Call for
Amateur Radio Speakers
March 2023

The QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo, will return on March 24th and 25th 2023, is calling for English language presentations.  

From the survey that we did after the last expo, we learned that we have excellent presentations that are enjoyed by older hams with many years in the hobby.  However, from the same survey, it was not obvious that most of the presentations offered in the Expo could be applied to new Technician licensees as well as the rest of us.  

The message that we want to convey for the next Expo is that any of the presentations regarding technology, rigs, operating modes, building projects, can be enjoyed by technician class licensees with a new ham radio license.  The cheap Chinese handheld radio on the local repeater is one of many options available, and the goal of the next Expo is to demonstrate these opportunities to new licensees,  and to make getting help to get on the air in any of these modes easy and fun.  

Unlike the Novice license that many of us used to enter the hobby, where we are only allowed to use CW or Morse code in 3 bands.  The technician class license as an entry point into amateur radio has a huge opportunity to try many different bands and operating modes. My goal is to allow the new licensee to enjoy the technician class license as an opportunity to grow in ham radio before upgrading the license to higher levels.

​We made a diagram of "options" for all of us, but especially new Technician Class licensees.  Please use this as a guide for what we are looking for.   Click on the diagram to make it bigger. 
How to submit your presentation to the Expo
  1. Decide on a topic of your expertise that you want to share
  2. Complete our on-line application - click here
  3. Wait for our acceptance of your application before you create your presentation. 
  4. Follow the instructions below on how to create your presentation for the Expo presentation systems on vFairs, our hosting platform. 

Information for new speakers at the Expo
Please read this page before submitting your application.  

Background: 
The QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo is a virtual event that attracts thousands of amateur radio operators for a two day weekend conference.  Presentations are "semi-live" video playback during the Expo with live Q&A following.  The Q&A is recorded and added to the presentation for future replay on our Vimeo channel.  Here is a link to our library of previous presentations using our custom video player: 
https://.qsotodayhamexpo.com/vod-list.html

Presentations should meet the following criteria: 
  • Recorded video - often with PowerPoint slides.  A video presentation is also fun and different to present your idea.
  • We "talk like TED", 20 to 25 minute presentation with time for live Q&A at the end
  • Focus on one key actionable take-away
  • Collateral material, only 1 piece, in PDF format if available
  • Total talk time is 1 hour that includes Q&A.  Expert talks may take longer, Q&A may be shorter. 

Topics include, but not limited to: 
  • How To - anything in ham radio
  • Emergency Services provide by amateurs
  • Antennas
  • HF operating, contesting, DXing, DXpeditions
  • Ham radio on a budget
  • Ham radio history
  • Satellite and space communications
  • EME - Moon Bounce
  • VHF, UHF, and Microwave
  • Digital Modes
  • QRP
  • Field operations
  • Homebrewing - including refurbishing old gear, building new gear, kit building
  • Mobile and portable operation
  • Noise cancellation in urban environments
  • Outdoor operation, POTA, SOTA
  • Software Defined Radio
  • Voice over the Internet
  • Test equipment and repair
  • Ham club activities that build membership
  • Or an especially interesting ham radio project

Have This Information Ready Before You Start The Application

  1. Name, Address, Telephone number, and Email
  2. Face Picture of you no bigger than 300K
  3. Brief biography of you - a paragraph or two
  4. Presentation Name and One Paragraph Description
  5. The application has room for only one speaker.  ​If you have additional speakers, you can add them once your presentation has been accepted. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the deadline for speaker application submissions? 
A:  February 15th, 2023

Q: When does the presentation video have to be uploaded?  
A:  March 1, 2023 .  Give us some time to edit, massage, and upload to our platform. 

Q: Do you accept every presentation application? 
A:  We try to accept all presentations if the application is clear in title and description.  We want to make an opportunity for new speakers to be seen and heard.  If the "science" is shaky, then we have a peer review board that will screen the application, then make a recommendation to accept or reject.  

Q:  How are these presentations made in a virtual expo? 
A:  The presentations are pre-recorded and mounted on the virtual platform to start in a pre-defined time slot, on the weekend of the event. We use Restream.io as our "stage".  Once the playback ends, the viewers can remain on the channel for moderated Q&A session.  As a speaker you will be in a "Zoom like" room with a moderator to field your questions submitted by text chat by the audience.  We hope to be able to promote audience members to the our virtual stage.  

Q: Can I reuse a presentation that I made someplace else? 
A:  While we would prefer original and new content, a streamlined and updated version on our Expo branding and PowerPoint template is acceptable as long as it it not already up on YouTube.  We will not re-use any presentations made in the last Expo.  We will accept follow-up presentations if more work has been done to advance the project.

Q: How long should I make my presentation?
A: The short answer is 20 to 25 minutes.  However, unlike an "in-person expo", it is easy for the audience to move on, or change the channel,  if they are not satisfied with the presentation.  So we suggest using the same lecture style as a TED Talk.  Focus on a single, valuable, insight or lesson that you learned and support it with your presentation. 

Q: Will I be given a branded template to use for my presentation? 
A: Yes, we will require that you use our opening and closing slides for your presentation.  If you are doing a PowerPoint slides, then we will supply a branded template for your presentation.  

Q: Do I have to make a typical PowerPoint presentation? 
A:  No - this is a video platform.  Some of our best presentations were scripted video demonstrations.  Do them outside, on the tower, in the basement, on a mountain, in the field.  Be creative. 

Q: Will you take presentations from International Amateurs in languages other than English?  
A: Yes, while the primary language is English, we will accept presentations in foreign languages.  Unfortunately, since this Expo is for English speakers, presentations in foreign languages get a small number of viewers.  We are now looking at AI technology to real time translate into other languages.  No promises.