TECHNOLOGY SPECIAL http://www.cq-amateur-radio.com $6.99
COMMUNICATIONS & TECHNOLOGY DECEMBER 2020 ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE
Elite 750 • AM/FM/LW/SW bands • Aircraft Band • Set 9/10 KHz AM tuning; set FM tuning range • Single-Side Band (SSB) • 360 degree rotate AM antenna • Auto/Manual/Direct frequency key-in and station memory tuning • Auto Tuning Storage function (ATS) for FM/AM/Shortwave • 1000 station memories (each band 100 memories, 500 customizable) • Dual alarm clock function • Line in socket (can be used as speaker for MP3) • Line out socket (radio broadcasting can be transferred to other device) • External antenna jacks for both AM/FM • Power source: DC input (6V) power supply included
Elite Field Elite Executive • AM/FM/SW bands • AM/FM/LW/SW bands • FM with RDS (Radio Data System) • FM with RDS (Radio Data System) • Dial-in-dial coarse/ narrow digital tuning • Single sideband (SSB) with +/1 kHz tuning • Treble/bass control • VHF Aircraft band • RF gain control • Automatic or Manual Digital Tuning • Wide/narrow bandwidth selection • FM stereo/mono selection • 50 memory stations • Electronic/volume/treble/bass control • Bluetooth® ready • Sync detector with selectable sideband • External AM/FM/SW antenna connections • Direct key-in meter band for SW • Local/DX switch • 700 memory stations • Rich orange LCD display • PLL synthesized dual conversion receiver • Line-in/line-out and headphone jacks • Local/DX switch • FM telescopic antenna • Local/world time zones • Carrying strap • Clock/Alarm/Sleep Timer with time backup • Reset/lock button • Rich orange LCD display • Power supply: Included 7V DC adapter or 4 D batteries (sold separately) • Reset/Lock button • Custom vegan leather Carry Case (sold separately) • FM telescopic antenna • Power supply: Inclided AC adapter or 4 AA batteries (sold separately) • Custom vegan leather case with craftsman stitching
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EDITORIAL STAFF ANNOUNCEMENTS Richard S. Moseson, W2VU, Editor Jason Feldman, KD2IWM, Managing Editor Susan Moseson, Editorial Consultant COVID-19 UPDATE CONTRIBUTING EDITORS The COVID-19 pandemic has radically altered plans for any social gathering and hamfests Kent Britain, WA5VJB, Antennas and ham radio-related conferences are taking a huge hit. CQ urges all readers to please check Stan Broadway, N8BHL, Emergency Communications with the organizers of these events to ensure the event will still be held. Gerry L. Dexter, The Listening Post Joe Eisenberg, KØNEB, Kit-Building Tony Emanuele, K8ZR, VHF Tomas Hood, NW7US, Propagation DECEMBER Jim Houser, WA8JIM, Awards John Langridge, KB5NJD, MF/LF Operating Anthony Luscre, K8ZT, Microcontrollers DELTA, OHIO — The Fulton County Amateur Radio Club will hold its Winterfest 2020 Irwin Math, WA2NDM, Math’s Notes from 8-11 a.m., Saturday, December 5 at the Village of Delta Memorial Hall, 401 Main Joe Moell, KØOV, Homing In Street. Contact: Bryan Patterson, KB8ELG, (419) 822-5038 or (419) 250-6694. Email: Eric Nichols, KL7AJ, Analog Adventures
ST. CLOUD MINNESOTA — The Saint Cloud Amateur Radio Club will hold the Cabin A publication of Fever Reliever beginning 9 a.m., Saturday, February 13 at the Eagles Aerie 622, 730 CQ Communications 41st Avenue North. Website:
2 • CQ • December 2020 Visit Our Web Site HAM RADIO NEWS
P5 Remains Atop Clublog Most-Wanted List working from home and are not expected to move into their Clublog has released its new list of “most-wanted” DX enti- new offices until next June at the earliest. The ARRL Letter ties and North Korea (P5) is once again at the top. The rest reports that mail delivery to the Commission will be unaf- of the top-ten, in order, are all islands: Bouvet (3Y/B), Crozet fected by the move, as the agency has its own Zip Code so (FT5/W), Scarborough Reef (BS7H), San Felix (CEØX), the mail would be delivered properly regardless of the Pratas (BV9P), Kure (KH7K), Johnston (KH3), Peter I (3Y/P), address on the envelope. COVID restrictions continue to pro- and Kerguelen (FT5/X). The complete list is on the Clublog hibit hand-delivery of documents and access to FCC offices, website at
Nominations Open for Hamvention Awards ARRL Urges No Changes in International The Dayton Hamvention® is accepting nominations for its Allocations for 3 and 10 GHz four annual awards until February 15, 2021. Awards will be Maintain the status quo — that’s the gist of the ARRL’s com- made for Technical Achievement, Special Achievement, ments to the FCC’s advisory committee for the 2023 World Amateur of the Year, and Club of the Year. These are con- Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-23), which issued sidered to be among the most prestigious awards the ama- two draft recommendations in October. The League urged teur radio community confers each year. Nominations may the committee to propose no changes to the international be emailed to
COVER: SEASON’S GREETING FROM CQ !
CQ sends its best wishes for a happy and healthy holiday season and new year, espe- cially after this year. We hope the holiday scene on our cover gets you ready for the night St. Nick slips down the chimney and gives you wonderful electronic delights that will keep you busy all year round. Whether it is a new radio, accessory, antenna, or a subscription to your favorite ham radio magazine (hint, hint!), we 28 wish each and every one of you a great, healthy and prosperous new year.
FEATURES
10 HOW TO TUNE A YAGI ANTENNA By Peter J. Dalton, W6KW 12 SCREWDRIVER ANTENNA TECHNOLOGY SPECIAL: Ham radio has driven technological innovation for CONTROLLER FOR YOUR over a century thanks to tinkerers searching for a new way to get their signals SMARTPHONE out farther. This month, CQ shines a spotlight on innovations in antennas and By Pat Griffin, AA4PG & Brian Wingard, N4DKD antenna accessories. You can read all about it on pages 10, 12, 16, 25, 28, 39, 44, 64, 68, and 87. 16 A SELF-CALIBRATING TUNING- TRACKING CONTROLLER FOR MAGNETIC FIELD LOOP ANTENNAS: The Quest for a Smaller, COLUMNS Yet Practical, Antenna DEPARTMENTS By Roberto Sadkowski, K6KM 48 MATH’S NOTES: The Future Still Will 53 CONTESTING: Contest Activity is Still 25 CQ REVIEWS: IMPULSE Not Necessarily Be What We Think It Up as Contesters Stay Safe ELECTRONICS MAX GO BOX: A Will Be By Tim Shoppa, N3QE Battery Box with Brains! By Gordon West, WB6NOA By Irwin Math, WA2NDM 70 EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS: It’s Exercise Time! 28 BUILD A PORTABLE HIGH 60 THE LISTENING POST: Palau Back By Stan Broadway, N8BHL EFFICIENCY 4-BAND VERTICAL on the Air as Hope Radio ANTENNA By Gerry Dexter 90 AWARDS: Net Awards By Albert F. Peter, AC8GY 68 COMMUNICATIONS HORIZONS: Are By Rich Moseson, W2VU 39 THE TEXAS STAR MULTI-BAND You Going Hybrid? 92 DX: AC3PT Sikkim 1974 — Amateur ANTENNA: Five Bands, One Feedline, By Rob De Santos, K8RKD Radio’s Role in a World Event By Bob Schenck, N2OO No Tuner 72 KIT-BUILDING: Being Well-Grounded By Gene Hinkle, K5PA By Joe Eisenberg, KØNEB 99 VHF PLUS: K3ZR Says Tnx and 73 By Tony Emanuele, K8ZR 44 A SIMPLE DUAL-BAND UPGRADE 75 QRP: A Conversation About the True FOR YOUR 40-METER DIPOLE Meaning of QRP, Revisited ... and 102 PROPAGATION: December By Bob Glorioso, W1IS & Bob Rose, Thoughts from “the Land Down Under” Propagation: Best DX Will Be on the KC1DSQ By R. Scott Rought, KA8SMA Lower Bands 50 CQ CLASSIC By Tomas Hood, NW7US 78 MICROCONTROLLERS IN HAMS - PAST - PRESENT - FUTURE AMATEUR RADIO: 2 Projects + 2 By Zeh Bouck, W8QMR-WLNG 2 ANNOUNCEMENTS Books = Microcontroller Fun (Jan., 1945) 3 HAM RADIO NEWS By Anthony Luscre, K8ZT 64 THE FERRITE-SLEEVE AUTO 8 ZERO BIAS TRANSFORMER 82 ANALOG ADVENTURES: Getting 9 NEWSBYTES By Rick Littlefield, K1BQT More FUN From Your FUNction 73, 89 WHAT’S NEW Generator 66 ANNOUNCING: THE 2021 CQ 71 SPURIOUS SIGNALS By Eric P. Nichols, KL7AJ WORLD WIDE WPX RTTY CONTEST 80 OOPS By Ed Muns, WØYK 84 LEARNING CURVE: Match This! 86 BEHIND THE BYLINES By Ron Ochu, KOØZ 81 ANNOUNCING: 2021 CQ HALLS OF 100 OUR READERS SAY FAME NOMINATIONS 87 ANTENNAS: Antenna Simulation 105 CQ INDEX By Staff By Kent Britain, WA5VJB 112 HAM SHOP
ZERO BIAS: A CQ Editorial BY RICH MOSESON,* W2VU Looking Back at a Year of Looking Back
his has certainly been quite a year … and in many sleeve autotransformer, and how to make your 40-meter respects, I think we’re all glad it’s ending. But along dipole resonant on 15 meters (no, it isn’t really resonant on Twith the obvious negatives, 2020 has had some good both without some help). One item that pops up in several of things to remember as well. If it’s possible for a pandemic to these articles is the use of an Arduino microcontroller as an have a silver lining, it has for ham radio. With many of us essential part of the project, illustrating the growing role that spending lots more time at home, the ham shack has been microcontrollers are playing in amateur radio technology. beckoning as a way to keep our minds active and to keep in Interestingly, one of the articles that does not involve the use touch with friends (old and new), even when in-person visit- of an Arduino (“Build a Portable High Efficiency 4-Band ing has been limited. Club nets and online meetings have Vertical Antenna,” p. 28) is written by an Arduino authority, maintained social contacts within our ham communities. Al Peter, AC8GY, who is co-author of a new book on micro- Participation in contests has been through the roof and controllers in amateur radio along with Jack Purdum, W8TEE restrictions on gatherings have prompted new or improved (see this month’s Microcontrollers column on page 78 for methods of conducting socially-distanced multi-op contest- more on Al and Jack’s book). ing (we’ve highlighted both all-remote and hybrid setups here Beyond the world of antennas, we have a CQ review by in CQ). Ham ingenuity has also led to things like parking lot WB6NOA of the Impulse Electronics Max Go Box, a battery license exams and all-online test sessions. carrier with brains! Plus, Contesting Editor N3QE has put Here at CQ, we’ve spent the year celebrating our 75th together a Periodic Table of Contesting, borrowing the for- anniversary, looking back through a series of “CQ Classic” mat of the chemical chart hanging in just about every high reprints from past issues that help paint a picture of “life in school science classroom to create an annual calendar of ham radio” from 1945 to the present. In some cases, we took major contests, broken down by month, weekend and mode. articles from several decades ago and brought them up to date It’s really cool and you’ll find it on pages 56 and 57. with additional articles. Reviewing the past can help us as we Speaking of contests, please take a look at News Bytes on move forward, and we plan to continue our “CQ Classics” page 9 as well as the Contesting column (p. 53) and 2021 series, although maybe not every month. Our Classic this CQWW WPX RTTY Contest announcement (p. 86) for news month (p. 50) goes back once again to our very first issue; in on the new “Multi-Transmitter Distributed” category that fact, the first article in that issue, “HAMS – PAST – PRESENT we’re adding to the WPX family of contests. – FUTURE,” by Zeh Bouck, W8QMR/WLNG. It provides a fas- cinating look at the author’s perceptions of the hobby at a time Hello to N8BHL and 73 to K8ZR when ham radio was still shut down by World War II. We’d like to welcome Stan Broadway, N8BHL, as our new One aspect that has been most impressive to me is how Emergency Communications Editor. We introduced Stan consistent we have been — over the course of 75 years and here last month and his first column begins this month on 11 editors — in staying focused on our original goals of page 70. But as Stan joins us, Tony departs. VHF-Plus Editor “play(ing) a dual role … as a disseminator of what one should Tony Emanuele, K8ZR, is stepping down as of this issue. As know to make the most out of ham radio, and in (a) less for- he explains in his final column (p. 99), he has taken on addi- mal character as your own magazine, welcoming criticism tional responsibilities at his day job that are eating up a lot as well as bouquets and, above all, the cordial exchange of of his free time and he doesn’t want give less than his full ideas that is so vital a part of ham radio on the air.” That quote attention to the column each month. We thank Tony for the is from our mission statement as published in January 1945, great job he’s done as VHF+ Editor over the past six years and it continues to hold true today. From the start, our colum- and wish him well in the future. We’ll also look forward to nists have been leading authorities in their fields and our occasional feature articles from Tony when his schedule per- readers have also been our authors, sharing projects, con- mits it. Meanwhile, we’re in the market for a new VHF+ Editor cepts, and adventures through the pages of CQ. We look for- as this is written. If you love weak-signal VHF/UHF and ward to continuing that tradition for at least the next 75 years microwave hamming, want to share your enthusiasm, and as well. have time to assemble and write a monthly column, please drop me a note. Technology Special Along the same lines, we are also still looking for a new This issue is our annual Technology Special. Of course, tech- Awards editor. Please contact me if you’re interested in that, nology is central to every issue, but each December we put as well. a little more of a spotlight on technical topics than on oper- ating articles. Our collection of technical articles this time Happy Holidays! around has a heavy focus on antennas and antenna acces- As we get ready to send 2020 packing, let me share with sories. We start with an article on how to properly tune a Yagi each of you best wishes from all of us at CQ for a Merry antenna (and the difference between tuning and matching); Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, or whatever how to use your smartphone as a controller for a screwdriv- else you may celebrate at this time of year, as well as a very er antenna; a tuning and tracking controller for magnetic loop happy and healthy — especially healthy — new year in 2021. antennas; two approaches to multiband verticals; a ferrite Stay safe, stay healthy, and stay on the air! Remember, we hams invented Social DXing! *Email:
8 • CQ • December 2020 Visit Our Web Site NEWS BYTES New Flexibility for Multi-Operator Contest Stations Both ARRL and CQ are making changes in certain contest • The team must determine and control band assignments, ensur- rules in order to provide more flexibility for multi-operator con- ing that no more than one team station is transmitting on any given testing in light of both the Coronavirus pandemic and advances band at a time. in remote operating technology. • The multioperator contest station may be staffed at less than full capacity while maintaining safe practices, so operating with a com- ARRL DX Contest bination of team members at home stations and team members at the contest station is permissible. In late October, the ARRL issued the following guidelines for multi-op stations competing in the 2021 ARRL DX Contest (both The 2021 ARRL DX Contest CW weekend will be February CW and phone), temporarily permitting “team” contesting from 20-21; the phone weekend will be March 6-7. [Source: ARRL multiple locations (but note that there must be an actual “multi- Letter 10/29/20] operator contest station” in the mix): CQ WPX Contests • Team members may operate from their home stations in con- Effective with the 2021 CQ WPX RTTY Contest (February 13- junction with the multioperator station. 14), all modes of the WPX Contest will permanently add a “Multi- • Their home station must be located within a radius of 100 kilo- Transmitter Distributed” category. Essentially, it permits up to meters (62 miles) of the multioperator contest station. six separate stations — one per authorized contest band — • Their home station must be located within the same DXCC enti- under the same callsign from multiple locations within the same ty as the multioperator contest station. In the case of U.S. and DX entity and CQ zone. Details are in the WPX RTTY Contest Canadian stations, all team member stations must be in the same announcement on page 66 of this issue, and in this issue’s U.S. state or Canadian province. Contesting column, beginning on page 53. • All team member stations must use the same callsign and The Multi-Transmitter Distributed category does not replace exchange as the multioperator contest station for the duration of the contest. or supersede any other category, and applies only to the WPX • Logging software must be networked, so that all team member contests (RTTY, SSB – March 27-28, 2021 — and CW — May stations are using a common log. 29-30, 2021). There are no changes to the rules for the CQ • Individual operators may not work the multioperator contest sta- World Wide DX family of contests. tion or other team member stations using a personal callsign or other CQ’s general guidelines for multi-op stations encourage com- callsign. pliance with local health rules, encourage remote operating • All multioperator rules, such as band changes and number of where feasible, and discourage in-person multi-op contesting signals on a band, still apply. See the full contest rules for details. except when the operators already live under the same roof. www.cq-amateur-radio.com December 2020 • CQ • 9 Technology Special
What’s the difference between tuning and matching an antenna? W6KW explains, and then takes you step-by-step through the process for tuning a Yagi. How to Tune a Yagi Antenna
BY PETER J. DALTON,* W6KW
“Trial-and-error should be a process if one wants the best performing antenna.”
have been asked a number of times, “How do I tune my Yagi antenna?” I have answered these requests in writ- Iing. However, I have been spending considerable time listening on 40 meters while I do various things in the ham shack and have been saddened by the all-too-frequent con- fusion some hams have over tuning an antenna versus obtaining a good match. Here is what I have found to be the best answer to both tuning and matching based on prac- tical experience: I believe an antenna should be tuned before it is matched. Photo A. W6KW’s 80-meter beam, which was featured in Tuning consists of trimming and tweaking the antenna (or our July 1998 issue, was the subject of the tuning proce- antenna array) itself to resonance on its design frequency, dures outlined in this article. As the author points out, there’s as installed. Matching tunes the antenna and feed system to a big difference between tuning an antenna and matching it present a 50-ohm load to the transmitter, even when the radio to the feedline and transmitter. (Photos from July 1998 CQ) is operating on something other than the antenna’s resonant frequency. tage of the improvement in signal-to-noise ratio available The antenna should be tuned at its operating height above through design. ground. Sometimes this takes interpolating. I did this recent- ly on my full-sized 40-meter Yagi. I knew the frequency of Modeling Plus Trial-and-Error resonance would change (increase) as the antenna was raised. In my case, the antenna as I designed it was tuned Since I was dealing with shortened elements, and the lengths at 7.100 MHz when at 23 feet above ground, but showed it were calculated on EZNEC at the time (1996), I knew some was tuned at 7.228 when raised above 60 feet. My design trial-and-error was going to take place. In fact, trial-and-error frequency was 7.150. should be a process if one wants the best performing anten- It is important to remember that a Yagi is an array. It is na. I knew that if I peaked the front-to-back (f/b) ratio of the like an electromagnetic radiator and is affected by nearby antenna, I would also be eliminating somewhat the high-angle objects. This example is about tuning my 80-meter, 3-ele- noise and transmission. This is calculable on Smith charts. ment Yagi with linear loading via coils in the center of each Forward gain was not a design objective since I knew that half element, at 165 feet over the ground (Photo A). The when the array was tuned for maximum f/b, there would be a step-by-step description that follows of tuning an antenna half dB or less of non-maximized forward gain. That’s mean- is one that had to be performed to achieve the results that ingless when compared to signal-to-noise improvement. I was after. The design objective was to have an antenna that could Step One: Set the Driven Element Length hear weak signals in California from all over the world. The There is no mystery in initially setting the driven element lower ham band frequencies are noisy and, if you want to length. Even though the driven element was only 5 feet off hear the DX, you have got to deal with the noise that comes the ground for this process, I put the 50-ohm coax across the from all directions. Thus, my primary design objective was split element and tweaked the ends of the half element for to reduce the noise from unwanted directions while 3.790, knowing full well that the frequency would change as increasing the gain of the arriving signal. This perhaps the antenna was raised to 165 feet. The element was approx- seems obvious, but unless one pays attention to this objec- imately 91 feet in length. It doesn’t matter whether the dri- tive on 160, 80, and 40 meters, one will not take advan- ven element is resonant or not. It is merely the exciter of the array and what matters is whether the array is functioning as intended. In fact, the driven element can be considerably off *email:
10 • CQ • December 2020 Visit Our Web Site I then tweaked the director and reflector at -5% and +5% in lengths, respectively.
Step Two: Raise the Antenna and Tune We raised the antenna piece-by-piece, starting with the boom, and then each of the elements. This process is not relevant to this article, so I will not go into detail of how we did the mechanics. We did build a drop-down gangplank which was bolted to the tower 31 feet below the boom and designed a boom cradle so that we could tip the antenna to a vertical position to work on either the director or the reflec- tor (Photo B). This is discussed in my previous article in CQ magazine.1 I decided to use my 20-meter antenna as a source signal and use the 80-meter antenna for the receive signal. I had a separate transmitter on 20 meters and turned the 20-meter antenna perpendicular to the 80-meter anten- na some 700 feet away. This would lessen the resonance effect, if any, of the 20-meter antenna.
Step Three: Plot the Pattern We had to establish a basis or starting point, so we had to know what the pattern looked like before attempting surgery. While running 1 watt into the 20-meter antenna on 80 meters, we began to plot the front on the 80-meter antenna, mean- ing we pointed the director at the 20-meter beam and decid- Photo B. W6KW and friends were able to work on his big ed we would measure the received signal every 25 kHz. The 80-meter Yagi by tilting it to vertical and climbing to a foldup first discovery was that the 1-watt signal almost pinned the catwalk on his tower. S-meter on the 80-meter station, so we had to put in 40 dB of attenuation. And we began to plot from 3.7 to 3.9 MHz, writing down the S-meter reports. The antenna seemed to across the insulated dipole in a modified hairpin match. The peak at 3.895 MHz. Next, we turned the 80-meter antenna new measurement showed about 18-dB f/b. By this time, we 180° to plot the signal off the back of the antenna. We found had shortened our frequency excursions to 3.750-3.830 MHz. that best f/b was very close to 3.895 MHz but that we were We were now checking every 10 kHz. barely seeing 15 dB f/b. Final tuning amounted to tweaking the reflector first, there- by improving the f/b until we could make no further improve- Step Four: Tune the Antenna ment, and then tweaking the director. The end result was We knew that f/b was influenced more by the reflector than astounding. What we had done was create a very high-Q by the director, so we pointed the antenna skyward and array with a perfect match at design frequency. removed the reflector. This design by choice had the driven The f/b on 3.789 MHz, the true design frequency, was show- element a bit closer to the reflector than to the director. An ing 35 dB. Many have said that could not be achieved, but antenna can be made with equal spacing or with the driven here is the evidence. I could copy very weak signals on the element closer to the director with almost similar results, but design frequency while the other 80-meter transmitter was must be properly tuned to do so. The reflector was lowered on carrier on the 20-meter beam. I could not hear the carri- to the ground and the tips were lengthened by about 6 inch- er unless I turned the 80-meter antenna toward the 20-meter es on each side. The reflector was hoisted back up and the antenna and the front on signal went to S-9. The excursion process repeated. The plot this time had lowered the best f/b was very limited. Not by VSWR, which was less than 2 to 1 to 3.840 MHz. We now had the beginnings of our meaning- over at least 100 kHz, but by f/b. Only 10 kHz either side of ful plot. Now the director was obviously too long and so had design, the f/b fell to about 18 dB. When 20 kHz either side, to be lowered and shortened. We did this and shortened the the f/b was down to near 10 dB. director by 9 inches. This would allow for us to begin tuning This is clear evidence that VSWR is not an indication of the array as we got closer to design frequency. Up it went antenna performance. It is an indication of match to the and a new plot was taken. The best f/b was moving down- feedline. I was very happy with the results and on-air per- ward in frequency and was now about 3.825 MHz. We decid- formance indicated the same. Reports from ZL typically ed to see if the f/b had improved from 15 dB and it had not. had the station at 20 to 25 dB over S9, and when the anten- This told us that we would have more work to do on the reflec- na was pointed 180° away, the other station was either in tor once we got the array close to design frequency. We have the noise or non-existent. not yet touched the driven element. We continued the process until we got the array near 3.790 Many thanks to Dave Padrick, W6ANR, and Pete Graboski, MHz. Tilting the antenna and removing and reinstalling the W6OOL, for their help in designing, building, and testing this element took about one hour each time. We did this process antenna. seven times over several weekends since I was only at the ranch on weekends. Now, with the array close to design fre- quency but not showing anything better than 15 dB f/b, it was Notes: time to move the driven element down in frequency. We did 1. Dalton, “Designing and Building a Three Element 80 Meter Yagi,” so by removing close to a foot off the tips and used a coil CQ, July 1998, p. 42 www.cq-amateur-radio.com December 2020 • CQ • 11 Technology Special Screwdriver antennas have been around for decades, but why not take advantage of modern technology to change bands and frequencies, especially considering how difficult it is to route cables through today’s vehicles. AA4PG and N4DKD offer one solution. Screwdriver Antenna Controller For Your Smartphone BY PAT GRIFFIN,* AA4PG AND BRIAN WINGARD,# N4DKD
ick up any ham radio magazine a network address. You simply point complete project, except the smart- from the sixties and you will like- your browser to it and click the buttons phone, can be built for around $20. Ply see an ad with the Webster on the webpage to change frequency. Band Spanner mobile antenna mount- We have kept it simple so that all you The Hardware ed on the back bumper of a Corvette need is this article and a few files eas- The idea is to turn the screwdriver motor convertible. Changing frequency was a ily downloaded from the internet. The in one direction to increase the resonant matter of pulling over on the side of the two-lane and sliding the whip up or down, which moved a contact along a coil wound inside the antenna body. Then, in a stroke of pure genius, Don Johnson, W6AAQ, and others made the coil moveable, attached an electric screwdriver motor to it, and the screw- driver antenna was born. Now, fre- quency could be adjusted from the com- fort of the front seat. Now, as then, installation of a screw- driver antenna involves snaking the power cable from the cabin to the battery and the coax and control cable to wher- ever the antenna is mounted. While crawling around under the dash doing exactly that, we wondered if there might be a better way. Clearly, the coax and power cables have to be hard-wired. But what about that control cable? In this age of the Internet of Things (IoT) and smart phones, something as simple as driving a last-century electric screwdriver motor should be a piece of cake. We will describe a simple system comprised of your smartphone or any Wi-Fi®-capable device with a browser and an IoT gizmo (ESP8266 Nodemcu development board) that allows you to remotely control the resonant frequen- cy of the antenna. The ESP8266 cre- ates a local website and will show up as
* 478 Cahaba Landings Rd Birmingham, AL 35210 Email:
12 • CQ • December 2020 Visit Our Web Site Figure 2. The webpage for
frequency and in the opposite direction Figure 1. Schematic of the controller circuit. The four relays are part of the to decrease it. This feat is accomplished MPJA 35787MP quad relay board and their connections on that board are IN1 by simply reversing the polarity of the through IN4. voltage feeding the screwdriver motor. This reversal is accomplished with four single-pole, double-throw (SPDT) relays. A relay board could be built from scratch but is it hard to beat the Quad Channel SPDT Relay Board (35787MP) with built- in optoisolators from Marlin P Jones (MPJA) for $6.95. If you use this board, jumper Low and Com on headers S1 through S4. The relays are driven by a couple of 2N2222 transistors and these are con- nected to pins D6 and D7 on the ESP8266. The only other connections to the ESP8266 are 12-volt DC and ground. The 12-volt DC is smoothed a bit by 0.1 μF and 100 μF capacitors. These hardware connections are shown in Figure 1. Energizing relays RY1 and RY2 raises the frequency and energizing relays RY3 and RY4 lowers it. The connections for these relays are pins IN1 through IN4 on the relay board. Notice the 12-volt DC for the Up relays is routed through the normally-open (NO) contacts of the Down relays and vice versa. This routing is necessary because at power-on, the ESP8266 performs a power-on system test (POST) resulting in all four relays being energized. This test results in a direct short of the incoming 12-volt DC since all SPDT contacts are thrown. By rout- Photo B. The controller mounted in the utility box. ing the 12-volt DC through the NO con- www.cq-amateur-radio.com December 2020 • CQ • 13 Parts List At this point, we are ready to install the antenna controller program or “sketch” in Arduino terminology. When you first started the IDE, you probably noticed a default sketch con- C1 0.1-uF, 50-volt capacitor sisting of a void setup() section and a void loop() section. C2 100-uF, 50-volt electrolytic capacitor Delete all of the lines so you have a blank sketch. Then name Q1, Q2 2N2222 NPN transistor or equivalent the new sketch we will create by clicking on File and Save R1, R2 1K, 1/2-watt resistor As. Use whatever name you like, such as antennacontroller. R3, R4 10K, 1/2-watt resistor Now, in your browser navigate to
14 • CQ • December 2020 Visit Our Web Site
The new HG3 stepper tuned Mag Loop Antenna (MLA) sets a new standard delivering unprecedented capability in remote tuning, performance and convenience for an MLA. It employs a proven, accurate and repeatable stepper motor design. Band selection, remote tuning, including optional loop rotation, is controlled via a microcontroller driving a high resolution stepper motor. A built-in digital SWR bridge provides auto- tuning based on an SWR scan. This ensures compatibility with most radios. Manual tuning uses a convenient rotary encoder knob - no more finicky push buttons. The four-line LCD displays band selected, SWR, ERP, Cap value and more. The bottom line - count on top- notch RX and TX performance!
STEPPER MOTOR ACCURACY CONVENIENT REMOTE TUNING DISPLAYS BAND, SWR, ERP & MORE QUICK BAND SELECTION AUTO-TUNING BASED ON SWR 80m - 10m COVERAGE AVAILABLE NO COMPROMISE SPOT-ON TUNING MAX POWER: 100 W PEP* A precise LC match at the desired frequency ensures spot-on tuning (red SWR, blue RL, green Z) and minimizes mismatch losses within the MLA's specified frequency range.
