1. C21MM Expedition to Nauru

    Our team (T2C in 2023 and P29RO in 2022 and other activities in the years before COVID) has decided to announce its next DXpedition. We will return to the pacific and travel to Nauru (C2) in October 2024. We are planning to operate with 5 stations, 24/7 from 160 to...

  2. QSL Cards - Let's Fix This

    Having convinced myself that QSL cards are indeed an important detail in our daily amateur radio lives, the question becomes how can this practice be saved and restored? Assuming the cost of a printed QSL card purchased in bulk is around 30 cents each, and an optional envelope 20 cents,...

  3. QSL Cards - Historical Markers

    Thanks to those who replied with comments about part one of this series about QSL cards. The consensus seems to be that broadcast stations initiated the practice of sending post cards that hams eventually emulated. That’s a good enough explanation for me, though I prefer to believe it was more...

  4. QSL Cards - In the Beginning

    Just a few years after CW displaced King ‘spark’ as the radio amateur’s mode of choice, Mac Anderson began to build his first radio station. Having just turned 15 years of age money was tight and it wasn’t easy collecting the parts required for such an endeavor, but he finally...

  5. Rainy Day People

    It’s been raining all morning, nice and gentle, so far. Made sleeping-in an extra hour too easy. The parched lawn is soaking every bit of it up right now. I’ve got a couple of windows open here in the shack and the sound of falling rain is better than music...

  6. Fog of Incompetence

    All of hamdom has by now seen the video (16:10) where one ARRL Director revealed a few additional details surrounding the cyber attack on the ARRL. The lack of competence at the IT level is shocking, the lack of management oversight even more so. I wrote a scathing post...

  7. The Old Friend

    A message popped up on the QRP-L mailing list yesterday from Dave Benson, K1SWL with news of a new offering from the former Small Wonder Labs alchemist. I’ve been wondering what Dave might be up to these days and it seems he’s been keeping the cobwebs at bay with another...

  8. Seasons Change

    I remember not long after my Dad turned 80 he decided it was time for a new roof on his house and I recall him saying that given the 20-25 year expected service life, it would be the last roof he would ever have to deal with. That kinda stuck...

  9. Requiem for a Ragchew

    Based on the listed bios of most radio amateurs, chewing the rag is a favorite pastime. Or at least the desire for a good “rag-chew” session is a consistent hope. It’s nearly impossible to pin down exactly what that means as the actual definition is pretty fuzzy. I’ve listened to...

  10. Elecraft Adventures

    Having the KX3 out and in operation for a few days this week was a bad idea. Using it always reminds me of how good it is and how it could so easily anchor my ham shack. And it’s not even the best Elecraft radio I own. That title...

  11. QRP Fun

    I caught a message about the Run for the Bacon event being last night. I’m not a member of the Flying Pigs but I was looking for something to do after a lazy afternoon of football watching. I setup the long neglected KX3 powering it with a slowly failing...

  12. Farmer's Market

    We have a lovely Farmer’s Market here in Yorktown every Friday evening during the summer months. An easy walk from my house. I thought last week was the final installment for the season, but we happened to be driving by the meadow where it takes place after dinner last...

  13. Friday the 13th

    Here’s hoping you’re not superstitous on this Friday the 13th, the first of two Friday the 13ths (the other one is in December) in 2024. If you’re a little worried about it, here’s help. Good luck! The next full Moon will occur on Tuesday, September 17, 2024 at 10:34...

  14. Unplugged

    I spent some time yesterday deleting every social media account I can recall ever having. That’s not really a big deal when you consider I haven’t expended much energy in that direction in a long time. Deleting those accounts was mostly symbolic and for my own benefit. It was about...

  15. Reboot

    From chapter one of CALLING CQ, written by Clinton B. DeSoto and published in 1941: Calling CQ! Calling CQ to any amateur radio station!” A thousand times a night that call goes ringing out over the crowded amateur air lanes. It is the general call to any station–an invitation...

