Zero Retries Digital Conference 2025
The inaugural Zero Retries Digital Conference (ZRDC) 2025 will be held in Everett, Washington, USA on Saturday, September 13, 2025.
ZRDC 2025 will showcase technological innovations in Amateur Radio as discussed in the Zero Retries newsletter. Planned presentations and demonstrations include (but are not limited to):
The IP400 Networking Project
M17 Digital Voice / Data system
AREDN Amateur Radio microwave networking
and much more!
ZRDC 2025 builds on the rich history of significant Amateur Radio conferences in the Seattle, Washington metropolitan area that also showcased technological innovations in Amateur Radio, including Comm Academy, MicroHAMS Digital Conference, Valley Camp Summer Gathering, and the 1996 and 2013 TAPR Digital Communications Conferences (both of which are the first and second best attended DCCs).
ZRDC 2025 will be held in the same venue as the GNU Radio Conference 2025 - the Edward D. Hansen Conference Center in downtown Everett. GRCon 2025 will be held Monday September 8th through Friday, September 12th, 2025.
While GRCon 2025 and ZRDC 2025 are being held consecutively, and at the same venue, the two events are independent of each other.
If you have any questions, please contact Tina Stroh KD7WSF, the manager of the Zero Retries Digital Conference.
If you are planning on attending in person, please register by September 5th as the venue will need to have a head count for meals. People arriving the day of the conference can still register, the admission WILL NOT include meals and the admission price also increases due to the venue having additional tasks. Please register ASAP as we don’t want to turn anyone away from meals.
Click here to register for ZRDC 2025
Registration offers in-person access AND virtual attendance options to attend the inaugural Zero Retries Digital Conference 2025. Ticket price descriptions state what is included with each level of participation. The venue is large enough so there is no limit to the number of attendees.
In- Person Attendee: Price $125.00. Founding Members: $99.00 Annual Subscribers: $110.00
Includes access to the conference, conference proceedings (if papers have been received), welcome refreshments, refreshments throughout the day, buffet lunch and a chance to win door prizes. Afterwards, all attendees are invited to a pizza party across the street from the conference center hosted by Tina and Steve Stroh.
Welcome refreshments will include fresh fruit with a Greek yogurt dip, assorted pastries, muffins, doughnuts and scones, and assorted bagels with butter, cream cheese and preserves. Coffee , hot tea, and juice will be available.
The buffet lunch will consist of a green and Southwest style salad, deli sandwich display of turkey, ham, and roast beef with cheddar, swiss, provolone cheeses, various condiments, assorted deli breads, deli wraps, roasted veggies, polenta bar, apple crumble and brownies. Beverages choices of coffee, tea, iced tea, and lemonade will be offered. Throughout the day, coffee service, lemonade and fruit infused water will be available.
There is a cost difference for Founding Member subscribers and Annual Subscribers.
Live Attendance via Zoom: Price $45.00
We have hired an AV team to provide a live feed into the conference so that people can be part of the live conference without being there. The URL will be sent a few days prior to the conference and a link to download the materials.
Student Admission: Price: $75.00
Ticket includes same items as an in-person attendee but at a reduced price for students of higher education with a valid student ID and high school students. Students unable to attend in-person can use the live attendance ticket.
Early Post Conference Video: Price $20.00
Recorded video of the conference will be available after 9/30/2025 from the Zero Retries Store. After 1/2/2026, the conference will become open-source and can be downloaded at no charge.
Club Virtual Ticket: Live Attendance via Zoom: Price $175.00
A club can purchase this ticket and receive the url to the conference a few days before the conference and a link to download the materials. There is no limit to number of attendees.
Early Club Post Conference Video: Price $100.00
A club can purchase this ticket and use at a club meeting, event or however as they wish. The video will be available after 9/30/2025. A link will be provided to download materials. After 1/2/2026, the conference will become open-source and can be downloaded at no charge.
The latest information on ZRDC 2025 will be maintained at: https://www.zeroretries.org/p/conference
Attend ZRDC and one day at GRCon 2025
GNU Radio has graciously offered a one day pass for Zero Retries Digital Conference (ZRDC) attendees to GRCon 2025 at a significant savings. A normal one day pass was $350.00 and is now discounted to $125.00, all inclusive including meals. However, you must be registered for the Zero Retries Digital Conference (ZRDC) to receive the discount.
Discount code: ZERORETRIESDISCOUNT
https://tickets.gnuradio.org/grcon25/redeem?voucher=ZERORETRIESDISCOUNT
See below for hotel suggestions and sightseeing opportunities in the Seattle/Everett area under hospitality.
