Indholdsfortegnelse for October 2023 i CQ Amateur Radio

OCTOBER FAIRBANKS, ALASKA – ARCTIC ARC, - from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on October 7. Bentley Mall, 32 College Rd. Talk-ln: 146.88 (103.5Hz). Free Adm! www.kl7kc.com LAKESIDE, CALIFORNIA – LAKESIDE ARC, - from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. on October 7. Lakeside Rodeo Arena, 12584 Mapleview St. Talk-ln: 146.55. Free Adm $5 www.lakesidearc.org NEW HOLLAND, PENNSYLVANIA – RED ROSE REPEATER ASSOCIATION, - from 8 a.m. on October 7. Garden Spot Fire Rescue, 339 E. Main Street. Talk-ln: 147.015 (118.8Hz). Adm $5 www.w3rrr.org CRESTVIEW, FLORIDA – NORTH OKALOOSA ARC, - from 8 a.m. on October 14. Crestview Community Center, 1446 Commerce Dr. Talk-ln: 147.36 (100 Hz). Adm $7 www.w4aaz.org/noarc-hamfest BEDFORD, INDIANA – HOOSIER HILLS HAM CLUB, - from 8 a.m. to NOON. on October 14. Lawrence County 4-H Fairgrounds, 11265…

Kees Van Oosbree, W0AAE, a 19-year-old ham from Maple Grove, Minnesota (Photo A), was presented with the 2023 Bill Pasternak Memorial Newsline Young Ham of the Year award at the Huntsville Hamfest in Alabama on August 19. Van Oosbree was honored for his leadership in both the Youth on the Air (YOTA) Americas program and the Remote Ham Radio Youth Network. (For more background on Kees, see the August 2023 issue of CQ.) Amateur Radio Newsline anchor Don Wilbanks, AE5DW (Photo B), was the master of ceremonies at the annual presentation. Joining Don and Kees on stage was Yaesu USA Sales Office Manager Nori Romero (Photo C), who came bearing gifts! Yaesu is a corporate sponsor of the Newsline Young Ham of the Year award, along with CQ, Heil Sound…

A Look Back at 14 Years of Portable Hamming On September 3, 2023, I conducted my 1000th HF portable operation using ultralight equipment, independent battery power, temporarily-deployed antennas and QRP transmitter output power. My jubilee portable activation was conducted from the uninhabited island of Golem Grad in Prespa Lake, North Macedonia (Z3), also known as Snake Island due to the high density of snakes there. This was considered the first-ever radio amateur activity from this relatively difficult to reach location (Photos A and B). I have been operating portable for the past 14 years, with 30,000 QRP QSOs with all continents. Most of these operations have included non-motorized access (walking up to 20 kilometers and cycling for 100 kilometers per day), visiting attractive locations such as mountain summits, historical fortresses,…

This small by solid guide is the perfect read for those interested in learning or improving CQ operating techniques! Within its pages you'll find . The secret of becoming a proficient CQ Operator . Where and how to practice, practice, practice. . Straight Key or Paddle? . Keyers, Iambic Keying and Bugs . Contests & Events, DXing .Operating QSK .CW Filters . Signs, Signals and Procedures . Tips on Taking CW On the Road… and much, much more! Order your copy today! Shipping and Handling US and Possesions $3, CN/MX $5, All Other Countries $10 6 x 9 Paperback Only $15.95 CQ Communications http://store.cq-amateur-radio.com…

1A0C Sovereign Military Order of Malta - Where Extraterritoriality Makes the Difference For a week this past summer, hams around the world were treated to the first operation in four years from the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, an extraterritorial entity headquartered in the heart of Rome that has its own place on the ARRL DXCC list. An international team of 15 amateurs operated 1A0C for eight days in late July and early August, making nearly 80,000 contacts and helping to raise funds for the Order’s worldwide relief efforts. While many amateurs are familiar with “SMOM” as a DX entity, far fewer know much about its nearly thousand-year history or its humanitarian mission. So let’s start there… The Order of Malta The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of…

This article describes the use of a satellite TV dish along with a circuit described in an earlier article in QST that can be used to locate arcing on power poles. The original article can be found in the QST archives (April 2006, “A Home-made Ultrasonic Power Line Arc Detector” by James Hanson, W1TRC). I highly recommend reading it to get a full understanding of this project. A circuit board is available from FAR Circuits for $5.50 and includes an updated parts list and extensive instructions.1 Using that circuit board will prevent wiring errors, make the electronics compact and speed construction time. The $5.50 is well worth the price. No special parts are used in this project. Project History My ham friend and fellow homebrewer, Bob Sumption, N8RS, built the…

