Episode 529 Jake Groenhof N0LX

Episode 529 Jake Groenhof N0LX

Author: Eric Guth, 4Z1UG August 15, 2025 Duration: 1:05:46

Jake Groenhof, N0LX, discovered amateur radio in the 1960s thanks to his uncle's impressive home station and his father's interest in CB radio.. Over the years, Jake turned his curiosity into a lifetime of experiments — from pedestrian-mobile DX with just 5 watts and an endfed antenna tethered to a balloon, to building saltwater antennas in PVC pipes, to flying pico balloons that circled the Earth six times. Along the way, he's set records, designed clever portable gear, and inspired others to push the limits of what amateur radio can do. N0LX is my QSO Today.


Each week on the QSO Today Podcast-Interviews with the leaders in amateur radio, host Eric Guth, 4Z1UG, sits down for a genuine conversation with a different voice from the world of ham radio. These aren't scripted interviews, but more like the organic chats that happen between operators after a successful contact. Eric guides his guests through their unique journeys into the hobby, uncovering the specific technical niches they've mastered, whether that's building antennas, mastering Morse code, or pioneering digital modes. What makes this podcast stand out is how it explores the profound, often unexpected, ways that a passion for radio waves shapes a person's life beyond the shack. You'll hear how skills learned through amateur radio have launched careers, solved complex problems, and built lifelong friendships across the globe. It’s a series of personal portraits that, together, form a rich and human tapestry of the hobby. Tuning in provides both technical insight and personal inspiration, revealing the stories and the people behind the call signs. Whether you're a seasoned operator or just curious about the crackle of distant voices from a receiver, this podcast offers a compelling entry point into a community built on communication, experimentation, and camaraderie.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

QSO Today Podcast - Interviews with the leaders in amateur radio
Podcast Episodes
Episode 476 David Okrent W7DAO [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:12:07
David Okrent W7DAO, like many hams grew up with shortwave radio, electronic kits, and a radio interest that led to a professional career related to our hobby. David focuses the use of these skills and expertise on emerge…
Episode 475 Kay Savetz K6KJN [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:09:05
Kay Savetz, K6KJN, followed his father, Steve, into amateur radio when he entered college and Journalism school at the beginning of the Atari computer age. Tech journalism is Kay's profession leading him to be the techni…
Episode 474 Alan Higbie K0AV [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:10:29
Alan Higbie, K0AV, is a ham over sixty years, with an interest in CW, contesting, working DX, and working 2BSIQ mode. Alan has developed special expertise in finding RF noise sources around his QTH using a portable SDR r…
Episode 473 Joshua Wander 4X4BB [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:33
Joshua Wander, 4X4BB, began in amateur radio as a "prepper" where radio is one of the elements of being prepared for disaster, natural or otherwise. Origionally, Josh was from Pennsylvania, where he grew up, but immigrat…
Episode 166 Dov Gavish 4Z4DX [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:14:24
Dov Gavish 4Z4DX is one of Israel's best known amateurs outside of Israel, and avid DXer and DXpeditioner. Even before Parks on the Air or Summits on the Air, Dov had a rig in the car ready to go on a moment's notice. Wh…
Episode 471 Ron Gang 4X1MK [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:11:37
Ron Gang, 4X1MK, had his early amateur radio beginnings in Canada, and later immigrated, as part of a group, to Israel in the 1970s, where his amateur radio license, skills, and equipment were highly appreciated and valu…
Episode 470 Tony Fishpool G4WIF [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:07
Tony Fishpool, G4WIF, is still active in the United Kingdoms G-QRP Club and contributes to the quarterly Sprat Magazine, is the author of a book on Test Equipment for the QRPer, an numberious article on equipment buildin…
Episode 469 George Fremin K5TR [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:26:30
Today's podcast is a reprise of my interview with George Fremin, K5TR in April of 2017. George is a world class contester and DXer, with years of experience building and maintaining first class multi-operator contest sta…
Episode 468 David Casler KE0OG [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:09:48
I interviewed Dave Casler, KE0OG, in September 2017, at a time when 10 meters was dead, and the discussion of ham radio education was as important then, as it is today. Dave creates ham radio Youtube videos from the West…
Episode 467 Kyle Krieg AA0Z [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:33:53
Kyle Krieg AA0Z, says that radio, in his case CB Radio, was the pre-internet social network that he used with his friends in his mid-west rural town. Imagine American Graffiti with radios. Eventually learning that amateu…