00:38:59.469 of it and ready to call in. So we'll see how 00:38:59.469 --> 00:39:03.170 that goes. I'm not seeing anything just yet. 00:39:04.559 --> 00:39:08.219 Keep an eye on Skype here again. It's eight one 00:39:08.219 --> 00:39:15.880 two net ham one or ham talk live on Skype So 00:39:15.880 --> 00:39:19.300 I've been impressed at the social media promotion 00:39:19.300 --> 00:39:22.000 of the show Neil I've probably gotten a dozen 00:39:22.000 --> 00:39:24.639 emails about that people promoting the show on 00:39:24.639 --> 00:39:28.000 Twitter. So congratulations on on all of that 00:39:28.000 --> 00:39:31.440 yeah, the the social media promotions gone really 00:39:31.440 --> 00:39:36.730 well and Hopefully, as people kind of catch on, 00:39:37.389 --> 00:39:40.389 we'll have some more. And we do have a call right 00:39:40.389 --> 00:39:44.550 now, so we'll go ahead and give this a try. Hello, 00:39:44.610 --> 00:39:48.690 you're live on the air with HamTalk Live. Hi 00:39:48.690 --> 00:39:52.929 Neil, it's Matt, W1MST. I had a great time listening 00:39:52.929 --> 00:39:56.090 to your show tonight and having a real good time 00:39:56.090 --> 00:39:58.769 hearing Scott's story. Oh, thank you very much. 00:39:58.889 --> 00:40:03.289 You have a question for us? I sure do. Tell me 00:40:03.289 --> 00:40:07.829 a little bit about how you've been able to pique 00:40:07.829 --> 00:40:10.469 the interest of the high school kids that you're 00:40:10.469 --> 00:40:16.889 serving at Bloomington. Well, it's a little easier 00:40:16.889 --> 00:40:19.929 for me because I see those kids every day and 00:40:19.929 --> 00:40:23.769 so I can work that into the chemistry curriculum 00:40:23.769 --> 00:40:28.210 and so I demonstrate with a handheld watt. They 00:40:28.210 --> 00:40:31.469 can listen to and so they can listen to drive 00:40:31.469 --> 00:40:35.630 -up windows. They can listen to You know all 00:40:35.630 --> 00:40:40.190 kinds of things and and that seems to to really 00:40:40.190 --> 00:40:43.389 spark their interest and One of the things that 00:40:43.389 --> 00:40:46.409 I've always said and and Scott can has done some 00:40:46.409 --> 00:40:50.389 of this too. He can chime in here Is that you 00:40:50.389 --> 00:40:53.949 really want to get them involved in radio? not 00:40:53.949 --> 00:40:57.230 necessarily study for the license test at the 00:40:57.230 --> 00:40:59.889 beginning. You want to get them into radio and 00:40:59.889 --> 00:41:02.409 get them interested in it first and then they 00:41:02.409 --> 00:41:05.630 want to do it by themselves. Scott, you're the 00:41:05.630 --> 00:41:11.530 trustee there at an academy there in Minnesota. 00:41:11.849 --> 00:41:16.159 Is that your take on things? I agree, Neil. I 00:41:16.159 --> 00:41:19.280 think that's a great way to do it. The last thing 00:41:19.280 --> 00:41:21.719 I think high school students or middle school 00:41:21.719 --> 00:41:24.380 students want to do is pass an exam, right? Study 00:41:24.380 --> 00:41:27.219 for an exam. But if you give them a way to have 00:41:27.219 --> 00:41:31.500 some fun with the hobby, they really do. And 00:41:31.500 --> 00:41:34.300 I've got the situation now among some seventh 00:41:34.300 --> 00:41:37.079 graders. My youngest child is a seventh grader. 00:41:37.210 --> 00:41:39.530 We're one of the classmates wants to learn Morris 00:41:39.530 --> 00:41:41.329 code. And I think now I have three young men 00:41:41.329 --> 00:41:43.849 interested in perhaps learning Morris code, not 00:41:43.849 --> 00:41:46.250 necessarily getting a radio license, but they're 00:41:46.250 --> 00:41:49.030 intrigued by Morris code. So I'm going to spend 00:41:49.030 --> 00:41:52.550 the summer session with them doing it's a way 00:41:52.550 --> 00:41:57.050 to pass secret messages. Exactly. Yeah, exactly. 