* For EXPRESS & PRO models, see specifications for limitations
13690 Wisteria Dr. NE Aurora, OR 97002 • ph: 503-915-2490 • preciserf.com • Some items may be optional • © 2020 rev 13 Technology Special
Magnetic loop antennas can be effective in locations where small and/or low-profile antennas are needed. But they have very narrow bandwidths and require frequent retuning. K6KM shares a method he devised to automate the process and provide remote control as well. A Self-Calibrating Tuning-Tracking Controller for Magnetic Field Loop Antennas The Quest for a Smaller, Yet Practical, Antenna
BY ROBERTO SADKOWSKI,* K6KM
lectromagnetic waves travel in space from transmitter to receiver. They carry two components: an electric Efield and a magnetic field, which are perpendicular to each other. Traditional half-wave dipoles rely on resonating and coupling the electric field component while presenting a practical feedline impedance to couple to the transceiver for good power transfer efficiency. In the quest to reduce the physical size of the antennas, the dipole could be shortened and still radiate; however, the feedline will present a strong capacitive reactive component. The feedline reactive com- ponent can be compensated by adding an inductor. The inductor will add losses to the system which reduce the radi- ation resistance of the dipole. More importantly, given that the dipole acts as a capacitor, any environmental object at near-field will drastically change the characteristics of the antenna, making it impractical for use in more than one loca- tion, at which you can optimize it for its surrounding area. A more robust solution was devised trying to work with the magnetic field component. Instead of a shortened dipole, a shortened magnetic loop was implemented. To be consid- ered short, the physical length of the loop inductor has to be around one tenth of a wavelength. Once excited by a sinusoidal RF current, the loop acts as a lump inductor, thus less sensitive to nearby objects. The feedline impedance becomes heavily inductive and a capac- itor can be connected to compensate the reactive compo- nent. Notice that the LC combination becomes a very high Q circuit. It presents very high gain, which is beneficial to overcome the low radiation resistance, but it also provides a very narrow bandwidth. Very high currents are involved in the transmission of RF signals so stray resistances in the loop have to be minimized to avoid power losses. The radi- ation pattern of magnetic loop antennas is fairly directional at near field with nulls perpendicular to the loop. In addition to amateur communication, these types of antennas are used for direction finding, AM receivers (ferrite Photo A. 100-watt 80/40-meter magnetic field loop antenna * Email:
16 • CQ • December 2020 Visit Our Web Site core with multiple loops for compact size), maritime com- In Reference 3, the distance limits to human RF exposure of munications, etc. More information on small magnetic loop magnetic field loop antennas are discussed. The issue with antennas can be found in References 1 and 2. magnetic field loop antennas is that reactive power (power in an inductive circuit) is amplified from the transmitted RF Magnetic Field Loop Antennas: Advantages power by a factor of Q/2π. and Disadvantages For a 3.5-MHz frequency with a 2.5 kHz-bandwidth, the Q is 1,400. If we apply 1.5 kilowatts of power to the feedline, Advantages of small magnetic loop transmit antennas include: 1. Small size compared to half-wave dipole or Yagi. Usually one-tenth to one-third of a wavelength to create a fairly even current distribution on the loop, which then behaves as a lump inductor. 2. Low profile. They don’t need to be high in the sky to prop- agate efficiently since the electric field is parallel to earth (assuming vertical mounting). 3. Quiet. Near-field directivity to block unwanted local inter- ference, so they can act as a QRM reducer. 4. Homebrew. Easy to implement; in fact, many hams go through the process of building one at home. 5. Versatility. Low-angle radiation for DX and high angle of radiation for NVIS (near-vertical incidence skywave). But they also have some major disadvantages: Their nar- row bandwidth requires frequent retuning, and losses may be high. The loop being short presents a high inductive reactance component to the feedline. To overcome this, a variable capacitor is connected in parallel with the inductor. The LC tank behaves as a very high-Q parallel circuit with a very low bandwidth. The losses in the loop and capacitor deter- mine the ultimate Q and bandwidth. Larger losses are more practical for SSB communications where 2.5-kHz band- width is needed, but the losses reduce the efficiency of the loop as more RF power is dissipated as heat instead of radiated power. Another major practical usage limitation is that the high Q requires the loop be tuned along the band. For QRP appli- cations, this can be done with a simple knob on the shaft of the variable capacitor. The loop then needs to be physically Photo B. Air-gap variable capacitor and non-optimized loop close to the operator. Magnetic field loops produce more connections add to losses. DC motor control does not have intense RF near-fields than common half wavelength dipoles. enough resolution to tune effectively.
Figure 1. Magnetic field loop antenna calculator by AA5TB. Comparison of 60 watts with no stray losses (limiting the voltage in the cap at 3 kilovolts) and 100 watts with 30 milliohms added losses.
www.cq-amateur-radio.com December 2020 • CQ • 17 the effective reactive power becomes 334 kilowatts. In CW antennas manually. By operating, we mean tuning them with 500 Hz of bandwidth, it becomes 1.67 megawatts! Even while we QSY. with QRP, the same antenna with 10 watts of RF power yields But there is hope: The good news is that the near-field an effective reactive power of 5.5 kilowatts. intensity decreases with the cube of the distance to the Of course, this is within a very short distance of the antenna. loop, but it demonstrates the issue of operating these Self-Calibration to the Rescue Many schemes have been devised to remotely control the movement of the capacitor shaft using DC or stepping motors. In one case (Reference 4), a clever system is developed in which the frequency is read out of the transceiver and a micro- computer is programmed to tune the capacitor so as to pro- vide a pseudo continuous tuning mechanism. The position of the capacitor for a particular frequency is stored in a mem- ory which implies the characterization of the loop has been done at a certain time and in a particular environment. This article builds on that concept by implementing a self- calibrating loop that can be re-calibrated anytime the opera- tor determines that the environment has changed. For instance, the loop is portable and is installed in a forest, and the temperature and humidity of a particular day has influ- enced the loop’s behavior or the loop is rotated and the capac- itive coupling to nearby objects has varied. The self-calibration algorithm starts by finding the edge of the lowest band, in this case starting with 80 meters, which is used as reference, and then calibrate every 1 kHz of the band while storing the capacitor position (steps from the ref- erence) in a non-volatile memory. Afterwards, the algorithm will proceed to calibrate the next band, in this case 40 meters. Once the steps are stored in non-volatile memory, the fre- quency of the rig is read via ICOM’s CI-V protocol and a look- up table is used to move the motor / capacitor to the corre- sponding position.
Building My Loop Antenna I built and installed an 80/40-meter magnetic field loop anten- na in my yard (Photo A) that turned out to use a fairly lossy Photo C. Prototype built over wooden base employing a air-gap variable capacitor of 3-kilovolts rating. The way the 3-loop wire antenna. copper loop is connected to the capacitor (Photo B) also adds
Figure 2. Block diagram of the antenna controller tracker.
18 • CQ • December 2020 Visit Our Web Site a significant amount of resistance which diminishes the effi- 21 turns. With these specifications, the loop would become ciency of the loop. In fact, the calculator (Figure 1) was pre- much more efficient and it would support up to 1.5 kilowatts dicting the maximum power to the loop be 60 watts at 3.5 MHz. of transmitter power. I had tried my loop at 100 watts with no problem, the reason In order to facilitate developing the software, a prototype being that the resistive losses limit the voltage at the capaci- was built over a wooden base (Photo C), using a wire loop tor terminals. As the calculator shows, an addition of 30 mil- with three turns to act as an 80/40-meter loop antenna. The liohms at 100 watts (second table in Figure 1) reduces the volt- difference compared to the final copper loop implementation age in the capacitor to its limit of 3 kilovolts, consequently is a lower Q (larger bandwidth), reduced efficiency, lower reducing the efficiency of the antenna and increasing the band- power, and lower gain. The advantage is having a full sys- width. For this reason, vacuum variable capacitors are favored tem next to the transceiver and computer to develop the soft- over air gap ones by providing higher voltage ratings and multi- ware. After the final software is loaded, the hardware can be turn capability while reducing losses. implemented on the full-sized antenna and the system will The same magnetic field loop specifications were used here self-calibrate to the new loop. for the design but now using a vacuum variable capacitor The circuit is shown in Figure 2 and consists of an Arduino rated at 12,500 picofarads and 15 kilovolts of isolation with Mega microcomputer module and a stepper motor (manu-
Figure 3. High-level flow chart of calibration routine.
20 • CQ • December 2020 Visit Our Web Site facturer model# 17HS13-0404S-PG5) with a planetary gear reduction ratio of 5.18:1, providing enough torque to move the shaft of the variable capaci- tor. A 10-turn potentiometer is connect- ed via a timing belt and pulley system with 4:1 reduction to the fiberglass shaft. The potentiometer is used as position feedback in a resistor-divider configuration to ensure the capacitor never travels beyond its safe range. A simple signal conditioning interface (Reference 5) connects to the ICOM 7300 CI-V for frequency reading. An H- Bridge fed by 24-volts DC and con- trolled by the Arduino provides power to the stepper motor. A homebrew SWR measurement circuit (Reference 6) consisting of a DFS (direct frequency synthesizer), a bridge, and a logarith- mic amplifier finds the lowest SWR of the loop and capacitor combination. A coax relay connects the loop to either Figure 4. Three round-trip step-by-step resonant frequency measurement high- the SWR measurement for calibration lighting the hysteresis observed. or to the rig antenna connector. Program 80m Calibration Steps The high-level flow chart of the program is shown in Figure 3. First, the program waits for either a signal from a front panel button to start the calibration process or, if already calibrated, reads the frequency of the rig and, if different from the previous reading, it moves the capacitor to the corresponding new fre- quency stored as motor steps, relative to the 3.5-MHz reference. In calibration, the capacitor is brought all the way to the highest value by mea- suring the potentiometer voltage divider while turning 500 steps at a time. Once the limit is reached, the motor is moved in the other direction looking for the lower edge of the 80-meter band (3.5 MHz). It does so at 500 steps per SWR measurement. This way, the 3.5-MHz 40m Calibration point is eventually overshot. When that happens, the motor is moved back in 50-step intervals per SWR measure- ment looking for the 3.5-MHz frequen- cy. Once again, the algorithm will over- shoot the target frequency point and then repeat, moving back in 5-step intervals while measuring SWR. Once the 3.5-MHz point is reached within 1 kHz, the internal step counter memory is reset to zero and it becomes the ref- erence point for the motor steps vs. fre- quency. As you can see, the process of finding the lower edge of the lowest band is a successive approximation algorithm. Repeatability measurements were done to determine the actual resolution of the system using the internal SWR Figure 5. 80-meter and 40-meter calibration results. measurement circuit. Given that the www.cq-amateur-radio.com December 2020 • CQ • 21 bandwidth is very narrow, a 1-kHz reso- The first thing to notice is that the the reference, steps=0 which corre- lution specification was defined. First, curves have hysteresis, and this will sponds to 3.5 MHz, and the system is the internal ADC (analog-to-digital con- be discussed later. The other thing ready to start automatically tuning to the verter) of the Arduino Mega could not be to prove was that the resolution was ade- rig’s frequency. Figure 5 shows the cal- used since it provides only 10 bits of res- quate. Multiple passes were run, and the ibration data and, as expected, the 40- olution, which represents about 0.1% of curves overlapped to show that it pro- meter results look more linear since 7.30 MHz (highest frequency for this duces repeatable results. This charac- there is less variability of the capacitor implementation, top of the 40-meter terization was done to verify capability of to sweep the band. band). In order to achieve 0.5-kHz reso- the system, but are not part of the actu- For the non-volatile memory, we lution, we need 0.5/7300 = 0.0068% res- al calibration algorithm. selected an FRAM (ferroelectric ran- olution on the ADC, which corresponds For the calibration algorithm, we start dom access memory) with 256 kBits to roughly 14 bits. I chose a 16-bit dif- at the 3.5-MHz frequency with refer- that provides millions of writes without ferential ADC used in a 15-bit single- ence steps=0. Then the SWR bridge is degrading performance. Memory was ended configuration with an I2C inter- programmed with the following 1-kHz also interfaced to the Arduino via I2C face to the Arduino Mega. Notice that point and the motor sweeps through a with its own address. Notice that the 15-bit resolution on a 5-volt reference range around this frequency to find the ADC and FRAM share the I2C with dif- represents an LSB (least significant bit) relative number of steps needed to ferent addresses for simplicity. of 0.15 mV. We need 14 bits for 500-Hz achieve that new tuning frequency. The resolution, which corresponds to 0.3 mV. algorithm then repeats over the entire Backlash This highlights the need for very low sys- 500-kHz bandwidth and the relative As seen in Figure 5, the steps needed tem noise in order to reach the desired steps are stored in the non-volatile to reach a particular frequency depend- calibration accuracy. memory for use in the look-up table by ed on the direction in which the motor Going back to the calibration routine, the tuning process. Once the 3.999- was moving. This is called hysteresis once the lower edge of the 80-meter MHz frequency is calibrated, the pro- and is a fairly common problem in elec- band is found, an internal routine was gram looks for the next lower band tro-mechanical systems. In this case, it generated to characterize the LC loop edge, in this case 40 meters or 7.0 MHz. took quite some time and investigation by stepping the motor one step at a time It then repeats the successive approxi- to identify the culprit. I found, while run- and measuring for the lowest SWR. mation algorithm employed before. ning characterization, that when the Once the highest edge of the band was Once found, a new calibration is run on motor reversed direction, the shaft reached, the measurements were 40 meters and relative steps from zero would not move for a few motor steps. repeated with the motor in reverse are stored in the lookup table. After the After discussing this with Gary Johnson, motion with the results for three round final calibration frequency of 7.299 is NA6O, he pointed me to backlash. The trips shown in Figure 4. reached, the motor is brought back to step motor has a 5.18:1 planetary 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 Back issues of CQ Amateur Radio are now available on disk in PDF format! Six years of CQ Amateur Radio magazine —2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019— are now available in easy-to-access PDF format for you to read and refer to again and again! Buy a single - 2019...... $42.95 Three - 2017, 2018, 2019...... $84.00 All six years 2014-2019 ...... $150.00 See our website for all purchasing options All 6 Years for only ll 6 $150.00! Buy a 0.00 for $15 Plus applicable shipping AVE! and S CQ Communications http://store.cq-amateur-radio.com
22 • CQ • December 2020 Visit Our Web Site reduction gear to increase resolution memory position 3975 when the manu- FRAM at position 3880 as a memory of and augment torque. This was needed al tuning was done. where the routine was in case of an to ensure enough force to move the unexpected shutdown. hefty 500-picofarad vacuum variable Automatic Fine-Tuning The motor is then moved 50 steps away capacitor. Another feature added to the system from the selected frequency and an SWR It turns out gears don’t necessarily was automatic fine-tuning. Instead of sweep of 100 points is run using the rou- touch each other all the time, only when letting the operator manually control the tines already developed for calibration. they are moving in a particular direction. motor to find an optimum SWR point via The motor then moves to the new tuned Once they turn to the opposite direction, audio or visually on the scope screen, position and the step difference value is there is a clearance between them that the operator is provided with a push- stored in FRAM position 3895. has to be overcome to start moving the button to command a sweep of SWR The routine remains in a loop state, shaft. This clearance is called backlash and automatically find the optimum tun- looking for a rig frequency change. Once and has been studied extensively ing point for that particular frequency. the operator QSYs, the motor is correct- (Reference 7). Motors with non-back- Here, too, there is a flag stored in ed for the value in memory and then pro- lash gears exist, but they are very expensive and might not provide the torque required. In order to overcome backlash, we SteppIR would like to wish everyone Joy, Peace and Safety! We are have to ensure the motor is moving in celebrating the end of an unprecedented year, with the SteppIR... a single direction while tuning. In our case, we move from lower to higher fre- quency. That way we can ensure that the steps necessary to achieve a de- HOLIDAY ALL-PRODUCTS SALE! sired frequency are repeatable. When tuning a higher frequency, the motor is turned in the same direction. If we choose a lower frequency, the motor reverses, overshoots a certain number of steps to overcome backlash and then returns to the correct position.
Manual Tuning Once parked on a particular tuned fre- quency, the operator might find that the tuning is not optimal given recent 12% changes in the environmental condi- OFF EVERYTHING tions. A manual tuning routine was added, started by pushing the button of an encoder on the front panel. The encoder directly controls the motor by one step at a time in either direction, giv- ing the operator the freedom to manu- ally fine-tune. The way this routine works is as fol- lows: The pushbutton is checked for activation. If detected, then a flag (a value different than zero) is written into FRAM position 3950 to keep a memo- ry of where the program is. The pro- gram then proceeds to check the data against the clock coming from the encoder and moves steps in either direction, keeping an incremented / decremented count in FRAM memory position 3975. Once the operator wants to exit this routine, he / she pushes the encoder button again. This resets the flag and moves the motor back to its USE COUPON CODE HOLIDAY12 AT CHECKOUT! original position. Sale dates are December 1, 2020 thru January 3, 2021; Sark products and voltage suppressors cannot The flag serves the purpose of keep- be discounted. Commercial products are not part of this sale. No cash value to this advertisement. ing memory of where the program was in case of an unexpected shutdown. www.steppir.com Every time at the beginning of the pro- steppIR gram, the flag is tested and if true, the ANTENNA SYSTEMS 425-453-1910 motor will correct for the value at FRAM www.cq-amateur-radio.com December 2020 • CQ • 23 troller needs 24 volts DC so the power supply would be connected to an outlet and low voltage wiring employed (sim- ilar to those used for low-voltage light- ing in gardens). If more advanced futures are desired such as manual and automatic tuning plus calibration controlled from the shack, sprinkler wire can be deployed together with the coax from the shack to the antenna. A more user-friendly approach was employed here using a 2.4-GHz wireless link between the shack and the antenna controller. This link uses low-power bi- directional RF transmission and is suit- able for the distances between 50 and 200 feet. The controller box in the shack as shown in Photo D contains the encoder, push buttons, and LEDs plus a RF24L01 with LNA (low-noise amplifier) Photo D. Wireless remote control unit. and power amplifier, while receiving the CI-V from the ICOM transceiver. An ceeds to move to the new frequency and since time here is not necessarily of the Arduino reads the incoming frequency the flag is reset, leaving the routine and essence. When the tuning algorithm was data from the rig and local buttons sta- returning to the main program. developed, it was found that a QSY at tus and sends the data wirelessly to the In case of an unexpected power fail- 35 rpm from 80 meters to 40 meters took Arduino in the antenna controller. It also ure during this routine, once the pro- approximately 90 seconds. The speed of receives information from the antenna gram restarts it looks for the flag. If set, the motor was then increased to 135 rpm controller for LED status. This way, the it will correct for the value stored in and the QSY now takes only 20 seconds. only connections needed between the FRAM position 3895. After repeated band changes it was shack and the antenna are the coaxial found that no steps were missed. cable and power. The Universal Controller and Conclusion Some Additional Features Remote Operation The optimum location for the loop Magnetic field loop antennas are a great I own a few vacuum variable capaci- antenna will be dictated by the FCC compromise for a small QTH or where tors that I could use to build loops for exposure limitation guidelines, avail- neighbors impose restrictions to in- different bands. This program can be ability of space at your QTH, and keep- stalling large structures. By easing the extended to seek not just the lower part ing the antenna preferably one loop calibration and tuning of such antennas, of 80 meters but to look for the lowest diameter above ground. Cables from they become more usable for search band it can find, starting with 160 the shack to the antenna will limit the and pounce (tuning) or just for running meters. Then it will proceed to calibrate practicality of the installation. in a contest in a particular frequency. the band and do the same for the fol- The minimum number of connections I would like to thank my mentor in this lowing band. More than two bands are for an easy setup would be the coax project, Dave Leddon, K6DHL, who not not practical for these types of loops as from rig to the antenna and a pair of only gave me advice but also provided the sensitivity of capacitor adjustment wires to supply the antenna controller me with valuable pieces of code. Also, to frequency becomes very large. Also, with frequency information from the rig. Gary Johnson, NA6O, who custom-fab- the bandwidth increases as the loop The “Calibrate” button could be locat- ricated a coupling for the motor shaft becomes larger in terms of wavelength ed at the base of the antenna since it is and also enlightened me on mechani- and stops behaving as a short loop, something that would be seldom per- cal issues I would face and helped me more closely resembling a very inef- formed. Notice that the antenna con- solve the backlash problem. fective folded dipole. The only parameters the system will need from the user are the edges of the References: vacuum variable capacitor mechanical 1. “An Overview of the Underestimated Magnetic Loop HF Antenna,” By Leigh Turner, VK5KLT movement, which are measured through
24 • CQ • December 2020 Visit Our Web Site Technology Special
Here’s a portable battery box that does much more than hold your battery — it has a built-in voltmeter, connectors for radios, USB charging ports, and solar panel inputs. WB6NOA gives it a field test. CQ Reviews: Impulse Electronics Max Go Box A Battery Box with Brains!
BY GORDON WEST,* WB6NOA
am a big fan of the new technology, lightweight, Lithium- This hubby and wife operation has no problem in cus- Iron-Phosphate batteries (LiFePO4) for extended-time tomizing what you have or need, so you can tell if you may Ifield operations. But for “weekend ops,” even a new tech- already have a specific battery that needs to fit in the box. nology 40-amp-hour (Ah) 12-volt DC battery weighing only They love customizing — that’s their thing for us happy ham- 10 pounds could really use a battery box for easy handling, sters, configuring our personal battery box and voltage man- when going maritime mobile, river rafting, or mountain top- agement system. ping for microwave and SOTA (Summits o the Air) ops. The Max Go-Box, their largest box, comes with these out- My search for the right weather-tight battery box led me to side built-in jacks and meters and stuff (Photo B): Impulse Electronics,1 from which I see Marvin Munster, • Rubber-gasketed lid, waterproof floating black case. It W6MJM, and his wife Sherry, KF6GSA, at almost all local rivals what I have seen for three times more money at marine hamfests, with a booth tabletop full of 12-volt devices and a electronics stores. (Sorry, no purge valve.) No, it’s not intend- full selection of battery boxes for portable ops. ed for floating, but it is waterproof if you close all the rubber I love a lot of options and metering in my future battery box, covers over the meter and Anderson Powerpole openings. so they allowed me to test their top-of-the-line MAX GO BOX • LED-lighted on / off switch, powers down the meter and (Photo A), measuring approximately 14 x 12 x 6 inches, that USB charging ports for extended periods of no use. would easily carry my 10-pound Bioenno Power2 LiFePO4 • Accessory car lighter socket with weatherproof cover, 30 40-amp hour battery, with enough room for even going to my amps. larger Bioenno Power 60-Ah beast battery. • Dual Anderson Powerpole voltage-out connectors, on a 30-amp auto-reset circuit breaker. (Not all hams have spare * Contributing Editor, CQ fuses in the field!) 2414 College Drive • Digital daylight blue voltmeter, in between a pair of 2.4- Costa Mesa, CA 92626 amp USB charger ports, one for each type of phone you may
Photo A. The Impulse Electronics Max Go Box features Photo B. All the ports, with all openings seen in the closed waterproof and tough construction. position for protection from the elements. www.cq-amateur-radio.com December 2020 • CQ • 25 It takes long-nose pliers or a special tool to separate these connectors, by pushing in the twin locking tabs at the same time. Finger pressure was fruitless. OK, big Bioenno Power 4-amp flexible solar panel, and it goes into the upper or lower YELLOW positive-marked Powerpole connectors on the box. Bingo, I see the inside bat- tery going from 12.8 volts, finally up to 14.6 volts on the panel meter, and then the Maximum Point Power Tracking con- troller keeps it topped off. When brim full, you will see a con- stant 14.4 to 14.6 VDC under no load, which is normal with these solar charge controllers. The fast 5-volt USB Type C QC3.0 charger, built in to the digital voltmeter, is great for our California fire evacuation shelters — clients, firefighters, and Red Cross workers are Photo C. Daylight-viewable voltmeter and cellphone / tablet always looking for a cell phone fast-charge, which the bat- fast-charger. tery box does very well. Older, slower, charging devices will also work fine with this charging circuit (Photo E). I use Roger at Wiredco.com for his unique USB current and voltmeter device to monitor charging current going in. At home before your outing, the AC charger is an option, and when the battery in the box is fully charged, the AC charg- er LED goes from red to green and stops supplying current to the battery. The charger may be left connected to AC if you wish. You can operate while it is connected. Watch the box voltmeter — daylight viewable blue — to confirm rising battery voltage, up to 14.6 VDC. These boxes from Impulse Electronics (.com) are designed for LiFePO4 higher voltage battery technology, so an AGM or other type of flooded battery charger is NOT advised. But they can work around this if you have a heavy rechargeable battery that needs a box. The solar charge controller is designed for only LiFePO4 batteries. Bioenno Power LiFePO4 batteries all have their own inter- nal protection circuit against any input voltage errors and will normally be reset by removal of the problem. If the battery does not reset by itself, it can be reset easily by Photo D. Input voltage-regulated yellow PowerPole con- disconnecting it from the circuit, waiting 30 seconds, and nections for solar panels. then plugging it into any 13- to 15-volt DC source to get it going again. • Twin Anderson Powerpole yellow (+) and black (-) solar From the built-in regulator / controller, the RFI (interfer- panel inputs (Photo D), with a custom series MPPT ence on high frequency) is manageable, as long as the HF (Maximum Power Point Tracking) built-in controller set for antenna is more than 5 feet away from the box. I’ll cut that LiFePO4 14.6-VDC cutoff regulation. down with snap-on toroids on the inside cables. Any type or brand of smart charger with regulation will emit close- On the Inside: proximity white noise on HF. Unfortunately, this noise comes with the technology. I experienced no noise on VHF • Lots of Velcro™ strips to anchor things down. or UHF to work the International Space Station with an • Closed-cell foam padding for the sides and on some bat- Arrow or Elk antenna. teries, the top. Oh yes, check your portable solar panel glass or clear cov- • Anderson Powerpole output connector with auto-reset cir- ering for any bird droppings or shadows — most panels for cuit breaker. portable use will drop charging current by a half amp if a seag- • House-power LiFePO4 charger with LED to indicate com- ull leaves the panel occluded. pletion of charge cycle. The voltmeter shows a slightly lower voltage when the HF or VHF / UHF rig gets plugged in and turned on. The Bioenno And all of this is configurable when you order the box. (If Power LiFePO4 battery keeps a very constant 13.6 volts under you’re still using a heavy sealed AGM battery, Marvin will lots of transmitting. When it gets down to 12.4 volts, it’s time to give you suggestions for safe charging using his customized recharge a bit more with a clean solar panel. Or, add a second battery box. –WB6NOA) panel in the twin Yellow Powerpole input connectors. The yellow Anderson Powerpole terminal was Marvin’s Testing, Testing! idea, and he hopes others will adopt this smart idea on where If you already have portable solar panels, rig them up for to plug an external solar panel into a built-in solar charge Powerpole connectors. I have a nice Bioenno flexible solar controller. panel, but needed to add a longer cable (which Impulse has We made several International Space Station cross-band available) to the low resistance black MC4 connectors that repeater contacts from the box, and with a mobile radio on come with some new portable panels. medium power, it held voltage throughout. And yes, the box
26 • CQ • December 2020 Visit Our Web Site is large enough to accommodate a small transceiver as well (Photo F). If you expect wet weather on a boat, or rain on a mountain top, button up each of the external connector covers, and they will keep waves and water out. The box is watertight, but not sub- mersible, for a river raft swim in the rapids. But a big cold splash, no prob- lem, as long as you have the meter cov- ers and power jacks closed up tight with the strong sealing tabs that are includ- ed, and affixed with a flexible tab in front of any opening. The case is lightweight and tough.As long as the battery is held in place inside the box, it can easily survive a slide down a hill after running your setup all day on a summit. Photo E. My multi-phone cables kept fire personnel well fast-charged in the field. With so many available variations to customize the box exactly for your needs, and to see the technical specs on each device available for the battery box, go to
Notes: Photo F. Compact dual-band radios can fit inside the Max Go-Box case with the 1.
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www.cq-amateur-radio.com December 2020 • CQ • 27 Technology Special:
The author’s search for a portable multi-band HF antenna he could fit in his car and put up / take down on his own led him to … designing his own (one of the things that makes ham radio great!). AC8GY shares his design with us here (another thing that makes ham radio great!) Build a Portable High Efficiency 4-Band Vertical Antenna
BY ALBERT F. PETER,* AC8GY
ollowing a recent field event at which I struggled to set up three antennas for coverage on 40 through 10 Fmeters, I figured there must be a better way. So, I start- ed looking for a new design. While there are numerous ver- ticals on the market, most go for hundreds of dollars and are not especially portable. I preferred a less expensive approach — design and build my own (see Photo A).
Operation and Construction My criteria for the new antenna included: 1) easily portable in a car, 2) high efficiency on all bands, 3) would not have to rely on tall trees for support, and 4) can be erected by one person. After considerable research, I decided upon a set of full- sized vertical radiators for 20, 15, and 10 meters in a multi- wire arrangement, and a shortened element for 40 meters, all attached to a single mast and with a common feed point. The mast would be collapsible down to a “car-fitting” size. The only design wrinkle was the shortened 40-meter section — shortened antennas usually have lower efficiency because of losses in loading coils and lowered radiation resistance. While this design follows what many others have done pre- viously, what is a bit different here is the validation of the design using WSPR1 reverse beacon technology as well as EZNEC computer modeling to guide the design. Hopefully, this article will provide useful guidelines for those who want to build their own portable multi-band vertical antenna. One interesting result from the EZNEC modeling was the appearance of a higher resonance of the 40-meter section at about 28 MHz. The presence of this mode made it possi- ble to eliminate the 10-meter vertical wire and simplify the design — more about this in the design section. Photo A shows the final configuration. Let’s jump ahead and show the performance of the final design of this multi-band vertical (MBV hereafter). Design validation was in two parts. First, after modeling the anten- na in EZNEC, SWR was calculated and compared to field measurements using a VNA antenna analyzer (Mini1300) to obtain the actual SWR. Second, WSPR reverse beacon comparisons were made between both a full size 40-meter vertical and a horizontal end-fed half wave (EFHW) versus the MBV.
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28 • CQ • December 2020 Visit Our Web Site Figure 1. Multi-band vertical (MBV) SWR as computed with EZNEC.
