- — One lump or two (or three)?
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at 8/3/26 2:56pmIf theres anything that radio amateurs like to kvetch about its licensing. How many license classes should there be? How difficult should the tests be? What kind of privileges should each class get? Back in the 1950s and 1960s, the debate was incentive licensing. Incentive license was supposed to be an effort to get radio amateurs to upgrade their technical skills. As you progressed up the ladder from Novice to Extra, you received more operating privileges, mainly on the HF bands. In practice, however, it stripped privileges from General Class hams, and so many of them got upset with the ARRL—which backed the program—that I believe it was the start of the ARRLs demise. In the 1990s and early 2000s, the debate was about whether licensees should be required to pass a code test or not. In 1991, the first no-code Tech licenses were issued. In 2003, the World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC) in Geneva voted to allow International Telecommunication Union (ITU) member countries to eliminate the mandatory Morse code proficiency requirement for amateur radio licensing. In 2007, the FCC eliminated the Morse code testing requirement for all amateur radio license classes in the U.S. In April 2000, the FCC stopped issuing new Novice, Tech Plus, and Advanced class licenses, leaving just Technician, General, and Amateur Extra as the classes available to new applicants. Being an Advanced Class licensee at the time, I was hoping to get Extra Class privileges, but unfortunately, that was not to be. I remained an Advanced Class license until 2005, which is when I started publishing study guides. After all, who would want to buy an Extra Class study guide from a guy with only an Advanced Class license? Fast forward to today Steve, N8GNJ, the fellow behind the Zero Retries newsletter, is trying to re-ignite this debate. (By the way, if you havent already subscribed to Zero Retries, you really should, at least if youre concerned about the future of the hobby. Despite the way he capitalizes Amateur Radio, a la the ARRL, its well worth reading. And, its completely free, although Steve is very happy to accept donations.) In issue #258, N8GNJ published an article titled, Fixing the US Amateur Radio Licenses. The article, which references a blog post by Bob, K0NR titled How to Fix the Technician License, In it, he says that many new hams arent all that interested in HF, and consider the current license structure, which is a holdover from the old incentive licensing days, to be a disincentive for upgrading only to obtain more HF privileges. He says that the current licensing structure, smacks of gamesmanship / hoop jumping / jerking them around, and simply, [new hams that Steve calls new tech hams] have no patience for such things. I think that hes right, up to a point, about this. Steve proposes that we combine the US Amateur Radio Technician and General Licenses into a single license that has all the privileges of the current General Class license and to promote all of the current Techs to this Standard Class. He would make the test for this Standard Class a bit more challenging technically, adding questions about digital technology and software-defined radio, topics which he feels are more relevant than arcane radio circuits or formulas that aren’t necessary to operate with current off-the-shelf equipment. This article has started an interesting discussion on the ZeroRetries discussion group. There, the idea of a two-tier license structure is quite popular, although the form of that structure varies from person to person. Several advocate for just a single license class and test. Im not sure thats a good idea, as youd have to make that test quite difficult, and that would discourage many people. One fellow suggested a single class of license with endorsements for things such as VE/VEC stuff, spread-spectrum operation, high-power operation, encryption, and Operational Compliance Observer (Radio Police). All of these ideas deserve discussion. Unfortunately, as in many other areas of amateur radio, the current version of the ARRL lacks both the vision to and leadership necessary to move this forward. Personally, Id like to stop kvetching and really start working on how to improve ham radio.- — More QSLs: N7FAN, AD7HI
- at 8/3/26 7:47amThese QSLs are a bit different than the other QSLs I post here. Not because they dont spell words, but because they are from stations west of the Mississippi. Because of the way I have to mount my HF antenna, I dont do very well to the west. Also, the N7FAN card is for a rare FT8 contact.
- — More POTA notes, 7/30/26
- at 7/30/26 5:53pmHere are a couple more POTA notes: Ive discovered the limits of my 9 Ahr BioEnno battery. I used it for the following activations: July 22, 1 hour, 15 contacts July 24, 1.5 hours, 31 contacts July 25, 1.5 hours, 60 contacts July 27, 2.5 hours, 52 contacts July 29, 1.25 hours, 40 contacts About midway through this last activation, my KX3 began limitng the power output to 10 W. I guess that the battery couldnt supply enough current to output the full 15 W. It did continue to work at 10 W, though, for the remainder of the activation. I recharged the battery overnight, and it worked just fine this morning. My 40 contacts yesterday gave me 940 from the Iron Belle Trail (US-13184), so this morning, I decided to work the remaining 60 to get my kilo for the park. I made my first contact at 8:35 am, and for the next hour and a half, did pretty well. I made contact #59 at 10:05, which is close to 1 contact every minute and a half. Then, the band went south on me. Over the next half hour, I only managed 7 contacts.Even so, that put me over 1,000 QSOs for US-13184, so Im happy about that. My 1,006 contacts and 29 activations dont, however, get me onto the leader board, though. KE8VC leads with 117 activations and 6234 contacts! After lunch, it was such a nice day that I managed to cajole my wife to head out to the Pinckney State Recreation Area (US-3322) with me. The bands werent as cooperative as they were in the morning, but I did manage to make 40 contacts over the course of two hours. I would have liked to make more contacts, but it was fun just chilling by the beach and enjoying the day. Towards the end of the activation, a young man and his son came up to me and started chatting. He mentioned that he was planning to take the Tech test soon. I gave him my card and encouraged him to download my free study guide. I also gave him a demo of my POTA setup and explained what POTA was all about. I hope that he will get his license soon and join us on the air.
