Some information about who K2GOG is...

Hello and thanks for visiting!  I am Steve Bossert K2GOG, founder of Hudson Valley Digital Network  and trustee of N2HVD.  I was a tinkerer long before I become licensed as an amateur radio operator and can proudly say that I have now been part of ham radio for more than half my lifetime, so please do not think I am new to the hobby.  22 year years is almost QCWA status for all you OM out there!

Back in 2017, I saw a need for an  alternative organization that is part amateur radio club and part maker/hacker group that could bridge the educational, coordination and informational gaps when it comes to "convergence" between these communities and topics relative to wireless technology.

This is why Hudson Valley Digital Network or HVDN for short does not use the phrase "amateur radio club" in its name nor is why we are not a current affiliated club with the ARRL.

My personal "technology" interests include:

• Satellite Communications
• Air gap cybersecurity projects
• Embedded computing and shortrange wireless
• QRP and Portable operating (HF, VHF, etc)
• Advanced antenna design and theory
• Emerging digital technology and its practical applications
• Encouraging growth and new ideas or events involving amateur radio

Professionally, I have held senior sales and management roles in the research/advisory industry where I have spent much of the last 16 years of my career helping shape the future of many semiconductor, wireless and emerging technology companies around the world. 

Prior to that, I spent time working for a leading wireless service provider in an engineering capacity in the early days of location based services and  earlier still, five glorious years at a well known and poorly managed electronics retailer where I memorized entire SKU categories that I still remember today.

There are many other unrelated hobbies such as hiking, farming, travel, and community/civil projects that can benefit from wireless technology. 

Amateur radio has a vast resource thanks to its large amount of radio spectrum that we can offer in ways that extend beyond what we know as traditional "ham radio". 

This is what I define as convergence.  If we can find mutual overlaps between hobbies, it helps many people out learn about how great amateur radio is and what it can offer.

Example =   Hudson River Radio Relay Dot Com 

HVDN would actually love to become an affiliated club of the ARRL and in the ENY section, but because of the requirements such as sharing member lists and promoting that all HVDN members should become ARRL members and follow what the ARRL promotes, we simply believe we have other things we should focus on that will promote other areas of the wireless hobby which are not just about amateur radio.

This independent status actually helps us be more flexible with our views and opinions about amateur radio's future in general and we currently have a good relationship with our ARRL area leadership to provide input on directions they may one day wish to spend more time focusing on.

Our blog called the HVDN Notebook will provide a great idea  as to some of our projects, events, plans and views.  Please check it out:  https://hvdn.org/notebooksummary

In 2018 we tried to hold regular in person meetings that focused on presentations instead of "business" like many other clubs. What we found was that it attracted a wide range of people, but most of them wanted us to focus on the same topics that other area clubs should be focused on instead, thus this would have prevented us from being innovation leaders. 

We have since shifted to virtual online meetings held every other odd month and these are open for anyone to attend live, but we limit the seating to 50 attendees. Replays and presentation material are available to HVDN members only. Details can be found on our calendar, YouTube channel and blog.

Besides our own meetings, we do presentations for other clubs and organizations. If you would like to inquire about this, please feel free to reach out to me. I will leave it to you to figure out how to do that!  

Yes.  Even though HVDN is targeted at the general New York area, we have members across the world. We offer two types of paid membership. but you have to be screened first before officially becoming a member.