dimanche 21 février 2021

• Amazon to require FCC certification
  Here’s an interesting notice from Amazon: Action required for radio frequency device listings on Amazon.com This article was originally published February 1, 2021, and it has been adjusted to reflect a new estimated date for this change. As part of our ongoing efforts to protect our customers (...)
  
  

jeudi 18 février 2021

• Time to insure your ham radio gear?
  On the Long Island CW Club mailing list, a fellow asked whether or not he should get insurance for his ham equipment. He writes, “Back when I ran a home brew 6CL6 tube type rig it didn’t matter much. Now — the investment makes me think about the safety of the gear. Any suggestions? […] The post (...)
  
  

mardi 16 février 2021

• ITU magazine features amateur radio
  The latest issue of ITU News, a publication of the International Telecommunications Union, the organization that regulates wireless communications around the world, is now online. This free downloadable magazine covers World Radio Day and features two articles on amateur radio: Ham radio and (...)
  
  

lundi 15 février 2021

• Operating notes: Slow down to bust contest pileup, panadapter helps work DX, HW U?
  Slow down to bust a contest pileup In the Minnesota QSO Party last weekend, there was a big pileup trying to work a station in some remote county. The operator was working about 23 – 25 wpm, so I replied at that speed. I even sped up a little thinking that I might be able […] The post Operating (...)
  
  

samedi 13 février 2021

• Amateur radio in the news: Young ham wins Congressional App Challenge
  Concord Student Wins Congressional App Challenge CONCORD, CA — A Concord teen won the 2020 Congressional App Challenge – CAC – for California’s 11th District. The CAC is a public initiative to encourage young people to learn how to code in an effort to inspire creativity and encourage interest in (...)
  
  

jeudi 11 février 2021

• ARRL extends Field Day rules wavers, sets class D and E power limit
  From the ARRL website… The COVID-19 pandemic-modified ARRL Field Day rules from 2020 will continue this June with the addition of a power limit imposed on Class D (Home Stations) and Class E (Home Stations-Emergency Power) participants. The news from the ARRL Board’s Programs and Services (...)
  
  

mercredi 10 février 2021

• In QST 100, 50, and 25 year ago: the mysteries of radio, quad vs. Yagi, DSP: an intuitive approach
  Some interesting articles have appeared in the February issues of QST. Here are three from the 1921, 1971, and 1996 issues…..Dan Some Whys, and Speculation as to Some Possible Wherefores by M.B. West. Some interesting speculation about how to improve the transmitters of the day. Remember, this (...)
  
  

lundi 8 février 2021

• Amateur radio in the news: Kids discover new (old?) way to communicate, training scouts
  Young students discover a different form of communication In a year that has often been isolating, eight students from Foxboro are exploring a different way to communicate. They are taking a virtual course in Morse code through the [CWops] CW Academy. Liam Polis, 11, a sixth-grader who is (...)
  
  

dimanche 7 février 2021

• It’s not a Begali, but….
  One of the questions I’m most frequently asked is, “What is a good paddle for a beginner?” My usual answer to this question is to look for a used Bencher BY-1 at a hamfest or on one of the online venues. You used to be able to get them for $60 or less. Now, however, […] The post It’s not a Begali, (...)
  
  

samedi 6 février 2021

• Comm Academy: a FREE virtual training conference on emergency communications
  Comm Academy, the conference for EmComm and preparation, has been around since 2001, but this year, the event is online and free. The event, which normally takes place in Seattle is two days of training, talks, and information on emergency communications. Comm Academy 2021 will take place on (...)
  
  

vendredi 5 février 2021

• Learn how to get amateur radio grants Saturday February 6!
  Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) is an organization whose mission is to “support, promote, and enhance digital communication and broader communication science and technology, to promote Amateur Radio, scientific research, experimentation, education, development, open access, and (...)
  
  

jeudi 4 février 2021

• Videos: ZS6BKW antenna, antenna gain, March 2021 QSO Today Ham Expo
  The ZS6BKW antenna is like a G5RV only better…at least that’s what some hams think. Antenna Gain A friend of mine, who’s a newcomer to amateur radio, sent me this link. The video uses the analogy of a light bulb to explain antenna gain.  QSO Today Ham Expo The next QSO Today Ham Expo […] The post (...)
  
  

mercredi 3 février 2021

• Amateur radio in the news: lots of hams in eastern IA, Winter Field Day in MA, reaching out to law enforcement
  Who’d a thunk it? But, eastern Iowa is where Collins is located……Dan 2nd-largest per-capita group of amateur radio operators in the world call Eastern Iowa home When a derecho packing winds of 80 to 100 miles per hour — and gusts topping 140 miles per hour — hit Eastern Iowa in August, about 400,000 (...)
  
