Zero Retries Digital Conference 2025 Archive
About ZRDC 2025
The inaugural Zero Retries Digital Conference (ZRDC) 2025 was held on Saturday, 2025-09-13 in Everett, Washington, USA at Everett’s Edward D. Hansen Conference Center in downtown Everett. ZRDC 2025 was sponsored by the Zero Retries Newsletter. ZRDC 2025 was primarily an in-person event, but was recorded and livestreamed on a private Zoom event.
ZRDC 2025 built 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 was held the day after GNU Radio Conference 2025 (GRCon 25) which was held Monday September 8th through Friday, September 12th, 2025, in the same venue.
While GRCon 2025 and ZRDC 2025 were held consecutively, and at the same venue, the two events were independent of each other.
The Conference Manager of ZRDC 2025 was Tina Stroh KD7WSF.
ZRDC 2025 Pre-Event Coverage
ZRDC 2025 Post-Event Coverage
See Tina Stroh KD7WSF’s article - Zero Retries Digital Conference 2025 Wrap Up and Steve Stroh N8GNJ’s article - Zero Retries Digital Conference 2025 Debrief - Part 1 in Zero Retries 0220 for their individual perspectives on ZRDC 2025.
ZRDC Final Schedule
ZRDC 2025 Proceedings
We are extremely grateful to Don Rotolo N2IRZ for volunteering to receive, cajole the authors, and compile the Proceedings of the Zero Retries Digital Conference 2025 into this document.
ZRDC 2025 Papers
These papers were solicited for ZRDC 2025 and were not (originally) intended for presentation.
This paper was presented by the author at ZRDC 2025 - see below.
Special note on ZRDC 2025 video recordings:
We are extremely grateful to Kay Savetz K6KJN for volunteering to edit the long recording of ZRDC 2025 into these titled segments.
Keynote Address - Amateur Radio in the 21st Century
Steve Stroh N8GNJ
Introduction by Tina Stroh KD7WSF
Presentation - The KK7NQN Transcriber Service Node
Hunter Inman KK7NQN
No slide deck in this presentation.
Presentation - Earth Moon Earth With Software Defined Radio
Dennis Rosenauer AC7FT
Presentation - Amateur Radio’s Virtual Universal Library - DLARC
Kay Savetz K6KJN
(video)
Presentation - Hailing Channel for Packet Radio
Bryan Hoyer K7UDR
Presentation - ARDC 44Net VPN
Schuyler Erle N0GIS
Presentation - IP400
Garvin F. Cole VE6GFC
Presentation - AREDN Microwave Networking
Tim Wilkinson KN6PLV
Presentation - Optimizing Wide Band Receiver Performance
Paul Elliott WB6CXC
Lightning Talk - Antenna Tracking for EME
Dennis Rosenauer AC7FT
Morse Whisper Code Training App
Trevor Cook AG7HV
No slide deck in this presentation.
GNU Radio
Derek Kozel K0ZEL / MW0LNA
Slide deck for this presentation not provided.
LinHT
Steve Stroh N8GNJ
ZRDC 2025 Sponsors / Door Prize Donors
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
To Do List for this archive:
Add photo gallery
Add photos of speakers
List of donations
Zero Retries YouTube channel video links
Internet Archive (IA) Digital Library of Amateur Radio & Communications (DLARC) video and other links
Verbiage from HRWB article in ZR
Special Thanks
Kay for editing videos
Dynamic Impact Audio Video
KaitLynn Inman for photography
Merideth Stroh KK7BKI for staffing the registration table
Don for Proceedings
Presenters