- — POTA notes, 7/27/26
- at 7/27/26 12:15pmSince the POTA gods (or in this case, a goddess) designated the Iron Belle State Trail (US-13184) a. POTA entity, this spring, Ive been working a lot of POTA. The park is less than a mile from my house, and I can be on the air within 20 minutes of leaving my house. After this mornings activation, I have a total of 900 contacts from US-13184. This has given me a lot of time to make some observations about POTA operation. Here they are in no particular order: Im hoping to hit the kilo mark at US-13184 sometime this week, so that I can hit some of the other parks in the area again. Specifically, I want to head out to Pinckney State Recreation Area (US-3322). Theres a nice little lake with a sandy beach there, which is great for warmer weather. Although there is more activity on the weekends, weekdays can be good days for activating as well. On Saturday, I made 60 contacts in an hour and a half. This morning, I made 52 contacts in about two hours and 15 minutes. If Im out early (say before 9 am), I begin operations on 40 meters. This lets me work close-in stations before the D-layer gets too hot for ionospheric propagation. Ive also noticed that ground wave propagation can be good on 40 meters early in the day. When it seems as though Ive worked all the hunters on 40 meters, or when propagation begins changing, Ill go to 20 meters. You dont want to wait too long to to this, but you dont want to be too quick, either. Being a CW guy, I mostly operate CW. The last couple of activations, though, Ive given phone a try. With only 15 W from my KX-3, Im certainly not the strongest signal on the band, but I have made contacts, and phone is a nice change of pace. Who knows? I might even give digital a whack one of these days. 18 or 19 wpm seems to be the optimum speed at which to call CQ POTA. Calling at higher speeds could put off slower hunters. Calling at slower speeds is a bit aggravating for me. Listen for the weak signals. Because youre not asking for a long contact, QRP stations will call you for a contact. Other park activators will also have weaker signals on average. I dont actually do this myself, but Id say that always using headphones will help you hear the weaker stations. I really should because its kind of comical seeing me lean in to hear a weak one on the less-than-great KX3 speaker. In general, there seem to be a higher percentage of women operating POTA. Its not an incredibly higher percentage, but it is something that Ive noticed. My 9 Ahr battery is good for at least 4 activations. I could have gotten away with a much smaller battery, but its nice not having to recharge after every activation. Activations can be more fun with a second operator, even if youre working CW. A ham friend stopped by the park this morning, just as I was wrapping up. We shared some observations, and when I was done, he set up his station. Next time, Ill bring my 40-meter contest filter so that we can both operate at the same time without interfering with one another. Now, here are a couple of observations directed at hunters: If an activator doesnt repsond to your first call, dont get discouraged. Be patient, especially if youre running low power. If you hang in there, the activator will eventually get to you. Hunters dont need to repeat exchange, unless asked to do so. If youre giving an activator a 559 report from Michigan, simply send 559 MI, not 559 559 MI MI. Having said all that, Id love to hear some of your observations. Please leave a comment below or email me directly.
- — QSLs: WA2PAY, W3SKY
- at 7/25/26 12:16pmHere are two new QSL cards for my collection of QSLs whose calls spell words. Both are from Florida, and both are very colorful.
- — ICQPodcast Episode 487 – A Taste of Ham Radio Friedrichshafen
- at 7/12/26 11:47amIn this episode, I joined Martin Butler M1MRB, Caryn Eve Murray KD2GUT and Ed Durrant DD5LP to discuss: Germany Likely to Get Full 4 Metres Band Back. The Brits on the podcast seem to love the 4-meter band. Unfortunately, I doubt that well ever get access to it here in the U.S. Eyeball-to-Eyeball Off-the-Air QSO Party. The Eyeball QSO Party is a weekly Zoom meeting that got started during the pandemic that continues to this day. Hams from different countries attend every week to share their opinions and activities. Canada Reviewing Policy on Antennas, Towers. Although this effort isnt specifically meant for radio amateurs, the Radio Amateurs of Canada thinks that the proposals will give hams much more latitude when it comes to putting up antenna structures. Researchers Create Space Wall to Weaken Solar Storms. Researchers believe they have developed an effective line of defence against geomagnetic storms that would protect radio communications, GPS systems, electrical grids and satellites from disruption. This is, however, all theoretical at this point, and the panel was dubious that this would work in practice. YOTA Camp Region 1 Austria July 2026. A highlight of this years YOTA Summer Camp is that every attendee will go home with a QMX+ they built, with the help of Hans Summers G0UPL of QRP Labs. Hans is also donating endfed antennas, power banks, microphones, and Morse keys. I want to be like G0UPL when I grow up. This episodes feature is a Taste of Ham Radio Friedrichshafen.