  16. Too Much Tech

    Imagine if you will… In the year 2030, Forest Adams was in a car accident that left him comatose for an entire decade. To everyone’s surprise, he awoke in 2040 and proceeded to make an incredible recovery and soon returned to his old life. His hobby had been fishing,...

  17. Weekend Reading

    Revisiting why hyperlinks are blue I found myself enjoying my morning coffee, reading through hate mail from my first article, as one does. I sifted through this dung heap as a prospector pans for gold, scanning for the faintest hint of gold to help me continue my journey...

  18. No Static at All

    Nothin’ but blues and Elvis and somebody else’s favorite song… The Beginnings of FM Radio Broadcasting In the early and mid-1930s, radio communication was confined to the Low Waves (100-500 kHz), Medium Waves (500-1500 kHz), and the Short Waves (1,500 to 30,000 kHz). The frequencies above that, referred...

  19. Just 100 Years Ago

    The search for life in the cosmos has been an ongoing human interest for the ages, but since the advent of radio, the way we search the heavens has evolved. I found it interesting that just one hundred years ago, within the lifetime’s of many of our parents, something this...

  20. 75 Years of Traffic Handling

    The National Traffic System has been around for 75 years. From the current (September) NTS Letter, Bud Hippisley W2RU writes in the first of a two-part article on the history of the network: October 2024 marks the 75th anniversary of the National Traffic System®. When I peruse net bulletins...

  21. Saint Paul Island CY9C

    I haven’t been chasing the CY9C operation this time around. I already had St. Paul Island in the log on 40 CW from a previous operation. Perhaps a little indifference is a secret weapon because I heard them making noise on 30 meters last night with good signals running...

  22. Squirrels and Upgrades

    Was in the shack this morning enjoying the cool weather (49F) with all the windows cranked wide-open when suddenly a transformer on a power pole about 200 yards from here let go. I saw a shower of sparks then recoiled from the loud explosion. Some neighbor(s) must surely be without...

  23. AnandTech Shuts Down

    End of the Road: An AnandTech Farewell Editor-in-chief Ryan Smith: It is with great sadness that I find myself penning the hardest news post I’ve ever needed to write here at AnandTech. After over 27 years of covering the wide – and wild – world of computing hardware,...

  24. Happy Labor Day

    We’ve come to the end of another summer. I know it’s not officially over just yet, and I have no doubt that another wave of oppressive heat lurks just around the corner. But the kids are back in school and the public pools are all closing this weekend. And as...

  25. Mercury Lite Amplifier

    Happy September! I saw a rumor last night concerning the popular KM3KM product line. Nothing reported on their web site yet, but the rumor is from a reliable source: I’m going to sneak some information out on an exciting new product coming in first quarter 2025 from KM3KM....

  26. Nauru

    Even with the solar cycle humming along nicely it can feel like a long time between elusive ATNO’s, though sometimes serendipity lends a hand when you least expect it. Such was the case when I decided to toss a line in the water on 40 meters this morning. Mind you,...

  27. Corn Sweat

    I live on the outskirts of town in Central Indiana, out here surrounded by tall corn on every side this time of year. Happy in the Heartland, but miserable, muggy and sweaty, I just read this: Stop blaming the natural deodorant: You’re sweating because the corn is sweating. For anyone commuting...

  28. G-QRP Celebrates 50 Years

    It was in September 1974 that George Dobbs G3RJV started the wheels turning to make the G-QRP Club a reality. Fifty years later, the Club is going strong and we have had around four thousand paid up members for over a decade. To mark the anniversary we have...

  29. End of Another Era

    When I was a kid I had two ways of making a buck. I mowed yards and I delivered newspapers. In those days, the throbbing metropolis of Muncie, Indiana had two daily publications. The Morning Star and the Evening Press were of the old style newspaper variety with ink on...

  30. Forty-Six

    My wife and I celebrated our 46th anniversary this weekend. It sounds like a long time, and it is, but to us it seemed to pass in the blink of an eye. Life is indeed like a vapor, and then it’s gone. We’ve enjoyed a lot of good years along...

