Mike G3TSO has been licensed since 1964 and building since well before that. His philosophy is simple: find a design that does most of what you want, take it, modify it, and make it your own. It’s how he went from crystal sets and valve receivers built from a library book called Fun With Radio, to miniature transceivers the size of a pencil box — and it’s an approach he’s been refining for over 60 years.
In this episode Mike walks through his homebrew journey from a spark transmitter built at age 12 with no idea of the consequences, through decades of valve receiver builds, chassis fabrication, and his pencil box transceiver project. Along the way he shares why learning from disasters beats learning from successes, and why the best thing a builder can do is just start.
Join us as we explore how you can get involved in portable radio, QRP, and more in this episode of the All Portable Discussion Zone (AP/DZ). Every aspect of portable operations is covered in this biweekly podcast, from news and gear to achievements, the workbench, contests, awards, and beyond.
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