- — Today’s POTA activation: A nice change of pace
- at 7/11/26 12:19pmThis summer, I have been activating the Iron Belle Trail, US-13184, a lot. This is a newly-added POTA entity and it runs through Bandemer Park, which is less than a mile from my house as the crow flies, and less than a mile and a half by car. I can be on the air in 20 minutes or less from the time I leave my house. I popped over to the park this morning for a quick activation. I got all set up and made some CW contacts on 40 meters, but the action was kind of slow. I QSYed up to 20 meters, only to discover that there was some kind of contest going on. :( I made a contact or two there, then switched to 30 meters. I made a couple of contacts on 30 by hunting, but that still wasn’t all that satisfying. Then, I thought, why not give phone a try? I QSYed to 40 meter phone, found a guy operating a special event station and worked him. He gave me a pretty decent signal report, so I decided to try calling CQ POTA. I made seven contacts calling CQ. As I was getting close to the hour that I allotted myself to operate this morning, I decided to try hunt a few more. The first activator that I came across had three operators in North Carolina. Tuning down the band a little, I found another multi-operator activation that wasn’t even listed on the spots page. There were five ops there in Georgia. So, out of a total 29 contacts, 16 were SSB contacts, which I made in the last 23 minutes. Not too shabby for only running 15 W and a nice change of pace! My average report was 5-7. A nice surprise By the way, I had a nice surprise yesterday when I arrived at the park. The picnic table Ive been operating from at Bandemer was in pretty bad shape. The wood had warped and gotten quite soft, and one of the benches even had a hole in it. I reported this to the city on the SeeClickFix website on Monday, and when I arrived at the park on Friday, the rotting wood had all been replaced. The newly restored picnic table that I operate from at Bandemer Park. You can see the Iron Belle Trail, US-13184, in the background. I don’t know if this had anything to do with their prompt reply, but when I reported the issue, I noted that the hole in the bench could be a safety issue! At any rate, it’s even more of a pleasure to operate at Bandemer Park.
- — Guest Post: ARRL needs new blood
- at 6/17/26 11:07amThis is a guest post from Fred Hopengarten, K1VR Past Director, New England Division. The ARRL does a lot of good work. It fights for spectrum. It helps organize public service. It supports education and licensing. You should be a member. You should support the League. And yet: membership is shrinking, the mood is frayed, and the organization could use a little oxygen. Maybe a lot of oxygen. This year, four Division Directors may seek reelection: K0AIZ in the Midwest, N8SY in the Great Lakes, AC0W in Dakota, and K5UZ in Delta. They may be fine fellows. They may be good operators, decent DXers, repeater builders, public-service regulars, or all of the above. Good for them. But that is not the job. Directors are not hired to be pleasant at dinner. They are there to make decisions that strengthen the League and amateur radio. On that score, I think these four have backed the wrong plays. A League That Likes the Curtain Start with secrecy. In the old days, any Board member could ask for a roll-call vote. That changed. Now a recorded vote requires a motion, a second, and five directors willing to say yes. Maybe that sounds tidy. Maybe it sounds efficient. It is neither especially tidy nor especially efficient. A roll call takes less than a minute. What the new rule really does is make it harder to see who voted for what. That matters, because some of the most important motions are the least glamorous ones: dues, governance, and League positions on public issues. If members want to know how their directors voted, they should not need a treasure map. K0AIZ, N8SY, AC0W, and K5UZ all supported that change. Campaigning, But Make It Tiny Then there’s the election rule that says campaigning and fundraising must stay entirely inside the division holding the election. No outside support. No GoFundMe. No help from a friend, a club, or a brother in another division. That is a strange way to encourage competition. Think about the math. If a division has 10,000 members, even a modest mailing gets expensive fast. A challenger is supposed to build a campaign, spread the word, and overcome the built-in advantages of incumbency — but only with one hand tied behind the back. It starts to feel less like election reform and more like incumbency insurance. Residency, Or Else There is also the residency rule: a candidate must live full-time in the division. Not just be based there. Not just keep a foothold there. Full-time. That sounds neat until you imagine real life. People own cabins. People snowbird. People split time between places. People travel. People have jobs, family, and call signs that do not always fit into a clean little box. But under this rule, a vacation place outside the division can become disqualifying. A fishing cabin can become a scandal. A winter house can become a problem. It is hard not to wonder whether this is really about eligibility or merely about protecting the people already inside the tent. Don’t Mention the Other Guy One of the more remarkable rules says a candidate may not make any comments, direct or indirect, about an opponent in campaign communications. That is a campaign rule that somehow dislikes campaigns. By that logic, challengers are supposed to run without contrast, without comparison, and without saying why the incumbent should be replaced. In other words: please compete, but gently, and never in a way that causes a voter to notice there is an incumbent at all. That is not healthy democracy. That is upholstery. No Real Megaphone The communications restrictions are