  31. Million Dollars

    I’m not certain what to think about the recent ARRL bulletin that provided more details about the cyber attack and subsequent million dollar ransom payment by ARRL. It might make an interesting story years from now after it quits chafing. After all, while mostly covered by insurance, payment of...

  32. Scatter Shots

    48F when I woke this morning. This foretaste of autumnal awesomeness is simply too good to be true for August in Central Indiana. It’s been wonderfully comfortable these last few days and it seems there is another day or two of it ahead before the heat returns. Good news -...

  33. Tossed Salad

    N1EA relays news that Schurr Morse Keys is now Bergsiek Morse Keys. Stefan Bergsiek has taken over Schurr Morse keys from Gerhard Schurr and continues to produce the keys in small series. Tomorrow (Sunday) is the NJQRP Skeeter Hunt. Here are all the <a href="https://www.qsl.net/w2lj/"...

  34. Capitulation

    An update a few days ago from the N5J team said that many callers were continuing to use an older version of WSJT-X that wasn’t compatible with the new SuperFox Hound mode that is being used. This, despite considerable pre-DXpedition press informing everyone that the software update would be...

  35. The Road Ahead

    Band conditions have been so abysmal that I didn’t even turn the radio on yesterday. As it turns out, too much solar maximum isn’t necessarily a good thing unless your hobby is chasing aurora. Perhaps today will be the day we escape these recent doldrums, and get back to the...

  36. Dog Days End

    Woke to 53F again this morning and it’s shaping up to be another beautiful day in the Heartland. Windows all open and it’s almost chilly in the shack. Nice! Timmy Horton’s in a big mug and puffing on Bluegill Lake in an old Savinelli Freehand with my old buddy...

  37. Bonus Days

    Up before the sun and in the shack with the windows wide-open. It’s 54F here this morning with a high of 76F and sunny skies expected today. And the kicker, it’s expected to stay this way for about a week. I don’t know whose weather we’re getting, or why, but...

  38. Dewey, Truman, and the ARRL

    ARRL CEO David Minster, NA2AA titled his most recent (September 2024 QST) Second Century editorial, Dewey Defeats Truman! a throwback reference to the exaggerated death of LoTW in the wake of the ransomware attack this summer. Dave apparently feels vindicated that there was no loss of data and...

  39. Jarvis and the SuperFox

    I got word that the Jarvis N5J operation got underway last night and first thing this morning saw that they were QRV on 17 meters. I fired up the new WSJT-X software in SuperFox mode and settled in to watch the action. Copy was easy and I observed...

  40. Rapidly Shifting Sand

    The last post was about the new SuperFox digital mode. Today I want to speculate (spout crazy notions) on where this could lead us without much effort. It seems a solid first shot at working the DQRM problem. Shaming the bad actors hasn’t done much good suggesting the...

  41. Enter SuperFox Mode

    WSJT-X 2.7.0-rc5 and later includes a new mode for DXpeditions that’s been called SuperFox and is intended to dramatically improve rates and performance. Instead of sending up to five normal FT8 streams, each 50Hz wide, the SuperFox station will be capable of transmitting a full power constant-envelope signal, 1512Hz wide,...

  42. DX Marathon - Keeping Score

    Just like that, and it’s time to tear another page from the calendar. Between taking time off from radio for a few weeks and dodging earth directed CME’s, my results for July trended lower. At this point in the quest ATNO’s are becoming fewer and farther between though I did...

  43. Pocket Transistor Radio

    It’s probably been since the late 1970’s when I last owned a battery powered, pocket-sized transistor radio. Yesterday I ordered the brand new XHDATA D-220 after having seen a review of it on John’s Tech Blog. I’m not certain I have a real use for it, it was just...

  44. Calibration Issue

    I spent the last month with the ham radio gear shut down and the feed lines disconnected. This, after hitting it a little too hard. I found myself burned out on radio and in need of a break. It’s a calibration issue. Despite having been retired for two years I...

  45. Catching Up

    Some catching up seems in order. It’s been a busy month with too much work in the yard for this old retired guy. The heat wave made things miserable for several weeks, but that broke a few days ago and the last two mornings I have enjoyed coffee and 54F...

