3 September 2022

Dear Friend

You can make a difference.  Please read this message.

In 2014, I started the QSO Today Podcast because I was inspired by Ham Nation on the TWIT Network.  Podcasting seemed like something that I could do where I could contribute to our hobby. Growing up in Southern California,  as a talk radio fan, I understood the format and what I could achieve if I stayed focused on my goal to share the oral history of amateur radio by interviewing ham radio operators, who were or could have been my “Elmers' ' or mentors.  To date, after 416 interviews, our hobby and the podcast continues to generate interesting conversation.  

As a ham for almost 50 years, I had a very good base of practical knowledge from my early mentors.  However, the knowledge that I have gained since starting the podcast is many times what I learned in the previous 42 years.  Having over 400 smart mentors is a game changer in epic proportions. The most frequent advice that I hear in all of these interviews is to join a radio club and get an Elmer or mentor.  In today’s episode 416 with Rod Hardman, VA3ON, he emphasized, since the beginning of the pandemic, “join a hub not club”, quoted from an article that he read by the RSGB.  

While I didn’t know that I was starting a hub at the time, I started the QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo in the Summer of 2020 at the height of the pandemic because every ham radio activity around the world had closed. Our future was uncertain and getting together virtually made sense to everyone.  The participation by speakers and exhibitors was huge for a first effort as this was the first time this kind of event was made in amateur radio.  The August 2020 Expo had over 25000 registrations that stressed our technology to the limit.  

Since then, my little team and I have produced 3 additional expos.  We were on the cutting edge at the beginning and had some major technical challenges with the second expo. We learned our lessons and continue to learn them, producing  two more successful Expos.  Again we tried new technologies to make our virtual convention a better user experience for everyone. Our Kumospace lounges that we started using at the last March 2022 Expo was a game changer for us and everyone who attended.

The spectacular benefit from four previous QSO Today Virtual Ham Expos is the over 200 edited video presentations that are available on-line, today, on just about every subject in amateur radio. We add 50 to 100 presentations every time we produce an Expo. 

In all the previous Expos, we have benefited from the support of the ARRL, our Sponsors like FlexRadio, Elecraft, Begali, other exhibitors, and from the many volunteer speakers, moderators and backstage helpers.  We couldn’t do it without them.  We still can’t.  We cannot do it without you.

Here is where you can make a difference.

To continue to make this very valuable amateur radio resource available to the entire amateur radio community, we ask you to buy a ticket to the Expo if you have not already done so.  Your $10.00 ticket purchase is an amazing value.  It expands our catalog and keeps it hosted and available to you when you want to learn more about amateur radio, at your convenience.  In addition, as thousands of your peers will tell you, you'll have an incredible experience and learning at the Expo (either during the Live Expo on September 17-18 or post 30 day on-demand period).

Important Links:

To purchase your ticket, click here

For more information of the upcoming Expo on September 17th and 18th, click here

To visit our searchable catalog of previous Expo presentations, click here

To visit our Vimeo Showcase, click here.  

To learn about the QSO Today Podcast, click here

Thanks for your support. See you at the Expo!

73,

Eric Guth, 4Z1UG

QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo

QSO Today Podcast