Figure 1 shows the computed SWR culated SWR compared to the mea- 40-meter vertical. For those who wish while Figure 2 presents the measured sured SWR for the MBV, and Table 2 to dig into the details of the design and SWR plot across all bands for the MBV. contains the WSPR results. Far-field modeling process, a more complete The results are also summarized in gain was calculated in EZNEC for both exposition is presented in the “Design Tables 1 and 2. Table 1 shows the cal- the MBV 40-meter band and a full size Considerations” sidebar. Table 2 shows the WSPR and com- puted operational results. First, in EZNEC, the 40-meter band of the MBV was compared to a full size 40-meter vertical. Then, using WSPR tests, the 40-meter MBV was compared to a full- size vertical and an EFHW with 50-foot elevation. Bearing in mind that 6 dB generally equates to one S-unit, the computed loss is less than a third of an S-unit compared to a full-size, quarter- wave antenna. However, in the actual WSPR signal reports, the MBV has vir- tually the same signal reports as a full- size quarter-wave vertical and just a smidge more relative to EFHW. Based on the test results, it appears the MBV antenna design meets the design criteria. Construction Figure 2. MBV measured SWR. Following the design parameters sug- gested by the EZNEC model, the anten- Band EZNEC-computed minimum Measured minimum SWR na was constructed using a 16-foot col- (meters) SWR (x:1) (x:1) lapsible fiberglass flagpole mast (“In the 40 1.18 1.0 Breeze Heavy Duty Telescoping Pole 20 1.06 1.0 — 16-Foot,” $38.99), flexible #16 wire 15 1.025 1.1 for the vertical radiating elements, and 10 1.068 1.1 #16 stranded wire for the ground radi- als. The 20-meter and 15-meter wires Table 1. MBV SWR results summary are held about 12 inches (0.3 meters) www.cq-amateur-radio.com December 2020 • CQ • 29 away from the mast by means of 3D-printed spacers to min- the rods could be bolted together after flattening the ends. imize interaction between bands, while the 40-meter wire fol- The stringers between spoke ends are made of 3-millimeter lows the mast up to the capacitance hat. Elastic cords at the aluminum wire. Adding the wire stringers approximately dou- end of each vertical wire maintain enough tension to keep bles the capacitance. Photo B shows the final capacitance the wires straight. The radials are attached at the base of the hat. Aluminum was selected to reduce weight. mast using a terminal strip for easy removal. The 40-meter loading coil, located about 80 inches (2 The capacitance hat was fabricated from six 1/4-inch (6.35- meters) up the mast from ground, is shown in Photo C. millimeter) diameter, 24-inch (0.6-meter) long aluminum rods Quarter-inch (6.35-millimeter) copper tubing was bent for the spokes, brazed together at the center. Alternatively, around a convenient 5-inch (0.12-meter) form and held in place by 3D-printed spacers. About four turns, with 3/4-inch (19-millimeter) spacing between turns yields the required inductance. I made the coil larger than required and attached the lower 40-meter radiating element to the bottom of the coil. A wire from the bottom of the coil to a tap on the coil selects the proper inductance and shorts out the unused turns. This is especially important since unshorted turns increase induc- tance and mess up the tuning process. The top of the coil is connected to the top hat to complete the 40-meter element. Photo C also shows the 3D-printed attachment flanges that hold the coil in place. The small loading coils for 20 and 15 meters and the termi- nal block for the radials are located near the base, as shown in Photo D. Each small loading coil consists of four turns of #12 solid copper wire on a 1.5-inch (38-millimeter) diameter form with 0.5-inch (12.7-millimeter) turn spacing. A tap is made using either a soldered connection or a screw / washer / nut arrangement. Again, be sure to short out any unused turns.
Photo B. Capacitance top hat.
Photo C. 40-meter loading coil. Photo D. Small loading coils along with wire keepers.
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)UHTXHQF\FRYHUDJHPD\YDU\5HIHUWRRZQHU·VPDQXDOIRUH[DFWVSHFLILFDWLRQV ,FRP$PHULFD,QF7KH,FRPORJRLVDUHJLVWHUHGWUDGHPDUNRI,FRP,QF $OORWKHUWUDGHPDUNUHPDLQWKHSURSHUW\RIWKHLUUHVSHFWLYHRZQHUV$OOVSHFLÀFDWLRQVDUHVXEMHFWWRFKDQJHZLWKRXWQRWLFHRUREOLJDWLRQ The mast is supported using two sets of paracord guy ropes, attached about 4 feet (1.3 meters) and 6.5 feet (2 meters) up the mast, as shown in Photo E. Adjustable rope tensioners make setup easy. While the mast is a bit flexible, the amount of movement at the top is min- imal in moderate winds and the two sets of guy ropes keep it steady enough. A permanent installation would call for a sturdier mast, but this unit is intended for good-weather portable applications. Finally, a word about wire manage- ment. There are three individual radiat- ing elements and lots of radials. To keep everything from becoming a huge tan- gle, the vertical wires are wrapped on individual keepers to store (see Photo D). Same with the radials. This way the wires can be laid out as the antenna is erected and a big mess is avoided. Deploying the antenna takes less than 30 minutes. Photo F shows the col- lapsed antenna on the guy ropes. Table 3 contains the details of the radi- ating element and radial wire lengths for each band. Fifteen meters has three radials, while 40 meters has nine. Adding more radials generally increas- es the radiation efficiency and going from 3 to 9 radials added about 1.5 dB to the efficiency, as measured using WSPR. Please note that your radiating and radial wire lengths may differ — see the Tuning section. The radial lengths are affected by soil conditions and may not give the same results in dry condi- tions as wet. Tests presented here were for wet soil conditions — generally bet- ter conductivity. The antenna is lightweight, coming in at under 7 pounds without the radial Photo E. Guy ropes. wires. Cost (also without radial wires) is
Band Computed Gain difference for MBV WSPR Signal reports for MBV WSPR Signal Reports for (Meters) vs Full Size 1/4-Wave Vertical vs Full-size 1/4-wave Vertical MBV vs EFHW
40 -2.29 dB + 0.56 dB -0.22 dB 20 -0.3 dB (not measured) 1.45 dB
Table 2. Computed far-field and WSPR results summary
Element Elements Radial Length Number of Radials Radial Connection 13” (0.33 M) from GND Coax Connection 16” (0.4 M) from GND 40 meters 67” (1.7 M) coax to coil, 120” (3 M) to top hat 41’ (492”) (12.5 M) 9 20 meters 166” (4.22 M) none 0 15 meters 104” (2.64 M) 184” * (4.67 M) 3 10 meters (from 40-meter element) none 0
*Depending on soil conditions, the 15-meter radials may not be necessary.
Table 3. Wire Lengths
32 • CQ • December 2020 Visit Our Web Site under $100 with the fiberglass mast accounting for the bulk of the cost. The cost would be even less if you have a well-stocked junk box. This unit is intended for field use, where transmit powers of 100 watts or less are assumed. It was tested at 100 watts with no issues.
Tuning All wires lengths were sized from the EZNEC model but should initially be left a bit long to accommodate tuning. Tuning should be done in several steps:
1. Start with the 10-meter band a. The resonant frequency is adjust- ed by changing the height of the coax connection above ground. Adjust for resonance at 28.5 MHz. Make sure the 40-meter wire has no slack.
2. 40-meter band a. Start with about 4 turns on the 40- meter coil tap. Tune for lowest SWR at the band center. b. Adjust the 9 long radials to get the lowest SWR.
3. 20 and 15-meter bands a. Bypass the loading coils to start. b. While measuring the SWR with an antenna analyzer, trim each vertical radiating wire to yield a resonant fre- quency near the top of the specific band. c. Finally, adjust loading coils to bring the 20- and 15-meter resonant fre- quencies to the desired part of the band by changing the tap points.
After doing careful tuning as outlined above, the SWR was measured from 6 Photo F. Collapsed antenna system ready for travel. MHz to 30 MHz as shown in Figure 2. The minimum SWR in each band is less than 1.1:1, as predicted by the EZNEC model (note the individual band limits shown in blue on the plot). Bandwidths were acceptable as well on 40, 20, and 15 meters, as typified by the 40-meter results, shown in Figure 3. The 10-meter band is so wide that an external tuner will be required. Overall, the antenna pro- duces very satisfactory results and keeps the transmitter happy.
WSPR Tests As you know, a low SWR keeps the transmitter happy, but can anyone hear me? To determine real-world perfor- mance, WSPR beacons were used to compare the new MBV to a full-size 40- meter quarter-wave vertical, as well as to an 80-10-meter MyAntenna EFHW about 50 feet (15 meters) in the air. Figure 3. 40-meter SWR bandwidth. www.cq-amateur-radio.com December 2020 • CQ • 33 WSPR, the “Weak Signal Propagation hours. These units put out 200 milliwatts ferences between antennas. By aver- Reporter,” is a set of volunteer-run of digital-mode power and can be heard aging many of these simultaneous receivers and beacons that report spots by stations around the globe. Spot reports, a measure of the relative per- on the internet. By using two matched reports include callsign, location, signal formance of the antennas can be made. transmitters at the same time, a direct levels, distance, and azimuth. Propagation variations make uncoordi- comparison of antenna performance can The most interesting WSPR results nated spots hard to analyze. This be made. Two SOTABEAMS WSPRlite are from simultaneous spots at the approach simplifies the comparisons transmitters were hooked up to the same receiving location, which gives a and lends credibility to the results. antennas under test and run for up to 24 direct measure of the signal level dif- Figure 4 shows a histogram of the sig- nal level differences between a full-size 40-meter quarter-wave vertical with three radials vs. the 40-meter MBV. The vertical axis shows the numbers of spots vs. the signal strength difference in dB. The peak shows that about 450 reports measured no difference be- tween the antennas. The shortened 40-meter MBV results were less than 0.5 dB different compared to the full- length version, with a standard devia- tion of 2.6, averaged over 24 hours. Figure 5 contains a map of the spots for the same period. In another measurement period, the MBV 40-meter and 20-meter bands were compared to an end-fed half-wave (EFHW) antenna from MyAntenna. The results show the shortened 40-meter antenna is on average minus 0.22 dB compared to the EFHW. Finally, the 20-meter portion of the vertical was compared to the EFHW. In this case, the quarter-wave vertical was 1.45 dB better than the EFHW. Again, these results are all less than one S-unit different, probably not normally notice- able to the human ear. Refer to Table 2 for summary results. Figure 4. Shortened 40-meter vs. full-size vertical — simultaneous spots. On Air Tests While not as extensive as the WSPR tests, subjective on-air experience tended to validate the MBVs perfor- mance. Both FT-8 and voice contacts were made on several bands with good signal reports. Performance Conclusion Testing affirms that it is possible to build an inexpensive compact portable antenna that is effective across sever- al bands. Compared to a full-size quar- ter-wave vertical and a standard EFHW, the portable antenna performs very well indeed. The purpose of this design was to cre- ate a transportable multi-band antenna that is easy to set up by one person alone, without resorting to propelling wires into tall trees. The good perfor- mance makes this four-band vertical doubly attractive. For those of you who are interested in the theory and modeling of the anten- Figure 5. Spots map on 40 meters. na, please have a look at the sidebar on design considerations.
34 • CQ • December 2020 Visit Our Web Site Design Considerations
esearch2,3,4 indicated that efficiency of a shortened tance + all other loss resistances). Radiation resistance (Rr) antenna could be improved by: 1) using a capacitance of a full-size quarter-wave dipole is given by approximately R“top hat” sufficiently large to raise the radiation resis- tance; 2) using low loss coils; and 3) locating the loading coil Rr = 36.6 (1-cos2(H) / sin(H) near the mid-point of the shortened (40-meter) antenna wire. Antenna efficiency is defined as the ratio of the radia- where H is the angular dimension of the antenna relative tion resistance to the total resistance, which includes to the wavelength. For a quarter-wave antenna, H = 90°, so ground losses.5 Radiation resistance is the antenna feed- Rr = 36.6 ohms. For an antenna shortened to 40/360*wave- point resistance caused by the radiation of electrical ener- length, Rr = 36.6 * sin2 (H) = 15.1 ohms where H=40°. gy. The other system losses include loading coil losses at If we assume a ground loss value of 15 ohms for the full- the transmission frequency, losses in the antenna wire, size quarter-wave vertical, the efficiency becomes 36.6 / and return loss of the local ground. Raising the radiation (36.6 + 15) = 69.6% resistance and reducing the other losses is the path to For the shortened vertical, efficiency = 15.1 / (15.5 + 15) improving efficiency.6 = 50.2%, which is a loss of about 3 dB. Not too bad, but can The mast for the new portable uses a 16-foot long fiber- we do better? glass flagpole, collapsible to 4 feet. It is reasonably stiff, but If we assume the largest top hat that we can balance on flexes under a small load, so weight on the top from the the mast is about 4 feet in diameter, that adds about 40 to capacitance hat needed to be moderated. 50 picofarads at the top.8 The effect of the top hat is to change the current distribution on the vertical wire and correspond- Initial Calculations ingly increase the effective radiation resistance by improv- To get some rough parameters as a starting point for the ing the power radiated vs. losses. Now 45 picofarads cor- EZNEC antenna analysis program, initial calculations were responds to a capacitive impedance of about 530 ohms at made to roughly size the components. EZNEC was then 7 MHz. At resonance, the capacitive reactance equals induc- used to simulate the antenna performance. tive reactance, so we need to compute the inductor values (If the math is not your interest, just skip down to “EZNEC for the shortened antenna. This is given by Modeling.”) Guided by the research from several publications listed at XL = 60 [ln (2h/a) - 1] the end of the article,7 rough calculations were made to size the capacitance hat and main loading coil. The most impor- where h is the antenna height and a is the wire diameter. tant factor in a shortened vertical antenna is efficiency, which For the h = 190 inches and a = 0.05 inches and XL= 476 is defined as: Eff = Radiation resistance / (radiation resis- ohms.
Figure 6. EZNEC antenna model.
www.cq-amateur-radio.com December 2020 • CQ • 35 tubing, vertical wires for each of the three bands, 9 radials on 40 meters and 3 tuned radials for 15 meters. In addi- tion, small “tuning” coils for 20 and 15 were added at the base to facilitate adjusting the band resonance frequen- cy without having to collapse the anten- na to adjust the wire length. The model shown in Figure 6 was checked and run numerous times, slowly tweaking the parameters. By systematically varying the vertical wire lengths, number of loading coil turns and the ground radial dimen- sions, a satisfactory SWR result in each band was obtained, previously shown in Figure 1. Minimum SWR values were below 1.2:1 in each band, and the Figure 7. 40-meter calculated for field elevation plot. bandwidth was sufficiently wide (SWR less than 1.5:1) across the 40-, 20-, and 15-meter bands. The 10-meter band is quite wide and requires retuning to use the whole band, which is easily accom- plished with an external tuner. Far-field elevation plots showed typ- ical quarter-wave vertical characteris- tics on all bands, as typified by Figures 7 and 8. The 20- and 15-meter bands had maximum gains of -1 dB, com- pared to an ideal free space dipole, while at 7 MHz the gain was -3.29 dB, indicating a slight reduction in efficien- cy. A single full-size vertical 1/4-wave antenna had a maximum gain of -1.0 dB, so the shortened 40-meter vertical was -2.29 dB less efficient than a full- size unit. Remembering that one S unit is about 6 dB, it appears that this result should be satisfactory — as indicated by the field tests. A final word on the 10-meter reso- nance. This is a higher resonance mode of the 40-meter portion. The EZNEC calculated current distribution Figure 8. 40-meter 3D radiation plot. is shown in Figure 9. Current is maxi- mum at the base and at the top by the “hat,” with a node at the coil — same Thus, to achieve resonance at 7 MHz, Coil diameter = 5 inches current distribution as a 5/8-wave ver- we need to add about 60 ohms of induc- Coil turns spacing = 3/4 inch and tical dipole, which has a resonant fre- tive reactance by attaching a coil about Coil turns = 4 (we started with 7 turns quency of about 28 MHz, exactly what halfway up the mast. From the formula to allow for variance — actual con- is needed for 10 meters. The result is [XL =2*pi*f*Lohms], about 1.4 μH structed version was 3.8 turns.) a nice low SWR resonance at the is needed. required frequency, without the neces- To minimize coil losses, we picked a Coil mounting location is a bit less sity of adding another wire. The 10- 5-inch diameter air-wound coil made of than halfway up the mast at about 6 feet meter elevation plot, shown in Figure 1/4-inch copper tubing with 3/4-inch (2 meters). To see if these initial design 10, indicated a higher angle of maxi- winding spacing. Using one of the criteria were feasible, an EZNEC model mum radiation, more suitable to medi- online coil design calculators, we found was created. um-range reception, rather than for DX, that about 3.4 turns is sufficient (round- but the gain is +0.61 dB, which is bet- ed up to 4 for construction). So, our ter than the lower band gains. starting parameters for the EZNEC EZNEC Modeling The EZNEC model was especially simulation are: The EZNEC model elements included useful in setting the initial parameters are: 48-inch (1.22-meter) diameter top for construction, for understanding the Mast length = 15.2 feet hat, 5-inch (127-millimeter) multi-turn radiation patterns, and for visualizing Top Hat diameter = 48 inches loading coil made of 1/4-inch copper the final design.
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Figure 9. Current distribution in the 10-meter band. 3CPX800A7 4CX1000A 810 3CPX1500A7 4CX1500B 811A 3CX400A7 4CX3500A 812A 3CX800A7 4CX5000A 833A 3CX1200A7 4CX7500A 833C 3CX1200D7 4CX10000A 845 3CX1200Z7 4CX15000A 6146B 3CX1500A7 4CX20000B 3-500ZG 3CX3000A7 4CX20000C 3-1000Z 3CX6000A7 4CX20000D 4-400A 3CX10000A7 4X150A 4-1000A 3CX15000A7 572B 4PR400A 3CX20000A7 805 4PR1000A 4CX250B 807 ...and more!
Se Habla Español • We Export Phone: 760-744-0700 Toll-Free: 800-737-2787 Figure 10. 10-meter calculated far-field elevation plot. (Orders only) 800-RF PARTS www.rfparts.com References: Website: 1. Weak Signal Propagation Reporter
www.cq-amateur-radio.com December 2020 • CQ • 37 Technology Special:
Here’s a low-profile 5-band antenna for 20-10 meters that is fed with a single feedline and requires no tuner, built around a commercially- available 20-meter vertical. The Texas Star Multi-Band Antenna Five Bands, One Feedline, No Tuner
BY GENE HINKLE,* K5PA
he Texas Star 5-band vertical antenna (Photo A) was designed to provide a 20- to 10-meter band antenna T with the following goals: 1) Coverage of 20, 17, 15, 12, and10 meters without the need for an antenna tuner 2) Stealthy profile that blended into surrounding areas 3) Easy setup without the need to climb any structures 4) Efficient design, and 5) Built from readily available parts
The 5-band antenna was built upon the COMTEK COM- 20VA vertical antenna for the 20-meter band (available from DX Engineering). By starting with a base design that was strong structurally, additional cross-arms were added at the upper and lower portion of the antenna. These provided a mechanical structure that could support wire elements cut to the other four bands. The cross-arms gave an appearance of a star, thus providing the name, the Texas Star. Although the COMTEK antenna was used in the base design, equiv- alent parts could be substituted. The full materials list is pro- vided in Sidebar 1. Since the antenna was a vertical with four additional ele- ments, it was essential to add radials at the base of the ver- tical support to provide an efficient ground system. Twenty (20) wires, each 20 feet long, were added to the base of the antenna. The number and length of the wires were sufficient to provide a good ground system for efficient operation. During modeling, I studied using 16, 32, and 64 radials but found 20 to be a good compromise.
Design The antenna was modeled using EZNEC1 and AutoEZ2 antenna design software. First, the antenna was modeled as a 20-meter vertical with ground radials. The standard formula for a quarter-wave vertical was used as a starting point for the lengths, 234/f, where f is the frequency in MHz. For a frequency of 14.2 MHz, this equated to a length of about 16.5 feet. Once the vertical element and ground wires were modeled, the antenna exhibited the impedance and pattern expected of a vertical. Photo A. The Texas Star is a 5-band vertical that requires no tuner and has a single feedline. The central antenna ele- 2209 Pow Wow ment (a COMTEK COM-20VA 20-meter vertical) supports Leander, TX 78641 two sets of cross-arms for additional band elements. (All Email:
38 • CQ • December 2020 Visit Our Web Site
Next, single wire elements were added around the vertical the base of the antenna. The VSWR would be less at the far antenna support to provide coverage for the 17-, 15-, 12-, end of the coax connecting to the station due to line losses. and 10-meter bands (Photo B). Each element was offset from The element interactions resulted in small length changes the center element by 12 inches. It was expected that with from that of a single vertical element. the added vertical elements and the dual, 24-inch cross- The plots suggested the element lengths were slightly short arms, the overall length would have to be adjusted to main- and should be adjusted a few inches to obtain a minimum tain the desired impedance and VSWR. VSWR in the center of each band. After building the anten- Figure 1 shows the model for the antenna with the central na and adjusting these elements, the optimum lengths were 20-meter element and the four surrounding elements. The found to put the VSWR within the desired range. This demon- ground radials can be clearly seen under the vertical elements. strated the need to use slightly longer elements so they could Frequency sweeps of the antenna model provided both be adjusted to bring the VSWR of each band into the required VSWR graphs and antenna patterns. The VSWR plot is frequency range. I will describe my wire fold-back technique shown in Figure 2. The measurements were taken 3 feet from in the antenna adjustment section.
Materials List - The Texas Star HF Antenna
Line # Part No. Description Qty Needed Where Used
1 COMTEK 20VA or Equiv., Complete 20-meter vertical antenna 1 20-meter vertical kit DXE P/N COM-20VA, kit with base plate attachment to a with mounting plate See Note 1 galvanized pipe
2 Local Hardware Store Channel aluminum, 48” x1” x1” 2 Cross arms mounting to (cut each in half to make 2) vertical
3 DXE-SAD-100A Saddle clamp, 1-inch U-Bolt, 2 Used to secure cross- 1/4-20 inch thread, stainless steel / arms to vertical 1-inch aluminum, natural O.D. tubes
4 DXE-SAD-075A Saddle clamp, 3/4 inch U-Bolt, n2 Used to secure cross- 1/4-20 inch thread, stainless steel / arms to vertical aluminum, natural 0.75-inch O.D. tubes
5 DXE-RADW-500 Element wire using: radial wire, 58 feet Wire for each of 4 elements 14 AWG stranded copper, UV-resistant black PVC insulation, 500-foot length. Need 58 feet long for 4 elements.
Radial wire, 14 AWG stranded copper, 400 feet Wire for 20 radial wires UV-resistant black PVC insulation, 500-foot length. Need 20-foot length X20 = 400 feet
6 The Wireman #815 3/32” UV-resistant Dacron® double 100 Need additional amount weave rope. 260-pound break strength. during antenna tuning to raise and lower elements.
7 MFJ-16A06 or equiv. Egg insulator for vertical elements 4 Insulators for each of 4 elements
8 DXE-RADP-3 Radial plate, stainless steel, 1 Radial plate 1/8 x 11-5/8 inch square, pre-drilled, 60 holes, includes 20 sets SS hdwr.
9 Local Hardware Store Misc., tie wraps (UV resistant), 1 Misc. hardware solder lugs, electrical tape, flat black paint, etc.
10 Local Hardware Store Vertical support, galvanized pipe 1 Mounting pole 1-1/2 feet x 48 inches
11 Local Hardware Store Concrete for base, 1 bag 1 Secure mounting pole in ground
Note 1: The COMTEK COM-20VA full parts list is available from the DX Engineering website. Note 2: All DXE part numbers can be located on the DX Engineering website.
40 • CQ • December 2020 Visit Our Web Site 20M
17M
12M 15M
10M
Figure 1. EZNEC Model of the Antenna Elements.
Photo B. After the cross-arms have been attached, wires cut to each addi- tional band are installed between the Figure 2. EZNEC model VSWR plots across all five bands at the antenna base top and bottom cross-arms. prior to tuning.
4 Foot Pipe in Concrete 2 Feet All Wire in Ground elements (4) Connect to 20M Vertical at Base
Photo C. Base connections of four wire elements to the cen- tral 20-meter element, which is mounted to a pole cement- Figure 3. Typical EZNEC elevation plot for the 20-meter ed into the ground. band. www.cq-amateur-radio.com December 2020 • CQ • 41 Figure 4. Dimensions for the 20-meter element and 17-, 15-, 12-, and 10-meter elements.
The pattern for the 20-meter band is shown in Figure 3. Using the modeling software, all azimuth and elevation pat- terns across all bands were obtained. There were some minor effects of ele- ment interactions between bands result- ing in slight changes to the pattern at the higher bands. Antenna Drawings After I modeled the design and verified Folded performance, an initial set of dimen- Back sions were derived as a starting point to Wire Ends build the antenna. To simplify the mechanical drawing, I drew a single ele- ment hanging from the cross-arms. Each arm was 24 inches in length, cen- ter-mounted to the central vertical sec- tion using a special “saddle clamp.” An antenna dimension table was then used Folded to record the lengths of each element. Back The dimensions included the central 20- Wire Ends meter element, the wire lengths, and Dacron® cord on a band-by-band basis are shown in Figure 4. The table lists my final lengths. When building this antenna, the lengths should be in- creased by 12 inches so the elements can be tuned to frequency by trimming Example of using too much antenna wire but folding the length. It is always easier to trim back to allow for adjustments. Once completed, wire the length than to replace the whole can be cut or just left as is. element. List of Materials (see Sidebar) The detailed list of materials is includ- Figure 5. Wire fold-back technique used during tuning. ed in the sidebar. Many of the items can
42 • CQ • December 2020 Visit Our Web Site VSWR on all bands. The VSWR mea- Composite Measurement Over surements were made at the base of the 20-17-15-12-10 Meters at Antenna vertical; additional line losses from the antenna to the transmitter will lower the VSWR measured in actual use.
Making the Connections Red Curves Photo B shows the cross-arms that were = SWR physically attached to the 20-meter radi- ator element. That meant they were part of this element that resulted in slight Dashed Line = SWR 2.0 shortening of the antenna. The lower cross-arms were at the current maxima of the vertical so higher current flowed through them. Whereas the upper cross- arms were at voltage maxima. Therefore, ceramic egg insulators were used as part Figure 6. Impedance (green) and VSWR (red) measurements of the completed of the upper structure. antenna. Photo C shows how all the outer ele- ments for 17-10 meters were attached be conveniently purchased through DX ouflage spray paint may be available to the base of the 20-meter vertical. All Engineering as their part numbers are from your local hardware store. elements are driven by the transmitter included (e.g., COM-20VA). However, in parallel. Also shown is the base plate there are many sources for these mate- Antenna Adjustments and mount to the galvanized pipe and the rials including the amateur junk box. The Measurements radial plate for attaching the ground DXE part numbers are provided to doc- radial wires. An antenna analyzer, AIM 4170D, was ument the specifications for this design. used to measure antenna impedance I should emphasize the importance of across the 20- to 10-meter bands. All Summary using the part numbers for the saddle measurements were made 3 feet from clamps listed in the materials list (P/N All of the design criteria cited at the begin- the antenna’s base. DXE-SAD-100A and DXE-SAD-075A). ning of this article were met. The anten- Figure 5 shows the antenna wire fold- These saddle clamps were enablers in na is a joy to use. I integrated the anten- back technique used for tuning the wire the design because they provided the na into a remote radio application that elements. The 20-meter band vertical mechanical attachment of the cross- used the no-tuner requirement to simpli- center tube section was first adjusted arms (L-brackets) to the upper and fy the system design that provided safe for length to obtain a minimum VSWR lower (1-inch and 0.75-inch O.D.) cen- operation for multiple users. In addition, at mid-band, 14.2 MHz. Next, the 17- tral vertical antenna tubes. These sad- since the radiation patterns favored low meter wire length was adjusted, then dle clamps were critical for allowing the angle-of-arrival signals, the antenna pro- 15-meter, 12-meter, and finally the 10- correct amount of force to be exerted vided good DX performance. meter-band element. Since the wires around the tube without crushing it. Do The AutoEZ file for the antenna model were folded back, it was possible to 1 not substitute these clamps unless you is available on the author’s website. The repeat this process in each band, mak- can guarantee similar attributes (preci- filename is: “Texas Star 20-10 Meter 5- ing minor length adjustments, with the sion and even force) around the tubes. Band Vertical K5PA Hinkle.weq”. goal of minimum VSWR. If a non-compliant clamp was used and The composite sweep across the HF References: it crushed the outside diameter of the spectrum is shown Figure 6. The 20-, 1.
You might be using — or have used — a 40-meter dipole on 15 meters, but W1IS and KC1DSQ say that making it resonant on one band moves the resonant point on the second out of band. But they also say there’s an easy solution. Read on … A Simple Dual-Band Upgrade for Your 40-Meter Dipole
BY BOB GLORIOSO,* W1IS AND BOB ROSE,# KC1DSQ
uring this lull in the solar cycle, 40 meters has been Power (Watts) Peak Voltage (Volts) Current (Amps) the best band for both local and DX contacts. Now that Dthe sunspots are coming, other bands will soon be 300 107 1.55 packed with signals as well. If you have a 40-meter dipole 500 200 2.0 that’s been your workhorse through the lull between Cycles 800 250 2.53 24 and 25, this will get you on 15 meters with low SWR and 1,500 340 3.5 a minimum of effort. Table 1. Capacitor Ratings vs. Power. Theory You may recall that dipoles work well on their odd harmon- ics, so a 40-meter dipole should — in theory — work well on 15 meters, a great DX band. However, if your antenna is tuned to the middle of the 40-meter band, 7.15 MHz, the third harmonic will be at 21.45 MHz, the top end of the 15-meter band. Plus, the actual resonance will be higher, about 21.9 MHz, due to the missing end effect at the middle of the anten- na on 15 meters.1 This results in an SWR of about 8:1 at the bottom of the band and 3:1 at the top. To tune it to the mid- dle of 15 meters, you must lengthen your antenna, but that will place 40-meter resonance below the 40-meter band. What to do? As we learned in designing our 160-meter and 80-meter off- Figure 1. Current magnitude: 40-meter dipole on 15 meters. center-fed antennas,1 for harmonic antennas to deliver low SWR on more than one band, the length must be designed for the highest frequency. As above, this leads to the anten- na being resonant below the lowest band of interest. The remedy is to add a capacitive load placed at a current null for the higher frequency bands to electrically shorten the antenna only on the lower frequency. In this case, we sim- ply put a 330-pF capacitor at a current null on 15 meters to electrically shorten the antenna on 40 so it is resonant near the middle of the 40-meter band. Since the capacitor is at a current null on 15, it has no effect on the 15-meter band. This is illustrated by the current distribution on 15 meters in Figure 1. The result is the strikingly similar SWR curves for both bands in Figure 2.
Capacitive Load The capacitive load is the key to obtaining low SWR on both bands and must be capable of handling the worst-case volt- ages and currents that occur at the low end of 40 meters, as shown in Table 1.
* Email:
44 • CQ • December 2020 Visit Our Web Site BEST SERVICE. BEST WARRANTY. BEST VALUE. NO ONE BEATS LDG! CONTACT YOUR FAVORITE DEALER TODAY!
Any way you look at an LDG tuner, it functions as a variable impedance transformer. No matter where you place it in the feedline, it’s just like a balun, unun or any other matching transformer device. Way back in 1944, Phillip H. Smith (of Smith-Chart fame) wrote about the eight ways to configure an L-type matching circuit for transmitters using one inductor and one capacitor. Smith wrote in Electronics for Engineers: One of the simplest and most effective impedance transforming networks for RF applications is the half-section L-type circuit. Those circuits, with the aid of microprocessors and software control, have been whittled down over the years to the standard LDG “Switched-L Network”.
