N5OLA

Episode 538 – Will Everett – N5OLA

Bill and Pete at the SolderSmoke Podcast refer to my guest today as the Heathkit Guru of South Texas, a mantle that Will Everett, N5OLA, wears with pride. After returning from civilian life as a reporter and aid worker in Afghanistan in 2015, Will relicensed in 2019 and took his passion for vintage Heathkit amateur radio transceivers to a new level, restoring them to their former glory before sending them on to new owners. Operating from South Padre Island, Will enjoys CW on his Heathkit HW-101, finding quiet moments between running his coffee shops and pursuing his restoration passion. N5OLA is my QSO today.

Show Notes

Sponsor Transcription

Listen to Podcast

People

Will Everett / N5OLA — Restores vintage Heathkit amateur-radio equipment and operates CW — https://www.qrz.com/db/N5OLA
Will’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@N5OLA
Will’s Website: http://www.willeverett.net/n5ola.html
Eric Guth / 4Z1UG — Host of the QSO Today amateur-radio podcast — https://www.qrz.com/db/4Z1UG

Places

South Padre Island, Texas — N5OLA’s operating location and Heathkit restoration base — https://www.myspi.org/
Conroe, Texas — N5OLA’s teenage amateur-radio hometown — https://www.cityofconroe.org/

Organizations & Publications

QSO Today Podcast — Amateur-radio interview podcast hosted by Eric Guth, 4Z1UG — https://www.qsotoday.com/
SolderSmoke Podcast — Amateur-radio homebrewing and electronics podcast — https://www.soldersmoke.com/
QRZ.com — Amateur-radio callsign database and ham-radio community site — https://www.qrz.com/
QRP Labs — Maker of QRP amateur-radio kits and transceivers — https://qrp-labs.com/
Heathkit — Historic electronics-kit maker strongly associated with amateur radio — https://shop.heathkit.com/
QST — ARRL’s monthly amateur-radio membership journal — https://www.arrl.org/qst
CQ Amateur Radio — Long-running amateur-radio magazine — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CQ_Amateur_Radio
ARRL — U.S. national association for amateur radio — https://www.arrl.org/

Equipment

Heathkit HW-101 — Five-band vintage HF amateur-radio transceiver — https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/heath_hot_water_hw_101_hw101.html
Heathkit HW-8 — Vintage QRP CW amateur-radio transceiver — https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/heath_cw_transceiver_hw_8_hw.html
Heathkit SW-717 — Solid-state shortwave receiver used by amateur-radio beginners — https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/heath_sw_717_sw717.html
Heathkit HW-5400 — Synthesized solid-state HF amateur-radio transceiver — https://ke9ns.com/heathkit.html
Heathkit HW-16 — Vintage CW HF amateur-radio transceiver — https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/heath_cw_transceiver_hw_16_hw1.html
Kenwood TS-520 — Hybrid HF amateur-radio transceiver — https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/trio_kenwo_ts_520.html
Kenwood TS-440S — Solid-state HF amateur-radio transceiver — https://www.kenwood.com/usa/Support/pdf/TS-440.pdf
Icom IC-7300 — Modern SDR-based HF amateur-radio transceiver — https://www.icomamerica.com/lineup/products/IC-7300/
Drake — Manufacturer of vintage amateur-radio and communications equipment — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._L._Drake_Company
Swan Electronics — Former maker of amateur-radio transceivers — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swan_Electronics

Modes & Bands

CW — Morse-code radio communication mode — https://www.arrl.org/cw-mode
Morse code — Code system historically central to amateur radio — https://www.arrl.org/learning-morse-code
FT8 — Popular weak-signal digital amateur-radio mode — https://www.arrl.org/digital-data-modes
RTTY — Radioteletype digital amateur-radio mode — https://www.arrl.org/rtty-roundup
QRP — Low-power amateur-radio operation — https://www.arrl.org/why-qrp
HF — High-frequency amateur-radio operating range — https://www.arrl.org/hf-digital

Technology

SDR — Software-defined radio technology used in modern amateur-radio equipment — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software-defined_radio
Antenna tuner — Device used to match transmitter, feedline, and antenna impedance — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antenna_tuner
Vertical antenna — Common amateur-radio antenna type used for HF operation — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monopole_antenna
Linear amplifier — RF amplifier used to increase amateur-radio transmitter output — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linear_amplifier
Variac — Variable AC transformer used when servicing vintage radio gear — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autotransformer

The RSS Feed for all audio content from QSO today is available from here.

Please join our QSO Today community by pressing the button below. It is the best way to suggest guests and topics, and provide feedback to Eric, 4Z1UG.