One Page Flyer
Individual Amateur Radio Operator Sponsorship Letter
Corporate Sponsor Packet
Call For Papers
ZRDC 2025 Sponsors
With our sincere thanks and much appreciation, we thank our following sponsors:
Sponsorship queries should be directed to Tina Stroh, KD7WSF
tina@zeroretries.net.
ZRDC 2025 Hospitality
Hotels
There are no room blocks or discounted rooms at any of these hotels for the conference.
3003 Colby Avenue, Everett WA 98201
Reservation Line: 833-372-2865
Phone: 425-259-2200
It is a 0.4 mile dive to the Conference Center or a 9 min walk.
Hotel Indigo Seattle Everett Waterfront, IHG Hotel
1028 13th Street, Everett, WA. 98201
Phone: 425-217-2772
It is a 2.3 mile drive to the Conference Center or a 45 minute walk.
3105 Pine Street, Everett, WA. 98201
Phone: 425-339-2000
It is a 0.8 mile drive or 4 minute walk the Conference Center.
Sightseeing/ Places to Visit
Boeing Future of Flight
As a public attraction and brand home, Boeing Future of Flight tells Boeing’s story through interactive and immersive experiences, programs, and tours with a mission to educate, connect, and inspire.
We are the gateway to the renowned Boeing Everett Factory Tour, providing a unique opportunity to explore the largest manufacturing facility in the world.
Our Gallery showcases a variety of exhibits highlighting both current and emerging Boeing products and services, where guests can explore cutting-edge advancements in space and hypersonic travel, sustainable fuels, autonomous aerial systems, and more.
A visit to Boeing Future of Flight is not complete without planespotting from the observation Sky Deck overlooking Paine Field, and exploring aerospace-inspired gifts from the flagship Boeing Store.
Blake Island
A short ferry ride from the Downtown Seattle Waterfront to an Ingenious Village where you can enjoy the entertainment of a native tribe and taste a delicious salmon bake.
Pike Place Market
If you have seen any video about the fish market that throws the fish, this is it! Not only is there a fish market but restaurants, eateries, specialty food shops, retail shops, crafts market and a farmer’s market. Best feature - the fish market packs fish to ship for up to 48 hrs, so you can take it with you or just have them send it to you directly when you get home.
Museum of Flight
Travel through time and space! The Museum of Flight is full of an incredible collection of aircraft, spacecraft, artifacts, galleries, exhibits, facts, and stories that embody the past, present and future of flight. Walk through the open air Pavillion and tour the unrivaled collection of large commercial aircraft can be seen in one place. The airliner line-up includes the world’s only presentation of the first Boeing 727, 737 and 747 jets, the first jet Air Force One, the extremely rare Boeing 247D and Douglas DC-2 airliners from the 1930s, the only Concorde on the West Coast and the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Interested in Space? The Charles Simonyi Space Gallery includes multi-sensory exhibits that emphasize stories from the visionaries, designers, pilots and crews of the Space Shuttle program and are designed to educate and inspire all ages. The center has built a 15,500 square foot gallery that now houses NASA’s Space Shuttle Full Fuselage Trainer.There are also MANY exhibits to see and interact with.
North Cascades
The North Cascades in Washington offers breathtaking opportunities to explore one of the most rugged and pristine mountain ranges in the United States. Hiking, scenic drives, boating, and wildlife viewing are just some of the amazing things you can do in the North Cascades. Colonial Creek Campgrounds, situated along the shores of Diablo Lake (pictured above) has boat rentals and is a popular choice.
A short ferry ride from the Downtown Seattle Waterfront to an Ingenious Village where you can enjoy the entertainment of a native tribe and taste a delicious salmon bake.
Olympic Peninsula
Camping on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State offers a diverse range of outdoor experiences, from lush rainforests and rugged coastlines to alpine meadows and pristine lakes. The Olympic Peninsula is known for the Olympic National Park and has multiple campsites, including Hog Campground, Kalaoch, Sol Duc, Mora, and Hear O' the Hills Campground.
San Juan Island
Enjoy the natural beauty of the San Juan Islands in Washington State. A picturesque archipelago located in the Salish Sea, Northwest of Washington State. The waterfront campground at San Juan County Park offers views of Haro Strait and the surrounding Islands. Orcas Island has several different campgrounds and leads to the iconic Mount Constitution viewpoint.