The tuning range of the typical LDG tuner is about 15 to 1 to favor high impedance (Hi-Z) loads such as dipoles, vertical, end- fed, ect and about 8 to 1 for less popular low impedance loads (Lo-Z) like loops, folded dipoles, ect. Choosing the components for the range are critical, as going too far beyond a 10:1 range will cause excess losses to accumulate in the tuner. Using decades of feedback from our users, LDG has tailored the range in our models to best fit the needs of today’s Ham.
410-586-2177 [email protected] www.ldgelectronics.com for the high-power surface mount parts. These are large surface-mount parts that are easily soldered to a 1x1 PC board with a slot cut out of the middle with a Dremel tool (see Photo A). Further, though not absolutely neces- sary, we like to protect our capacitor and resistor with a layer of modeling sili- cone2 or a non-conductive epoxy coat- ing (see Parts List and Photo B).
Upgrade or Build from Figure 2. SWR Curves 40, 15-meter dipole. Scratch? To upgrade an existing 40-meter dipole: Parts List First, lengthen the antenna by adding 18 inches of wire at each of the end insu- • For new antenna: 70 feet #14 insulated wire, THHN or Davis RF FlexWeave™ lators and letting the added wires droop • For a modified 40-meter antenna: 4 feet #14 insulated wire, THHN or Davis below the antenna (see Figure 3a). You RF FlexWeave™ can start connecting the added wires • Balun – Balun Designs Model 1115et or home-built Guanilla balun with a wire nut and then solder them • 2 – End insulators after the antenna is tuned. The weight • 1 – Insulator to hold the R-C circuit (see Photo B below) of an insulator at the end helps the wires •1–1-x1-inch PC board hang down. Adjust their lengths by cut- • 1 – 1-watt, 1-megohm resistor (>500 watts, 2-watt, 2.7 megohm) ting each end one-half inch at a time • 1 – (<300 watts) silver mica capacitor, 330-pF, 350-volt Cornell Dublier until the antenna resonates at 6.94 CDV16FF331J03F, Digi-Key 338-3106-ND MHz. If you have space for a longer • 1 – (<1.5-kilowatt) ceramic capacitor, 330-pf, 3-kilovolt, Knowles-Syfer, span, you can solder 16 inches of wire 222523K00331JQTAF9LM, Digi-Key 1608-1592-1-ND to each end and adjust the lengths to • Potting – Silicone (see text), or MG Chemicals, 834FX, black flexible, ther- resonate at 6.94 MHz (Figure 3b). mally conductive, potting compound, Amazon.com Next, cut one half of the dipole such • Kits with pre-mounted and potted capacitors and resistors are available on that, after connecting to the load (the the authors’ website,
Photo B. Silicone-covered (L) and epoxy-potted (R) load. PC board from Photo A is encapsulated.
46 • CQ • December 2020 Visit Our Web Site Figure 3a. Modified existing 40-meter dipole.
Figure 3b. Typical 40- to 15-meter antenna without drooping ends.
design and readily available end insulators or those made antenna analyzer from the antenna W1IS uses in the back- from sheets of Corian™ available online. yard. We put it on the air with a KX3 at 5 watts. Many fun The capacitive load ratings depend on your power level and QSOs were had on 40 with this antenna while waiting anx- for power up to 300 watts, an RF/Snubber silver mica capac- iously for Cycle 25 to try it on 15 meters. itor is adequate. However, for higher power, a ceramic capac- itor is required to handle the higher currents. See the mate- Summary rials list for details. We have shown how a simple capacitive load can make any Although not necessary for the antenna to work, we rec- 40-meter dipole into an effective dual-band dipole by modi- ommend a 1:1 balun be used at the center to isolate the feed fying the length to accommodate the 15-meter band and line and prevent RF from traveling down the outside of the using a capacitive load placed at a current minimum on 15 coax, bringing RF into the shack. A simple isolator can be meters to restore 40-meter performance. made by wrapping 12 feet of RG-8x around a 4-inch piece of plastic pipe, but for a cleaner installation and maximum iso- References: lation, we use a Balun Designs Model 1115et or a home-built 1. “Multiband Off-Center-Fed Dipoles for 160 & 80 Meters,” Bob Rose, 3 Guanilla balun. KC1DSQ, and Bob Glorioso, W1IS, CQ magazine, June 2020, p. 42. 2. See
wo decades ago, in 1999, I wrote a column predicting fall far from its mark. If you still doubt this statement, I still what I thought the future would be like in the coming suggest (as I did then) that you read a book offered by the T20 years and, as strange as it seems to me, it’s finally New York Metropolitan Museum of Art entitled “Yesterday’s here. As it appears that the COVID-19 situation is still not Tomorrows”. This book, if still available, will give you a very well under control by the time you read this, I am not sure good idea of how future predictions (made in the early 20th what to predict. What we all have agonized over for the past century) may have captured some of the “flavor” of what six months may have not destroyed our civilization (as we eventually would be … but not the essence. know it) but has certainly altered it worldwide. Hopefully, Enough said. In the early to mid-20th century there were enthusiasm for technology has not changed, especially in some fundamental developments that shaped the current our ranks. Since this is a time of year that most people con- state of our technology. The first was, of course, the vacu- sider and predict the future, not to be outdone, I would like um tube. Once electrons could be controlled, everything up to update my point of view of the technology to come since to and including color television was possible. Even basic many of the readers of these columns are technically-inclined computers (not PCs) were manufactured at the time, albeit (I hopefully assume correctly). First, to understand what I with myriads of vacuum tubes, but they did calculate never- base my views on, we must always consider where we have theless. In 1948 at Bell Labs in New Jersey the transistor come from. was developed, and the age of solid-state physics was born. The growth of technology during the 20th century was cer- This was another fundamental discovery of the magnitude tainly outstanding. In 1900, Marconi was first thinking about of the vacuum tube and the future shape of electronics would radio transmissions. The Wright brothers had not yet flown, never be the same. Filament power was eliminated, the size and horse-drawn vehicles were clogging our roads, not auto- of the amplifying element was reduced by magnitudes and mobiles. If you were fortunate to have a wind-up Victrola or the eventual outgrowth was the integrated circuit. While the a telephone with a carbon microphone, #6 dry cell batteries, frequency response for vacuum tubes did eventually actual- and an internal hand-cranked generator to provide the need- ly extend into the low GHz range, noise figures and costs ed high voltage to ring a bell, you could actually have an oper- were high. The transistor then eventually made GHz opera- ator connect you to another such device. You could also lis- tion at almost theoretical noise figures an everyday occur- ten to recorded music on shellac-coated disks and cylinders rence (with devices that cost a couple of dollars or so at the and begin to actually light your homes with “electric light beginning) which brings me to my first prediction. bulbs” instead of kerosene lamps or candles, but even the I firmly believe that solid-state physics as we know it now simple vacuum tube had not yet been developed. The “great” will be replaced (or at least supplemented) at some point dur- Thomas Edison dismissed the one-way flow of electrons from ing the 21st century with something else. Once frequencies a filament to a metal plate in a vacuum as interesting (which of hundreds of GHz need to be routinely handled to accom- he dubbed the “Edison Effect”) but not of much use since it modate our growing need to rapidly transfer vast amounts of did not help prevent the blackening of the glass in his new data, basic physics comes into play and the physical size of electric lamp. Even basic electrical service to many homes the conventional electronic switch, amplifier, or gate (as we was rare. During the next 100 years, however, we would see know it) limits the maximum speed at which it can operate. the development of the vacuum tube and then solid-state At that time, the THz region will probably be routine and we electronics, television, the aircraft and space industry, orbit- will have to learn how to switch, amplify, and process light ing satellites, nuclear physics, the laser, the entire field of directly as well as the associated frequencies, inexpensive- opto-electronics, the microprocessor and the computer rev- ly in the way we now do with conventional high frequencies olution, both in hardware as well as software. In 1900, pre- or perhaps something else even more remote will suddenly dictions of where we would be in the year 2000 would have be discovered that will do the job. Remember, before 1895 fallen far short of the mark. Even as late in the century as the (Marconi’s first transmission), the entire field of wireless was 1939 World’s Fair, predictions of where our society would only a mathematical equation on James Maxwell’s desk, but be, technologically, in the 1960s and ’70s were not particu- by 1903 the Atlantic had been spanned. Who knows what larly accurate. Furthermore, only 40 or 50 years ago, the other equations or theories exist on someone’s desk today? mass computer revolution was just a dream in some minds The shrinking of electronic circuitry has certainly continued and four-function calculators were as close as we came to (with chips containing tens of millions of transistors) to the the state of the art. The slide rule was still the sign of the “true point that we now routinely design with complete functional engineer,” just as the typewriter was the author’s best friend. blocks. It seems that chips are everywhere and the few exter- The general public did not even have a clue of what was to nal components (if you can even see or recognize them) are come. As a result of developments that we don’t even know minimal or even non-existent or at the very least limited only about of yet (but will surely come), any specific prediction by to those required for direct human interface (speakers, micro- anyone of where we will be in 2100, in my opinion, will also phones, switches, displays, power sources, etc.). The new way of implementing electronic designs has not quite com- pletely come about and one is still able to acquire “older” *c/o CQ magazine more familiar components.
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As ICs and software continue to short time and push the speed still high- not happened yet. I do think, however, become more and more complex, how- er. Just the way amateurs, given the that we had better really get our act ever, I believe that artificial intelligence “useless” frequencies from “200 together and “swell the ranks” by what- will become more and more prevalent meters and down,” discovered the ever means that make sense or we will and refined. At this point in time, we whole world of shortwave radio propa- surely lose many if not all of our privi- seem to be well on the way to com- gation, I believe that the frequencies of leges. Barring the discovery of an municating with machines verbally. 200 micrometers and down (well entirely new propagation media, elec- Consider the so-called “smart speak- beyond visible light) may have many tromagnetic spectrum space is just ers” that not only play the music we surprises in store for us as well and that worth far too much, especially the VHF, desire but control our computers, var- we will begin to utilize these in the 21st UHF, and microwave bands which are ious functions around the home, and century. That is why I have tried to currently needed for all sorts of com- even “talk” back to us. Telephone “spark” enthusiasm from time to time in mercial applications. (excuse me, I mean “cell phone”) infor- the various experimenters reading As I mentioned way back then, there mation services using speech synthe- these columns. You can really experi- are numerous areas that could be cov- sis are in common use and, for the most ment in this region. Common “stan- ered when trying to predict the techno- part, are pretty reliable. In the coming dard” fiber-optic transmission systems logical future, but I have limited myself years, I think they will become so operate at wavelengths of 600 to 1,500 to only a few to give you a fleeting glance advanced that we will interface such nanometers (that is 10 -9 meters by the of what may come (in my opinion). I devices almost as easily as we inter- way) and the electromagnetic sources believe, though, that while we cannot face with each other. At that point, it will (LEDs and laser diodes) that produce really guess specifically what will come, be much harder to distinguish a these wavelengths exist and are read- we can certainly view the coming years machine from a fellow human being for ily available. On the receiving end, pho- as those in which technological devel- many interactions. todiodes that also operate at these opments will occur at a much faster rate As the century progresses, the fre- wavelengths are also readily available. than in the past. In 1900, we did not have quencies used will most certainly climb Many of these components, by the much of a real technical base to work higher and higher. THz will replace way, are not expensive and will cer- from. In 2021, we have an infinitely bet- GHz as a common term, just as tainly not “break the bank.” ter starting point. picoseconds will replace microsec- Unfortunately, I still do not have a firm Seasons Greetings to all my readers onds. Already, solid-state semicon- prediction for amateur radio. Although and to paraphrase my usual end-of-the- ductors that operate at frequencies of some predicted that cell phones and the year comment, “may the coming year 100 Gb/s+ are either already here or various social media applications would bring you all that your heart desires.” well on the way. Others will follow in make amateur radio “obsolete,” it has – 73, Irwin, WA2NDM www.cq-amateur-radio.com December 2020 • CQ • 49 CQ CLASSIC Days of Future Past
No, we’re not channeling the Moody Blues here (their album was actually named “Days of Future Passed”), but we thought it would be appropriate to close out our 75th anniversary year with an article from our very first issue — January 1945 — titled “Hams – Past – Present – Future.” It’s important to note that when this was published, World War II was still raging and ham radio was still shut down. The article, and in fact, the whole concept of a new ham radio magazine at a time when there was no ham radio, was a strong expression of faith in what was to come. Something good to keep in mind today… 73 and thanks for celebrating our 75th anniversary with us throughout 2020. – W2VU HAMS- PAST - PRESENT - FUTURE ZEH BOUCK. W8QMR-WLNG
A lot of folks are going to make the acquaintance of hams shortly after the smoke clears away over Berlin and Tokyo. Thousands of ex-GIs will want to carry on with the knowledge of radio they gained in the armed services. Manufacturers forced into some form of radio production in the war effort, will find their reconversion problem simplified by recognition of the expanding ham mar- ket. Here then is a brief introduction to the radio amateur.
THOUGH the radio amateur himself has long since lived down any derogatory implications in the epithet “ham,” such connotations may well carry over to the uninitiate. Just why and when the term was first applied is open to conjecture. It is generally admitted that the “ham actor” displays an inferior grade of histrionics. He was supposed to have been so designated because in early times he wore a ham rind. Thus, to be termed a ham of any kind is a dubious compliment. According to tradition the radio ama- teur was first called a ham back in the old days of American Morse (1900 to 1912) by the early crop of commercial operators—who had been amateurs themselves only the day before! Hence the hams could never have been any worse than their professional brethren, and, in fact, often proved themselves a superior breed. Fig. 1. The ham’s first rig may be relatively simple and inex- Just who the original amateur was is a moot question. pensive, but it won’t stay that way long. It could have been Hertz,but Fessenden and Marconi are more conventional candidates for the honor. Fessenden certainly hammed it on the North Carolina beaches a half agation. De-Forest thought up the vacuum tube and dis- dozen years before he “turned commercial” and broad- covered, along with Armstrong, that the device could pro- cast the first Christmas Eve program (“Adeste Fidelis” duce as well as detect oscillations— a phenomenon that is and all the trimmings) from Brant Rock, Mass., in 1906. the basis of all modern radio communication, from tele- Marconi always displayed a genuine interest in ham radio, vision to the walkie-talkie. And this same lad Armstrong and at the Century of Progress Exposition, Chicago 1933, (a member of the Junior Wireless Club, later the Radio stated frankly, “You know, I have always considered Club of America) went on to invent the superheterodyne, myself an amateur.” the super-regenerative receiver and FM. Pioneer broad- Other early amateurs have blazed their paths to the niche cast station KDKA was graduated from Dr. Frank of fame. Alfred N. Goldsmith gave us our earliest radio Conrad's ham rig W8XK. textbooks. Pickard invented the crystal detector and con- No one will deny that the amateur, legislated to sup- tributed a goodly bit to our knowledge of radio wave prop- posedly worthless wavelengths, pioneered the high and
50 • CQ • December 2020 Visit Our Web Site ultra-high frequencies, and was thus directly responsible The work of amateur radio in emergencies is legend. for the utilization of our present-day long-distance chan- When storm and floods strike, communication wires top- nels. And the ham promises to carry on in that misty region ple with the first trees, leaving the ubiquitous ham as the above 1000 megacycles. To stretch the above list in giv- sole means of communication witht e outside world. It's ing adequate credit to every amateur who has made notable a job for which sham battles with the elements have long contributions to the advance of radio would extend this since prepared him. While operating conditions may not article —this magazine—beyond the bounds of its covers. Technical excellence is an outstanding characteristic of the ham, and this cannot be acquired overnight. The ama- teur therefore is no callow youth haphazardly hooking up coils and tubes with the particular goal of annoying his neighbors. The average age of the ham is thirty years.True, he may and often does start in as a youngster (if his old man can afford it) with simple and relatively inexpensive equipment such as shown in Fig. 1. Sometime later the layout will be considerably more elaborate and costly. A typical ham rig at maturity is illustrated in Fig. 2. A few hams pour more money into their shacks than the individ- ual cost of many broadcasting stations—as you may guess from Figs. 3, 4 and 5. Your full-fledged amateur may be your dentist, lawyer, garage owner, engineer, minister, col- lege professor, broker, business executive favorite actor (or actress, Judy Garland is a ham), writer, editor or avi- ator. Put them all together and they form a group capable of supporting an industry of no minor magnitude. Fig. 3. Sometimes the ham ends up like W4EDD of Coral Gables, The ham’s contributions to society have by no means Fla. The power supply panel for all five transmitters is across been confined to his scientific endeavors, creditable as the top. these may be. The amateur is well organized in the NCR (Naval Communications Reserve), the Army Amateur Radio System (the AARS), the ARRL (American Radio Relay League) and by emergency hook-ups in both peace and war. The NCR is primarily interested in training naval operators, while the AARS and the networks of the ARRL are traffic-handling groups, the former employing Signal Corps procedure in the transmission of messages. It is not unusual for an amateur station to handle between 200 and 300 messages a month—free-of-charge and with remark- ably fast and reliable service half-way around the globe. State fair stations clear as many as 2000 radiograms a week, and W2USA, the New York World's Fair shack, built up a total to NR23000 plus!
Fig. 4. Control desk at W4EDD. The dots around the framed Fig. 2. A typical amateur installation. W1CTW’s shack is clean- map are lamps showing the direction the motor-driven rotary cut neat and efficient. antenna is beamed www.cq-amateur-radio.com December 2020 • CQ • 51 be so comfortable as on a practice 1938, the Army Amateur Radio System Bowdoin, Bob Bartlett with the “field day,” his procedure is second alone handled more than 8000 mes- schooner Morrissey, Wilkins flying nature, and the emergency rigs are sages vital to relief efforts and succor. the Southern Cross, Wilkins and quickly functioning where they will do The ham has pounded brass from Ellsworth on the submarine Nautilus, the most good (Fig. 6). In the New scientific expeditions to the far reach- and Admiral Byrd on all his explo- England-Long Island hurricane of es of the earth. MacMillan on the rations toss laurels to the hams that accompanied them. Shakespeare said something to the effect that men’s evil deeds live in brass, their virtues we write in water. So be it with the ham who is blamed by his BCL neighbor for just about everything that afflicts the latter's radio—from diathermy machines to x-rays, natural static, fading, the neon sign down the block, the traffic light on the corner, sun-spot blackouts, automotive ignition, snow static, noisy resistors and tubes, poorly bond- ed bx, defective house wiring, electric razors, vacuum cleaners, elevator motors, light flashers, thermostats in gold fish bowl heating contrivances, oil burner ignition systems, flourescent lights, ultra-violet ray machines— and we could continue ad nauseam. And the ham (to quote a book once more), turning the other cheek, has been known to build and install a wavetrap for his neighbor so that the BCL can Fig. 5. Antennas at W4EDD. The motor-driven rotary beam antenna is shown atop separate WGY from WJZ. the roof. There’s enough justification in the ham's peacetime activities to demand his perpetuation.And we all like to think that wars will end with World War II. However, it is generally agreed that some degree of national and interna- tional preparedness is in order for many decades to come. Amateur radio pro- vides a vast reservoir of highly com- petent radio talent upon which our gov- ernment has gratefully drawn in two emergencies. In the first World War, 3500 of our 6000 amateurs served in the armed forces. Prior to Pearl Harbor, when our ranks numbered some 60,000, 10,000 hams were already in uniform. Every amateur is today serving his country in some capacity, and the large majority of those who are not at Saipan, Leyte, Cologne, Ravenna, Athens or Guam, are in the factories building radar and other appa- ratus for the fighting hams—designing, building and testing equipment that might not even have approached the drawing board had it not been for a lib- Fig. 6. W9PKW with portable equipment in a "field day" set-up simulating an emergency eral education in ham radio!
52 • CQ • December 2020 Visit Our Web Site CONTESTING
BY TIM SHOPPA,* N3QE
Contest Activity is Still Up as Contesters Stay Safe
See our new Periodic Table of Contests for 2021 on page WPX Contests Add Multi-Transmitter 56. Details below. Distributed Category CQ WPX Contest Directors Bud Trench, AA3B (SSB and CW), and Ed Muns, WØYK (RTTY), have announced the he spike in contest activity that began in mid-March addition of a new category to all three WPX contests, begin- continues into Fall 2020. Counting logs received in ning in 2021. The Multi-Transmitter Distributed category T2020 and comparing to last year, the major interna- will permit up to six different stations in different locations tional event of CQWW RTTY activity was up 18% and WAE (but all within the same DX entity and CQ zone) to oper- (Worked All Europe) SSB log submittals were up 32%. ate as a single contest entry. This was inspired by inno- Activity in the ARRL September VHF Contest was also up vations being made in response to the Coronavirus pan- over the previous year. The September 2020 edition had 834 demic, but Trench and Muns say the new category will be logs submitted, an increase of 21% over 2019. Jim George, permanent. N3BB, in writing up the results from the September 2020 See the 2021 WPX RTTY Contest announcement else- North American Sprint CW, notes “We received 183 logs, an where in this issue for additional information. Complete increase of nearly 50% over a year earlier.” details will be posted with the full rules on both the CQ web- site
Using N1MM Statistics Graphs As part of my preparation for upcoming RTTY Roundup in January 2021, I began exploring N1MM+’s statistics Figure 1. Annotated band usage in the 2019 ARRL 160-Meter Contest.
Calendar of Events All year CQ DX Marathon http://bit.ly/vEKMWD Dec. 2 VHF-UHF FT8 Activity www.ft8activity.eu/index.php/en Dec. 3 QRP ARCI Top Band Sprint www.qrparci.org/contests Dec. 4-6 ARRL 160-Meter Contest www.arrl.org/160-meter Dec. 5-6 PRO CW Contest www.procontestclub.ro/PCC%20Rules.html Dec. 5-6 FT Roundup www.rttycontesting.com/ft8-roundup/rules Dec. 5-6 UFT Contest http://bit.ly/2Mh0LDc Dec. 7 K1USN Slow Speed Test www.k1usn.com/sst.html Dec. 9 VHF-UHF FT8 Activity www.ft8activity.eu/index.php/en Dec. 12-13 ARRL 10M Contest www.arrl.org/10-meter Dec. 12-13 International Naval Contest www.nra.pt/index.html Dec. 12-13 Vernon 28 MHz SWL Contest http://bit.ly/2L9eT1L Dec. 12-13 TRC Digi Contest https://trcdx.org/rules-trc-digi Dec. 12-14 PODXS070 Club Triple Play Low Band Sprint http://bit.ly/2Cq2yUA Dec. 13 QRP ARCI Holiday Spirits Homebrew Sprint www.qrparci.org/contests Dec. 13 CQC Great Colorado Snowshoe Run www.coloradoqrpclub.org/contests/snow.htm Dec.14 K1USN Slow Speed Test www.k1usn.com/sst.html Dec. 18 AGB Party Contest http://ev5agb.com/contest/contests_e.htm Dec. 18 Russian 160-Meter Contest www.qrz.ru/contest/detail/90.html Dec. 19 RAC Winter Contest www.rac.ca/rac-canada-winter-contest-rules-2019 Dec. 19-20 Croatian CW Contest www.9acw.org/index.php/rules/english Dec. 19-20 OK DX RTTY Contest www.crk.cz/ENG/DXCONTE Dec. 20 ARRL Rookie Roundup, CW www.arrl.org/rookie-roundup Dec. 21 K1USN Slow Speed Test www.k1usn.com/sst.html Dec. 26 DARC Xmas Contest www.darc.de/?id=820 Dec. 26-27 Stew Perry Topband Challenge www.kkn.net/stew Dec. 27 RAEM Contest http://raem.srr.ru/en/main Dec. 28 K1USN Slow Speed Test www.k1usn.com/sst.html Dec. 31-Jan. 1 Bogor Old and New Contest https://contest.orari-bogor.org
January 2021 Jan. 1 AGB New Year Snowball Contest http://ev5agb.com/contest/contests_e.htm Jan. 1 ARRL Straight Key Night www.arrl.org/straight-key-night
54 • CQ • December 2020 Visit Our Web Site the window that give you two ways to starting band choice will likely be effec- stations, that are not time-series data. access the same information — the tive in my 2020 attempt. The N1MM For example, Run vs. S&P could be “Statistics” tab shows data in a tabular graph display gives the key as to what plotted per each operator, with opera- form and is probably the display that colors represent which bands — and tors along the X-axis instead of hours. your system will default to. Because I the rightmost menu allows you to select access information in a graphical form from 12 different color palettes. so much more effectively, I prefer to The lower half of Figure 2 shows sta- K4BAI — 65 Years of click on the “Graph” tab and view mul- tistics for my run vs. search-and-pounce Contesting ticolored graphs showing my contest operation for this contest. The parame- I was delighted to run across a historic efforts. ters for making this graph are to set row photo (Photo A) listed on eBay showing Pulldown menus on the bottom of sta- to “Hour” and column to “IsRunQSO”. a young ham at his operating desk with tistics window allow you to plot any of The yellow part of each hour vintage equipment. I quickly hit the 26 columns on the vertical axis against (“IsRunQSO”= “True”) show statistics “buy” button and was even more satis- any of 16 columns on the horizontal for QSOs I made while CQing. The blue fied when I saw a label on the back of axis. There’s an astounding number of part of each bar (“IsRunQSO”= “False”) the photo listing the pictured operator permutations available for plotting, and shows my search-and-pounce QSOs as John T. Laney, III, in December here I will mention and illustrate sever- for each hour. You can see my overall 1954. I knew I had found an important al of my favorites. operating pattern is to run whenever I piece of ham radio history, showing one The most conventional use of the sta- get a good rate, then as the contest of ham radio’s most prolific hams at a tistics graphs for a single-operator effort goes on and my run rate drops, I begin young age. involves setting the X-axis (the “Row”) to mix in some search-and-pounce I reached out to John, K4BAI, and he to show hours. In the top half of Figure QSOs. I operated this contest assisted, gave me important context about the 2, I show the N1MM+ statistics display so search-and-pounce was mostly picture and how it related to the earliest for Band vs. Hours for this contest. The “click-and-pounce.” part of his ham career. John was 12 contest started at 1800Z on Saturday, While these two contest graphs are years old at the time, and he had and you can see from the leftmost red the ones I look at most often as a sin- received his Novice license, KN4BAI, bar that I was on 40 meters at the start- gle-operator single-radio station, there just one month before the picture was ing gun, and worked more than 70 sta- are other graph permutations that will taken. Local hams had helped him tions in that hour, confirming that my be useful for SO2R or multi-operator assemble his first station shown in the
Jan. 1 QRP ARCI New Year’s Day Sprint www.qrparci.org/contests Jan. 1 SARTG New Year RTTY Contest www.sartg.com/contest/nyrules.htm Jan. 1 AGCW Happy New Year Contest https://bit.ly/35nBqSR Jan. 1 AGCW VHF/UHF Contest https://bit.ly/3lw91PK Jan. 2 ARRL Kids Day www.arrl.org/kids-day Jan. 2 PODSX PSKFest http://bit.ly/2Qv3wkA Jan. 2 Winter VHF Sprint http://rvhfg.org/WinterSprintRules.txt Jan. 2-3 ARRL RTTY Roundup www.arrl.org/rtty-roundup Jan. 2-3 EU CW 160m Contest www.eucw.org/eu160.html Jan. 2-3 Original QRP Contest www.qrpcc.de/contestrules/index.html Jan. 2-3 WW PMC Contest http://bit.ly/2y2QWCc Jan. 3 Veron SWL New Year Contest http://bit.ly/2L9eT1L Jan. 6 UKEICC 80 Meter Contest SSB https://bit.ly/2SDPqQQ Jan. 6 VHF-UHF FT8 Activity www.ft8activity.eu/index.php/en Jan. 6-7 AWA Linc Cundall Memorial Contest https://bit.ly/3iDUm34 Jan. 9 YB DX Contest SSB https://ybdxcontest.com Jan. 9-10 AWA Linc Cundall Memorial Contest https://bit.ly/3iDUm34 Jan. 9-10 North American CW QSO Party http://ncjweb.com/naqp Jan. 9-10 UBA PSK63 Prefix Contest http://bit.ly/2Oi8fsa Jan. 10 DARC 10-Meter Contest http://bit.ly/2pCiRo1 Jan. 10 NRAU – Baltic SSB Contest www.nrau.net Jan. 10 NRAU – Baltic CW Contest www.nrau.net Jan. 13 VHF-UHF FT8 Activity www.ft8activity.eu/index.php/en Jan. 16-17 Feld Hell “Low Down” Sprint https://bit.ly/3eKxi2f Jan. 16-17 Hungarian DX Contest www.ha-dx.com/en/ Jan. 16-17 North American SSB QSO Party http://ncjweb.com/naqp Jan. 16-18 ARRL January VHF Contest www.arrl.org/january-vhf Jan. 23-24 BARTG RTTY Sprint http://bartg.org.uk/wp/contests Jan. 23-24 UK/EI DX Contest Rules www.ukeicc.com/dx-contest-rules.php Jan. 27 UKEICC 80 Meter Contest CW https://bit.ly/2SDPqQQ Jan. 29-31 CQWW 160M CW Contest http://cq160.com/rules.htm Jan. 30-31 REF CW Contest http://concours.ref-union.org/contest/?page_id=2 Jan. 30-31 UBA SSB Contest http://bit.ly/W0gZiE Jan. 30-31 Winter Field Day www.winterfieldday.com
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PERIODIC TABLE OF SELECT AMATEUR RADIO CONTESTS 2021 All Your Contesting Needs
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i7851 The Ultimate HF / 6M Transceiver of ham radio. picture. He notes, “the transmitter was for T/R switching. He also mentions that WN4HYV.” In March 1955, John pass- a 6L6-807 homebrew rig borrowed from the key shown in the photo “is a Speed ed his Conditional exam and then John Webb, W4DDQ.” He went on to X that I no doubt have somewhere.” became K4BAI. Congratulations, John, explain that “the receiver was a bor- John told me about his participation in on 65 years in ham radio contesting. rowed WWII tank receiver, a BC 342 N, his first contest: “My first contest was converted for 110 volts”, and that out of the Novice Roundup in January 1955, 2021 Periodic Table of camera view was a knife switch used and I came in second in Georgia to Contests We all are familiar with the periodic table of elements from our high school chem- istry classes. Starting in 1787, French chemist Antoine Lavoisier devised a list of the 33 elements known at the time. This was a simple one-dimensional enu- meration. It was 82 years later, in 1869, when Russian professor of chemistry Dimitri Ivanovich Mendeleev, published his first two-dimensional table showing periodicities that 19th century chemists were discovering. The chart we are all familiar with today was created in 1923 by Horace Deming, professor at the University of Nebraska. Chemical sup- ply companies made Deming’s table uni- versally popular, as they handed out free copies to potential customers and sold giant wall charts of Deming’s periodic table to every school and college. I have applied several graphic design principles from the chemical periodic table to the contesting calendar. The result is on page 56. The 18 chemical groups that run from left to right in the chemical periodic table become the 12 months of the year in the periodic table of contests. Instead of increasing atom- ic weight from top to bottom in the chem- ical periodic table, the contesting table shows the days of each contest week- Figure 2. Graphical statistics features of the N1MM+ logger. end as you move down the chart. Most chemical periodic tables make use of color to encode some properties of each element. For example, whether the element is solid, liquid, or gas. In the periodic table of contests, I chose to color the cells by the mode of the con- test – CW, SSB, Multi-mode, Digital, or VHF / UHF. There is a very different and non- chemical kind of periodicity in the con- testing calendar. The periodicity in con- testing occurs on a yearly cycle. For example, CQ WPX RTTY is held on the second full weekend of February, and CQWW CW is the last full weekend of November. One detail that changes every year is which months have five weekends. October has five weekends in 2021, and I cannot find any HF contests currently scheduled for the fourth weekend (it is the first weekend of the ARRL EME Contest). Contest organizers who have not yet chosen a date for their event in 2021, take note and make use of this as Photo A. John Laney, K4BAI (then KN4BAI), in December 1954. an opportunity to schedule your event.
