A few older resurfaced posts include:

• Gilded Age - a wave of grant money is flooding into ham radio, and while it could fund real innovation, it also risks creating winners, losers, and hidden strings for clubs chasing it.
• The Third Act - after 40+ years as an engineer, retiring at 62 into life's third act — no set plans beyond more writing, more ham radio, and the endless to-do list that comes with owning a home.
• It's Rare if You Don't Have It - an unexpected all-time-new-one on ten meters via FT4 — and a reminder of the eternal DX truth: it's rare if you don't have it.

I still want to assemble a proper about page though writing about myself has never been enjoyable. It’s why my QRZ bio remains blank after all these years. Whenever I read self-written bios, especially those penned in the third person, “Bob enjoys good coffee and 40 meters” waves of nausea wash over me and I can’t do it that way. I’ll come up with something that might not look like a traditional colophon but it should provide the necessary backstory to better understand my goals for the site.

Amateur radio is a hobby with many legends. The pioneers have, of course, passed on to their next adventure, but there remains living legends among us. One of those is Robert Locher, W9KNI. Bob is a dedicated radio telegrapher and an elite DXer. Raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and licensed in 1957, his mentor was Art Collins, W0CXX, the founder of Collins Radio and a family friend. Art proctored his Novice License test and signed it off - radio royalty.

Along the road of his life he co-founded Bencher, Inc., a well-known manufacturer of amateur radio keys and antennas under the Bencher and Butternut names. He later launched Idiom Press, which distributed his two classic books, ‘The Complete DXer’ and ‘A Year of DX’. He received the first ever DXCC CW certificate issued and currently sits atop the Honor Roll (Mixed & CW).

W9KNI’s unique writing style put him in a class of his own. His books pulled back the curtain on his stealthy methods for hunting rare DX like a big-game hunter. Always supremely entertaining and educational, DX chasers would do well to study at his feet for a season.

Tales from a Serial Sniper looks to be the beginning of a series of new adventures from Locher hosted on the DX Engineering blog.

OnAllBands is thrilled to feature articles from noted author and amateur radio DXing legend Bob Locher, W9KNI. Bob will be sharing his favorite DXing memories along with insights on what it took to capture the rarest of the rare.

The first article presents his efforts to work ZD9 - Gough Island in the southeast Atlantic ocean. It’s another great read from Bob, but I’m just as excited at the prospect that this is only the first of what could be many new adventures with Bob who says of himself:

“I have always been a DX chaser,” he told OnAllBands. “I am not a contester of the usual type—working 200 Q’s an hour has no attraction for me. I am instead the kind that lays in the weeds, always listening, always tuning—and for me, a 30-second exchange after three months of stalking can be a very satisfying conclusion.”

I look forward to sharing those satisfying conclusions too!

In the early morning hours of July 4, 1978 a rollover Jeep accident claimed the lives of three close friends, one of them my fiancé’s twenty-three-year-old brother. Brenda and I were to be wed on August 25th of that year but roughly eight weeks earlier the life of her older brother, and my future brother-in-law, was terminated by this cataclysmic event.

I was living with my parents at the time and they had traveled to Michigan for vacation that week. I was home alone when the ringing of the telephone woke me from a sound sleep. It was Brenda, crying, asking me to take her to the hospital. Her Mom and step-father had received a call thirty minutes earlier about the accident and they had rushed to the hospital, leaving her home with her baby sister. She was certain her brother had been killed in an auto accident. After dropping her sister off with another relative we rushed to the emergency room only to discover that her brother was indeed one of the fatalities.

That kicked off the most difficult week of my entire life to that point. Relatives came to town, a funeral was quickly planned, and five days later that part was complete. The healing process might have started then, but I’m not sure it has ever ended. You don’t just get over something like this. Time helps, but it’s not a cure-all. We got married seven weeks later as planned, so those activities helped a little in changing the subject, but you never fully recover.

The seeds of the idea to create an “official” record of this event came years later as I noticed that whenever the family discussed that day, variations in the story began to appear. The family was aging and the details seemed to me to be morphing into more folklore than fact, and I thought it best to open that old memory chest, do a little extra digging, and document what actually happened that fateful day.

As I assembled notes I realized I was missing much of the story. And it was a pretty big story. There were five people in the Jeep that morning; three of them were killed. Oddly enough, or maybe not, the three boys who were killed were best friends. After the event, we couldn’t help but notice most of the photos my mother-in-law had on the walls of her home that included her son also included the other two who died that day. The three of them were inseparable in life, and now in death.

