ohn Ford AB0O is a 45-year ham, engineer, and the quiet architect behind Parks on the Air’s North American mapping system. Licensed in Canada in 1981 under a now-defunct “digital” license—years before packet radio was mainstream—John’s path into amateur radio began with curiosity and a willingness to dig into emerging ideas like ALOHA networking. But his operating heart was always in the field. Long before POTA had a name, he was hauling rigs into the woods, setting up on stumps, and chasing contacts under improvised shade. That instinct made POTA feel less like a discovery in 2019 and more like a homecoming. From there, his rise mirrored POTA’s explosive growth. Recruited as a Missouri map rep in 2020, John quickly became the backbone of U.S. mapping before expanding to all of North America. Today, he coordinates roughly 60 volunteer mapping reps—transforming what was once a tightly controlled, single-person function into a scalable system capable of supporting tens of thousands of parks. One striking detail: North America alone involves navigating more than 200 government agencies, each with its own way of defining and managing parks. But growth brought friction. John offers a candid look at POTA’s next challenge: not technology, but clarity. As the program scales past 65,000 parks and 85,000 users, “crowdsourced rules” have begun to creep in—operators unintentionally bending definitions of park boundaries, multi-park activations, and valid QSOs. His philosophy is simple: keep the rules few, clear, and consistently communicated—because that’s what keeps the game fun. With the new board structure in place, John sees the future not as controlling POTA, but guiding it—ensuring it remains simple, scalable, and true to its roots. Join the conversation and subscribe to Q5 Worldwide Ham Radio. A special thanks to DX Engineering for continuing to support operators worldwide—from Parks on the Air activators to dedicated DXers and contesters keeping the bands alive.

Dr. Jose “Otis” Vicens NP4G is the 2026 Dayton Hamvention Amateur of the Year—a Puerto Rican orthodontist, DXpeditioner, and president of INDEXA who has spent years turning big radio dreams into real-world action. Otis first got licensed at 16 after a CB contact nudged him toward amateur radio, and the hook was simple: the thrill of talking to someone far away. That early spark carried him from Purdue’s W9YB club to emergency communications after hurricanes in Puerto Rico, to major DXpeditions that once felt almost mythical from the audience at the Dayton DX Forum. Now he’s one of the people making those adventures happen. This conversation traces that arc beautifully. Otis talks about getting the call to join the Bouvet team, preparing for the cold from the Caribbean with gym sessions and cold showers, and discovering firsthand how Starlink has changed modern DXpeditioning. He also tells the story behind the 2026 KP5/NP3VI Desecheo operation—a Puerto Rican-led effort that required diplomacy, patience, and a lower-impact operating model to win approval for one of the most coveted nearby entities in DX. There’s also a deeper philosophy underneath all of it: say yes to ham radio. Whether it’s contesting with the La Sierra crew, operating from K3LR, activating St. Barts from a nature reserve, or helping INDEXA support the next rare one, Otis comes across as someone who understands that this hobby gives back in proportion to the heart you put into it. For viewers who enjoyed past conversations with Jose WP3Z and Manuel WP4TZ, this is another great look at the camaraderie and ambition coming out of Puerto Rico. Join the conversation and subscribe to Q5 Worldwide Ham Radio. DX Engineering continues to back the operators who keep this hobby moving—from Parks on the Air activators to serious DXers and contesters chasing the next signal over the horizon. We’re grateful for their support of stations and adventures across the ham radio world. Welcome to Q5 Worldwide Ham Radio.

I'm joined by Randy Thompson K5ZD, Dan Craig N6MJ, Bill Fehring W9KKN, and special guest Levi Jefferies K6JO for a postmortem on a gripping ARRL DX SSB weekend. This episode offers a front-row seat to the drama: Bill grinding out an extraordinary 48-hour remote effort from ZF1A in the Cayman Islands, Dan battling from Tariq's N2QV super station in the Catskills, and Levi pushing hard from N1DE in farthest edges of northern Maine. All three spent the weekend in the top six of the SOAB HP category. What makes the conversation compelling is not just the scoreboard, but the psychology behind it—when to look, when to ignore it, and how one glance can turn fatigue into resolve. Bill admits the chase with Ken KP4AA kept him pushing to the end. Dan confesses he took a three-hour sleep break, woke up, checked the scoreboard, and instantly regretted it. Levi, meanwhile, lost crucial hours to a remote-station computer crash and still refused to let it define the effort. There’s plenty here for the serious operator: SO2R compromises, self-spotting as a strategic necessity, Maine’s undeniable edge into Europe, New York’s better angle into Asia, and the sheer brutality of trying to hold a run frequency while three other stations are calling CQ on top of you. But there’s also something deeply human in this one—hallucinations after 40-plus hours, “lucky” frequencies on 160, remote setups made possible by loyal friends, and that familiar contest truth that the line between discipline and madness is often just one multiplier. The episode also gives due respect to the battle at the top of the scoreboard between Tom 8P5A and Manu HD8R, including Manu’s dramatic come-from-behind "scoreboard win." And it closes with a well-earned victory lap: Dan N6MJ is now officially the all-time CQ Worldwide CW Single Operator All Band High Power world record holder. It lands as both celebration and warning—because in this crowd, “retirement” usually lasts only until the next big weekend. Join the conversation and subscribe to Q5 Worldwide Ham Radio. Icom continues to equip and support the operators pushing the limits—from Parks on the Air activators to world class contesters and DXers chasing the rare ones. Their commitment helps keep the radios on, the signals loud, and the global ham community thriving.

Welcome to Q5 Worldwide Ham Radio.