just as odd. Candidates may not use communications vehicles that carry campaigning outside their division, except for personal websites or webpages. Meanwhile, incumbents have the League’s machinery, the visibility of their office, and the ability to email members in ways challengers cannot match. Think of it as a League halo. That is not a level field. It is a tilted one. And the burden is not theoretical. Email lists are not handed to challengers. Postal mail is expensive. Club networks are restricted. Large national clubs can become unusable for campaign outreach. If you are trying to run against an incumbent, the system seems designed to make sure your message arrives late, thin, or not at all. The Bigger Problem The deeper issue is not any one rule. It is the accumulation of rules that make challenge harder, scrutiny weaker, and change less likely. ARRL membership has been declining for years. The League needs fresh thinking, not procedural armor. It needs directors who ask whether a rule grows the organization, broadens participation, and encourages competition. It does not need a governing style that treats every awkward question like a threat. Ask these directors what they have done to reverse the decline. Ask whether they voted for the rules that narrow debate, limit fundraising, and shield incumbents. Ask whether that is really the best way to rebuild trust. Because if the answer is “we made it harder for challengers to compete,” that is not a reform. That is a warning label. What To Do The good news is that small elections can still matter a lot. In the Great Lakes Division in 2023, N8SY defeated W8CI by only 152 votes out of 4,198 cast. In Midwest, Dakota, and Delta, there were no challengers at all. That should not happen. We need candidates in the Midwest, Great Lakes, Dakota, and Delta Divisions. We need energetic, eligible, forward-looking hams who want to serve, not just occupy a seat. Public service people. POTA people. SOTA people. Digital folks. Builders. Volunteers. People who care about growth. So here is the ask: find one good candidate in your division. Encourage that candidate. Provide support. Help them run. Make sure you are an ARRL member. And when the ballot comes, use it. Because the League does not need fewer challenges to prevailing thought. It needs more.
- — ICQPodcast Episode 485 – World Cup Special Event Station
- at 6/15/26 8:26amIn this episode, I join Martin Butler M1MRB, Caryn Eve Murray KD2GUT, Edmund Spicer M0MNG and Ed Durrant DD5LP to discuss the latest Amateur / Ham Radio news. Here are this episodes topics: Number of Amateur Radio Operators in Japan Continues Declining. The decline is actually pretty dramatic. We consider how this might affect the abilty and desire of the Japanes manufactures to continue developing new amateur radio equipment. Find the Right Rig: New Comparison Tool for ARRL Members. On the surface, this looks like a nice tools for ARRL members, but some of the presenters find it lacking. PRESENTER OPINION : Button, button. Who’s got the button? This is a discussion of my NO MINSTER buttons, and if they will be able to affect how the ARRL is being run. Sale Keeps Two More Ham Brands Alive. MFJ is selling the Ameritron and Mirage amplifier lines to ITU, the company that recently purchased the HyGain and Cushcraft antenna products. HAMSCI asks Canada to Reconsider Shortwave Shutdown. While a valiant effort, the presenters doubt whether HamSCIs request will sway the Canadian government to keep CHU operating. Amateur Radio Has The Power Of Awareness. This is a discussion of the World Giraffe Day special event station, W3G, on June 21, 2026. I stuck my neck out and opined that I liked this effort. This episodes feature is a discussion of the World Cup 2026 special event stations.
- — Button, button. Who’s got the button?
- at 6/7/26 12:10pmSend me a buck, and Ill send you one of the NO MINSTER buttons. If youve read my blog at all in the past, you know Im not a fan of David Minster, NA2AA, ARRLs current CEO. Hes driving down membership, which is now well under 20% of licensed radio amateurs. Hes driving away staffers, too. The latest to go is Steve Goodgame, K5ATA, ARRLs Education and Learning Manager. In my humble opinion, his tenure has been a disaster. Its a mystery to me how the majority on the ARRL Board of Directors continue to support him and pay him the big bucks. According to Frank, K4FMH, Minsters total compensation is in the ballpark of $350,000 per year. The question isnt whether or not the CEO should get paid that much, but rather should this particular CEO get that much? I guess the majority of directors do think hes worth it. That says a lot about them, I think. And, if they dont think hes worth it, why does Minster still have a job? At any rate, if youre thinking along these same lines, and would like to show your disapproval, send me a buck (Im good on QRZ), and Ill send you one of my NO MINSTER buttons as shown above. They are 2-1/4 in. in diameter, and are the perfect thing to wear to the next ARRL member forum.
- — Is anyone running for the board this year in the Great Lakes Division?
- at 6/7/26 11:38amYesterday, someone reminded me recently that Great Lakes Division seat is up for election this year, and that the deadline for filing petitions is two months away. I know that Im late with this, but I’m trying to find out if anyone in the division is thinking about running, or if there is someone out who would be a good candidate. If that person is you, or if you know of someone who would make a good candidate, please get in touch with me. If you can’t run at this point, but would still like to help with someone’s campaign, please get in touch with me. It might be too late to do anything this election cycle, but perhaps not if we can get organized quickly. If we value the ARRL at all, we really can’t let things continue the way they are.