58 • CQ • December 2020 Visit Our Web Site Almost every weekend had multiple contests, and I made a conscious selec- tion of the one contest that is most notable on that weekend. In many cases — for example CQWW and CQ WPX weekends — the choice was easy. In other cases, it was more diffi- cult — for example I strongly promote the North American QSO Parties, which are wonderful events for both beginning contesters and expert contesters look- ing for SO2R rate. But on the third week- end of July, I chose to list the CQWW VHF contest instead of NAQP RTTY. Weekends with multiple popular state QSO parties in the U.S., often were list- ed in favor of European contests.
December 2020 and January 2021 Contest Highlights In addition to the ARRL 160-Meter and ARRL RTTY Roundup I have already mentioned, I want to call out several more contests that I enjoy every winter. The ARRL 10-Meter Contest is December 12th and 13th in 2020. Frank Donovan, W3LPL, noted on the PVRC reflector that most 10-meter openings in December at solar minimum will be single-hop E-skip. In the 2018 10-meter contest, I took advantage of an enor- mous 10-meter opening from the U.S. east coast to the Midwest at the start- ing gun (even though it was already sev- eral hours past sunset on the east coast). In the 2019 10-meter contest, the big E-skip opening at the start was among western U.S. stations, and Tim Goeppinger, N6GP, noted that he “caught the great Sporadic-E opening for about 1.5 hours … Never seen an opening like that where I worked all 7- area states.” Where and when will the openings be in 2020? If you keep your radio on the 10-meter band the whole weekend, you will find some interesting action somewhere! The Stew Perry Top Band Distance Challenge starts at 1500Z on December 26th. I anticipate not just superb 160- meter conditions because we are at solar minimum, but also because more hams will be on from their home stations. January 2021 features two North American QSO Parties on adjacent weekends. Saturday, January 9th,isthe CW mode, and Saturday, January 16th, is the SSB activation. Hams operating in these events are limited to 100 watts, helping to level the playing field and giv- ing small stations an opportunity to call CQ. At the other end of the spectrum, experienced operators with SO2R sta- tions crave the high rates they can achieve in a NAQP. www.cq-amateur-radio.com December 2020 • CQ • 59 THE LISTENING POST BY GERRY DEXTER Palau Back on the Air as Hope Radio Plus, Brazilian Stations Power Up
Let’s start this month with some shortwavelets…
~ I did an obit for the station located on Palau a month or so back. Too soon, it turns out. It’s been reborn as Hope Radio using call letters KHBN, which were put into use on November 1st. Frequencies include 9905, 9930, 9965, 15675, and 15680 kHz in use at various hours. Hope Radio is operated by Ministries Restoration Church International (MRC) in Morgantown, West Virginia. *
~ Radio Brazil Central, Goiania, has reactivated 4985 kHz. This 10-kilowatt outlet has been silent for a while, 11815 kHz is also active. It’s good to have this one back on.
~ Radio Nacional Brasilia (6180 and 11780 kHz) has pow- ered up both frequencies to 100 kilowatts so both Brazilian channels should be well heard now. World Harvest Radio has been reborn as Hope Radio, now broadcasting over T8WH on the Pacific island of Palau. ~ Radio Rio Mar from Manaus (Brazil) has re-started broad- casts on 6160 kHz from sign-on using variable 0900 UTC. ASCENSION—BBC-South Atlantic Relay on 15490 from ~ Opposition broadcaster Koode Radio is no longer oper- English Bay at 1822 in F. (Brossell, WI) ating. The broadcast, aimed at Nigeria, used 9810 kHz from AUSTRIA—Radio Austria International on 6155 from Moos- 1900 UTC. brunn at 0520 with news in German. (Figliozzi, NY) BOTSWANA—VOA Relay-Mopeng Hill on12070 at 1921 in ~ Scandinavian Weekend Radio marked 20 years on the Tigrinya. (Figliozzi, NY) air back in July. This one, however, has yet to be reported BRAZIL—(All in Portuguese –GLD) to the “Listening Post.” Voz Missionaria from Camboriu on 5940 with a ballad at 2350. (Figliozzi, NY) ~ All India Radio’s (AIR) site at Thiruvanathapuram is back Radio Inconfidencia, Belo Horizonte on 15190 at 1510 with on the air on 5010 kHz and 7290 kHz. China is reported to talks. (Brossell, WI) be jamming various AIR frequencies. CANADA—Bible Voice on 15310 via Nauen in Oromo with HOA music. (Brossell, WI) *Really old timers (like me!) may remember that CHINA—China Radio International on 7210 in Spanish at 2314; Morgantown was home to the late Kenneth R. Boord, who on 11780 via Kunming at 1425 with three-way talks in Burmese; on 11990 via Nanning in Khmer at 2335. (Brossell, WI) On 7295 was a well-known writer on shortwave for Radio TV News via Mali at 2347-0000 with woman speaking in Mandarin, anoth- magazine in the 1950s. er with a closedown announcement, time pips, and off; on 11660 via Kashi at 2157-2213 with two men speaking in French. Listener Logs (D’Angelo, PA) On 9675 via Shijiazhuang in Russian at 1335 with Remember, your shortwave broadcast station logs are Chinese songs; on 13635 via Mali in Arabic at 1909. (Figliozzi, always welcome. But please be sure to double or triple space NY) On 11975 via Mali at 2257-2315 with a man speaking in between the logs, list each according to the station’s home Mandarin, time pips at 2300 and continued in Mandarin; 11980 country, and include your last name and state abbreviation via the Cuba relay at 2315-2321 with woman giving an interview after each. Also needed are copies of QSLs, station sched- in English; on 12085 possibly via Xian at 2322-2346 with man ules, brochures, pennants, station and/or shack photos, and giving a long talk in Mongolian. (D’Angelo, PA) anything else you think would be of interest. The same holds CNR-1 on 11520 at 1220 with apparent children’s program, it for amateur radio operators who also listen to shortwave seemed to be jamming Sound of Hope. (Figliozzi, NY) broadcasts ... I know you’re out there. You, too, are also most CUBA—Radio Progresso on 4765 at 0252 in Spanish. (Brossell, WI) welcome to contribute. C’mon, I don’t bite! Here are this ESWATINI (Swaziland)—Trans World Radio on 9940 via month’s logs. All times are in UTC. If no language is men- Manzini with a man preaching in Lingala at 1924. (Figliozzi, NY) tioned, then English is assumed. GERMANY—Deutsche Welle on 13775 via France with man and woman speaking in Amharic at 1618 and better than on ALGERIA—Radio Algerienne on 9655 via France with Qur’an //15275, also 15275 was heard in English to Ethiopia at 1612. recitations at 2027. (Brossell, WI) (Figliozzi, NY) 15200 via France in Hausa at 1852. (Brossell, WI) GUATEMALA—Radio Verdad from Chiquimula on 4055 at *c/o CQ magazine
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0222 in Spanish with instrumental music. (Brossell, WI) Furusato No Kaze (via Taiwan to North Korea) on 9705 with GUINEA—Radio TV Guineenne via Conakry on 9650 at 2013 man speaking in Japanese at 1332, reception was weak with in French with Hi-Life music. (Brossell, WI) flutter and fades. (Figliozzi, NY) INDIA—All India Radio on 11560 via Bengaluru at 1615 with Denge Welat (via France to Turkey) on 11530 at 2014 in Russian station ID and subcontinental music. (Brossell, WI) Kurdish. (Brossell, WI) On 11530 at 2047-2100* with Kurdish IRAN—VOIRI on 7230 via Sirjan at 2344-0022* with French ser- vocals. (D’Angelo, PA) vice and mainly talks and short music segments to closing. PHILIPPINES—FEBA on 9275 via Bacaue at 1142 in Chinese; (D’Angelo, PA) On 9855 via Sirjan at 1925 in English to Europe on 9400 via Iba with children singing, not //9275. Heavy QRM with news at 1930; on 9870 via Aziwal in Turkish at 1630 with a from WRMI. (Figliozzi, NY) phone interview. (Figliozzi, NY) PIRATES—WDOG, 5060 at 0056 with rock, occasional sta- KUWAIT—Radio Kuwait on 15540 at 1708 with a man speak- tion IDs, dog or wolf howls, NA at 0153. Damn Skippy, 6955usb ing in Urdu. (Figliozzi, NY) MADAGASCAR—Madagascar World Voice on 9845 via Mahajanga with man speaking in Russian at 1939; on 13670 via Mahajanga at 1912 with Arabic vocals. (Figliozzi, NY) African Pathways Radio on 11965 via Majahanga with man and woman speaking in English, frequency mention at 2012 then more Bible discussions, the announced 13670 frequency was not heard. (D’Angelo, PA) 2014. (Brossell, WI) MALI—Radio TV Mali on 5995 at 2356 in Bambara including an French station ID, then an alternating man and woman talk to abrupt 0000 sign off; on 9635 at 1633 in French. (Figliozzi, NY) NEW ZEALAND—RNZI on 5945 at 1115, apparently with “Dateline Pacific” program. (Figliozzi, NY) NIGERIA—Voice of Nigeria on 11770 via Abuja at 2007-2019* with two men speaking in Hausa, off early or had tech troubles. (D’Angelo, PA) NORTH KOREA—Voice of Korea on 11710 via Kujang at 1309 with man and woman reading the news. (Figliozzi, NY) OPPOSITION—Manara Radio (via France to Nigeria) on 15285 at 1626 in Hausa. (Brossell, WI) Echo of Hope (South Korea to North) on 9105 at 1345 with Scandinavian Weekend Radio broadcasts from this small man and woman speaking through possible NK jamming. house in the town of Virrat, Finland. It’s never been report- (Figliozzi, NY) ed to the “Listening Post.” www.cq-amateur-radio.com December 2020 • CQ • 61 China’s Holy Tibet Broadcasting uses several frequencies in the 4-, 6-, 7-, and 9-MHz bands. This European pirate (The Vault) sometimes makes it to this side of the pond, even if it runs just 40 watts. SWEDEN—IBRA Radio on 15260 via Woofferton at 1715 with woman speaking in Arabic and lively talk and subcontinental music. (Figlioizzi, NY) On 15510 at 1818 with HOA music and talks in Tigrinya. (Brossell, WI) TURKEY—Voice of Turkey on 7275 via Ermiler at *0257-0322 with Turkish music, female announcer and English opening ID at 0300 then man reading the news. (D’Angelo, PA) On 9460 via Ermiler at 2014 in Turkish. (Brossell, WI) UNITED STATES—Voice of America on 9615 via the Philippine Relay at 1341 in Khmer to Cambodia. (Figliozzi, NY) On 15165 via the Thailand Relay at 1317 in Mandarin with Firedrake jammer under; on 15660 via Woofferton in Amharic at 1843. (Brossell, WI) Radio Liberty/RFE on 15180 via Woofferton in Uzbek at 1438. (Brossell, WI) Radio Farda on 12005 via the Biblis Relay (Germany) at 1554 with Peggy Lee’s “Fever,” and talks in Farsi. (Brossell, WI) Radio Marti on 7345drm via Greenville at 0015. My screen shows that station ID but no audio was heard despite an S-9 sig- nal level. (Figliozzi, NY) Radio Vanuatu is still in the shortwave news with its third Adventist World Radio on 9800 via Germany at 2109-2129* harmonic on 11835 kHz. with religious conversation in Nigerian pidgin, station ID, con- tact info at 2126, then carrier off. (D’Angelo, PA) On 15215 via Nauen in Hindi at 1557; on 15605 via Sri Lanka in Punjabi at (u), station ID, strange songs, several SSTV and FAXs. 1506. (Brossell, WI) Wolverine Radio, 6940u at 0038 with a wide variety of songs, Overcomer Ministry on 11600 via Bulgaria at 1623 with Brother SSTV / FAX at 0139. Radio 48, 5150u weak at 2352 and still Stair yammering away. (Figliozzi, NY) very weak by 0020. Ballsmacker Radio, 6960 at 0101 with a Supreme Master Television on 5800 via Okeechobee at 0024- pop song. WDOG, 6960u at 2359, weak with modern pop, sta- 0043 with male and female announcers, features, and several tion IDs at 0002 and 0056. Psycho Radio, 4185 at 0003, weak station IDs. (D’Angelo, PA) with pops. (Hassig, IL) VATICAN—Vatican Radio on 9705 at 2023 on the Pope’s talk Yeah Man Radio, 6925 at 2303 with rock, BS&T, and much on Syria. (Brossell, WI) QSB. Foxy AM, 6925 at 2339-0010 with light rock, and jazz, but was under-modulated, station ID at 2356. Damn Skippy, 6930u As Time Goes By at 0108-0133* assorted blues / rock, SSTV, email, and DJ tak- Radio Nueva Horizonte, Riberalta, Bolivia, on 4518 at 0340 ing requests. WEZL, 6933 at 0035 with rock oldies, seemingly on March 15, 1989 with its Spanish domestic service. the same guy as behind Skippy. The Vault (Euro) 6934.2u at 2310-2355 with classic rock, station IDs with siren SFX. Quien Sabe – (Who Knows?) (KB8QBF, MI) ~ 4940 has recently hosted an apparent new Colombian Damn Skippy, 6950u at 0112 with rock, SSTV; also on 6925u station. Trouble is no one has yet been able to name the at 2308 with air raid sirens, more rock, SSTVs. (Taylor, WI) thing. One “clue” — the Spanish announcer and format are ROMANIA—Radio Romania International on 9500 via Galbeni said to sound suspiciously like those on Al Caravan and La at 1637 in French with a jazz concert for Southern Europe. Very Voz Concencia, but whether that means anything or not is well heard in upstate NY all day and night. (Figliozzi, NY) SAO TOME—VOA on 9470 via Pinheira, poor at 1945 in an open question. We’ll see... Kinyarwanda. (Figliozzi, NY) On 11900 at 2122 with French / English lesson. (Brossell, WI) Thanks, Thanks, Thanks SAUDI ARABIA—BSKSA on 11915 with Qur’an at 2225. This month I thank Andy Robbins, KB8QBF, Kalamazoo, (Brossell, WI) MI; William Hassig, Mt. Pleasant, IL; John Figliozzi, Half SOUTH KOREA—KBS World Radio on 15575 at 1451 in Moon, NY; Rich D’Angelo, Wyomissing, PA; and Bob Korean. (Brossell, WI) Brossell, Pewaukee, WI.
62 • CQ • December 2020 Visit Our Web Site
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Looking for a simple way to match your HF antenna to 50-ohm coax? Autotransformers offer wide bandwidth, high efficiency, and excellent power-handling capability while delivering a wide range of matching ratios. The Ferrite-Sleeve Autotransformer
BY RICK LITTLEFIELD,* K1BQT
ferrite-sleeve autotransformer is a quick, cheap, and tion. The impedance ratio column (Z-ratio) shows the mag- easy way to match your antenna to your feedline. It nitude of the transformation. Note that autotransformers may Aworks with a wide range of antenna types including be installed as step-up or step-down devices (Figure 2). various dipoles, loops, quads, Yagis, and verticals. The auto- Referring to Table 1, a winding with a 1.78:1 impedance-ratio transformer is unique in that it uses a single-coil winding, a will transition 50-ohm sources up to an 89-ohm load (Z-Up) portion of which is common to both the primary and the sec- or down to a 28-ohm load (Z-Down) by simply reversing the ondary (see Figure 1). The two design variations described terminal connections. here (Photo A) cover 3 to 30 MHz with 22 transformation ratios that match loads between 8 and 313 ohms. Construction Figure 3 illustrates two winding configurations, one using a Parts single ferrite sleeve and a second using two sleeves config- All transformers are wound on Fair-Rite 43-mix round-cable ured as a binocular core. The single-sleeve version is espe- EMI cores. These sleeve-shaped parts are commonly used cially compact and lightweight, making it ideal for suspend- to suppress common-mode radiation on coax cable and should be readily available from online RF-component ven- dors or flea-market sellers. For SSB and CW operation with power levels up to 300 watts, I recommend using the smaller 1/2-inch-OD x 1-1/8- inch cores (Fair-Rite 2643540002). For “big-amp” power lev- els up to 1,500 watts, use the larger 1-inch-OD x 1-1/8-inch cores (Fair-Rite 2643102002). For best performance, wind each transformer with stranded Teflon®-jacketed wire, 16- gauge or 18-gauge for the 1/2-inch cores and 12- or 14-gauge for the larger cores.
Matching Ratios See Table 1 for matching data. The turns-ratio column (T- Ratio) specifies the total number of turns and the tap loca-
T-Ratio Z-Ratio Z-Up Z-Down 7:6 1.36:1 68 37.0 Photo A. Sample transformers using the two core sizes and 6:5 1.44:1 72 35.0 both winding methods. 5:4 1.56:1 78 32.0 4:3 1.78:1 89 28.0 7:5 1.96:1 98 25.5 6:4 2.25:1 113 22.0 5:3 2.78:1 139 18.0 7:4 3.00:1 150 16.7 4:2 4.00:1 200 12.5* 6:3 4.00:1 200 12.5* 7:3 5.44:1 272 9.2 5:2 6.25:1 313 8.0 * (2:4 ratio best above 10 MHz, 3:6 ratio best below 10 MHz)
Table 1. Matching data. See text for details. Figure 1. The primary and secondary share the same wind- ing. Note a 50-ohm feed may be tapped at any point along * Email:
64 • CQ • December 2020 Visit Our Web Site ed-wire antennas where center-sag might be a problem. The binocular ver- sion weighs a bit more but provides twice the cross-sectional core area for increased power handling. The binocu- lar configuration also captures more of the inductor winding inside the ferrite core material, yielding flatter frequency response, less stray reactance, and lower insertion loss. To tap a single-sleeve inductor, cut a gap in the insulation and tack-solder a Figure 2. Transformers may be connected to match loads higher or lower in value tap lead onto the exposed conductor. than the 50-ohm source impedance. Note that the turns count refers to the number of wires passing inside the core Figure 3. Tapping and not the number passing outside. For method for the single- the binocular inductor, cut the winding at core and binocular the tap point and dress the leads as core transformer con- shown. It is normally easier to install the figurations. tap during the winding procedure than it is to install it later. Teflon insulation is tough, but strips easily if you gridle the wire first using a sharp X-acto® knife. Testing your handiwork work will be easy if you have a selection of standard- value resistors and a handheld antenna analyzer on hand. Simply connect the 1(:1(:1(: analyzer to one side of the transformer :H VWRFN WKH QHZUXJJHG)5((6&$/( .: WUDQVLVWRU DQG SDUWVIRUWKH0DQG-0+]DPSOLILHUGHVLJQV and a resistor close to the desired load value across the opposite side, then check SWR. If you missed a tap location or omitted a turn, the analyzer mea- C&O2A$X; :W,I5R(E RF Transformers surement will tell you right away. +) %URDGEDQG T7C&--12 T7&C--18 5) 7UDQVIRUPHUV 5) 7UDQVIRUPHUV T7C&--20 T7&C--22 T7y\SpHe ³“8U´” WR 0+] T7C&-24 2 tWoR 3000M+H] z Transformer Enclosures +)$PSOLILHUV :H VWRFNWKHFRPSOHWH SDUWVOLVW &RPPXQLFDWLRQ HF Power These devices need protection from the DQG 3& ERDUGVIRUWKH0RWRUROD 6SOLWWHU &RPELQHUV DPSOLILHUGHVLJQVIHDWXUHGLQ &RQFHSWV ,QF WR0+] elements — but avoid sealing them up WKHLU$SSOLFDWLRQ 1RWHVDQG - (QJLQHHULQJ %XOOHWLQV 0LOOVWRQH'ULYH %HDYHUFUHHN2+ in small air-tight enclosures. Insertion (PDLO FFLGD\WRQ#SRER[FRP 3RUW - - 36& / : 3(3 loss is low, but some core heating is $1 / : $1 : ZZZFRPPXQLFDWLRQ FRQFHSWVFRP 36&-+ : 3(3 $1 + : $5 : 3KRQH - 3RUW likely, especially when running high - $1 : $5 : )$; - 36& / : 3(3 power or transmitting high power-den- (%$ : (% : 36&-+ : 3(3 In Business for 37 Years 36&-+ : 3(3 sity modes such as radioteletype (%$ : $5 : (RTTY). I generally cut or drill generous vent holes in the bottom of the enclo- sure and glue fiberglass screening over them to keep unwanted “critters” out. Baluns Like most impedance transformers in- cluding the classic “4:1 balun,” these devices do not effectively suppress common-mode current from propagat- ing on coaxial feedline. When feeding balance elements, I normally install a 1:1 Guanella balun in series with the coax line or install several 43-mix sleeves on the coax to perform this function. Conclusion Autotransformers work well as feed- point matching devices for a wide range of antenna types including classic di- poles, folded dipoles, multiband parallel dipoles, OCFDs, loops, quads, Yagis, and verticals. Best of all, they are cheap and simple to construct. www.cq-amateur-radio.com December 2020 • CQ • 65 Announcing: 2021 CQ World Wide WPX RTTY Contest NEW Multi-Transmitter Distributed Category Added as of 2021 February 13-14, 2021 Starts 0000 UTC Saturday; Ends 2359 UTC Sunday
he CQ World Wide WPX RTTY Contest (CQ WPX RTTY) band, multi-element antenna with one feedline for the 14-, 21-, offers 48 hours of non-stop DX chasing fun. Whether you and 28-MHz bands, plus a single element antenna for each of the Tare competing for awards, looking for a few new band- 3.5 and 7 MHz bands. One example is a three-element tri-band countries, or simply filling the logbook, the CQ WPX has some- antenna for 14, 21, and 28 MHz plus an inverted-V wire dipole for thing for everyone. Check out the Tribander / Single Element, 3.5 MHz and another one for 7 MHz. Another example is a single- Rookie, and Classic Overlay Categories for even more chances element multi-band vertical antenna for all five bands or a fan dipole to win a certificate. of single-element dipoles for each band using a single feedline. Rookie Overlay — Only open to operators who were first licensed New Category as radio amateurs less than three (3) years before the date of the We are also excited to add a new Multi-Transmitter Distributed contest. Indicate date licensed in the soapbox field of your log. category to all WPX contests as of this year. Stations operating Classic Overlay — Allows only one radio, no receiving during in this category may have a maximum of six transmitted signals, transmitting, QSO finding assistance is NOT allowed and only one per band at any one time, from stations in different loca- the first 24 hours of operation are scored. Off-times must be at tions. All equipment (transmitters, receivers, amplifiers, anten- least 60 minutes. nas, etc.), including remotely-controlled equipment, must be Multi-Operator — more than one person is involved in oper- located in same DXCC entity and CQ Zone. Six bands may be ating the station. activated simultaneously. Single-Transmitter: This category allows one transmitter to This is a new stand-alone category. It is not intended to replace, work any station. It may change bands as many as 8 times per or compete with, other multi-operator categories. The general hour. Note: A second transmitter may be used to work multipli- rules for all entrants fully apply to this category, with the excep- ers only. This category has some very specific restrictions so tion of the rules on station location and remote receivers. While please read the full rules carefully. this category was stimulated by COVID-19 related concerns, it • High power: Up to 1,500 watts is intended to be a permanent addition to WPX RTTY / SSB / • Low power: 100 watts or less CW. See complete rules (links below) for further details. Two-Transmitter: Allows the use of two transmitted signals on Contest Basics two bands. Each station may change bands as many as 8 times Working stations is easy. Exchange and log signal report and per hour. a progressive serial number beginning with “1,” e.g., DL1ABC Multi-Transmitter: Allows the use of one transmitted signal on 599 123. each band. Contacts are valid only on the 3.5-, 7-, 14-, 21-, and 28-MHz Multi-Transmitter Distributed: Allows the use of one transmit- amateur bands. (No WARC bands.) ted signal on each band, each from a different station location within the same country and CQ Zone. Scoring Awards Final score is based on QSO points earned for each contact Electronic certificates will be made available for everyone who times the number of multipliers worked. submits an entry. Handsome plaques may be sponsored for the Multipliers are each unique callsign prefix, which is the letter top finishers in each category. / numeral combination forming the first part of the callsign. This In addition to the Single-Operator Triathlon Award for top prefix multiplier is counted once per log, not on each band. cumulative score in all three CQ WPX contests (RTTY, SSB, Contacts with other continents count three points each. Contacts and CW), there is a Club Competition Triathlon Award for the with the same continent, but different country, count two points. highest club score in North America for all three modes. Same country contacts count one point. In addition, these contact points are doubled for contacts made on the 3.5- or 7-MHz bands. Submitting Your Log Don’t worry about calculating your score; the contest log checking will do that for you when you submit a log. Electronic logs should be in the Cabrillo format. Upload your log on the Web at
66 • CQ • December 2020 Visit Our Web Site Looking for the sounds of real ham QSOs and exotic propagation modes for presentations? WB6NOA has you covered, and it’s all free! DDXX WWoorrlldd Download Radio Calls from GGuuiiddee Gordo’s “On the Air” 4th Edition! License Manual CDs By Franz Langner, DJ9ZB for Free! th Buy Bo he audio soundtracks from Gordon West’s “On the Air” CDs originally bound into AVE! his W5YI license manuals may now be downloaded for free over the internet. and S TThanks to the W5YI Group, these fun narrated audio “out-takes” show what it is like on all the ham bands, from Technician Class operators working the International Space Station to Generals exploring the QSOs you might find from 160 to 10 meters. There’s a separate file that goes with each level of license manual, Technician, General, and Amateur Extra Class. On the Extra Class free CD download, hear the actual sounds of aurora CW, FT8 vs. many other digital modes, and the eerie fascinating sounds of CW echoes com- ing off the moon. Known throughout the DX “These free downloads are great for ham instructors and elmers, as each one offers and DXpedition world as a several tracks that may be played for short classroom demos of propagation, ham eti- meticulous and tireless operator, quette to enter an ongoing QSO, and some funny pile up calls where only the YL gets Franz Langner, DJ9ZB, is also through!” comments Gordon West, WB6NOA. noted as one of the most “Hams always ask me where they can get these ‘live’ on-the-air sounds, as a great knowledgeable individuals in way to illustrate the fun of ham radio to prospective hams and kids,” adds West. Amateur Radio in terms of documenting DXCC entities. The download process is easy. This is the fourth edition of his • Log on to the
Photo A. The audio CD included with Gordo’s W5YI Photo B. Here’s where to click CQ Communications, Inc. license manuals is now available for free download to download the CD audio 516 681-2926 over the internet. files. See text for details. http://store.cq-amateur-radio.com www.cq-amateur-radio.com December 2020 • CQ • 67 Technology Special COMMUNICATIONS HORIZONS BY ROB DE SANTOS, K8RKD Are You Going Hybrid?
f you don’t have a “hybrid” radio in your car today (and VERY few do), Iit’s quite likely you will someday. What’s a hybrid radio? The radio and vehicle manufacturers have defined a hybrid radio as one that is able to switch efficiently between broadcast signals and internet-provided streams. This capability has been under discussion for at least a decade and is finally beginning to appear in the first production radios included in vehicles. Sure, many of you already have the ability to tune to both broadcast signals and internet streams of stations in your car. But does the radio switch automatically to the internet stream if you drive out of range of the broadcast signal? Most likely, it does not.