  

mardi 2 février 2021

• Study scores rigs on price, performance, and consumer satisfaction
  Frank, K4FMH, is one of my fellow “presenters” on the ICQPodcast. He is also Professor Emeritus at Mississippi State University, where he taught statistics, survey research methods, and GIS/Remote Sensing over four decades. In other words, he’s a pretty smart guy. His latest effort is a study that (...)
  
  

dimanche 31 janvier 2021

• ICQ Podcast Episode 343: FCC reminds users not to use radios when committing crimes
  In episode #343 of the ICQPodcast, I joined Martin M1MRB and Edmund Spicer M0MNG to discuss the latest Amateur / Ham Radio news. We discussed the following: FCC – Radio Users Reminded Not to Use Radios in Crimes. We also discussed the ARRL’s response to this Enforcement Advisory, “ARRL on the (...)
  
  
• CW-ELMER: a fun tool for analyzing your fist
  As I’ve written in the past, my friend Paul, KW1L, is a real CW technician. So, when I saw the article, “CW-ELMER Advanced Morse Code Learning System” in the January 2021 QST, I knew he’d be interested in it. And, since all it takes to build it is an Arduino, a speaker and a 16×2 […] The post (...)
  
  

mercredi 27 janvier 2021

• NIST helps first responders stay connected
  The National Institute of Standards and Technology has its fingers in lots of pies. One of them is emergency communications. Below is an article written by an engineer doing research on human-computer interaction in the area of emergency communications. Whenever I read articles like this, I (...)
  
  
• From my Twitter feed: RPi Pico, scope probes, reducing noise in the shack
  Digi-Key Electronics @digikey @Raspberry_Pi launches their new #PicoBoard featuring their own #silicon. What that means and more >>> dky.bz/3c1KC2P Dave Jones @eevblog NEW EEVblog Video! EEVblog #1367 – 5 Types of Oscilloscope Passive Probes COMPARED youtu.be/rzo4Ntxqu1E Ian @mw0ian (...)
  
  

dimanche 24 janvier 2021

• Who knew Bernie was a ham?
  The photo of Bernie Sanders at the Biden inauguration has gone viral. Who knew he was a ham, though? The post Who knew Bernie was a ham? appeared first on KB6NU's Ham Radio Blog.
  
  

vendredi 22 janvier 2021

• Copy CW signals more easily with two tones
  A couple of days ago, someone posted the article, “A novel way to hear weak CW signals” (CQ, January 2018) to the Long Island CW Club mailing list. In the article, the author, Pete,, N8PR (SK) writes that you should set up your receiver to produce two tones 65 to 80 Hz apart to make […] The post (...)
  
  

jeudi 21 janvier 2021

• YOTA Month a Success in the Americas
  December YOTA Month 2020, a worldwide special event celebrating youth in amateur radio, was a great success in the Americas! 24 operators under the age of 25 used special event callsigns to promote youth in amateur radio here in the Americas. In the U.S., four 1×1 special event callsigns were (...)
  
  

mercredi 20 janvier 2021

• Have more fun in state QSO parties with the State QSO Party Challenge
  I have always been a fan of QSO parties. There are several reasons for this: They are a lot more laid back than most contests. Operators will often take an extra ten seconds or so to wish you good luck or joke with you a bit, especially on phone. You can be a “big fish […] The post Have more fun (...)
  
  
• Will we soon be operating DXpeditions remotely?
  This is a guest post from Bill, WC3B, one of my fellow “presenters” on the ICQPodcast……Dan I posted this on Twitter the other day: ok, I’m going to call it “first” – @RemoteHamRadio + @SpaceXStarlink + Solar Power with cold wx batteries + some custom @stepp_ir verticals + Mars Rover drone like frame = (...)
  
  

lundi 18 janvier 2021

• Contest University Propagation Summit this Saturday, January 23, 2021
  This popped into my inbox yesterday: Hello Contest University participant: You registered for Contest University 2020 which was held in May 2020. Contest University is hosting a Propagation Summit 2021 on January 23, 2021 starting at 11 AM EST. You can view the Propagation Summit outline: (...)
  
  

dimanche 17 janvier 2021

• FCC reminds us not to do anything illegal
  I got this odd email from the FCC this morning: From: FCC Office of Media Relations <FCCOfficeofMediaRelations@fcc.gov> Subject: Enforcement Advisory to Amateur & Personal Radio Service Licenses & Operators Date: January 17, 2021 at 9:45 AM The FCC’s Enforcement Bureau today (...)
  