- — Videos: HS ham club in NH, yet another Heathkit history, Cruz thanks ham radio
- at 5/25/26 8:49amStudents go hands on with ham radio Heres a nice news story about a new ham club at a high school in New Hampshire. Yet another Heathkit history Heres another YouTube video on the history of Heathkit. The author has disabled embedding, so you have to watch it on YouTube. Senator Ted Cruz on Ham Radio In this short video, Cruz thanks ham radio operators for their service. This has gotten some people excited because I believe that Cruz is the chair of the Senate committee working on the Amateur Radio Emergency Preparedness Act. Id be more excited if Cruz would sign on as a co-sponsor, but he has not yet. So, at this point, these are just words.
- — A POTA procedural proposal
- at 7/10/25 1:15pmA swallows nest attached to the picnic shelter where we operated from this morning. Mama swallow was not happy with me taking this picture. In fact, she dive-bombed me earlier. She had at least three chicks in the nest. I often do POTA activations with two friends: Paul, KW1L and Rick, K8BMA. We almost always operate CW. On a recent activiation, Paul asked if there was a way to do a joint activation like many phone operators do. If you hunt phone POTA activators, they often say something like, Stand by for a second operator, then the second operator gets on and makes their contact. This rarely happens on CW. In fact, I dont think that theres a standard procedure for doing this, and sending something like QRX for a second operator probably wouldnt work. For one thing, its too long to send. For another, many POTA CW ops are not very experienced and probably wouldnt know what QRX means. Even so, Paul and I wanted to be able to set up one station and then make contacts jointly. Paul emailed Tom, K4SWL, if he had any suggestions. Tom wrote back, suggesting a possible way to do this, but added, Ill be honest. I think that this would throw off most hunters. Paul and I tended to agree with him, but we thought wed give it a go anyway. This morning, Paul, Rick, and I headed out to the Pinckney State Recreation Area (US-3322). After getting set up, I suggested that what we might do is for me to spot myself and call CQ, and after getting a reply somehow indicate that a second operator, and therefore QSO, was available. The first transmission was pretty much standard, but after the hunter replied, I would send something to indicate that Paul was also there. Heres an example: CQ CQ POTA KB6NU KB6NU POTA W1ABC W1ABC 599 MI BK 599 MA BK TU NW W1ABC DE KW1L 599 MI BK (This is the crucial step. With this transmission, were telling the hunter that theres a second station that want a contact, too.) If the hunter responded with an exchange, we counted that as a contact for KW1L. If not, we didnt count it. We experimented with slight variations of this format. For example, instead of just a single KW1L, we sent it twice. If neither transmission elicited a response, I would give another call, simply: W1ABC DE KW1L 599 MI This would sometimes get them to reply. Another trick that we tried was to slow down when sending that final transmission, thinking that that would be a clue that there was a second operator present. That seemed to work sometimes. Overall, a little less than half the time, the hunter would get the idea and realize that we had a second operator. The other times, the hunters either didnt understand what we were sending or tuned away after their transmission and didnt hear ours. If the latter, its a shame because they could have had a second contact. We made 12 contacts for Paul, after which, he decided to call it quits. So, he now has his first legal activation under his belt! As a result of this experience, I would like to suggest that CW hunters listen to the final transmission of the activator in case there is a second operator present. I would also like to suggest that activators use the format: TU NW <hunter call sign> DE <second activator call sign> <second activator call sign> 599 <state> BK Im not wedded to this, though, so if you have a better suggestion, please let me know.
- — QSLs: KC8ZAP, W4VIG
- at 7/4/25 6:02amHere are two recent additions to my collection of QSLs from stations whose call signs spell words Im kind of breaking my rules with this card, as I havent actually worked Mark, KC8ZAP. I met Mark at a recent ham swap and mentioned to him that I collect cards from stations whose calls spell words, and he volunteered to send me one of his. With a suffix like ZAP that was an offer too good to pass up. KC8ZAP is the second ZAP in my collection. Dennis sent me this card after a recent park-to-park POTA contact. Its sat on my desk for a couple of weeks before I realized that VIG is actually a word, although not a widely-used one. Heres how Dictionary.com defines vig: vig / vɪɡ / noun slang the interest on a loan that is paid to a moneylender Thanks for the P2P, Dennis, and for the QSL.
- — Is it time to bring back the club leadership course?