Stations Here, There, and Everywhere The extent of hybrid radio today is limit- ed to the not insignificant efforts of bring- Audi and iHeartRadio have announced plans to begin installing and supporting ing better graphics, geo-targeting, and hybrid radios in 2021 model year vehicles. Hybrid radios automatically switch better data integration to car dash- between a station’s broadcast signal and its internet stream. (Images via boards. Some limited data has been Wikimedia Commons) available via the RDS feature in most broadcast symbols. However, RDS is limited in the amount of information that of the AM / FM radio in the evolving auto- to do any more than necessary. Yes, can be transferred and the rate of data motive dashboards.5 The “entertain- presets help. However, this just speeds transfer is very low. Now we are begin- ment center” in the car increasingly up the process, it does not eliminate it. ning to see the implementation of the full includes a whole host of options beyond What every program director wants is hybrid concept. In Italy, the FM-world1 broadcast radio. It’s a crowded space to keep the listener, no matter where family of stations has announced a part- and in at least one case, AM disap- they are. With more and more com- nership with Xperi2 to implement the peared entirely. Since around 2015, muters living farther from the center of concept for their stations. In September there has been an increasing effort cities or completely away from major of this year, it was announced that between broadcasters and auto manu- metropolitan areas, this has been an iHeartRadio and Audi3,4 would collabo- facturers to discuss concerns sur- increasing problem. Then there are the rate to bring hybrid radio to Audi vehicles rounding the dash. In parallel to this are crowded bands, directional signals, tun- in North America with the 2021 model concerns about driver distraction as the nels, limited power at night for AMs, etc. year. The iHeartRadio / Audi concept entertainment options increase. A bet- includes the ability to switch back and ter and smoother integration of radio How Does Hybrid Radio Work? forth between broadcast and internet into the modern dashboard has been First and foremost, the vehicle’s radio sources without user intervention and needed. One small piece of the solution must have access to the internet. This remember the source state when the car is hybrid radio. is typically achieved by way of a mobile radio is off. While these announcements One of the selling points of satellite (cellular) signal and then a connection appear limited to the stations that are radio has always been its “listen any- to the radio using Wi-Fi® or another owned or affiliated with them, it heralds where” capability. Tune in once and you method. For many high- and middle- a substantial change. can drive across country without the end vehicles, an internet connection is need to change stations. Hybrid radio rapidly becoming standard now. The Why Does This Matter? eliminates the need to scan the dial to other piece is the software in the car For some time now, radio broadcasters find a similar station when you drive out dash. Organizations like RadioDNS6 have been concerned about the place of range of the station to which you were have tried with mixed success to push previously tuned. While “scanning the the technology out to the manufactur- dial” might appeal to DXers and hams, ers of car entertainment systems and *
68 • CQ • December 2020 Visit Our Web Site Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, and Radioplayer. With the incorporation of the soft- ware into the dashboard apps for such services as iHeartRadio, it is likely the tech- nology will spread quickly. It’s a fair bet that if it works well for iHeartRadio, the ® competition won’t be far behind. As you drive, the radio signal strength and / or your geographic location may be monitored. When you enter or leave a station’s geographic service area, the soft- ware looks to see if it has an associated stream or broadcast signal and auto- matically switches to the source needed to “keep the music playing.” Particularly in Europe, there is great interest in “geo-fencing” signals so that the radio stays tuned to a broadcast source while inside a particular country.7 There is not much indication this is happening in any way in U.S. or Canadian vehicle plans thus far. Were you What Does This Mean for DXing? The days of using a car radio to DX are nearing an end. Fewer and fewer of the first licensed modern entertainment systems have features that allow you to manually tune to a frequency or sequentially step through a band. Progress giveth and progress 25 years ago and taketh away. There is already a growing secondary market in car radios removed from older car models because of this. (Side note: not just for DXers ... there are licensed today? markets for AM radios which can receive the AM stereo standards, for example.) Over to You Then you should join the This is a “virtual” CQ call. Please share your thoughtful feedback, comments, sug- Quarter Century gestions, and ideas. Always happy to hear from readers. I try to answer reader mail. Wireless Association, Inc. Notes: 1. Xperi Partners With FM-world in Italy,
AlasKit Educational & Scientific Resources
We have a large inventory of new and surplus genuine radio components, from QRP to QRO. If you can’t find it, we probably have it! AlasKit has a well-equipped RF design lab. If you have a need for a custom-designed RF accessory, we can design and produce these in single lot, or small production quantities. We have a strong relationship with a world-class PCB manufacturer, as well. We also produce a wide range of training materials and technical documentation. If you need a technical manual written in clear, concise English, we can do that too. Check out our website for more exciting projects in progress at AlasKit Educational and Scientific Resources http://alaskit.co • 907-488-0483 P.O. Box 56325 • North Pole, AK 99705 www.cq-amateur-radio.com December 2020 • CQ • 69 EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS BY STAN BROADWAY,* N8BHL
It’s Exercise Time!
Introducing Our New EmComm Editor “We don’t rise to the level of our expectations; we We’d like to welcome Stan Broadway, N8BHL, as the fall to the level of our training.” – Archilochus newest member of the CQ family. Stan comes to the post t’s a great time to train! Typically, the winter months slow of Emergency Communications Editor with a wide-ranging our activities, and meetings can get repetitive. Here’s an emergency communications background, both in amateur Iidea: How about staging an exercise to get things going? radio and professionally. We asked Stan to introduce him- It’s important for new hams to learn some technical lessons. self before getting into the meat of his first column. – W2VU Plus, it’s just as important for the “old hats” to stay involved, both to improve our overall level of service and to train the newer hams. We don’t have to wait for our served agencies to schedule a drill, we can certainly put a successful session together on our own. The key is to understand the basics of an exercise. An exercise accomplishes several important things within our group. It can refresh our ability to operate, it can teach new concepts, it can enhance working as a team. Most impor- tantly, it will help us recognize potential problems and how we can respond to those problems. A good exercise also brings us back to the basics — operating our radios, estab- lishing temporary stations, refamiliarizing ourselves with that software suite, and practicing. Just practicing. Where Do I Start? One solid foundation is to assess your needs in the com- New CQ EmComm Editor Stan Broadway, N8BHL munity. Find out what is on your EMA (emergency manage- ment agency; the name may vary state-to-state) director’s In a gas station job I had while in high school, I was told by “headache list,” often found in a document known as a the “old training guy” something that’s stuck with me over all Hazard Mitigation Plan. This is the list of most likely devas- these years: “There’s no such thing as a bad experience … tating events in the community. Perhaps amateur radio would there is only experience!” With that to help shape a positive fit into one of those scenarios. Or you can take a “normal” outlook, I have had the wonderful opportunity to do what I activity such as a public service event, and present a sce- loved in life (journalism, computers, music, volunteer and nario based on what would happen if things went “terribly” professional firefighting). I dabbled with radio in 1964 as a wrong. Did you ever notice things just don’t “go wrong”? They Novice and walked away. In 1979, I listened to the local go terribly wrong. At any rate, determine a hazard or event weather net and I was hooked again. Shortly after, I heard which will be the theme of the exercise. the Hurricane Watch Net and that provoked my interest in HF. Next, determine the scope of your exercise. Narrow the list I went for my (CW — no snobbery!) Extra Class license and of participants and events so that your people will have started putting antennas in the air. For a period, I was limit- enough time to practice their objectives. Build your scenario ed to only mobile radio, but I had so much fun with mobile HF (the simulated conditions which will guide your exercise play- that I still operate these days. Knowledge of RF proved help- ers) with the objective in mind. Try to be as realistic as pos- ful as I moved into emergency dispatching, where I config- ured communication centers and taught radio skills to fire- sible and acknowledge the “artificialities” up front so your fighters. I’ve had a red light on my roof for 50 years, always players don’t get sidetracked. learning more about emergency communications. I became involved a little more deeply in amateur radio as a weather What Are Your Objectives? net and Hurricane Watch Net control operator. I became a Critical to any exercise is your list of objectives. What do you county Emergency Coordinator (EC) and took on the Ohio want the participants to learn or practice? If you’ve created Section Emergency Coordinator’s duties in 2014. I look at the a scenario, have clear, specific objectives. Think simple here hierarchy upside-down: I am in position to support the DECs — an exercise that’s too complex, not properly structured, (District Emergency Coordinators), who uphold the ECs as or confusing to the participant will generate failure and (more the primary focus for amateur radio in our communities. importantly) unwillingness of your volunteers to participate Likewise, I want to be in a position here at CQ to support your again. “The dam has broken, handle it” is both out of scope activities, whether under emergency conditions or in public and unrealistic for radio operators. Classic training gives us service events. I hope to contact the nation’s leaders on dif- “SMART” objectives: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, ferent topics that we all need to know to do our jobs better! I Relevant, and Time-framed. welcome your comments, suggestions, and questions as we “Set up a portable station; check into the emergency net; start this journey together. – N8BHL prepare and send specific messages.” That list might be very attainable yet create learning experiences as the simple *
70 • CQ • December 2020 Visit Our Web Site A good way to guide a tabletop is to print the narrative, your story line, with breaks in places where you would expect par- ticipants to make decisions, deploy people, or otherwise take part in the event.
The 2020 Exercise: A Virtual Meeting Just as many clubs and ARES groups have spent most of this year meeting with online conferencing such as Zoom, a table- top is easily transferrable to that medium. In some ways, it might be even easier to facilitate than an in-person exercise. You can screen-share the narrative and stop the group at appropriate times … no “reading ahead!” In a recent “Black Swan” SET (a statewide simulated emergency test in Ohio that involves a broad spectrum of emergency response agencies), doctors and EMA officials created recorded interchanges for virtually deployed operators. Some even appeared live and District Emergency Coordinator (DEC) Mark Griggs, could directly interact with the operators. Think: You are KB8YMN, operating W8SGT — “The Sarge” — at the Ohio deployed to a hospital. A doctor comes up to you and asks to state Emergency Operating Center (EOC) during an exercise. send a message to another medical center. You, as operator, create that message and send it as radio traffic. You later deliv- er the reply to the doctor in virtual real life. These exercises is to practice these basics, or learn the theme of your exer- are realistic, yet nobody has to leave their home. cise, so they don’t fail when pressed into actual service. From this overview and scenario comes your EXPLAN (exercise plan), which provides details on how the exercise Hot-Wash will be conducted as well as administrative instructions. At the end of your session, make sure you “hot-wash” with the group, getting ideas, reactions, and suggestions. These What Kind of Exercise? are “no-fault” sessions … no criticism of individuals should take place, only suggestions: “Perhaps a better idea is …” The largest exercise is called a “full functional exercise.” This Just as physical exercise helps your body stay in shape, involves all-hands from your organization and could bring in EmComm exercises can keep your skills sharp and help you outside organizations. Your group has hopefully participated build your radio “muscles.” with your EMA or Red Cross or other agency in these. Everybody’s moving and working as if they were handling a real event. You will need a SIM CELL (simulation cell) where controllers feed out “injects” to keep the exercise moving. While this can be fun, it takes months of intense preparation and isn’t the best choice for a smaller organization such as a county ARES group. A “functional exercise” is “exercise-lite.” It will involve man- agement level people and a smaller group. It will not involve the movement of your entire membership base. They may “simulate” deployment, for example. It takes roughly the same amount of prep time and coordination as the full functional exercise. If you have experienced exercise writers, you might try this. But there are easier ways that can be just as pro- ductive for your group.
Put it All on the Table A great learning experience is the “tabletop” exercise. When presented enthusiastically as a narrative with a realistic story, this exercise format can encourage the players’ imagination as they put themselves into the incident. You’ll be able to guide discussions among the group members as they work through the injects you provide. Others may offer construc- tive suggestions since you’re all together. The more realistic the scenario, the better the exercise and the better the learn- ing experience. To be carried out properly, developers need a good sce- nario, objectives, and an understanding of the players’ abili- ties. In any exercise, the “MESL” (master scenario events list) enriches the scenario by adding specific exercise injects that prompt the players to exercise those topics on which they’re being trained. This is the step-by-step movement of your exercise. You can take your people through an event step-by-step, even pausing to discuss different options and decisions. It’s a great learning opportunity.
www.cq-amateur-radio.com December 2020 • CQ • 71 KIT BUILDING BY JOE EISENBERG,* K0NEB Being Well-Grounded
ost kits we buy consist of a PC nector. I also discovered that the round part of the connector. I’ll go into more board, maybe a case, and lots holes for the pins on the military-style detail about these connectors in my Mof parts to solder to a PC board. connector are tight, and do not require next column. HyGain rotators can be One of the kits this month has parts, but too much solder on the end, and to ordered through a number of stocking no soldering is involved. The kit I recent- trim away any excess solder before dealers as well as from MFJ at ly bought serves the purpose of being attempting to insert them into the front
*7133 Yosemite Drive, Lincoln, NE 68507 email:
72 • CQ • December 2020 Visit Our Web Site what’s new
New bhi Amplified DSP Noise-Cancelling Speaker The new bhi NES10-2MK4 5-watt amplified DSP (digital signal processing) noise-cancelling speaker will remove noise and interference from speech signals, making your receive audio much clearer and enjoyable to listen to. The NES10-2MK4 DSP noise cancelling speaker is suitable for use in a wide range of radio communication applications across all radio frequencies and is designed for improving voice quality in amateur radio and shortwave listening. The speaker can be used in a base station environment or mobile in a vehicle.
The outside ground wire and the shack ground buss connect together at the cold water pipe adjacent to the wiring path to the outdoors.
The NES10-2MK4 is compact and easy to use, and incor- porates the latest bhi DSP noise-cancelling technology. The three-position switch on the top of the speaker controls the main functions, “Off” (audio bypass), “On” (amplified audio), and “DSP” (noise cancelling on). The speaker has a bespoke 5-watt audio amplifier with DSP noise cancelling from 8 to 40 dB over eight user-selectable levels, and tone reduction of up to 65 dB. The power “On” LED illuminates red when power is applied The 8-gauge ground wire is attached to the ground rod out- and changes to green when the noise cancellation is active. doors. This ground rod is also attached to one of the tower The overload LED lights if the audio input is overloading the legs. speaker. The output level control allows you to adjust the audio output to suit your setup. I chose to use the DX Engineering DXE-GBWM-W kit for The NES10-2MK4 requires 10 to 18 volts DC at 500 mA my new ground buss for my station as it gave me the most and has an integral 2-meter (~6-foot) long audio lead termi- options for connecting grounds to radios as well as mount- nated with a 3.5-millimeter mono jack plug and comes with ing Alpha-Delta lightning protectors. I found assembling the a sturdy metal mounting bracket. There is a 3.5-millimeter components went very quickly and was straightforward. mono headphone socket on the side for listening with head- Before mounting my ground buss on the wall, I first placed it phones. The NES10-2MK4 speaker measures 110 x 65 x where I wanted to drill the holes and used a pencil to mark 55 millimeters (~4.3 x 2.5 x 2.2 inches) and is supplied with the two holes. I then drilled the holes and inserted the dry- a rotary filter select knob, two fixing screws, four self-adhe- wall mounts. sive rubber feet, one 1030-FPL fused DC power lead and a Bringing the buss back to my bench, I began mounting the user manual. three Alpha-Delta Transi-Trap lightning protectors. I chose The NES10-2MK4 is available now in the U.S. from DX these because they have a replaceable gas discharge ele- Engineering and GigaParts and has a suggested retail price ment, good for areas that suffer frequent lightning as we do of 99.95 £ ($130.67 U.S.). For more information, contact one in the Midwest in the warmer weather months. Once the gas of these retailers or bhi Ltd., 22 Woolven Close, Burgess in the elements deteriorates, the SWR rises, giving you notice Hill, West Sussex, RH15 9RR, UK. Email:
74 • CQ • December 2020 Visit Our Web Site QRP: Low-Power Communications BY R. SCOTT ROUGHT,* KA8SMA
A Conversation about the True Meaning of QRP, Revisited …and Thoughts from “the Land Down Under”
n June, I presented a friendly dis- Regardless of which side you align should I reduce power”. Any ham who cussion between Eddie DeYoung, with, I believe many of us can agree with willingly reduces their power output IKS4AA (now SK), former CQ Awards the last comment that setting up a instead of increasing it receives kudos Editor, and Doug Zwiebel, KR2Q, portable operation with a homebrew from me. CQWW DX Committee member and antenna and reducing power to 15 watts One ham who took the discussion former CQWW DX Contest Director, on is in the spirit of QRP. After all, the Q- between KS4AA and KR2Q to heart is whether a low power signal (5 watts or code QRP means “reduce power, or Michael Charteris, VK4QS, of Queens- less) fed into a high-gain antenna sys- tem constitutes QRP. In other words, if the output of the transmitter is 5 watts and the calculated effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP) of that station is greater than 5 watts (due to high anten- na gain), is this really QRP? KS4AA argued that hams who radiate an EIRP of more than 5 watts are not operating in the spirit of QRP and should not claim QRP-related awards. KR2Q, on the other hand, argued that QRP is deter- mined by the power output of the trans- mitter (5 watts or less) and antenna gain should not be factored into the equation. After the June issue was published, I received a slew of emails from hams siding with either KS4AA or KR2Q. Below is a taste of the some of the com- ments (names and call signs withheld) I received.
• “KR2Q’s position is 100% correct! Five watts out of your radio into what- ever antenna system you can build is QRP — and bigger is better!” • “I tend to agree with the EIRP argu- ment (KS4AA). This always made the most sense to me.” • “Contest rules for QRP entries gen- erally state 5 watts output, not 5 watts EIRP.” • “Five watts out is a measurable quantity that can be uniformly applied. To stay within 5 watts (EIRP) requires adjusting output to account for gain.” • “To me, the real meaning of QRP is the spirit in which you operate. I am blessed with many saltwater beaches within a 10-15 minute drive. Driving to those beaches, setting up a barebones homebrew antenna and making a few contacts is very satisfying to me, even using 15 watts. To me, that’s QRP.”
Photo A. The ICOM IC-7300 100-watt transceiver cranked down to less than 5 *
76 • CQ • December 2020 Visit Our Web Site contact? It’s a point not often considered in the joy of making a QRP contact. In my humble opinion, the undertak- ing of QRP is open to as many inter- pretations as there are QRP advocates. It incorporates a “rainbow of factors” that lead to the amazing and diverse achievements of QRP stations across the farthest corners of the world as we know it.
Final Thoughts Thanks, Mike. The June issue stirred the QRP pot with several hams provid- ing feedback on the above topic. I also received emails suggesting that oper- ating at 5 watts or less with home- brewed, kit-built or simple transceivers, and a simple wire antenna is the only setup that should be considered QRP. I recently had an interesting on-the-air experience I will share with you. Earlier this year, I acquired an ICOM IC-7300. After turning its power output down to less than 5 watts and verifying with my Oak Hills Research WM-1 wattmeter that I was in the realm of QRP, I hopped on 20 meters for a little casual rag-chewing. During one of my contacts, I mentioned my QRP working conditions (4 watts with an IC-7300) to the other operator who responded “I’m using an IC-7300 too — I don’t think many hams will consider you QRP with a 7300. Even with the power turned down it is not a real QRP rig. Using a Last Year, our members worked thousands of hours for 7300 for QRP is like cheating.” I took this comment in stride and did not let it bother me, really. I will be the first to admit that after using a Yaesu FT-817 NNOO PPAAYY as my primary transceiver since 2000, operating the IC-7300 with all its bells And this year are well on their way to doing and whistles (SDR receiver, band scope, filters, etc.) is like stepping into a new dimension, but it is still QRP (in EEVVEENN MMOORREE!! my opinion) when the power is turned down and checked with a QRP watt- meter. It is funny to think, if some hams WHY? have issues with an IC-7300 being used as a QRP rig, I would be curious to know Because they are giving back to their communities! They are what they think about ICOM’s new IC- 705 QRP transceiver as it is essential- helping with civic events, motorist assistance AND MORE, ly the same as the IC-7300, but with yes even emergencies and disasters, if needed! even more features – hi! In my opinion the spirit of QRP means doing more with less (power output), CONTACT regardless of the transceiver or the antenna system you are using. I feel no REACT INTERNATIONAL guilt in using the IC-7300 (with power 301-316-2900 turned down) for QRP operation. As VK4QS noted above, there are as many Or write to interpretations as there are QRP advo- REACT INTERNATIONAL cates when undertaking QRP. Good P.O. Box 21064, Dept CQ100 words to remember! Glendale, CA 91221 Happy Holidays, 73 RI.HQ@REACT Intl.org www.cq-amateur-radio.com December 2020 • CQ • 77 MICROCONTROLLERS IN AMATEUR RADIO BY ANTHONY A. LUSCRE*, K8ZT 2 Projects + 2 Books = Microcontroller Fun
his month, we start with a project Photo A. Front from Ken Kaplan, WB2ART, his view of KX3 T“KX3 External Tuning Knob.” External Tuning Elecraft makes an external tuning knob Knob project. available for its K3S transceiver called (Photo by Ken the K-Pod. Ken decided he would like Kaplan, WB2ART) something similar for his KX3 (Elecraft’s portable little brother to the K3S). Ken’s project should also work with the even smaller portable Elecraft KX2. The project uses a Blue Pill board from ST-Microelectronics (STM32F103C8T6
ICOM CI-V Commands & Reads via Arduino Our second project is a collection of ideas from multiple sources designed around the concept of using a simple Arduino interface to read data and / or send commands to ICOM radios using the ubiquitous CI-V interface (CI-V stands for Computer Interface 5, and has been in use with ICOM transceivers since the 1980s). In a December 2019 CQ Microcontroller Devices (μCD) col- umn on homebrew keypads for ICOM, Kenwood, and Yaesu rigs, I discussed simple resistor and switch matrices to send commands to internal micro- processors in many different rigs. This Photo B. Rear / inside view of KX3 External Tuning Knob. Note Blue Pill board project goes to the next level by utiliz- on the left. (Photo by Ken Kaplan, WB2ART) ing an Arduino to read data and / or send commands. A frequent contributor to my columns The basic idea can be expanded to (PC), an interface is needed (e.g., using is Luc Decroos, ON7DQ, and his initial numerous other functions by under- a MAX232), but this is not necessary project was designed to change the standing the ICOM CI-V Interface. For with the Arduino since we are working ICOM 7300’s internal settings from more information, visit Jean-Jacques, at the TTL level. In the idle state, the straight key to paddle input with one ON7EQ’s, page at
78 • CQ • December 2020 Visit Our Web Site functions in the IC-7300, that had no dedicated button, and were too cum- bersome, involving several keypresses (real buttons or on-screen touch but- tons).” For more details, visit Luc’s blog at
Why I2C? I2C stands for an inter-integrated circuit bus (which is why many refer to it as I2C). I2C is used in a wide variety of Arduino Projects and is a great building block for those experimenting with Arduinos. Brian Jenkins has put togeth- er a guide to I2C. Here’s a link to his tutorial, “How I2C Works”
Figure 3. Brian Jenkins’ tutorial is a guide to the I2C. (Screenshot from
Photo D. “Beginning C for Microcon- trollers” by Jack Purdum, Ph.D., W8TEE
Oops… For the Record… We missed a new world record in the CQ World Wide DX Contest update (October issue). EA8AH’s 2000 record of 18,010,765 points (with N5TJ at the key and keyboard) for Single-Op All Band High Power in the CW contest was eclipsed in 2019 — at the bottom of the sunspot cycle — by D4C (operated by CT1BOH), with 19,905,713 points. Jose achieved that score with a composite total of 9,277 QSOs, 165 zones and 578 countries. It’s also worth noting that TI7W (operated by KL9A) also broke the old record with his 2019 score of 18,316,632 points, but ended up finishing second to D4C.
Correction to a Correction Making mistakes is embarrassing enough, but making a mistake in a correction is even worse. We’ll let eagle-eyed reader (and occasional author) Phil Karras, KE3FL, explain: On page 61 of the September 2020 issue, you have a correction to a figure from the CQ June issue article, “Multiband Off-Center-Fed Dipoles for 160 & 80 Meters.” It seems that the correction needs a correction. The title of the article quoted in the correction is given as “Multiband Off-Center-Fed Dipoles for 16- & 80 Meters.” It should be “160” not “16-” & 80 Meters. ;-) Photo E. “Microcontroller Projects for 73 de KE3FL Amateur Radio.” by Jack Purdum, Thanks, Phil, for keeping us on our toes. Ph.D., W8TEE and Al Peter, AC8GY. (Photo by Al Peter, AC8GY)
80 • CQ • December 2020 Visit Our Web Site ADVANCED SPECIALTIES INC. Orders/Quotes 1-800-926-9HAM Announcing: www.advancedspecialties.net 2021 Nominations Open for the BIG ONLINE CATALOG VX-6R Triband CQ Amateur Radio, DX, and Submersible Hand Held FTM-7250DR Contest Halls of Fame Dual-Band Digital AMATEUR RADIO EQUIPMENT & ACCESSORIES • SCANNERS ach year CQ recognizes those who have made significant contributions to ANLI • COMET • UNIDEN • YAESU amateur radio in general, and to DXing and contesting in particular, creat- (201)-VHF-2067 Eing three categories of awards. Nominations for all three Halls of Fame open 114 Essex Street, Lodi, NJ 07644 on January 1, 2021 and will close on March 1, 2021. Closed Sunday & Monday CQ Amateur Radio Hall of Fame Amateur radio operators have been responsible for many advances in commu- nications technology, and entire industries have been built on the foundation of amateur radio experimentation and activity. In an effort to recognize outstanding The NEW EZ HANG amateurs and their achievements, and help the public appreciate the far-reach- Square Shot Kit ing and longstanding value of amateur radio in our society, we have established www.ezhang.com the CQ Amateur Radio Hall of Fame. Nominations for the 2021 “class” are now open. Members of the 2020 “class” were announced last May and appeared in Suggestion from thousands of HAM’s and Cable Installers the July issue of CQ. around the world, led to a The CQ Amateur Radio Hall of Fame honors those whose technical or other complete redesign of the EZ Hang. Custom Designed accomplishments have helped propel amateur radio forward, or whose achieve- for YOU, the user in mind. ments in other areas of life have helped improve ham radio’s reputation simply Now safer and easier to use, you through association. Nominees for the CQ Amateur Radio Hall of Fame will be will hit your mark every time, with judged on the basis of qualifying in one of two broad areas: Those individuals — less chance of misfires or hitting the yoke. whether licensed amateurs or not — who have made significant contributions to OVER 15,000 SOLD AROUND THE WORLD! the amateur radio hobby; and those radio amateurs who have made significant 304-856-1026 contributions to society in general. Nominees must have made significant contri- www.ezhang.com butions of nationwide or worldwide impact. EZ HANG Nominations for the Amateur Radio Hall of Fame may be made by clubs, orga- 75 Gold Finch Way nizations, or individuals. State your candidate’s name, where to contact him/her Capon Bridge, WV 26711 if still living, for which category you are nominating him/her, and a brief one- to two-paragraph description of this person’s accomplishments. Please include your name and contact information as well. Email to
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ne of the handiest widgets the If you have an older single channel oscil- dedicated “analogist” can have loscope, you may have a horizontal input Oin his or her widget arsenal is a connector. One needs to be cautious function generator. While I’ve had a with older scopes, however, because the number of high-end analog function bandwidth of the horizontal circuitry may generators over the years, this El be limited, as well as its linearity. Cheapo $35 DDS function generator Fortunately, we can use our triangle gen- I found at Daily Motion.com
82 • CQ • December 2020 Visit Our Web Site wards. And as always, we encourage itor must charge and discharge through you to cobble together an inverting op- this extremely high virtual resistance. amp just to prove this for yourself. Are The change of voltage across the feed- we impressed yet? back capacitor is very small, but the op- amp amplifies the daylights out of this Timing is Everything very small change, and we thus have a If you recall from about a year ago, we nearly perfect ramp. Pretty amazing, introduced the RC time constant. We isn’t it? showed how a capacitor being charged We can take this one step further, and through a resistor, or being discharged use an integrator “downstream” of our tri- through a resistor, has an exponential angle wave generator, which will then current curve. We showed that the produce a sine wave. Every integrator is charging or discharging current increas- a low-pass filter, and every low-pass fil- es (or decreases) in a geometric pro- ter is also an integrator. The only differ- gression of sorts. While the standard RC ence is whether we’re looking at the time time constant is very simple to construct, domain, as in the case of the integrator, the math is more complicated than it or at the frequency domain, in the case could be. What if we could charge or dis- of the low-pass filter. Being able to tog- charge a capacitor in a perfectly linear gle between time domains and frequen- fashion … one in which there is a linear cy domains is the job of Fourier analy- change of voltage over time? This is pre- sis. While the math involved with Fourier cisely what the triangle wave does. We analysis is pretty difficult, the concept is can use the triangle wave (or its close fairly intuitive … especially if you’ve been cousin, the sawtooth wave) to give us a playing around with the actual circuits for linear voltage versus time … which is a while. precisely what we want for an oscillo- scope’s horizontal time base. 0 Hertz Revisited How exactly can we do this? The most Most function generators are capable of direct means of doing this is by charg- generating sine waves down into the ing the capacitor through a constant millihertz frequency range. This makes current source, which a resistor is defi- them ideal local oscillators for lock-in nitely not. Well, we can approach a con- amplifiers and many industrial applica- stant current source by using a very, tions, as well. One of the really inter- very, large resistor. It’s not the most ele- esting applications for such low fre- gant means, by far, and it isn’t quite per- quencies is the measurement of the rate fect, but we can approach perfection. heat transfer through, say, a chunk of A circuit with a very long time constant some metal. You can attach a Peltier to (in comparison to a driving signal) is one end of the sample of metal. A Peltier known as an integrator. If we apply a is an interesting device … if you put cur- square wave to a perfect integrator, we rent through it in one direction, it gets Design, Theory, and Construction get a sawtooth wave … almost. cold, and if you put the current through for HF systems that work Now, if the RC time constant is very in the other direction, it gets warm. If you By Jerry Sevick, W2FMI, SK long, by means of a very large resistor apply an AC signal to it, it alternates or capacitor — or both — the voltage between hot and cold in a sinusoidal This small but solid guide across the capacitor will change very lit- fashion. You can then attach a thermo- walks you through the design and installation of tle for every cycle of the driving square couple or other sensitive temperature inexpensive, yet effective wave. While the actual voltage change sensor to the opposite end of the sam- short HF vertical antennas. is still an exponential function, if we ple, and measure a sine wave as well. With antenna restric- amplify the daylights out of this very You can then measure the phase angle tions becoming a real prob- small change of capacitor voltage, we between your original signal and the lem, this book could keep you on the air! This 64-page, will approach a perfectly linear ramp. recovered signal, and work out the 6 X 9 Paperback is We can also approximate a linear ramp speed of heat transfer through the sam- Only $10 by amplifying the daylights out of a sine ple. You probably won’t be doing much Here's a look inside: Plus shipping wave near the zero crossing, where the of this in the ham shack, but it’s an inter- 1. Ground-Radial System for Verticals sine curve is almost linear. esting application. 2. Short Ground-Mounted Verticals This is essentially the process we use In a later installment, we’ll talk a bit 3. Short Ground-Radial Systems fo to get a triangle wave out of a function about the arbitrary function generator, Short Verticals generator. As we mentioned quite a which is like a function generator on 4. The Loading Coil while ago … voltage gain is very cheap. steroids. It’s an easy thing to do with This is especially true with op-amps. Direct Digital Synthesis (DDS) meth- Order yours today! If we insert a capacitor between the ods, but interestingly enough, arbitrary output of an op-amp and the inverting function generators were around a long CQ Communications Inc. input, we can approach the nearly ideal, time before digital processing methods POB 1206, Sayville, NY 11782 super-high resistance current source, were available. 516-681-2922 since we know the input impedance of Stay tuned and stay safe! Visit CQ’s Online Bookstore: an op-amp is extremely high. The capac- – 73 de KL7AJ http://store.cq-amateur-radio.com www.cq-amateur-radio.com December 2020 • CQ • 83 LEARNING CURVE BY RON OCHU, KOØZ Match This!
eason’s Greetings! I hope you and your family are safe back down the line to our transceiver. After all, you can’t work and well and you’re able to celebrate the season with ’em if you can’t hear ’em. Sfamily and friends, even if it is virtually. 2020 is almost over and it will be good to put this year behind us. Hopefully, What is Matching? a safe and effective vaccine will be widely available in the Drilling down just a bit farther, antenna matching is the upcoming months and we can resume club meetings, ham- process of efficiently matching feedline impedance to the fests, forums, and conferences. In the meantime, as winter impedance of the antenna. Typically, this impedance is 50 envelops us and we spend more time indoors, our thoughts ohms, but not all the time, because antenna impedance is naturally turn to spring and warmer temperatures. Warmer complex. Basically, it is determined by the antenna’s fre- temps translate into outdoor ham radio activities and that, of quency design, its capacitive and inductive reactance, and course, means antennas! any resistive losses. Ideally, antenna designers try to null out (cancel) any inductive and capacitive reactance; thereby, Antennas leaving only resistive losses that result from resistance to Antennas are a subject near and dear to every active ham electron flow along antenna elements, etc. radio operator’s heart. Antennas “connect” us to one anoth- er by transmitting and receiving electromagnetic radiation. Reactance Antenna performance generates hours of exciting, enter- Reactance is a complex reaction. In essence, reactance is taining, educational stories whether it be making a contact resistance to AC (alternating current). Dictionary.com with a distant, remote island via HF (high frequency) or a few defines it as: “The opposition of inductance and capacitance kilometers via 122 GHz. This month, let’s focus on mostly directional antennas.