All Resistors are 1/4-watt R1, R2, R3, R4, R5: 1K, Digi Key CF14JT1K00CT-ND - Cut Tape(CT) R6, R7, R8, R9, R10: 10K, Digi Key CF14JT10K0CT-ND - Cut Tape(CT) R11: 5K single-turn linear taper potentiometer, Digi Key 987-1311-ND or Amazon ASIN # B0744G6JDN R12: 10K single-turn linear taper potentiometer, Digi Key 987-1724-ND or Amazon ASIN #B00DN7P2QE C1, C2, C3, C4, C5: 2200 pF ceramic monolithic disk capacitor, Digi Key BD1074CT-ND, Amazon ASIN #B00E6P11R4 (see note in text) C6: .1 μF 35-volt ceramic disk capacitor, Digi Key BC1084CT-ND - Cut Tape(CT) C7: 47 μF 35-volt electrolytic capacitor, Digi Key 732-9213-1-ND - Cut Tape(CT) [This capacitor adds additional filtering to your voltage source and is not critical. It can be anything from 20 uF to 100 uF at 35 volts as long as…

In the last issue, I began working on the QRP Labs Clock Kit. I have completed it and it dealt me a few surprises along the way to completion. I did not set my kit up to put out external serial data, just use the onboard display. I did use the QLG2 GPS kit to provide the kit with accurate timing and location data. When assembling a kit, things don’t always work out the way you thought they would. One thing that had me doing some trouble-shooting was the power leads coming from the buck converter module. I was using ribbon cable leads most commonly used for solderless breadboards. With the pin type connectors on the PC boards in this kit, I found it very easy to use them as…

Lately, I have been thinking (very dangerous territory) about the “good old days“ of DXing. I got my license (WB2RJJ) in 1965 and was almost immediately immersed in the world of chasing DX. Back then, chasing DX was just a little bit different than today. Not better. Not worse. Just different. It was common to tune the bands for stations either calling CQ or running a pileup. I always tell the story about two “happen chance” DX contacts that I made back then. While tuning around on 20-meter CW one night at 0130 UTC (8:30 PM EST) with my old HT-37 transmitter and Hammarlund HQ110AC receiver, I came across VU2DIA calling CQ. I thought “INDIA!” I‘d never worked India! I answered his CQ and he came right back, giving me…

FCC Back to Full Strength The FCC is finally back to having five commissioners, after the Senate voted in early September to confirm the nomination of Anna Gomez to fill a long-vacant seat. This will allow the Commission to take action on significant issues, as it previously had been deadlocked with two commissioners from each major political party. Gomez is a former high-level FCC staffer, and just prior to her appointment was working for the State Department, leading the U.S. preparations for the upcoming World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-23). According to the ARRL Letter, Gomez has been succeeded in that role by Steve Lang, the State Department’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Information and Communications Policy. He had already been working closely with Gomez on WRC-23 preparations. ARRL Asks Hams to…

Off-Air QSOs Editor, CQ: Your editorial last March about not all QSOs being on the air came back to my mind when participating recently at a conference hosted by Internet2 in Atlanta. Internet2 is an organisation that provides high-performance optical fibre networks connecting universities across the country. While the topics at the conference focused on hard wired fibre networks and services, one of the delegates was bemoaning challenges in deploying RF Wi-Fi and wished for greater RF spectral precision. RF was my cue to show him my WSPR beacon propagation. He stopped me short… “I’m a ham, too,” he said. Someone else overheard the conversation. Other hams joined us. I had a few blank QSL cards that I started giving out instead of business cards. Word spread. And before you…

CQ CLASSIC: Radio and the Lure of the Sea To accompany this issue’s article about the radio gear aboard the Kon Tiki during Thor Heyerdahl’s 1947 expedition by raft from South America to Polynesia, we thought it would be fun to reprise a QRP column from just a little over 10 years ago, when N6GA reported on a ham who was installing a Heyerdahl-inspired (but solar-powered) transmitter on his sailboat. The August 2012 column also takes a look at a QRP mini-expedition to Easter Island. Enjoy… This month we turn our attention to the South Pacific for a couple of QRP adventures. Remember the Kon-Tiki? (See opening photo.) It was the raft used by Thor Heyerdahl to sail from Peru to the Polynesian islands in 1947. His purpose was to show…

Just like all the sovereign entities of the world, the Order of Malta runs its own postal service and issues its own postage stamps. Since 1966, “Poste Magistrali” (Photo O) is the postal operator of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, designated for the collection and dispatch of correspondence originating within the extraterritorial seats of the Order (the Magistral Palace and the Magistral Villa in Rome). It is currently possible to send mail franked with stamps issued by the Order of Malta to Italy and other 57 countries with which the Order has concluded bilateral postal agreements. The postage stamps and stationery issued by Poste Magistrali have always stood out because of their topical content and image, closely linked to the Order of Malta. On July 23, 2023, the Order…