  

samedi 16 janvier 2021

• Don’t answer this CQ
  Yesterday, my wife, Silvia, and I sat down to watch a movie on Amazon. As I flicked through “Movies we think you’ll like” I happened to run across a movie name CQ. “Hey, look at this,” I said jokingly. “Let’s watch it,” Silvia replied. It looked pretty cheezy, but I thought that I’d give it […] The (...)
  
  

mercredi 13 janvier 2021

• Amateur radio photos: Loading up gutters, chess set, help with DMR
  Load up your gutters This photo come from a Reddit post that describes the poster’s success with using his gutter system as an HF antenna. Wanna play? You won’t find this set in The Queen’s Gambit. DMR isn’t the hardest thing in ham radio, but it’s close Posted by Ralph, AA8RK, to our club mailing (...)
  
  

mardi 12 janvier 2021

• 2021 Field Day Logos Released
  Here are the 2021 Field Day logos, in English and Spanish! They are available in PDF format, too, if you’d prefer (English, Spanish). I had fun last year working Field Day on my own, but here’s hoping that we can return to a more normal kind if FD this year. The post 2021 Field Day Logos (...)
  
  

lundi 11 janvier 2021

• Hamvention 2021 cancelled
  Back in November, Hamvention announced their plans to hold a hamfest in 2021. That was, of course, the appropriate thing to do. These things don’t happen overnight, and even though I was a bit skeptical that it would actually happen, it’s good to be optimistic. Unfortunately, Hamvention just (...)
  
  

dimanche 10 janvier 2021

• QSLs from stations whose calls spell words: W8MAP, KN3PAT
  Matt, W8MAP, checked into our club’s Monday Night Net. As a Tech, he didn’t have any QSL cards yet, but said he’d make one for me. He writes: Thanks for asking for a QSL card. I needed the boost to get one made! The hawk on this card is a photo I took outside my […] The post QSLs from stations (...)
  
  

samedi 9 janvier 2021

• Register for next QSO Today Expo – March 13-14, 2021
  I got this from the QSO Today Expo a couple of days ago. I’ll be speaking about teaching online classes. C U THR! The first QSO Today Expo was a great success with over 16,000 attendees and the March 13-14, 2021 event is anticipated to be even larger. The QSO Expo team has been working […] The (...)
  
  

vendredi 8 janvier 2021

• Amateur radio in the news: Wireless and steam museum, Halifax amateurs get on the air, SDR tunes in new world of broadcasting
  Finally, a good reason to visit Rhode Island (just kidding, just kidding)….Dan Wireless Steam Museum reaches out E. GREENWICH, RI – For nearly 60 years, a small sign on Frenchtown Road has led visitors to a historic collection of ancient machines, one of East Greenwich’s best-kept secrets. This (...)
  
  

jeudi 7 janvier 2021

• Do we need more Volunteer Examiner Coordinators?
  Yesterday, one of the hams I follow on Twitter posted a link to FCC Public Notice DA-21-9, titled, “WIRELESS TELECOMMUNICATIONS BUREAU SEEKS INPUT ON EXPANDING THE NUMBER OF AMATEUR OPERATOR LICENSE VOLUNTEER EXAMINER COORDINATORS” (all caps theirs). The first paragraph concludes, “The Bureau (...)
  
  

mercredi 6 janvier 2021

• Who are the top ten figures in the history of amateur radio?
  I’m working with an author who is working on amateur radio reference book. It will have a glossary of terms, a list of Q-signals, and some other good stuff. Yesterday, he sent me a link to the Wikipedia page for Samuel Morse, the inventor of the Morse Code. He asked, “Would this be useful? Can (...)
  
  

lundi 4 janvier 2021

• ARRL Board meeting agenda one of the least informative agendas I’ve ever seen.
  The ARRL 2021 Annual Board Meeting will be held Friday/Saturday January 15-16, 2021. Today, I received the meeting agenda by email. (You can get the agendas, too, by logging into the ARRL website and going to https://www.arrl.org/Users/edit#!/edit-info-email_subscriptions.) I must say, though, (...)
  
  
• ICQ Podcast Episode 341 – Listener Q and A
  In this episode, I join Martin M1MRB, Leslie Butterfield G0CIB, Edmund Spicer M0MNG and Ruth Willet KM4LAO to discuss the latest Amateur / Ham Radio news. We discussed: FCC Sets Amateur License Fee at $35 3200km opening on 144 MHz in Australia Ofcom Release New Licences Total Temporary Licence (...)
  
  

samedi 2 janvier 2021

• Operating notes: Straight Key Night
  Straight Key Night (SKN) has come and gone again. This year’s was kind of fun. I managed to make six SKN contacts—three on Thursday evening on 80m and three on Friday morning on 40m—before I decided to call it quits. I used my KX-3 with a Bunnell Nr. 9 straight key (see above). The key […] The (...)
  