00:41:57.909 --> 00:42:00.329 That may be a good thing or a bad thing. I don't 00:42:00.329 --> 00:42:06.800 know. But yeah, it's a way to do that. So Matt 00:42:06.800 --> 00:42:10.059 does that answer your question? It sure does. 00:42:10.239 --> 00:42:12.260 Thanks guys so much and really enjoying the show 00:42:12.260 --> 00:42:15.599 look forward to To many more to come. All right. 00:42:15.599 --> 00:42:18.539 Thank you, man Thanks for thanks for calling 00:42:18.539 --> 00:42:22.179 in I've got about two minutes here. So we got 00:42:22.179 --> 00:42:25.039 to wrap things up, but we'll see if we've got 00:42:25.039 --> 00:42:31.840 one more If we have another another call We'll 00:42:31.840 --> 00:42:37.489 see if we get anyone else And if not, we will 00:42:37.489 --> 00:42:40.010 finish things up because we are just about out 00:42:40.010 --> 00:42:45.769 of time here They give us 45 minutes on the Spreaker 00:42:45.769 --> 00:42:52.869 here and 45 minutes sure went by quickly rather 00:42:52.869 --> 00:42:55.769 than glad you upgraded from 30 minutes Yeah, 00:42:55.789 --> 00:42:58.570 yeah 30 minutes would have would have been way 00:42:58.570 --> 00:43:02.349 too short. So Well, I don't see any other calls 00:43:02.349 --> 00:43:05.619 coming in. So maybe we better go ahead and and 00:43:05.619 --> 00:43:09.440 finish this up. Scott, I want to thank you for 00:43:09.440 --> 00:43:12.820 coming on and being the first one and giving 00:43:12.820 --> 00:43:16.340 a test. The call went well, so that was good. 00:43:16.440 --> 00:43:36.119 We didn't have any technical issues. I'm just 00:43:36.119 --> 00:43:38.659 honored to be among a group of hams that you're 00:43:38.659 --> 00:43:40.699 interviewing who really have accomplished a lot. 00:43:41.099 --> 00:43:42.980 I'm not sure why you asked me to be on the show, 00:43:43.000 --> 00:43:45.739 but I'm delighted to be on it with you. And again, 00:43:45.840 --> 00:43:48.139 my congratulations to you, the Bloomington South 00:43:48.139 --> 00:43:51.340 Amateur Radio School Club, for all it has done. 00:43:51.599 --> 00:43:54.000 And I really hope to see you and a number of 00:43:54.000 --> 00:43:59.820 your school members at Contest University and 00:43:59.820 --> 00:44:02.960 the Dayton Hamvention in May. Yep, we are looking 00:44:02.960 --> 00:44:05.820 forward to it and appreciate you being on here 00:44:05.820 --> 00:44:09.239 to to kind of put some perspective on things 00:44:09.239 --> 00:44:12.400 with the show and and get us started on the right 00:44:12.400 --> 00:44:16.090 foot So thank you so much for doing that That'll 00:44:16.090 --> 00:44:19.469 wrap up this week's edition of ham talk live 00:44:19.469 --> 00:44:22.570 be sure to join us Every Thursday night at 9 00:44:22.570 --> 00:44:25.269 p .m Eastern time next week. My guest will be 00:44:25.269 --> 00:44:29.429 Don Wilbanks a e5dw from amateur radio news line 00:44:29.429 --> 00:44:34.090 and ham nation and Don and I on the same show 00:44:34.090 --> 00:44:37.650 at the same time should be interesting if you 00:44:37.650 --> 00:44:41.760 know Don Yeah, it's, it's going to be interesting. 00:44:42.400 --> 00:44:44.280 So be sure to tune in. So for now with Scott 00:44:44.280 --> 00:44:47.719 Wright, KZeroMD, this is Neil Rapp, WB9VPG saying 00:44:47.719 --> 00:44:50.880 seven three, seven five, and may the good DX 00:44:50.880 --> 00:44:52.179 be yours.