We report briefly on our optical spectroscopy of QSOs from the radio survey in progress at the University of Texas Radio Astronomy Observatory (UTRAO). The radio survey, under the direction of Dr J. N. Douglas, covers declinations north of −36 degrees, in strips that are 9 degrees wide in declination. Preliminary results for the strip centered at +18 degrees have been published (Douglas et al. 1980) and other strips are currently being prepared for publication. The complete catalogue will list 1 arcsec positions and some structure information for about 75,000 sources stronger than about 250 mJy at 365 MHz. Optical identifications are made from the Palomar Observatory Sky Survey plates using an interactive laser measuring machine (Ghigo 1977), and the accuracy of the radio source positions allows the identifications to be made regardless of the colours of the objects. Optical spectroscopy of a sample of about 300 QSO candidates brighter than 19 mag, drawn from the +36, +18 and −12 degree strips, is being carried out at McDonald Observatory using an Intensified Dissector Scanner at the cassegrain focus of the 2.7m reflector. Two image-tube and dissector chains are available, together covering the range 3200–8500 A; a typical spectrum takes 1 hour to obtain, with wavelength resolution of 10 A over a total range of 3000 A.