Friends of WB2EHG
Amateur radio is built on connections—not only between radios, but between people. These are some of the friends, mentors, and fellow operators who have become part of my radio journey. Each has a story, an area of radio they enjoy, and something worth sharing with the wider amateur-radio community.
Chris — W2CSW
Richmond County REACT Leader and Repeater Operator
Radio interests: Emergency communications, repeaters, DMR, and community service.
Chris leads the Richmond County REACT team on Staten Island. He also maintains a DMR repeater that gives me a way to reach the Octane Reflector when I’m away from my home hotspot.
How We Connected
I got to know Chris through Richmond County REACT. We share an interest in putting radio to work for people, especially when dependable communications matter. His repeater remains part of my operating life, but I value the friendship behind it even more.
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Jeremiah Mulford — W9JAM
DMR Elmer, Technologist, and Creator of W9JAM.com
Radio interests: DMR, APRS, HF, POTA, hotspots, AnyTone radios, computers, Linux, networking, and practical technology troubleshooting.
Jeremiah, formerly of BridgeCom Systems, has been involved in amateur radio since 2009 and working with DMR since 2016. Through W9JAM.com, he shares practical guides, software tools, downloads, technical assistance, and his weekly Coffee, Coax & Computers livestream.
He is also the developer of the W9JAM AT-Service Tool, a Windows utility for managing supported AnyTone radio options, service information, backups, and codeplug conversions.
How We Connected
Jeremiah became one of my Elmers while I was learning DMR. He helped me make sense of a mode that can initially feel like an impenetrable thicket of talkgroups, codeplugs, hotspots, networks, and settings.
More importantly, he explained things without talking down to me or making me feel that I should already know the answers. His practical guidance helped turn DMR from something confusing into one of the central parts of how I operate today.
That is what a good Elmer does: not merely solve a technical problem, but give another operator the understanding and confidence to continue exploring.
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Collin — K0NNK
Creator and Builder of the HamSpot
Radio interests: DMR, digital voice, MMDVM hotspots, WPSD, D-STAR, YSF, P25, NXDN, and making digital-radio technology easier to use.
Collin is the amateur-radio operator behind the HamSpot, a line of digital hotspots built and supported by a ham for other hams. The HamSpot 5 combines a Raspberry Pi 5, WPSD software, duplex operation, and support for several digital-voice modes in one compact device.
How We Connected
I connected with Collin when I ordered my HamSpot 4. He built and configured it specifically for my station, so it arrived ready for me to connect my radio and begin operating.
That mattered. I wanted to talk to people, not spend weeks assembling parts and troubleshooting the doorway before I could walk through it. My first contact through the HamSpot was with a station in Italy. Sitting in my Brooklyn apartment with a handheld radio, I was suddenly talking to someone across the Atlantic.
The HamSpot became the quiet half of my daily DMR station and helped make worldwide amateur-radio communication practical from a 17th-floor apartment where reaching terrestrial repeaters can be difficult. Collin did more than build me a useful piece of equipment—he helped give me a dependable way onto the air.
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Frank — KD8JKK
Creator of QSO One
Radio interests: Amateur-radio software, AllStarLink, EchoLink, DMR, M17, YSF, and making digital voice easier for operators to access.
Frank is the developer behind QSO One, an application designed to bring several internet-connected amateur-radio networks together through one modern interface.
QSO One is available for Windows through the Microsoft Store and for Android through the Google Play Store. Frank has also begun developing versions for iPhone and Mac, with no release date announced.
How We Connected
I discovered QSO One while it was still being actively developed and became involved with its growing beta-testing community. Through testing the application, sharing feedback, and talking with Frank about its development, I came to appreciate both the project and the operator behind it.
QSO One gave me another doorway into amateur radio—particularly AllStarLink—while Frank’s willingness to listen to operators and build around their real experiences turned beta testing into a genuine collaboration and friendship.
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