Matching In past articles, this column explored the importance of anten- na matching. Antenna matching is important because we want our antenna systems to efficiently transmit all the trans- ceiver’s power output into the antenna with a minimum amount of loss. Likewise, we’d like all of the RF (radio fre- quency) energy our antenna captures (receives) to be sent
*Email: Photo A. A rather weathered 1.2-GHz loop Yagi. Note the gap in the driven element loop. The coax center conductor is soldered to one end of the loop and the coax shield is sol- dered to the other end of the loop. Fifty-ohm impedance is acquired by the proximity of the reflector and director loops Photo B. A gamma match is used with this 70-centimeter to the driven loop. (All photos by KOØZ) Yagi. The match is the stub attached to the driven element. 84 • CQ • December 2020 Visit Our Web Site Photo D. The “T” match provides a balanced (current) feed for antenna imped- ance matching. It is a popular match with UHF Yagis. Photo C. Moving the aluminum sleeve up or down along the coax dielectric combined with the shorting bar to the driven element provides a good 50- ohm impedance match. to alternating current, expressed in ohms: equal to the product of the sine of the angular phase difference between current and voltage and the ratio of the effective voltage to the effective current. Symbol: X.” Reactance is a bit more complex than Ohm’s law. Reactance has two components: capacitance and inductance. Capacitance and induc- tance are frequency dependent, and they interact with one another. For the purposes of this article, suffice it to say that when matching an antenna, we want to “cancel out” both the inductive and capacitive reactance of an antenna. Antenna Matching Photo E. Close-up of the U-shaped balun using UT-141 hardline is also used with this T match. The balun assists with impedance matching. Techniques No doubt, if you’ve spent any time lis- tening to hams seriously chat about ohm match. The best way depends on coax is split at the top. The coax center antennas, you’ve heard the term whether or not the radiating element is conductor is fed to one side of the loop. “matching.” You may have also heard surrounded by other (parasitic) ele- The coax outer conductor is at ground “direct,” “gamma,” “T,” and “balun” in the ments. A vertical antenna with radials potential. Fifty-ohm impedance is ac- conversation. These are nouns used by will usually employ some type of a complished by moving the grounded antenna designers to describe com- matching transformer within the coax parasitic elements closer to the direct- monly used matching techniques. Let’s connector enclosure. Some directional feed loop. take a closer look at each. antennas, such as Yagis and loops, rely on nearby parasitic elements to raise or Gamma Match Direct Match lower the driven element’s (element to A popular impedance matching device As the name implies, antenna feedline which the coax is attached) character- used with Yagi antennas is the gamma (coax) is directly connected to the istic impedance. Photo A depicts a well- match (Photo B). The gamma match antenna’s main radiating element. used 1.2 GHz directional loop antenna. cancels out the Yagi’s reactance by There are several ways to achieve a 50- In the picture, note the loop attached to using a series-feed capacitor shunted www.cq-amateur-radio.com December 2020 • CQ • 85 Matching antenna impedance to feedline and BEHIND THE BYLINES... transceiver impedance is critical to ensuring maximum transfer of RF power on transmit and receive. … a little bit about some of the authors whose articles appear in to the antenna’s driven element as shown in Photo C. The this issue. match is made up of a stub of coax stripped of its outer jack- et and braid. The coax stub’s center conductor is directly Peter Dalton, W6KW (“How to Tune a Yagi Antenna,” p. connected to the center pin of the antenna’s SO-239 con- 10), has held four different callsigns in the course of his ham nector. The aluminum sleeve surrounding the coax stub’s “career,” including W6NLZ, K2RBT, and C6ASP. This is his dielectric forms a capacitor. The capacitance is determined third article in CQ and fourth overall in ham literature. by moving the sleeve up or down along the coax stub. The Previous articles include: QST January 1970, “Antennas for inductive shunt is accomplished by the aluminum arm con- 80 Meter DX;” CQ September 1975, “Gray Line Method of necting the stub to the antenna’s driven element. A combi- DXing;” and CQ July 1998, “Designing and Building a Three nation of moving the stub’s aluminum sleeve in combina- Element 80 Meter Yagi.” In addition, his antenna work has tion with moving the shunt along the sleeve and the driven been mentioned in every edition of Low Band DXing by John element will allow for a 50-ohm match for the frequency Devoldere, ON4UN. design of the antenna. Pat Griffin, AA4PG (“Screwdriver Antenna Controller for T Match Your Smartphone,” p. 12), has been licensed since 1962 and T matches are popular with VHF (very-high frequency) and enjoys building or rebuilding tube amplifiers and operating UHF (ultra-high frequency) directional antennas. A big QRP with μBitx transceiver kits. You can see some of advantage of the T match is that it can match a balanced his current projects at – 73, Ron, KOØZ 86 • CQ • December 2020 Visit Our Web Site Technology Special ANTENNAS BY KENT BRITAIN, WA5VJB Antenna Simulation his month we will be touching on computer simulation of antennas, Tand some of the pitfalls. Photo A is a picture of my copy of the EREPS, Engineer’s Refractive Effects Pre- diction System, a program in between ECHO 1 and MiniNEC. I remember hav- ing to sign for those 5-1/4-inch disks and being told it was a crime to discuss EREPS with non-U.S. citizens. Some- thing I trust has been declassified in the last 32 years, but heck, I won’t talk about EREPS. Hihi! Larson Simulators The first computer program I know of that would really look at the gain, pat- tern, and impedance of an antenna was the Larson program. This simulator was originally done in FORTRAN and was designed around Yagi antennas. The basis of the Larson programs was that current in an element was half of a sine wave (see Figure 1). This simula- tion method works great when the cur- rent really is half a sine wave. For a Yagi, this means you are within 10% of its design frequency. The farther you get away from the design frequency, the Photo A. EREPS was a very early antenna simulation program for a computer. less accurate the results. WA5VJB remembers having to sign for it and promise not to share info about it Want to really have fun with a Larson with any non-U.S. citizens. program? Test the antenna at exactly twice the design frequency. Now there is a full wave on the element and a null be going out the front! hihi), you end up the best antenna, but to build the world’s right in the middle. Save your work first. with an antenna that has good perfor- worst antenna. Next it was up to other Most computers lock up when they hit mance ... with a byproduct of being able Lockheed engineers to figure out how divide by zero errors. One popular fea- to simply solder coax to the antenna to make this antenna fly! This was ture of the Larson programs is their abil- without matching hardware. Imped- demonstrated with the “Have Blue” air- ity to quickly optimize a Yagi design. ance matching is now the structure of craft which was expanded into the F- The gain, front-to-back, and driven ele- the Yagi itself. 117 Nighthawk stealth fighter. ment impedance can all be optimized. You may be aware that the F-117 is made up of just connected straight Driven element impedance? Yes, if NEC you just optimized Gain, Gain, Gain, lines. Since this work was done in the Gain. You get a driven element with an The Numerical Electromagnetics Code, 1970s, a collection of straight lines was impedance of only a few Ohms. Good or NEC, goes back to a paper written about the best the computers of the day luck matching 50 Ohms to just a few by the Russian mathematician Peter could handle. As an interesting note, Ohms. YagiMax, YagiOptimizer, and Ufimtsev in the 1960s. Peter had revis- Peter was invited to speak at a confer- YagiCad are just a few of the programs ited Maxwell’s equations on electro- ence in California in the 1990s and at based on the Larson method. YagiMax magnetics and came up with a way of that time, learned that someone had was used to design my family of Cheap calculating how nearby metallic objects actually read his paper. Oh yes, Yagis. would interact with nearby antennas. Lockheed quickly gave Peter a con- By controlling driven element imped- This paper was read by Lockheed sulting contract. ance and optimizing for front-to-back engineer Denys Overholser, who got The basis of NEC is to divide the con- ratio (if it ain’t going out the back, it must excited over the method and its possi- ductor / wire into sections, then look at bility of being calculated with a com- the current and phase of the current in puter. From this came ECHO 1. The each section to calculate how they email: A Bunch of Books from ARRL Just in time for the holidays, the ARRL has released several new or updated publications. The 2021 edition of The ARRL Handbook for Radio Communications is once again offered as a set of six small books rather than one large volume. The books are again broken down by broad topics: 1) Introduction and Fundamental Theory;2&3)Practical Design and Theory; 4) Antenna Systems and Radio Propagation; 5) Equipment Construction and Station Accessories, and 6) Test Equip- ment, Troubleshooting and Radio Frequency Interference. The Short Vertical Updates from the previous edition include a new section on Antenna and transverters, updated solar cycle information, antenna tuner Ground Radial troubleshooting, FT4 / FT8 / MSK144 updates, more on sol- by Sevick, W2FMI dering tools and techniques, amateur television updates and several new projects. The ARRL Handbook, now in its This small but solid guide 98th edition, retails for $59.95. walks you through the design and installation of inexpensive, yet Jack Purdum, W8TEE, and Al Peter, AC8GY, are regu- effective short HF vertical antennas. With lar contributors to CQ, and their easy-to-follow writing style antenna restrictions becoming a problem, it could keep you on the air! is evident in their new ARRL book, Microcontroller Projects for Amateur Radio. The book combines a tutorial on micro- 6 x 9 Paperback $10.00 controllers and the C++ programming language with near- ly a dozen practical projects for the shack (and outside the The NEW Shortwave shack). Some of the projects include a Morse code tutor, Propagation Handbook a memory keyer with a touch-screen keyboard for inputting messages, a mini-dummy load, and a 100-watt antenna by W3ASK, N4XX & K6GKU tuner with a built-in SWR analyzer. Retail price is $34.95. A shortwave propagation book with information on A new question pool for the Extra Class license exam sunspot activity, propagation started being used for tests this past summer, and the predictions, unusual ARRL has updated both its Extra Class License Manual propagation effects and do-it and Extra Q&A books to keep pace with the changes. The yourself forecasting tips. manual presents the exam material in a text- 8.5 X 11 Paperback $19.95 book style with reference to relevant ques- CD Version $14.95 tions in each chapter, followed by the com- plete question pool at the end of the book, Buy both for only $29.95 while the Q&A book goes through the pool question by question, showing the correct Sloper Antennas answer with an explanation for each one. By Juergen A. Weigl, OE5CWL The two books contain the same basic Single- and Multi-Element material but accommodate different Directive Antennas learning styles. The License Manual for the Low Bands retails for $32.95 while the smaller Q&A With calculations and book is $19.95. practical experience, this book shows which basi concepts have to be As severe weather outbreaks seem to be getting more considered for sloper frequent and more severe, the third edition of the ARRL’s antennas for the low bands. Storm Spotting and Amateur Radio probably needs to be 6 X 9 Paperback $24.95 on the bookshelf (after being read) of every public-service CD Version $18.95 oriented ham. The book is written by Michael Corey, KI1U, Buy both for only $36.95 and Victor Morris, AH6WX, with additional contributions from Rob Macedo, KD1CY. It even has a foreword by The Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore! The volume covers safe- Shipping & Handling: U.S. add $7 for the first item, $3.50 for the second and $2 for each add’l item. FREE ty, equipment, training and even basic meteorology, along shipping on orders over $100 to one U.S. address. with a raft of additional resources. It retails for $19.95. CN/FN add $25 for 1st item, $10 for 2nd and $5 for each additional. Buy Both=single item! All of these books are available from most ham retailers and directly from ARRL, CQ The Radio 225 Main St., Newington, CT 06111; Phone: 860-594-0200; Web: Help Wanted: Awards Editor USA-CA Update Would you like to write this column? Are the walls of your shack decorated with plaques and certificates? Would you 500 County Level like to help your fellow certificate hunters discover new F4GYM – Award number 3785 dated June 21, 2020 awards to chase and offer tips on making and confirming N8DP – Award number 3786 dated July 8, 2020 the needed contacts? If you’ve got the time and interest, EA4MY – Award number 3787 dated July 12, 2020 WA7ETH – Award number 3788 dated August 8, 2020 and at least a little bit of writing skill, let’s talk. Drop me an email at ets have been a part of amateur radio since its earli- 1500 County Level est days. The ARRL — the American Radio Relay GW4BKG – Award number 1588 dated July 20, 2020 NLeague — grew out of nets that were established to WA7ETH – Award number 1589 dated August 8, 2020 relay messages via amateur radio from one part of the U.S. 2000 County Level to another. Over the years, nets have served many purpos- WA7ETH – Award number 1472 dated August 8, 2020 es, including relaying message traffic in normal times and during emergencies or disasters, providing help and phone patches for travelers and sailors (before the days of ubiqui- tinyurl.com/yykarmm2> and pointed me toward the informa- tous cell phones and sat phones), reporting on weather and tion that follows. traffic conditions, and just bringing together people sharing common interests. Ten-Ten Awards Some of these nets, or the organizations that have grown With a new solar cycle starting up, 10 meters will soon be up around them, offer a wide variety of awards and certifi- coming back to life. In fact, there are band openings even cates. Let’s take a look at a few examples this month, with now, but you’ll miss them if you aren’t there. The 10-10 special thanks to former CQ DX Award Manager Billy International Net operates every day to try to promote activ- Williams, N4UF, who has a very informative awards page on ity on the band, with or without sunspots. Its efforts include the North Florida Amateur Radio Society website at MARAC The Mobile Amateur Radio Awards Club, or MARAC, has regular nets and offers some three dozen awards with a major focus on mobile operating and working U.S. counties on the HF bands. There’s even a Last County in a State Award for someone who gets on the air from a specific coun- ty to provide another ham with a needed contact to work every county in a given state. For more information on MARAC awards, go to The Ten-Ten International Net’s Digital Award is one of many certificates available from the ham world’s pre-eminent pro- moter of the 28-MHz band. Earning this one requires that you make contact on 10 meters with at least 25 10-10 mem- bers using one or more digital modes. (Certificate images and logos from sponsors’ respective websites) 3905 Century Club The 3905 Century Club is dedicated to matching up hams seeking various state, county, and DX awards with others in *Email 90 • CQ • December 2020 Visit Our Web Site nets on the 160-, 80-, 75-, 40- people wanting to be my radio friends. If it got unruly, I might , and 20-meter bands (the 75- flip the off switch on the radio and head for the nearest town meter net is held, by the way, for lunch. on 3902 kHz, not 3905!). The If I’m on an award-focused net, though, it’ll be different. The net itself sponsors some four net control station will know that I’m there and will take check- dozen awards, in addition to ins from stations wanting to work me. He or she will make a helping members achieve list of all those callsigns and work down the list, giving each awards sponsored by other person a clear frequency on which to call me. After each suc- organizations, such as CQ and cessful contact, the NCS moves to next call on the list until ARRL. For information, see everyone’s had their opportunity to make a contact. For some BY BOB SCHENCK, N2OO AC3PT Sikkim 1974 — Amateur Radio’s Role in a World Event Photo A. AC3PT QSL card (Except as noted, all photos are Photo B. Gus Browning QSL card from AC3H Sikkim 1965. from the estate of DJ9KR, provided by K8CX) (Courtesy of K8CX Ham Gallery) he Himalayan Kingdom of Sikkim was a super rare DX entity at one Ttime. Only contacts made April 30, 1975, and before count for Sikkim. Contacts made May 1, 1975, and after, count as India (VU).1 It is worth noting that Gus Browning, W4BPD, operated from Sikkim in 1963 as a guest of AC3PT (Photo A) and in 1965 as AC3H (Photo B; AC3 was an unofficial prefix). AC3PT was Palden Thondup Namgyal, the 12th and last Chogyal, or king, of Sikkim (Photo C). He was a DX treat to the stalwart who could make it through the pileups. At the age of 6, he was a convent student; from 8 to 11, he stud- ied to be ordained in the monkhood. In Photo C. AC3PT, Palden Thondup 1949, Sikkim gained independence from Namgyal, King of Sikkim. India. In 1963, the king married Hope Cooke, a 23-year-old American debu- Photo D. AC3PT with his Ameri- tante (Photo D). This wedding brought can wife, Queen Hope Cooke. much attention to Sikkim. In 1975, Sikkim joined the Union of India, becoming its 22nd state. There tress call from AC3PT. Horst recalls the I had a QSO with OM Hörning (call for- were clashes between the Indian troops situation as follows: gotten), who lived near Hannover, who had already been in the country “I was sitting at my radio station in northern Germany. He recorded my and the Royal Palace Guard (see below Jakarta and suddenly heard the dis- report on tape and sent it to and Photo E, 1981 letter from the tress call of AC3PT. Our QSO with Norddeutscher Rundfunk (North- Chogyal to Uli Bihimayer, DJ9KR, AC3PT took some 8 to 10 minutes and German Broadcasting) and to different describing the events). ended abruptly with his shrieky voice, news agencies. So the news about the “now Indian troops storming my room hold up in Sikkim was spread very Emergency Call of the …”. Our QSO was heard by two quickly over the whole world.” (see Chogyal, AC3PT, Spread Swedish hams, Thomas Schell, Photo F) Worldwide by Radio Amateurs SM6AFH, and Stig Pärsson, SM4JPN. In the early 1980s, the Chogyal had They called me on the radio after my to undergo cancer surgery in the U.S. On April 9, 1975, Horst Geerken, radio contact with the Chogyal. We Due to complications from surgery, he YBØAAG (ex-DJ2JB) received a dis- checked the name and address of died on January 29, 1982 in New York AC3PT, and Thomas informed a City at the age of 52 (Photo G shows *email: 92 • CQ • December 2020 Visit Our Web Site Photo E. Letter from Chogyal Palden Thondup Namgyal Photo F. Newspaper clipping about India’s takeover of (AC3PT) to DJ9KR about events in Sikkim in 1975. Sikkim. 5 Band WAZ As of October 15, 2020 Callsign Zones Zones The following have qualified for the basic 5 Band WAZ 2247 stations have attained at least the 150 Zone level, and Needed Award: 1064 stations have attained the 200 Zone level. RZ3EC 199 1 on 40M S58Q 199 31 Callsign 5BWAZ # Date # Zones As of October 15, 2020 SM7BIP 199 31 K1PL 2243 2020-09-20 173 The top contenders for 5 Band WAZ (Zones needed on 80 VO1FB 199 19 SM3CZS 2244 2020-09-24 170 or other if indicated): W1FJ 199 24 W3FOX 2245 2020-09-30 177 CHANGES shown in BOLD W1FZ 199 26 W7YA 2246 2020-10-05 151 W3LL 199 18 on 10M K4ZO 2247 2020-10-10 180 Callsign Zones Zones W3NO 199 26 Needed W4LI 199 26 Updates to the 5BWAZ list of stations: AK8A 199 17 W6DN 199 17 DM5EE 199 1 W6RKC 199 21 Callsign 5BWAZ # Date # Zones EA5RM 199 1 W6TMD 199 34 KZ6A 2109 2020-09-16 181 EA7GF 199 1 W9XY 199 22 DK5JI 347 2020-09-20 186 H44MS 199 34 9A5I 198 1, 16 UA9FGR 1607 2020-09-21 198 HAØHW 199 1 EA5BCX 198 27, 39 K3PA 1941 2020-09-22 200 HA5AGS 199 1 F5NBU 198 19, 31 K9EU 2192 2020-02-07 200 I5REA 199 31 F6DAY 198 2 on 10M & 15M K9MM 1736 2020-10-05 198 IKØXBX 199 19 on 10M G3KDG 198 1, 12 EA3EQT 1005 2020-10-07 178 IK1AOD 199 1 G3KMQ 198 1, 27 IK6DLK 199 1 HB9FMN 198 1 on 80M & 10M New recipients of 5 Band WAZ with all 200 Zones con- IK8BQE 199 31 I1EIS 198 1 & 19 on 10M firmed: IZ3ZNR 199 1 JA1DM 198 2, 40 JA1CMD 199 2 JA3GN 198 2 on 80M & 40M 5BWAZ # Callsign Date All 200 # JA5IU 199 2 JA7MSQ 198 2 on 80M & 10M 1941 K3PA 2020-09-22 1064 JA7XBG 199 2 JH1EEB 198 2, 33 2192 K9EU 2020-09-26 1065 JH7CFX 199 2 KØDEQ 198 22, 26 K1BD 198 23, 26 JK1AJX 199 2 on 10M Rules and applications for the WAZ program may be obt ained K2EP 198 23, 24 JK1BSM 199 2 by sending a large SAE with two units of postage or an address JK1EXO 199 2 K2TK 198 23, 24 label and $1.00 to: WAZ Award Manager, John Bergman, K1LI 199 24 K3JGJ 198 24, 26 K2RD 199 18 K3LR 198 22, 23 KC5LK, 125 Deer Trail, Brandon, MS 39042-9409. The pro- K4HB 199 26 K4JLD 198 18, 24 cessing fee for the 5BWAZ award is $10.00 for sub scrib ers K5TR 199 22 K5OT 198 18, 23 (please include your most recent CQ mailing label or a copy) K7UR 199 34 K9MM 198 22, 26 and $15.00 for nonsubscribers. An endorsement fee of $2.00 K9KU 199 22 on 15M KI1G 198 24, 23 on 10M for subscribers and $5.00 for nonsubscribers is charged for KZ4V 199 26 KZ2I 198 24, 26 each additional 10 zones confirmed. Please make all checks N3UN 199 18 N4GG 198 18, 24 payable to John Bergman. Applic ants sending QSL cards to a N4NX 199 26 NXØI 198 18, 23 CQ checkpoint or the Award Man ager must include return N4WW 199 26 UA4LY 198 6 & 2 on 10M postage. KC5LK may also be reached via e-mail: The WAZ Program The WPX Program SINGLE BAND WAZ CW 4107 ...... DL5LH 3979 ...... K5CD 4108 ...... K4AOQ 6 Meter 3980...... AF4T 4109 ...... UX5XK 4110 ...... K3MEB 163...... N4BAA, 25 Zones 3981 ...... R5AA 164...... UR5WA, 25 Zones 3982 ...... KI5AL 3983 ...... DL2TR Digital 1337 ...... F5USK 3984 ...... DK8IZ 20 Meter SSB 1338 ...... W9WH 3985...... W8DXU 1261...... W3FOX 1339 ...... K5YX SSB 1340 ...... PU4MMZ 40 Meter Digital 4316 ...... W4DWS 1341 ...... AC4SJ 10...... JR1HYA 4317 ...... ON8AH 1342 ...... OE3TWA 4318 ...... IW8AWZ 1343 ...... AB8YZ 11...... N4BAA 1344 ...... K5CD Mixed 1345 ...... AB3E 80 Meter CW 4092 ...... N4SV 1346...... W1LOG 108 ...... K9EU 4093 ...... K5YX 1347 ...... DS1HNL 4094 ...... PU4MMZ 1348 ...... E76MB 160 Meter 4095 ...... AC4SJ 1349 ...... JG1AID 649...... UY7CA, 32 Zones 4096 ...... DG2PX 1350...... BD7IBN 1351 ...... KG5ZNJ 650 ...... DJ5FI, 36 Zones 4097 ...... AB8YZ 1352 ...... G4ZRZ 651 ...... K9EU, 32 Zones 4098 ...... WA1NXC 1353 ...... I1YDT 4099 ...... N2TC 1354 ...... W7ARW 160 Meter Update 4100 ...... IW8AWZ 1355 ...... N2RSC 379...... US5CB, 36 Zones 4101...... K6ZP 1356 ...... WX7P 4102 ...... K4BH 1357 ...... CE3MRO 4103 ...... K6TXT 1358 ...... R6MO ALL BAND WAZ 4104...... BD7IBN 1359 ...... PY2BBQ 4105 ...... OK1ZHV 1360 ...... AD5JK 4106 ...... WA2IUS CW 1101...... DL5XL 1102...... K1PL CW: 550: K5CD, DK8IZ. 600: R5AA. 1400: K1PL. 1103 ...... IK4DKO 1104 ...... DL5KW SSB: 400: WA1NXC, K9ANN, IW8AWZ, K6VHF, WB2PMC. 550: W4DWS, WX7P. 600: OE3TWA. 2300: K1PL. 3750: 1105 ...... DF4IE SV3AQR. Digital Mixed: 450: N4SV, IW8AWZ. 500: E76MB, N2TC, BD7IBN, N6FB. 550: K5YX, WA5YCG, IK2GOQ. 600: DL5KLX, KM4VI. 650: 700: 750: 800: 850: 190...... KB7SAT AB8YZ, NG9J, N1CEO. OK1ZHV, NG9J, EB8AIU. N8USY, WX7P, UX5XK, WW5XX. W6NCB. 900: 1000: 1100: 1150: 1200: 1250: 191...... W3FOX PU4MMZ, OE3TWA. VE2SYQ, IW2FLB. LX2SM. N4DJT, K4IJQ, F6JSZ. DK8IZ. K4IJQ. 1350: 1550: 2000: 2200: 3050: 3200: 3800: 192...... SP6IYR K6VHF. KC1UX. K5CD. JR3UIC. IZØFUW. K1PL. HB9BIN. AB1J. 193 ...... W7YA Digital: 350: 400: 194 ...... EA3EQT AC4SJ, N2TC, K4BH, K6TXT, SP5WPX, WX7P, CE3MRO, PY2BBQ, K3MEB. DG2PX, OE3TWA, K5CD, 450: 500: 550: 195 ...... IKØPCT E76MB. N4SV, BD7IBN. AB8YZ, OH6HSD, OK1ZHV, N6FB, IK2GOQ. K5YX, DL5KLX, W6NCB, WA5YCG, 600: 650: 700: 750: 800: 850: 196...... JJ1PFC N1CEO. JG1ID, WW5XX, AD5JK. NG9J, WW5XX. NG9J, EB8AIU. N8USY. LX2SM, F5JSZ. PU4MMZ, VE2SYQ. 1000: K6VHF. 1050: N4DJT, R6MO. 1100: AB1J. 1250: KC1UX. 1300: K1PL. 1350: IZØFUW. 1650: JR3UIC. 1950: IK4LZH, K2YYY. 2150: HB9BIN. Mixed 9928...... NR5R 160 Meters: N4SV, K1PL, DG2PX, R5AA, F6JSZ 9929 ...... R5AA 80 Meters: K5YX, PU4MMZ, K1PL, OE3TWA, K2YYY, K4BH, F6JSZ, WX7P, KK6YYF, K6VHF 9930 ...... LB7ZG 40 Meters: K5YX, AC4SJ, K1PL, F6JSZ, OH6HSD, WA5YCG, R6MO, N1CEO, WW5XX 9931 ...... ON4LG 30 Meters: W4DWS, K5YX, K1PL, LX2SM, K2YYY, K6VHF, WW5XX 9932...... AE4VJ 20 Meters: K5YX, ON8AH, OE3TWA, K5CD, IW8AWZ, OK1ZHV, W4DWS, KC1UX, UX5XK, R6MO, EB8AIU, AD5JK 9933...... VU2DCC 17 Meters: K1PL, N8USY, F6JSZ 9934 ...... K5HTE 15 Meters: PU4MMZ, K1PL 9935 ...... R6MO 10 Meters: K1PL 9936 ...... RC0CB 6 Meters: DL5LH 9937 ...... BH4WPN Africa: K1PL, K5CD SSB Asia: N4DJT. K1PL, K5CD, R5AA, DS1HNL, JG1AID, BD7IBN, SP5WPX, WA5YCG, DK8IZ, WX7P, UX5XK, N6FB 5485...... K1PL Europe: ON8AH, PU4MMZ, DG2PX, OE3TWA, K5CD, R5AA, E76MB, IW8AWZ, DL2TR, BD7IBN, OK1ZHV, SP5WPX, 5486...... W3FOX G4ZRZ, DK8IZ, KC1UX, DL5LH, UX5XK, N1CEO, PY2BBQ Oceania: K5CD, JG1AID, BD7IBN Rules and applications for the WAZ program may be ob- North America: N4SV, W9WH, K5YX, PU4MMZ, AC4SJ, K1PL, AB8YZ, WA1NXC, K5CD, AF4T, AB3E, W1LOG, K9ANN, tained by sending a large SAE with two units of postage or N2TC, K4BH, KI5AL, K4IJQ, JG1AID, K6TXT, KG5ZNJ, WA2IUS, W7ARW, N2RSC, WX7P, KC1UX, K4AOQ, UX5XK, an address label and $1.00 to: WAZ Award Manager, John W8DXU, K3MEB, AD5JK Bergman, KC5LK, 125 Deer Trail, Brandon, MS 39042- South America: IK4LZH, PU4MMZ, K5CD, IW2FLB, K6VHF 9409. The processing fee for all CQ awards is $6.00 for sub- scrib ers (please include your most recent CQ mailing label Complete rules and application forms may be obtained by sending a business-size, self-addressed, stamped envelope (for- or a copy) and $12.00 for nonsubscribers. Please make all eign stations send extra postage for airmail) to "CQ WPX Awards," P.O. Box 355, New Carlisle, OH 45344 USA. Note: WPX checks payable to John Bergman. Appli cants sending QSL will now accept prefixes/calls which have been confirmed by eQSL.cc. and the ARRL Logbook of The World (LoTW). cards to a CQ checkpoint or the Award Man ager must include return postage. KC5LK may also be reached via e- *Please Note: The price of the 160, 30, 17, 12, 6, and Digital bars for the Award of Excellence are $6.50 each. mail: 94 • CQ • December 2020 Visit Our Web Site first marriage, Wangchuk Tenzing Namgyal, was named the Horst Geerken, YBØAAG / DJ4SM (Photo H), who, 27 years 13th Chogyal, but the position no longer confers any official earlier, while in Jakarta, had received the distress call of the authority. Chogyal. Horst wrote: Horst Visits Sikkim In 2002, Uli, DJ9KR, received a nice picture postcard depict- “On my round trip through India, I have landed in Sikkim … ing Khangchendzonga Mountain, Sikkim. The sender was We arrived here by helicopter flight. Of course, I remember well the events with the Chogyal in 1975, when I picked up his distress call. Right now, you are not allowed to visit the Royal Palace in Gangtok (Photo I), and when I asked police, military, and administration, I got the answer that there are no radio amateurs in Sikkim at all. I think radio hams are not allowed here.” This is a condensed overview of Sikkim and amateur radio as remembered by DJ9KR (SK). I am sure that there is more detail out there. If you are interested in a more detailed story about Sikkim, I recommend checking out online resources. I want to thank Tom Roscoe, K8CX, from Notes: Photo I. Palace gate in Gangtok, Sikkim, taken by YBØAAG / 1. Information provided by Tom Roscoe, K8CX, and the estate of Uli DJ2JB in 2002. Bihimayer, DJ9KR (SK) CQ DX Honor Roll The CQ DX Honor Roll recognizes those DXers who have submitted proof of confirmation with 275 or more ACTIVE countries. With few exceptions, the ARRL DXCC Countries List is used as the country standard. The CQ DX Award currently recognizes 340 countries. Honor Roll listing is automatic when an application is received and approved for 275 or more active countries. Deleted countries do not count and all totals are adjusted as deletions occur. To remain on the CQ DX Honor Roll, annual updates are required. All updates must be accompanied by an SASE if confirmation of total is required. The fee for endorsement stickers is $1.00 each plus SASE. (Stickers for the 340 level and Honor Roll are available.) Please make checks payable to the Award Manager, Keith Gilbertson. Mail all updates to Keith Gilbertson, KØKG, 21688 Sandy Beach Lane, Rochert, MN 56578-9604 USA. CW DL3DXX....339 K4CN ...... 