Two months ago, in August, we started with a discussion of fundamental antennas and how they evolved. Probably 90% of the antennas you will work with over your amateur radio career will be one of those basic ones or a derivation of one. This month I want to discuss one of the currently popular antenna types that we are seeing a lot of in portable HF operations, the “end-fed.“ These antennas come in two varieties, so similar to each other it is sometimes hard to tell which is which. The end-fed half-wave (EFHW) is a resonant antenna, with a fundamental half-wave electrical length which will work on its fundamental frequency and multiples of it. The other “end fed” could rightfully be called a “random wire” since it is not an…

New from CQ– the VHF Propagation Handbook–Second Edition, written by three of Amateur Radio’s wellknown authors: WB2AMU, WB6NOA and K7JA! Just about all radio amateurs in the United States, as well as those in many other areas of the world, have access to VHF radio frequencies, regardless of their license class. And, the propagation modes that are often seen on these frequencies make for some pretty incredible operating conditions. You will find a wealth of information within this book – beginning with Chapter 1: Introduction to the Troposphere and Ionosphere to Chapter 12: New Digital Mode Revolution in VHF+ DXing. Chapter 12 will bring you up-to-speed on the revolution in tools and techniques for VHF+ DXing. This new found-knowledge will certainly add to your enjoyment of the hobby! This 6…

Here are some of the articles we’re working on for upcoming issues of CQ: • Results: 2023 CQ WPX CW Contest • US Medalists at 2023 World ARDF Championship • Rules: 2024 CQ DX Marathon; 2024 CQWW 160-Meter Contest Plus… • Sweepstakes Success Tips • A “Sherlock” Sampler • An EmComm Exercise Regimen Do you have a hobby radio story to tell? A new circuit you’ve designed? An operating adventure? CQ covers the entire radio hobby. See our writers’ guidelines on the CQ website at <http://bit.ly/2qBFOdU>.…

One of the interesting things about being a magazine editor is that sometimes an issue “talks to you” as it’s being put together. I’ve written here a couple of times about issues that tell me what’s going to be in them rather than the other way around. This is not one of those issues, but it is talking to me and is telling me what to write about right here (and if I know what’s good for me, I’ll listen, HI). It wants me to talk about the magic of “voices from the air” and to urge all of us never to lose that magic in the name of “progress” as our analog world becomes more and more digital. For many of us, our love affair with radio began with…

Vladimir Kovaceski, Z35M, is ham radio’s “marathon man.” His first CQ article, back in 2005, described his making more than 43,000 contacts the previous year. He’s checked in periodically with us since then, writing about various additional feats and adventures, such as operating from a cable gondola going up a mountain and pioneering the concept of “guerilla QRP portable” operation. In this issue’s cover story, Vlado takes us through nearly 15 years of portable operations as he celebrates portable expedition number 1,000! In the photo, he’s using his bicycle as an antenna support during one of his annual bicycle mobile trips from his home in North Macedonia around Ohrid Lake, which borders both North Macedonia and Albania. The trips cover more than 100 kilometers (62 miles). For his 1000th portable…

From flags and pennants to Morse code and complex telecommunications, “Radio History: Ship Shore“ is a treatise on the navigational aids vessels have used over the centuries. Author Spurgeon “Spud” G. Roscoe takes the reader on a journey through the evolution of communication systems globally, from the days of Columbus to modern times. Roscoe also mines his first-hand experience as a radio officer who sailed on a dozen ships, including a reproduction of the ill-fated HMS Bounty. Now in his eighties, he has been meticulously collecting the content for “Radio History: Ship Shore“ for more than five decades. The result is a hefty tome in which Roscoe shares his encyclopedic knowledge and unyielding fascination with communications systems. The book includes all the vessels in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police marine…

I have been experimenting for many years with large diameter metal tubes to build vertical antennas. It all started when I built a portable vertical antenna by repurposing Illy coffee cans.1 I have discovered that the larger the diameter of the vertical element, the shorter the element needs to be to be resonant on a given frequency. In other words, the usual formula to calculate the length of the quarter-wave vertical antenna (234/freq in MHz) does not apply. I also learned that the larger the radiating surface, the more efficient the antenna becomes. My latest project, presented here, utilizes a 12-inch diameter construction form made of cardboard for the bottom half of the antenna as well as a stack of Illy coffee cans for the top half (Photo A and…

As many readers are aware, I am a retired public high school teacher. I am fortunate and pleased when I meet former students, for they greet me with all five fingers extended! It’s always a pleasure to see them, to catch up and to hear about their successes, their families, and their careers. For me, when I taught, I didn’t have students for one hour a day, five days a week for a school year. Instead, students became extended family members. Some talking heads with 24-hour cable news shows will have you think otherwise about public school teachers, but such is not the case. Before you think to yourself that I’m an exception, I assure you I am not. Almost every colleague I’ve worked with feels the same way and…