  
• Flex on the fritz
  A couple of days ago, my Flex 6400 decided that it didn’t want to work. I usually leave the radio and computer on, so when I sit down to operate, I hit the spacebar on the computer’s keyboard, and everything comes back to life. I did so this time, and the radio came up on […] The post Flex on the (...)
  
  

mercredi 30 décembre 2020

• FCC Sets Amateur License Fee at $35
  In Report and Order FCC 20-184, the FCC has set the amateur radio licensing fee at $35. It includes quite a bit of commentary on how it decided on that amount. In the R&O they noted, “We agree with commenters asserting this fee is too high to account for the minimal staff involvement in (...)
  
  
• Interesting stuff I found in my inbox
  I’m on a lot of ham radio mailing lists, and people are constantly sending me interesting things to read and to watch. Here are some of the coolest from the past couple of weeks…..Dan Smallest transceiver ever? This is very cool. Adam, K6ARK, has designed a surface-mount version of the Pixie (...)
  
  

mardi 29 décembre 2020

• Ham-Com today, Dayton tomorrow?
  I blogged a couple days ago about Ham-Com, the big Texas hamfest deciding to call it quits. Well, today, I got a Twitter DM from a friend who asked: The HamCom cancellation has me wondering if the same couldn’t happen to Dayton? Big venue, very costly, and I’d say there’s better than a 50-50 (...)
  
  

lundi 28 décembre 2020

• More free online seminars: 22nd Ham Radio University, propagation seminar
  Online learning isn’t the same as in-person learning, but one good thing about it is that many organizations are offering it for free or at very low cost. Here are two opportunities that I’ve recently found out about: Ham Radio University Celebrates 22nd Year The 22nd annual Ham Radio University (...)
  
  

dimanche 27 décembre 2020

• Ham-Com calls it quits
  This appeared recently on the Ham-Com website: It is with a heavy heart that I write this letter about the future of Ham-Com. After 41 years, Ham-Com has decided to close its doors in lieu of the restrictions in place for COVID-19 and the rising costs of putting on a show. The decision was not (...)
  
  

samedi 26 décembre 2020

• Amateur radio in the news: Hammarlund, ham radio on the ISS, two kids work the South Pole
  Ham radio operators honor legacy of Mars Hill company During the 1950’s and ’60’s, when the Hammarlund Manufacturing Company had a factory just west of Mars Hill College, the town could have been considered a world center of advanced electronic technology. With a company motto of “Quality Without (...)
  
  

vendredi 25 décembre 2020

• Twelve Days of Ham Radio Christmas
  Thanks to the HamRadio.World YouTube channel for this great video. I hope that your true loves gave you all something nice for Christmas. The post Twelve Days of Ham Radio Christmas appeared first on KB6NU's Ham Radio Blog.
  
  

mercredi 23 décembre 2020

• New ARRL CEO, NA2AA, on YouTube
  One thing I like about the ARRL’s new CEO is that he’s getting out and meeting the troops. And, since this is 2020, he’s doing it via Zoom. Four days ago, he spoke to the Fair Lawn Amateur Radio Club. (The photo below is not an embedded video. Apparently, embedding is not allowed for this […] The (...)
  
  

lundi 21 décembre 2020

• Operating Notes: Heathkits on the air, 1929 rig, DX QRM
  Heathkits still on the air About a week ago, I worked KA7U, who was operating a set of “Heathkit Twins,” a combination of the SB-300 receiver and the SB-400 transmitter. It sounded pretty good, too! My very next contact was with VE3AIA. He was running the DX-60B transmitter (with HG-10 VFO) and (...)
  
  
• HamPi and GNURadio
  Ham Pi is a distribution for the Raspberry Pi produced by Dave Slotter, W3DJS. It’s notable because it includes more than 100 ham radio apps, including apps for running digital modes, antenna modeling apps, logging app, Morse Code apps, and software-defined radio apps. It’s the SDR apps that I’m (...)
  
  

vendredi 18 décembre 2020

• ISS SSTV transmissions to commemorate 20 years of ham radio aboard ISS
  From ARRL News… Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) will continue its year-long 20th anniversary celebration of continuous ham radio operation from the ISS this month, with a slow-scan television (SSTV) event over the holidays. The first ARISS school contact took place in (...)
  
  

jeudi 17 décembre 2020

• Interesting stuff from the trade magazines: Make your own conductive inkHeathkit, scope fundamentals
  How to Brew Your Own Conductive Ink An engineer gets creative and mixes up a batch of conductive ink to make his son a birthday present. …read more Heathkit: An Employee’s Look Back Heath Company was the largest kit company in the world. Heath designed and put practically every type of electronic (...)