- at 6/27/25 6:09amI tried to find a better piece of clip art to illustrate leadership, but came up short. So, instead heres something dopey. :) This afternoon, I was talking with a fellow who approached me about providing leadership training for ham radio club officers. Back in 2012, when I was the Michigan Section Affiliated Club Coordinator, I developed just such a course, based on my work as a facilitator for the Rotary Leadership Institute. The topics I covered included: Leadership Characteristics The World of Amateur Radio The Amateur Radio Club and its Activities Membership: Recruiting and Retention Leadership: Team Building Leadership: Setting Goals Evaluating Your Club Moving Forward I conducted this training here in Michigan a couple of times, and it was well-received by those who attended. I offered to do this for the ARRL, but that proposal went nowhere. I guess they decided it wasnt worth the bother. After discussing how we might revive this training program, the talk naturally drifted to the support—or lack thereof—that the ARRL provides to clubs. One of the items my friend mentioned is that he hasnt seen an issue of the ARRL Club News for a while. I hadnt thought much about that, but I checked, and the last issue was published in April 2024, more than a year ago. I guess theyve decided that supporting clubs is less of a priority than making draconian election by-law changes. This sticks in my craw because I volunteered to produce a newsletter for clubs free of charge about a decade ago. It was heartening to see it start up in November 2021. Its equally disheartening to see it go by the wayside. A new leadership training course At any rate, Id be interested in hearing from you if you might be interested in participating in some kind of club leadership training. When I did this back in 2012, it was all in person, and we covered the material in one, eight-hour-long session. And, it was a fair amount of work to find a place to hold the training, and arrange for lunch and coffee. Now that the use of Zoom and other online meeting apps has become widespread, I envision doing this at least partly online and only one module at a time. If you would be interested in attending these sessions, please let me know, and Ill keep you up to date on when we might actually hold this course. I envision this happening sometime in the fall. Also, if you have any suggestions for what we might cover, please send me your ideas.
- — I need a new sticker
- at 6/18/25 5:43amFor years, Ive given out this sticker: To be honest, this sticker was never as popular as I thought it would be. Maybe the message is too corny. I dont know. At any rate, I am running out of these stickers and need to buy some more. Id like to come up with a new, more popular design. Id love to hear your thoughts.
- — Does anyone make a homebrew SteppIR?
- at 6/17/25 4:00amIn case you havent heard by now, SteppIR, the manufacturer of very expensive HF antennas is getting out of the amateur radio business. Their announcement has caused a minor uproar in the amateur radio world, but personally, its not a big surprise to me. If MFJ couldnt seem to find enough customers for their $300 $500 Hy-Gain antennas, how many $5,000 antennas could SteppIR really sell? What Im surprised by is that no one has come up with a homebrew design replicating the functionality of the SteppIR antennas. The SteppIR design is quite complex—which is one reason that it costs so much—but hams are pretty creative. It seems to me that someone out there could replicate the SteppIR functionality for a lot less than $5,000 (the approximate price for a two-element SteppIR Yagi). Perhaps someone has already. If you know of a homebrew version of the SteppIR antennas, please let me know.
- — Some Ham-Vention History
- at 6/16/25 1:14pmA couple of weeks ago, I attended a Zoom meeting for the ARDC Grant Evaluation Team. The talk naturally turned to the Dayton Hamvention, which the ARDC folks and I recently attended. At the mention of Hamvention, Lad, WA3EEC, mentioned that he had a brochure for the 1952 Southwestern Ohio Ham-Vention, which was sponsored by the Dayton Amateur Radio Association and held at the Dayton Biltmore Hotel on March 22, 1952. This was the first year that what we now know as the Dayton Hamvention was held. Lad scanned it for me, and Im sharing it with you here. The first thing Ill note is the strong technical program. The second is the prize list. The third is the manufacturer exhibits. All of these continue to be an important part of Hamvention to this day. In his email to me, Lad noted, For the record, Dayton ARA VP, Ed Pompea, W8FHJ (now SK) was my uncle. He was married to my fathers sister. He passed away more than 30 years ago in Colorado Springs, CO where his call was K0ZPG. He was career Air Force. I think that this is a very cool piece of history, and Id bet that the founders would be amazed at what the Dayton Hamvention has become, namely the pre-eminent amateur radio event in the world.
- — Shame on the ARRL again
- at 5/27/25 7:40pmShame on the ARRL again for once again allowing a division director to resign with only months to go before the next election. It was reported today that Anthony Marcin, W7XM, is resigning as Pacific Division director after serving two and a half years of a three-year term. This very un-democratic maneuver is a common one for the ARRL, and, this time, no excuse was even give for the directors resignation. Vice director John Litz, NZ6Q, is the fellow being elevated to director this time. This move is even more un-democratic because Litz was appointed vice director in April 2024. As Ive written many times, a directors seat should remain vacant if a director resigns less than a year before their term is up, or a special election should be held. Elevating a vice director like this is just a way to rig an election, giving the vice director the unfair advantage of running as an incumbent. And they wonder why theyre losing members.