  46. Field Day 2024

    It’s a good thing my plans for Field Day were more modest than usual else I might have been disappointed. It has become my habit to partake in the annual event from my own backyard, but the heatwave had convinced me if I did operate this time, it would be...

  47. Reality Distortion Field

    Field Day is this weekend. I have operated the event from my backyard using battery power for many years, but this time around I’ll be operating from inside the house attempting to make a hundred phone contacts. I’m not even going to maintain a log so this should be a...

  48. Summer Reading

    While it’s yet a few days before the official first day of summer, the oppressive heat wave that will soon cover most of these United States dropped into Indiana over the weekend and we’re roasting enough here to cause me to declare, “close enough” it’s summertime! No fresh corn on...

  49. NORAD Checks With Balloon Hobbyist Groups

    NORAD has learned to check hobbyist websites to identify balloons since the US military shot down three unidentified objects in 2023. After dubious shootdowns, NORAD now checks with balloon hobbyist groups The Northern Illinois Bottlecap Balloon Brigade is a hobbyist group that builds, launches and tracks “pico...

  50. LoTW Downtime Monthly Status

    With more than a month of continuous downtime the only thing funny about the situation is the continued chorus of those insisting, “the data is safe” and “why is everyone getting so worked up about this?” These ditties from the evolutionary descendants...

  51. Framework Laptop 16

    I have been keeping an eye on the devolopment of Framework Laptops for months, so when I received an email yesterday declaring, “Framework Laptop 16 in stock” I quickly assembled a custom configuration and hit the order button. I’ve been told my new laptop will ship within 1-2 weeks....

  52. AMSAT Mail Alias Service to End

    In case you missed the news, the AMSAT mail alias service will be terminated on August 1st, 2024. The popular feature permitted mail directed to yourcallsign@amsat.org to be forwarded to any email address you chose. This feature has been a staple of satellite enthusiasts around the world for decades. A...

  53. Wayne Green. Spirit Guide.

    Wayne Green was a radio amateur and entrepreneur born in the halcyon days of hobby radio. A veteran of the Second World War, he saw first hand the impact a glut of war surplus equipment had on the amateur service. Mechanical behemoth’s from the War Department soon filled basement radio...

  54. Daylight's Computer Tablet

    I ordered a new tablet a few days ago, and it’s not an iPad. Surprised? Daylight Computer is a new manufacturer with hopes of shaking up the tablet market. I like their tagline, “The computer, de-invented”. They say the new DC-1 tablet is a “new kind of computer designed...

  55. The Future is Here

    Just a week ago I wrote about the rapidly changing future for amateur radio emergency services due to the growth of wireless internet access provided by the Starlink service and its fleet of low-earth orbit satellites. Then came dangerous flooding in remote parts of Brazil. Did amateur radio send...

  56. Harbinger

    The 3G0YA Easter Island DXpedition has concluded. The operation was QRV from 18-Apr-2024 thru 06-May-2024 and ended with more than 140,000 contacts having been made. Club Log reports Easter Island as 83rd on the Most Wanted list so while not particularly rare, anything in the top 100 is good...

  57. Footnotes from Oz

    I worked VK6AS this morning on 20 meters. This was the second time working Dr. Smith, the first being about eight months ago. He’s located in Bull Creek, just outside of Perth, on the Western Coast of Australia. My logging program pulls data from QRZ and is only as...

  58. Cornbread Road. Again.

    I recently uploaded the Cornbread Road audio series to the Digital Library of Amateur Radio & Communications. DLARC is a project of the Internet Archive (the not-for-profit online library best known for The Wayback Machine.) DLARC is growing into a massive online library of the past and present of...

  59. Bob Heil, K9EID SK

    I’ve held off writing about the passing of Bob Heil until now. We weren’t close friends, I only met him in person once, at the 2018 OzarkCon in Branson, Missouri. He was the keynote speaker at the conference and proud as he could be to show off his wooden radio...