Mount Rainier National Park
Mount Rainier is the highest peak in the Cascade Range and has different camping experiences, from developed campsites to backcountry sites. Ohanapecosh Campground is in the southern part of the park and has forested sites. Sunrise Area in the northeast part of the park offers stunning views of Mount Rainier. Mount Rainier has backcountry camping for those interest in more remote experiences.
Leavenworth, Washington
Leavenworth, a small town in the middle of the Cascade Mountains, is one of the most picturesque spots in Washington. The town is modeled after a Bavarian village, so you’ll feel like you’re walking through an Alpine village as fall foliage colors the mountain scenery around you.
Chateau Stroh, Bellingham , Washington
If nothing seems to be you, you're always welcome at Chateau Stroh, home of Tina and Steve Stroh, N8GNJ Labs, Zero Retries and our Zero Retries support staff. You know Shreky (the black cat) as Zero Retries Assistant Late Night Editor In Training and Ms. Princess Fiona, who continues to define her role at the Chateau but is very active in the PR Department. PLEASE call ahead just to make sure there is room at the Chateau.
ZRDC Email List
If you would like to stay abreast of the latest developments regarding the Zero Retries Digital Conference, you can join the ZRDC email list - https://groups.io/g/zrdc. This will be a forum for announcements, discussion between attendees, etc.
Media and Other Mentions of ZRDC 2025
ZRDC 2025 is an ARRL Operating Specialty Convention and is now included on ARRL’s Hamfest and Convention page: https://www.arrl.org/hamfests/zero-retries-digital-conference-2025. (2025-04)
2025 Pacific Northwest Hamfairs & Events (2025-04-04)
Amateur Radio Daily (2025-04-08)
Amateur Radio Weekly (2025-04-08)
The Random Wire Newsletter Issue 126 (2025-04-11)
Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2477 for Friday, April 18th, 2025. In the audio file, the ZRDC 2025 item begins at 6:56. (2025-04-17)
ARRL QEX (link is accessible only to ARRL members), May/June 2025, Conferences, page 25. (2025-05-01)
Amateur Television Journal, Issue 188, Upcoming Ham Conferences, page 10. (2025-06-15)
Amateur Radio Daily (2025-06-30)
ARRL QEX (link is accessible only to ARRL members), July/August 2025, Conferences, page 35. (2025-07-01)
ARRL QST, August 2025 (link is accessible only to ARRL members). The IP400 Network Project, page 77. (2025-07-01)
Surrey Amateur Radio Communications The Communicator, July - August 2025. Zero Retries column, Repeaters Are For Voice, Digipeaters Are For Data - NOT! Sidebar, page 81. (2025-07-01)
Amateur Radio Weekly Issue 388 - Registration for ZRDC 2025 now open (2025-07-05)
Random Wire 138 - Zero Retries Digital Conference: Registration is Open (2025-07-05)
Puget Sound Repeater Group - Zero Retries Digital Conference, Sept. 13 in Everett (2025-07-07)
Ham Radio Workbench Podcast Episode 242, July 29, 2025 (2025-07-29)
HRWB 242 - Zero Retries Newsletter with Steve N8GNJ and Tina KD7WSFRandom Wire Newsletter 143 (2025-08-08):
Time to register for the Zero Retries Digital Conference!Dave Jensen W7DGJ - Trials and Errors #63 (08/10/25): A Digital Radio "Plug 'n Play" Experience (QRZ.com, 2025-08-10):
[PS - As you know, I don't specialize in the "geeky" side of digital radio. But, friends of mine do, and their organization is at the state-of-the-art for all things digital in amateur radio (Steve and Tina Stroh). They have a conference coming up soon that looks interesting, where they'll be talking about progress being made on very new digital technologies like M17. We will be talking about M17 in our next issue here -- cool stuff. Check out the Zero Retries Digital Conference 2025 if you love geeky ham radio discussions!]Amateur Radio Daily - Upcoming Events (2025-08-11):
September 13, 2025Zero Retries Digital Conference
Event to highlight technology in amateur radio.
KB6NU.org (2025-08-15)
Zero Retries Digital Conference to be held on Saturday, September 13, 2025 in Everett, WAQST September 2025 issue, Convention and Hamfest Calendar, page 88 (2025-09-01):
ZERO RETRIES DIGITAL CONFERENCESeptember 13, Everett, Washington
S
8 AM – 5 PM. Spr: Zero Retries Newsletter. Edward D. Hansen
Conference Center, 2000 Hewitt Ave. TI: TBD