- — Operating Notes: 40-meter DX, two Ohio POTA activations
- at 5/23/25 9:15amRecently, there have been some complaints about propagation on the HF bands. Last night, however, propagation was pretty good on the 40-meter band. I managed to work four DX stations, including one LU (Argentina), one YT (Serbia), and two HAs. All of them were S6-S7 and very good copy. The two stations from Hungary were both from the same town (Miskolc). Im wondering if the first one called up the second and let him know that propagation was good to the U.S. Finally got Ohio in the POTA log Last year, on my way down to the Dayton Hamvention, I activated two parks: Van Buren State Park and Grand Lake St. Marys State Park. Unfortunately, those logs never got uploaded. As I was leaving the second park, my phone died. And, it wasnt just that the battery needed recharging. It was completely dead. When I got to Dayton, I had to buy a new phone. This time, I had much better luck. Van Buren State Park is right off the I-75 freeway. As soon as you get off the freeway, youre in the town of Van Buren. Drive through town (about four or five blocks) and you come to the park. I set up in a shelter close to the entrance because there was a possibility of rain. Despite complaints about poor band conditions, I made 30 contacts in an hour, including a couple of DX contacts. I would have stayed longer, but that evening, I was meeting some people for dinner, so I packed up and headed to the second park. Even though its an inland lake, Grand Lake St. Marys is so big that has a lighthouse. The second park I activated was Grand Lake St. Marys State Park. I like this park because, even though its an inland lake, it has a lighthouse (see above). So, I get both a park activation and a lighthouse activation. Grand Lake St. Marys is a man-made lake that was constructed in the early 19th century as a reservoir for the Miami and Erie Canal, which connected the Ohio River with Lake Erie. At one time the lake was the worlds largest man-made lake. The threat of rain was even more real here, so I found another shelter to set up in. That kept me nice and dry. Unfortunately, the shelter I decided on was very close to some homes near the lake. The problem with that was that it was very noisy there. I managed to make 15 contacts in about an hour, but I know I missed at least one because he was down in the noise. I would have been able to make that contact if Id been at Van Buren State Park. After I packed up, it was off to Dayton. This time, my phone didnt flake out on me, and I made it to the hotel in plenty of time to get ready for dinner. Overall, it was a great way to kick off my Dayton 2025 trip.
- — The 2025 Four Days in May Symposium: An Introduction to LTspice, A Tube Transmitter for SOTA, SSB for the QMX, and more
- at 5/22/25 11:38amIn years past, you could always count on a QRP-ARCI Four Days in May (FDIM) talk by Rev. George Dobbs, G3RJV. You might never know what the subject would be, however. As Bill, N8ET, put it, “He always submitted a paper for the FDIM Proceedings, but would often talk about something completely different.” G3RJV became a Silent Key in 2019, but Jack Purdum W8TEE, Ashhar Farhan VU2ESE, and Hans Summers G0UPL have all stepped in and picked up the slack. All three have become FDIM regulars, and each presented interesting talks at this year’s FDIM. And, to round out the lineup, we were treated to talks by N8ET, WA5BDU, AI6XG, NT7S, and VK1UN as well. The T41EP: Seven Years Later Jack W8TEE and Al AC8GY presented a short history of the T41, their software-defined transceiver (SDT) that they’ve been working on for the past seven years. Jack recalled that the T41 had its birth on the drive home from a Field Day trip in 2018. During that trip, Jack and Al hashed out some of the basic requirements, including: It would be a software-defined transceiver (SDT). It would have a spectrum/waterfall display capable of displaying up to 192 kHz of bandwidth. It would be self-contained and not need a PC or laptop. It would support CW and SSB with up to 20 W output power. It would operate on the 80-meter, 40-meter, 20-meter, 15-meter, and 10-meter bands. Both the hardware and software would be open-source. It would be affordable for someone whose income was mowing lawns over the summer. They explained how they made their design decisions, including how the hardware and software has evolved over the years. They also discussed some of the benefits of sticking with a project over several years. I think that this approach has certainly paid off. There are more than 1,000 T41 units currently in the field, and if this talk is any indication, there will be more in the future. A Messaging System Using FT8 Technology In this talk, Farhan, VU2ESE, described his software for passing short messages using FT8 technology. He has currently implemented this software on the zBitx transceiver, but it is still in beta mode. VU2ESE’s paper is not, unfortunately in the proceedings, but if you’re interested in obtaining a copy, you can contact Farhan directly. Look for Farhan’s specification for his messaging software in the next issue of QRP Quarterly. An Introduction to LTspice Nick, WA5BDU, then introduced the crowd to the wonders of LTspice, a free software package that allows you to simulate analog circuits. In addition to the analog simulator, the package includes a graphical interface that allows you to input circuit schematics and view waveforms. This software is being developed and maintained by Analog Devices and is available for Windows and Mac OS. In his talk, Nick quickly ran through the features of LTspice using a simple transistor amplifier as an example. He also showed how to analyze crystal filters using the software. In his paper, the author asks the question, “Is it (LTspice) hard to learn?” His answer is, “You can learn to draw a schematic and run a simulation in 30 minutes or less. You can also use it off and on for several decades and still have