So the story is more than a single family’s. It includes many people whose lives would forever be changed. The headline newspaper account included that the victims had been partying, an all-night party, we assumed, since the accident occurred at 5am. It was a holiday and alcohol was involved. That much of this story is not in question. It was a foolish accident, one that we discussed for hours and days and weeks. Eventually, for years…

We have a long list of unanswered questions, but my brother-in-law would be 71 if he were alive today, and the number of eyewitnesses is shrinking with time. I was right there in the immediate aftermath of the event, yet I don’t know for certain whose Jeep it was, or who was driving. I know the names of four of the occupants of the Jeep, but not the fifth. We know where the crash took place but we don’t know where the party took place. We don’t know who else was there that night who skipped the early morning “joy” ride. My queries for the back story details eventually led to my being contacted by a literary agent, who connected me with a publisher who wants to print this forty-eight-year-old story.

I’m willing to do it because all the parents involved have since passed, and while siblings remain, including my wife, I will endeavor to tell the story as tactfully as truth will permit. Since this has become my next project, you may notice my brief absence from ham radio and know it’s a byproduct of other important work.

73 de Jeff

This is the story of C.Q. ham,
Born with an oscillating diaphragm. 
He shocked his parents quite a bit,
For his first clear words were, "Da, da, dit." 

His ear was sharp, and his eye was keen,
And he cut his teeth on an 813. 

They sent him to learn how to read, write, and spell,
But little C.Q. didn't make out so well.

He had built his own station when nine years old,
But English and History left him quite cold.

The years sped by, and so he grew,
And fell in love, as all boys do; 

He told her that life without her was bitter,
And he begged for her hand... 
and her brand new transmitter.

The girl said, "Yes", without delay;
So their networks were merged the very next day. 

Their happy life more than fulfilled their desires,
And their children were natural-born amplifiers. 

One day old C.Q. kissed his spouse 
And climbed upon the top of his house,
To examine an aerial he dearly cherished...
He fell off the roof and quickly perished. 

Now, C.Q's wife just had to laugh,
For his will prescribed his epitaph:

"Please carve above my buried bones 
These words: "HE WORKED ALL FORTY ZONES" 

- de W3JTC CQ Magazine February 1948

Since I was in the shack I worked a couple of POTA stations and then several of the 13 Colonies stations (K2A, K2E, K2J, K2L, and K2M) though I’m not chasing these to any completion. I also worked Suad, running IT9/DK6XZ (remote via IT9) 599 both ways, steady copy as conditions seemed decent on 20. There was a little more DX to be had, but I decided to pull the plug at that point.

This morning I called CQ a few times on 20 and 30 meters (no takers, as usual) and once again my signals were being reported by the RBN in Europe and New Zealand so as far as I can tell, the bands are in decent shape again today.

That seems to indicate a healthier amateur radio ecosystem though it’s difficult to make direct comparisons between then and now as the internet and online sales have changed the game considerably. For instance, hand tools. These were readily advertised in CQ Magazine decades ago. Can you imagine an advert for a set of screwdrivers and other such hand tools in the pages of 2026 QST Magazine? Radio hams were probably a good target audience then, but today these are found on Amazon, not in a radio publication. I’m not certain that makes it better as I only search for tools when I need them while the magazine adverts bring them to my mind while perusing the pages.

For the longest time CQ Magazine included tempting advertisements to “learn electronics and enjoy a successful career in radio and television repair”. It was the right audience as the years following World War II would see tens of thousands of young veterans seek to begin their non-military lives. Of course, we all know how that story ended now, but at the time it must have seemed a solid career plan without the need to attend a University.

Speaking of future careers, there is Uncle Wayne. Wayne Green, W2NSD. A snippet from the September 1951 edition mentions, “W2NSD has undertaken the job of publishing a Teletype Bulletin” thus beginning Wayne’s foray into publishing that would see him run CQ Magazine for a season until he left to launch 73 Magazine and later BYTE Magazine among others during his empire.

The development of the DXCC program was a common thread during all the days of CQ Magazine, most of it well known if not from publication then by folk lore. I turned up enough tidbits worth researching further that I began making notes. For instance, here’s one I didn’t know — the DXCC CW award was only created in 1975 and the first recipient (#001) was Bob Locher, W9KNI, still an active operator and on top of the Honor Roll.

The manufacturers thinned out, the repair-shop career dried up, and Wayne moved on to build empires elsewhere — but DXCC just kept going, chased by the same kind of restless curiosity that’s had me spelunking the archives all week.

Amateur radio has enjoyed a long, fascinating, and successful run in the tech world, and the complete story has yet to be written.

Though it would still be one more year before I would receive my ham radio license, I was preparing for that day. I had worked Field Day with the local club (hand logging in the CW tent) in the days leading up to the 4th of July. I bought CQ Magazine off the news stand and carried it with me wherever I roamed. By city bus usually, but those were the days when the publication was small, practically pocket-sized and lent itself well to being carried.

I had also purchased the 1976 ARRL Handbook for the whopping cost of six-bucks because the cover celebrated the bicentennial.

But this year feels different. Now I’m just this old retired dude who finds this similar occasion much less exciting. I’d be okay if you think I’m less patriotic in 2026 than I was in 1976 because you would be correct. It’s certainly not that I love my country any less, I just don’t care for life under the dark shadows of this government. Unlike in 1976, Americans have almost nothing to be proud about in 2026 — even the non-religious understand reaping what you sow.

So, no 4th of July celebration for me this time around. No parades, parties or fireworks. I do plan to re-watch the video of President Reagan’s Farewell Address. Unlike the current administration, Reagan left the nation with hope and promise and I’d rather enjoy a nostalgic moment in a blissful past than join today’s celebrations. Reagan’s ideals have long since been abandoned by his own party:

“I’ve spoken of the shining city all my political life, but I don’t know if I ever quite communicated what I saw when I said it. But in my mind it was a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, wind-swept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace; a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity. And if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here. That’s how I saw it, and see it still.”

Some day America will be a great nation again. Today is not that day.

Twelve years have passed since the 2014 World Radiosport Team Championship took place in the woods of Massachusetts in the United States.

That event became the basis for one of the more interesting amateur radio books written in the 21st century, Contact Sport, by author and radio amateur J.K. George.

“Pairs of contestants huddle in tents filled with communications equipment. Their voices soar through the air, riding waves into the atmosphere, as they comb through static and noise for a response from the other side of the world. They’re searching for loot in the form of other voices in the sky. The rarer their contact, the more valuable their treasure.”

Fast-forward to present day and WRTC 2026 will soon get underway in the UK.

Here’s how World Radio League describes it:

The Olympics of Amateur Radio Contesting is almost upon us. On 8th July 2026, competitors that have qualified to represent their Qualification Area (unlike the Olympics, which has participants competing for their country) will arrive in the United Kingdom Headquarters for this once every 4 year event.

50 teams of two, each with an assigned referee, will be allocated an HF operating site in East Anglia, where they will take part in a 24 hour SSB/CW contest over the weekend of 11th/12th July. This is your opportunity to work these special stations and apply for your award!

The WRTC contest will be live on a dedicated online platform provided by World Radio League. This is a live scoreboard where you can track your favorite team in real time. Also, when you contact one of the special WRTC stations, you can see it on the WRL platform. What’s more, you can check which of the 50 WRTC stations you still need to contact. Can you work all 50 of them? If you’re an SSB operator, there are 250 possible QSOs across 80, 40, 20, 15 and 10m.

Similarly, there are 250 possible QSOs if you are a CW operator. If you are both an SSB and CW operator, 500 QSOs are possible with WRTC stations alone! Certificates will be downloadable after the contest, which will display your total number of QSOs made with these special callsigns. There are different award tiers depending on how many you contact.

Full contest rules and award details are on the WRTC 2026 site. See you in the pileups!

Most read posts during the month of June:

1. Introducing FacilisQSO - in this satirical short story set in 2029, a booming new service promises hams DXCC Honor Roll without ever touching a radio. The bands have never been busier. Or quieter.
2. Radio, Retirement, and Life - A cool morning breeze, a pipe, a cup of tea, and 20 meters in the background — a retired ham reflects on the simple pleasures of a life well lived.
3. Zombie Apocalypse - a dystopian future where political turmoil finally torments the planet to its breaking point.
4. ARRL CEO Punches Back - before posting on social media responsible hams should ask, how does this benefit amateur radio?
5. The Slipstream - Dad never complained about what the slipstream took from him. He was too busy marveling at what it brought.

Goodbye June — Hello July!

What they are offering includes a few different ways to get at the goods. Being a ham radio history buff who has promised to stop bringing piles of old books and magazines into our home, an online archive of this history is highly valued.

I quickly sent them the sixty-bucks they wanted for year-long access to the magazines, all the way back to the first edition published in January 1945. Launching this new magazine at the time was a gutsy move as the World was still at War and amateur radio in the United States still shut down. As 1945 rolled around the outlook for Allied forces was looking much better, but there was no way of knowing when the War would conclude — and how much time would pass from Victory to when the government might get around to resuming the amateur service.

That timing eventually worked out and CQ Magazine became a healthy publication and a fount of information serving the amateur radio population for decades until the internet disrupted the magazine publishing industry and CQ became a casualty. I should add that CQ created and sponsored many contests and events along the way (CQ WPX, CQ WW DX Contest, DX Marathon, and more — most of which continue under different handlers, another legacy of the publication).

Now there is another legacy, the archives!

Having full access to CQ and QST magazines online is like a wormhole, a portal into the history of amateur radio in the United States and around the globe. It’s an amazing resource for learning, study, and a deep reference library covering a century of ham radio history.

I only wish it wasn’t only offered as a subscription. I’d pay $200 to download the entire archive and keep it on my server. Annual subscriptions aren’t retirement friendly budget items and it’s impossible to know if it will survive my future cuts as subscriptions are often the first to go under the knife.

But for this moment, I’m mesmerized while clicking through the annals of time.