a lot more to learn. Sort of like electronics itself.” As this talk demonstrated, this is certainly the case. A Project for the Decades: A SOTA CW Tube Transmitter This talk was a lot of fun. This project had its genesis in an article found in the March 1967 issue of Electronics Illustrated titled, “A 1 Bottle Xmitter for 40.” Dan Koellen, AI6XG, took that circuit and adapted it for portable operations, namely Summits on the Air (SOTA). One of the challenges Dan faced was powering the transmitter with a 12 V battery so that it could be operated portable. The original project plugged into an AC outlet and included a power transformer to supply the 6.3 V filament voltage and the high voltage on the plate. Providing the correct filament voltage was easy—Dan used a 12AQ5 instead of a 6AQ5. Supplying the high voltage was a bit trickier. Fortunately, he found a DC-DC converter designed to power Nixie tubes, which require a voltage of approximately 180 V. Not only did he find one—the Omnixie NCH6300HV—that could output up to 230 V, they were electrically quiet as well. To implement the transceiver functionality, Dan used a QRP Labs QCX as the receiver and keyer, along with a T/R switch and bandpass filters that he designed for this project, Dan successfully activated W6-NC-402. He made seven 40-meter CW contacts, including two summit-to-summit QSOs. According to Dan, “The fun factor was a Spinal Tap 11 out of 10.” A History of FDIM Right after lunch, Bill, N8ET, ran through some of the history of Four Days in May, dating back to when it started in 1996 at the Days Inn Dayton South. The organizers planned for 50 attendees, and were quite surprised when more than 100 registered! Bill attributes this to the great slate of presenters, including L.B. Cebik W4RNL, Dick Pascoe G0BPS, George Dobbs G3RJV, Gary Breed K9AY, George Heron N2APB and Joe Everhart N2CX, and Rex Harper W1REX. The proceedings has the tables of contents for most of the symposium proceedings, and I’d encourage you to get a copy if you weren’t fortunate enough to attend the event. It’s really quite impressive the number of quality talks and projects that FDIM has supported over the years. Beyond the ‘612 Since its release in 1987, the SA612 Gilbert Cell mixer, and all its variants, have been used in countless QRP projects. This era is, however, coming to a close. No new parts have been manufactured since 2022, and soon, new parts will be unobtainium. This situation prompted Jason Mildrum, NT7S, to search for an alternative. His search was made more difficult because so many radios now are software-defined radios (SDRs) and don’t require mixers the way that superheterodyne radios do. Fortunately, Jason discovered the Maxim MAX268x series. Although designed for microwave applications, Jason concluded that the parts could be used for HF QRP radio projects after a fairly comprehensive series of tests. Using these parts, he built a QRP transceiver, with which he has completed several successful POTA activations. At the end of his talk, Jason hinted that a return of Etherkit, his kit company, might be in the cards. Stay tuned for that. Bringing SSB to the QMX Hans, G0UPL, opened his talk by apologizing for taking nine whole months to implement SSB on his QMX transceivers. I don’t know about you, but I think it’s rather remarkable that he was able to do it in such a short time! It would have taken anyone else much longer to do it. Hans then launched into an explanation of how he was able to achieve this feat. After a review of digital signal processing (DSP) basics, he jumped into an explanation of polar modulation, the technique used in the QMX to generate single sideband. Hans’ paper in the proceedings includes references to papers which really get into the details of how polar modulation works, if you’re so inclined to read them. Hans also got into some detail on his development process. After some initial failures, he decided to simply try the code that runs then uSDX and was quite surprised that it actually worked on the QMX. That began a series of improvements that resulted in the software that QMX users can now download and run on their radios. I can’t really say that I understand everything that’s going on, but I think that with some review of Hans’ paper and some of the others that he references, I could get a better handle on it. I do know that his talk has inspired to complete the QMX kit build that I started months ago. Stealth Operations from Hotel Rooms and Other Unlikely QTHs Ross Valentine, VK1UN presented the last talk of the day. It described his operations using QRP radios and short wire antennas from a number of “unlikely” locations that he’s been in around the world. As far as radios go, small and light are the ticket. He has a selection of QRP Labs’ QCX and QDX radios, and uses small lithium batteries to power them. To run digital modes, he uses a Raspberry Pi 400 with a small LED/LCD display. For antennas, he favors wire-wrap wire, often wound on a fishing reel. He notes that the wire is light and very difficult to see, even in bright sunlight. He tunes the antennas with a variety of homebrew tuners, including simple LC tuners, Z-match tuners, and FRI-match tuners, some using homebrew variometers for the inductors. With this simple gear, Ross’s results have been impressive. He showed plots of his WSPR signal being spotted all around the world. If these talks don’t inspire, I don’t know what will. I mentioned earlier that Hans’ talk has inspired me to finally get my QMX working, but I’m now also motivated to play around with LTspice, and I have some ideas for tube circuits that I want to build as well. The trick is going to be completing these projects before next year’s FDIM, when I’m sure another all-star lineup of presenters will inspire me to tackle yet more projects. To get a copy of this year’s proceedings, contact Bill, N8ET at toystore@qrparci.org or n8et@woh.rr.com.
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