339 N7RO...... 339 K8SIX...... 338 K9OW ...... 334 W9IL...... 329 N2LM ...... 321 W6WF...... 309 K7CU ...... 282 HB9DDZ....339 K4JLD ...... 339 NØFW ...... 339 KA7T...... 338 PY2YP ...... 334 IKØADY ....328 ON4CAS ...321 KT2C...... 307 PP7LL ...... 282 K4IQJ...... 339 K4MQG.....339 OK1MP .....339 WA5VGI....338 WG5G/ OZ5UR...... 328 W2OR ...... 320 K4DGJ ...... 307 WR7Q ...... 282 K9MM...... 339 K5RT...... 339 W3GH ...... 339 W1DF...... 338 QRPp ....334 AB4IQ ...... 327 HB9DAX/ W4ABW ....306 N2VW...... 280 N4MM ...... 339 K7LAY...... 339 W4OEL .....339 W9RPM.....338 WD9DZV...334 K6CU ...... 326 QRPp .....319 K7ZM ...... 305 K4EQ ...... 280 WB4UBD...339 K7VV...... 339 W5BOS.....339 G3KMQ.....337 K2OWE.....333 KE3A...... 326 W6YQ ...... 319 HA5LQ ...... 301 W8BLA...... 280 WS9V...... 339 K8LJG...... 339 W7CNL .....339 KØKG...... 337 K5UO ...... 333 EA5BY ...... 325 HA1ZH ...... 318 RN3AKK....300 WB5STV ...277 EA2IA...... 339 N4AH ...... 339 W7OM...... 339 W7IIT ...... 337 N6AW...... 333 KA3S...... 325 N6PEQ...... 318 WA9PIE ....298 YO6HSU ...275 F3TH...... 339 N4CH ...... 339 W8XD...... 339 K8ME ...... 336 W4MPY.....333 N3RC ...... 324 CT1YH ...... 316 K4IE ...... 295 K2FL ...... 339 N4JF ...... 339 WK3N...... 339 W6OUL .....336 K6LEB...... 331 N7W0...... 324 EA3ALV ....315 YU1YO...... 295 K2TQC...... 339 N4NX ...... 339 WØJLC .....339 JA7XBG ....335 N7WO ...... 331 KEØA...... 322 RA1AOB ...313 WA2VQV...292 K3JGJ ...... 339 N5ZM ...... 339 WØVTT.....339 F6HMJ ...... 334 OK1DWC ..331 YT1VM...... 322 WA4DOU ..312 4XIVF...... 286 K3UA...... 339 N7FU...... 339 YU1AB ...... 339 K1FK...... 334 K6YK...... 329 4Z5SG...... 321 YO9HP...... 312 K6YR...... 284 SSB AB4IQ ...... 340 K6YRA ...... 340 VE3MRS ...340 W4UNP.....339 HB9DQD...335 KE3A...... 332 K7HG ...... 327 IV3GOW....312 F5MSB...... 293 DJ9ZB...... 340 K7VV...... 340 VE3XN ...... 340 W9RPM.....339 IKØAZG ....335 N2VW...... 332 K6GFJ...... 326 N8SHZ ...... 312 W9ACE .....291 DL3DXX....340 K8LJG...... 340 VK2HV ...... 340 EA3EQT....338 IW3YGW...335 N5YY...... 332 KE4SCY....326 OK1DWC ..311 N3KV...... 289 DU9RG .....340 K8SIX...... 340 W3AZD .....340 K3UA...... 338 OE2EGL....335 K5UO ...... 331 KF4NEF ....325 KU4BP ...... 310 W6MAC.....289 EA2IA ...... 340 K9MM...... 340 W3GH ...... 340 K7LAY...... 338 VK2HV ...... 335 KC2Q ...... 331 W6WF...... 325 W6NW...... 310 K7CU ...... 287 EA4DO...... 340 KE5K...... 340 W4ABW ....340 K9HQM .....338 W4WX...... 335 SV3AQR ...331 W9GD ...... 325 I3ZSX...... 309 N5KAE ...... 283 HB9DDZ....340 KZ2P...... 340 W5BOS.....340 N4NX ...... 338 WB3D...... 335 WØROB....331 VE7EDZ....324 G3KMQ.....308 IZ1JLG ...... 282 I8KCI...... 340 N4CH ...... 340 W6BCQ.....340 YU1AB ...... 338 AA4S...... 334 W6OUL .....331 WA5UA .....324 KA1LMR....308 WA9PIE ....282 IK1GPG.....340 N4JF ...... 340 W6DPD.....340 4Z4DX...... 338 EA5BY ...... 334 XE1MEX ...331 F6BFI ...... 323 RA1AOB ...308 WD8EOL...281 IN3DEI ...... 340 N4MM ...... 340 W7BJN...... 340 K1UO ...... 338 K9OW ...... 334 KD5ZD ...... 330 ON4CAS ...323 XE1MEX ...308 IWØHOU...277 K2FL ...... 340 N5ZM ...... 340 W7OM...... 340 N7WR ...... 338 PY2YP ...... 334 WA4WTG..330 VE6MRT ...323 IK5ZUK .....307 AKØMR.....276 K2TQC...... 340 N7BK...... 340 W8ILC...... 340 WA5VGI....338 VK4LC...... 334 WØYDB ....330 W5GT...... 323 IØYKN...... 306 NØAZZ...... 275 K3JGJ ...... 340 N7RO ...... 340 W9SS...... 340 W2CC ...... 338 W8AXI...... 334 ZL1BOQ....330 N6PEQ...... 322 XE1MW.....305 SQ7B ...... 275 K4CN ...... 340 NØFW...... 340 WB4UBD...340 W7FP...... 338 XE1J ...... 334 AD7J ...... 329 W4MPY.....322 K4IE ...... 304 K4IQJ...... 340 OK1MP .....340 WK3N...... 340 W9IL...... 338 CT3BM...... 333 N3RC ...... 329 K8IHQ ...... 321 K4ZZR...... 304 K4JLD ...... 340 OZ3SK ...... 340 WS9V...... 340 N4FN...... 337 IK8CNT .....333 VE7SMP ...329 KW3W...... 320 K7ZM ...... 303 K4MQG.....340 OZ5EV ...... 340 XE1AE ...... 340 IØZV...... 336 K8LJG .....333 WØULU.....329 TI8II...... 320 4Z5FL/M....302 K4MZU...... 340 VE1YX ...... 340 YU3AA ...... 340 K3LC...... 336 N6AW...... 333 CT1AHU....328 YO9HP...... 320 K7SAM...... 301 K5OVC...... 340 VE2GHZ....340 JA7XBG ....339 K8ME ...... 336 OE3WWB..333 N1ALR ...... 328 W1DF...... 318 KA8YYZ ....301 K5RT...... 340 VE2PJ...... 340 KØKG...... 339 EA3BMT....335 WD9DZV...333 N2LM ...... 328 XE1RBV....317 4X6DK...... 298 K5TVC ...... 340 VE3MR...... 340 W2FKF...... 339 F6HMJ ...... 335 AA1VX ...... 332 AE9DX ...... 327 N7YB...... 315 K2HJB...... 295 RTTY NI4H . . . . . 338 WK3N . . . . 338 OK1MP . . . 337 K8SIX . . . . 334 W3GH. . . . 333 AB4IQ . . . . 323 N4MM . . . . 302 K8ME . . . . 278 WB4UBD . 338 N5ZM . . . . 338 K4CN . . . . 334 W9RPM . . 334 K3UA . . . . 332 K4WW . . . 323 K4IQJ . . . . 300 IN3YGW . . 275 www.cq-amateur-radio.com December 2020 • CQ • 95 W6SAI HF Antenna Handbook by Bill Orr, W6SAI W6SAI was known for his easy-to-understand writing style. 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Books, CDs & DVDs Shipping & Handling 6 X 9 Paperback $10.00 U.S. add $7 for the first item, $3.50 for the second and $2 for each additional item All other countries $25 for the first item, $10 for second and $5 for each additional CQ Communications, Inc. Phone 516-681-2922 • http://store.cq-amateur-radio.com VHF PLUS BY TONY EMANUELE,* K8ZR K3ZR Says Tnx and 73 VHF Calendar participation may come in the form of an FT8 signal below the audible threshold, a CW signal just above the noise during a Geminids Meteor Shower Predicted Peak December 13th/14th EME QSO, or an S9-plus signal on 2 meters during a Sporadic- Quadrantid Meteor Shower: January 2nd / 3rd predicted peak. E opening or tropo event. The QSO links us to someone else ARRL January VHF Contest: January 16–18th as it always takes two. That is why, when we meet a fellow amateur in person for the first time some 10, 20, 30, or more years after the first QSO, there is a sense of fraternity that hen I took over the editorship of the VHF+ column in comes with few other hobbies. 2014, I told myself that I would give it four or five years Wand then decide whether or not to continue as editor. Change is Inevitable Five years flew by in an instant, a common occurrence for Predicting the future is at best problematic. Five years ago, who those my age, and frankly, as spring turned into summer and would have thought that FT8 would become the dominant mode as I began my sixth year as editor of this column, I had not on 6 meters? Will we lose access to other microwave bands in given any thought to my self-imposed reassessment schedule addition to 3.4 GHz? What will Solar Cycle 25 bring in the way made in 2014. However, I recently agreed to take on additional of DX on 50 MHz in the next few years? Change is inevitable and work responsibilities for the next 12 to 18 months. This is a the VHF+ amateur radio community will adapt as it always has. time in my professional life when I thought I would be coast- Change will also come to this column with a new editor. He / she ing to the finish line, but it was my choice and therefore I have will bring a new perspective, cover topics previously not covered, no reason to complain. Consequently, I have resign- and guide you through the changes that are a certainty. My hope ed as editor of this column as to give it anything less than 100% is that you support the new editor as you did me and that you will would be a disservice to the readers, this publication and to continue support this column and this publication. the editor, Rich Moseson, W2VU, and managing editor Jason – CU on the bands & 73, Feldman, KD2IWM. It was a difficult decision. Tony, K8ZR Championing Weak-Signal VHF My intent from my first column has been to promote, educate, and champion weak-signal activity on the VHF / UHF / microwave bands, be it 50 MHz or, of late, 122 GHz. Hopefully, I have made more than just a few readers curious enough to try weak-signal operation on 6 or 2 meters and for those already hooked on our favorite part of the spectrum, to become active on a new band or try a new mode. And for those who did not take the bait, at least you know that there is an active and vibrant community of operators, builders, and experimenters that are just as passionate about their activity as anyone else in the hobby. This small by solid guide is the perfect read for There are many to thank for making this column what it has those interested in learning or improving CQ been since 2014. I would like to thank Rich and Jason for giv- operating techniques! ing me the freedom to cover a wide range of topics. I am grate- ful for the many who have contributed to the column by send- Within its pages you'll find ing me their summaries of their activities and observations made . The secret of becoming a proficient during major band openings. Thankful for those who provided CQ Operator the results and their interesting stories of their grid or EME . DXpeditions or other uniquely VHF+ activities such as 10-GHz Where and how to practice, rainscatter events. To the many readers who sent emails sug- practice, practice. gesting a topic, taking issue with particular point of view, or fur- . Straight Key or Paddle? thering my education on a topic — thank you. . Adjusting your Straight Key or Paddle I have had the pleasure of meeting many of you at the Dayton . Keyers, Iambic Keying and Bugs Hamvention while staffing the CQ Communications booth, at . Contests & Events, DXing the VHF Forum, or in the flea market. During Microwave . Operating QSK Update or at the Central States VHF Society, North East Weak . Signal Group, Packrats and Southeastern VHF Conferences, CW Filters I engaged in many passionate discussions with readers about . Signs, Signals and Procedures 6 x 9 Paperback the future of VHF / UHF / microwave activity and our mutual . Tips on Taking CW On the Road... Only $15.95 desire to increase our ranks and increase activity. Without and much, much more! Shipping and Handling US and Possesions $3, CN/MX $5, exception, I always returned home from one of these events All Other Countries $10 with a renewed sense of optimism and enthusiasm for VHF / UHF / microwave community. Order your copy today! At its core, amateur radio is about communications between two or more individuals. When you think about it, it is one of the CQ Communications few hobbies that requires participation from others. At times, that 516-681-2922 email: Translators and Repacking to 27 but installed a highly directional antenna aimed away from this QTH, i.e., no signal here anymore. Note: Back in The following letter was directed to “Communications the analog days, channels 2 and 4 from Pittsburgh would be Horizons” editor Rob de Santos, K8RKD: obliterated by springtime Sporadic-E propagation. Enough rambling. Thanks for the interesting column. Hi Rob, – 73, Howard Reynolds, WA3EOQ A few comments on your September column: WWFD is on 820 AM digital only from Frederick, Maryland. K8RKD replies: They do have an FM translator W232DG listed as analog. Many AM stations now have FM translators shoehorned into Hi Howard, the FM band. Many of these preclude the reception of more I’m aware of the FM translators and I neglected to mention distant full-power FM stations. They do seem to especially that aspect in the article and probably should have. WWFD improve the nighttime coverage area of “graveyard channel” is an interesting case and it’s not clear whether their experi- stations and, of course, those Class D stations which are ence is applicable in other markets. A recent move by a Fort allowed very low night power. Wayne, Indiana, station to go all-digital was quickly aban- As for the repack, I think the FCC is simply ignoring Over- doned when listeners complained. the-Air (OTA) reception. Their instructions to simply “RES- Yes, the “rescan” advice is not all that helpful if you, like CAN” just doesn’t work away from large cities where stations me, are close enough to the transmitter sites that they are are located at a distance and in different directions (like here off in several different directions. I have resorted to manual- in the far end of western MD). If you rescan in one direction, ly entering most of the channels since a scan is only effec- the TV set erases everything in all other directions. AND to tive for those most closely aligned with the antenna beam. put a station in the set’s memory manually, you need to know I’ve also noticed wide variation in the sensitivity and selec- the RF channel, something no stations advertise. tivity of various televisions, even those from the same man- Also, a set’s algorithm has trouble figuring out why it is ufacturer. I suspect the FCC, stations, and manufacturers receiving a different station on a particular RF channel when are using the logic that a) if you are far enough out, all the another is in its memory. This is a condition which repack transmitters for a central city are “more or less” in the same has caused by close-spacing stations, usually in different azimuth and b) most inexpensive antennas are largely non- directions. directional. Of course, reality and the assumed logic often The auction has caused WQED 13 in Pittsburgh, PA to take fail. As you note, most televisions do not ask if you want to the money and move to channel 4. They had a good digital wipe out all the existing settings before doing a re-scan, they signal on channel 13; my new antenna arrangement is for just do it. UHF and HI-VHF only, so I lost that station. Pittsburgh’s chan- Consumers, when buying a new TV, almost never ask to nel 4 (used to have a good analog signal here) had moved see the specifications of the television. They look at the price, size and picture, and maybe their experience with the brand and make a choice. Price and size almost always win out. It 2021-22 CQ Amateur Radio Calendar doesn’t occur to them that TV A might not be as good at weak Yes, we’re tooting our signals as TV B. Or that the antenna might be the problem. own horn a bit, but the Hams tend to be more sensitive to these issues. new CQ calendar is one I appreciate the feedback and that you read the column. of our best yet. It show- – Best regards, cases the many differ- Rob de Santos, K8RKD ent people and activi- ties that make up our An Elite Review… hobby, young and old, The following letter was directed to Contributing Editor male and female, Gordon West, WB6NOA, in response to his review of the operating from home, Eton Elite 750 receiver in the September issue. going VHF hilltopping, making EME and satellite contacts, Good afternoon from the Shenandoah Valley, Gordo. going on DXpeditions, and even practicing good I hope all is well on the Best Coast. I know you people have social DXing. And that’s just the pictures! been having a rough year with the record-breaking fires. Our The “business” part of the calendar includes holidays, thoughts and prayers have gone out to the people that have major contests, lunar phases, meteor showers and more, been devastated by these tragic events. with space for adding in your own important events. The After reading your review on the Eton Elite 750, I decided CQ Amateur Radio Calendar covers 15 months, from this unit would be a nice addition to my ham shack. I must January 2021 to March 2022. As always, a CQ calendar is say, it is everything you said about it and more. I have had a perfect addition to your shack wall or a great “conversa- mine for two weeks now and it has been great fun trying it tion-starter” about amateur radio at your business. It’s a out. It is reminiscent of my Hallicrafters S-38, my first short- great gift as well! The 2021-22 CQ Amateur Radio Calendar wave receiver back in the early ’50s. retails for $12.95 plus shipping ($3 to U.S. addresses, high- Thanks for your great review in the September issue of CQ er elsewhere), directly from CQ ( 100 • CQ • December 2020 Visit Our Web Site HAM RADIO NEWS (from page 3) tester and DXer, Tiemstra was also heavily involved in emer- gency communications in his hometown of Oakland, was made through the ARISS (Amateur Radio on the California. He is succeeded on the ARRL board by Vice International Space Station) program. ARISS is looking for Director Kristen McIntyre, K6WX, of San Jose. McIntyre is a participants in that first contact, between astronaut Bill senior software engineer at Apple. She also holds an ama- Shepherd and students at the Luther Burbank School in teur license in Japan. Burbank, Illinois. Former students, family members, or staff who took part are urged to contact Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, via “Last Man Standing” Standing Down email to his callsign @aol.com. The 2021 television season will be the final one for the long- COVID-19 has severely limited current ARISS contacts, but running TV comedy, “Last Man Standing,” in which star Tim at least one school has been able to make it happen. Teacher Allen, KK6OTD, portrays outdoor store owner Mike Baxter, who Kelly Cammarano, KM6SMW, of the Ramona Lutheran is also a ham, KAØXTT (a fictional call). The ham shack fre- Christian School in Ramona, California, coordinated the first quently seen in Baxter’s office, as well as the one in his home direct ARISS contact in the U.S. since the start of the basement, were operational, with licensed members of the cast Coronavirus pandemic in mid-October. The school had and crew frequently putting them on the air when taping was resumed in-person classes at the end of August. The stu- not in progress. Ham radio occasionally played a role in the dents talked with Expedition 63 commander Chris Cassidy, program’s script as well. Producer John Amodeo, AA6JA, told KF5KDR, just days before he returned to Earth after nearly Newsline that 21 new episodes will air in this ninth and final six months in orbit. season, after which the program will go into syndication. ZL Hams Lose 60 Meters LoTW “Harmonizes” FST4 Protocol Hams in New Zealand no longer have access to the 60-meter The ARRL reports that its Logbook of the World (LoTW) com- band. Under a provisional agreement with the New Zealand mittee has worked with WSJT developer Joe Taylor, K1JT, Defence Force, the band’s primary user, amateurs had been “to harmonize the designation of FST4 among WSJT-X, the permitted trial use of two frequencies on 5 MHz. At the end ADIF standard and LoTW,” to ensure contacts using that of the trial, though, the military informed the New Zealand mode are properly recorded. FST4 and FST4W are WSJT- Association of Radio Transmitters that it needed greater X modes designed primarily for use on 630 and 2200 meters, access to the spectrum and would not be continuing the to accommodate the unique characteristics of the MF and LF arrangement. The ARRL Letter reports that NZART is work- portions of the spectrum. ing with the country’s telecommunications regulator to see if The ARRL Letter also reports that Taylor has expressed there is any other way to provide hams there with continued “puzzlement” over why anyone would use FT8 in a contest access to the band. rather than FT4, which was designed specifically for contest use. Taylor reportedly told the Mt. Airy VHF Society’s Cheese Milestones: New AMSAT President, Bits newsletter, “I fail to understand why anyone who uses Thai King Becomes a Ham FT8 in a contest would fail to use FT4 for much of the time,” AMSAT’s board of directors has elected Robert Bankston, adding, “FT4 is about 3 dB less sensitive than FT8, but it’s KE4AL, as the amateur satellite organization’s next presi- twice as fast.” dent. Bankston lives in Dothan, Alabama. According to the AMSAT News Service, Bankston holds an Extra Class Satellite Acronym Wiki license and has previously served the group in a variety of Interested in amateur satellite communication but confused capacities, including vice president of user services, trea- by all the satellite-specific abbreviations and acronyms? surer, and chair of the 2018 AMSAT Space Symposium. He KG4AKV and WF7T are riding to the rescue! According to succeeds Clayton Coleman, W5PFG. the AMSAT News Service, the two have developed a wiki Following in his late father’s footsteps, Thailand’s King page to help explain the technical jargon of the satellite world. Maha Vajiralongkorn has become a radio amateur as well as It’s available online at BY TOMAS HOOD,* NW7US December Propagation: Best DX Will Be on the Lower Bands A Quick Look at Current One Year Ago: A Quick Look at Current Cycle 25 Conditions Solar Cycle Conditions (Data rounded to nearest whole number) (Data rounded to nearest whole number) Sunspots: Sunspots: Observed Monthly, September 2020: 1 Observed Monthly, September 2019: 0 12-month smoothed, March 2020: 3 12-month smoothed, March 2019: 3 10.7-cm Flux: 10.7-cm Flux: Observed Monthly, September 2020: 71 Observed Monthly, September 2019: 68 12-month smoothed, March 2020: 70 12-month smoothed, March 2019: 70 Ap Index: Ap Index: Unavailable Observed Monthly, September 2019: 10 12-month smoothed, March 2019: 7 moderate to low level of solar activity is expected dur- DX openings on 160 and 80 meters during the hours of ing December, with 10.7-centimeter flux levels peak- darkness and into the sunrise period, with considerably Aing in the high 70s to the mid-80s. The density of ion- decreased static levels, are a sure bet during the longer hours ization in the Northern Hemisphere is expected to increase of darkness in the northern latitudes. Look for openings more rapidly after sunrise than during other seasons. Static toward Europe and the south from the eastern half of the and atmospheric noise levels will be at seasonally low val- United States and towards the south, the Far East, ues during the month. Reasonably strong signal levels are expected on most of the open bands. The higher bands will not carry worldwide DX propagation often, certainly not as LAST-MINUTE FORECAST would be expected during the peak years, coming after 2021. Day-to-Day Conditions Expected for December 2020 For this month, 10- and 12-meter DX openings will be exceedingly rare and only during daylight hours if at all, espe- Expected Signal Quality Propagation Index (4) (3) (2) (1) cially where the propagation paths cross the sunlit regions. Above Normal: AA B C If they develop, they will be rather short, with a lot of fading. 5-13, 15, 17 High Normal: A B C C-D Expect fair daytime openings on 17 and 20 meters, pri- 3-4, 14, 16, 19, 27-28, 30 marily on north / south paths, with occasional strong open- Low Normal: B C-B C-D D-E 1-2, 18, 24, 29 ings on the 15-meter band. Openings will be short on high- Below Normal: C C-D D-E E er frequencies. The hottest band of the two will be 20 meters, 20, 22-23, 25-26 Disturbed: C-D D E E starting with early morning openings in all directions until 21 about an hour or two after sunrise, and then remaining open into one place or another through the day until early evening. Where expected signal quality is: A--Excellent opening, exceptionally strong, steady signals greater than S9 The 30-meter band will be a strong player for DXing, as B--Good opening, moderately strong signals varying between S6 and S9, with little fading or well, following the pattern of 20 meters. Expect this band to noise. C--Fair opening, signals between moderately strong and weak, varying between S3 and S6, remain open towards the south and west from early evening with some fading and noise. until about midnight, mostly for DXers in the lower latitudes. D--Poor opening, with weak signals varying between S1 and S3, with considerable fading and noise. On 40 meters, regional daytime openings will remain strong E--No opening expected. for most of the day, while great DX will open early in the after- noon. From midnight to sunrise, 40 promises some of the hottest nighttime DX during December. The first DX openings HOW TO USE THIS FORECAST 1. Using the Propagation Charts appearing in “The New Shortwave Propagation Handbook,” should be toward Europe and the east during the late after- by George Jacobs, Theodore J. Cohen, and R. B. Rose. noon, then move across the south through the hours of dark- a. Find the Propagation Index associated with the particular path opening from the Propagation Charts. ness, while remaining open into most parts of the world. Just b. With the Propagation Index, use the above table to find the expected signal quality asso- after sunrise, openings will be more in a westerly direction. Low ciated with the path opening for any given day of the month. For example, openings shown in the Propagation Charts with a Propagation Index of 1 will be poor or worse on December 1 seasonal noise will make DXing a pleasurable endeavor. and 2, poor to fair on December 3 and 4, fair on December 5 through December 13, and so forth. 2. Alternatively, you may use the Last-Minute Forecast as a general guide to space weath- er and geomagnetic conditions throughout the month. When conditions are Above Normal, for * P.O. Box 110 example, the geomagnetic field should be quiet, and space weather should be mild. On the Fayetteville, OH 45118 other hand, days marked as Disturbed will be riddled with geomagnetic storms. Propagation of radio signals in the HF spectrum will be affected by these geomagnetic conditions. In gen- Email: 102 • CQ • December 2020 Visit Our Web Site Australasia, and the South Pacific from the western half of the country. Eighty meters becomes a reliable long-dis- tance band throughout the entire peri- od of darkness during December. Openings on 80 should peak towards Europe and in a generally easterly direction around midnight, and then open in a generally western direction with a peak just after sunrise. The band should remain open towards the south throughout most of the night. Short-Skip For short-skip openings during Decem- ber, try 80 and 40 meters during the day for paths less than 250 miles, and 80 or 160 meters at night for these distances. For openings between 250 and 750 miles, try 40 meters during the day, and both 80 and 160 at night. For distances between 750 and 1,300 miles, 20 and 30 should provide daytime openings, while 40 and 80 will be open for these distances from sunset to midnight. After midnight, 80 meters will remain open out to 1,300 miles until sunrise. Try 30 and 40 meters again for about an hour or so after sunrise. For openings be- tween 1,300 and 2,300 miles, openings will occur on 20, 17, and 15 meters, with fewer on 12 and 10 meters, during the daylight hours. Between sundown and midnight, check 20, 30, and 40 meters for these long-distance openings, and then check 40 and 80 meters from mid- night until sunrise. Try 40 meters again for an hour or so after sunrise. VHF Conditions While there might be an occasional geomagnetic disturbance due to coro- nal hole activity, aurora will most like- ly not occur this month. If there’s any chance at all, you’ll want to look for days with conditions at Disturbed or Below Normal, when there is a possi- bility for Field Aligned Irregularities (FAI) and Auroral-E propagation. Check the Last-Minute Forecast for Figure 1. The new cycle, Sunspot Cycle 25, is right at the beginning of a rise in activity. We are watching intent- ly over the next five months to see if this rise is a trend. Look at the charts of sunspot numbers since the early 1900s to see how the forecast for Cycle 25 measures up to past cycles since Cycle 14. Some scientists disagree with this forecast, and expect the new cycle to be more like Cycle 23 than 24. Stay tuned! (Credit: SWPC / NOAA) www.cq-amateur-radio.com December 2020 • CQ • 103 propagation since one doesn’t have to wait until after midnight to catch this shower. The radiant rises early, but the best viewing and operating time will be after mid- night local time. This shower also boasts a broad maxi- mum, lasting nearly one whole day, so no matter where you live, you stand a decent chance of catching sight of some Geminids. The smaller Ursids shower peaks a week later, on December 21st. There is considerably less likelihood for 6-meter trans- equatorial (TE) openings during December, but look for a possible opening between the U.S. southern states and loca- tions deep in South America. The best time to look for these is between about 8 and 11 PM local time. Check out 104 • CQ • December 2020 Visit Our Web Site 2020 Annual CQ Index ANTENNAS Learning Curve: A Relative Approach to Making Antenna A Self-Calibrating Tuning-Tracking Controller for Magnetic Radiation Patterns, Ochu (KOØZ), Jul, p. 64 Field Loop Antennas, Sadkowski (K6KM), Dec, p. 16 Learning Curve: Antenna Switching, Ochu (KOØZ), May, A Simple Dual-Band Upgrade for Your 40-Meter Dipole, p. 58 Glorioso (W1IS) and Rose (KC1DSQ), Dec, p. 44 Learning Curve: Antenna Tuner Basics, Ochu (KOØZ), Antennas: All Antennas are Elliptically Polarized, Britain Oct, p. 81 (WA5VJB), Feb, p. 54 Learning Curve: Boost Me Up! Ochu (KOØZ), Apr, p. 70 Antennas: Antennas, the Early Days (Early Days of CQ, Learning Curve: DX Techniques and DX Videos, Ochu That Is) – Part II, Britain (WA5VJB), Jun, p. 82 (KOØZ), Feb, p. 85 Antennas: Antennas, the Early Days (Early Days of CQ, Learning Curve: Hollow-State, Solid-State Primer, Ochu That Is), Britain (WA5VJB), Apr, p. 54 (KOØZ), Aug, p. 69 Antennas: Ground Planes and Gigahertz, Britain Learning Curve: Lightning Protection, Ochu (KOØZ), Mar, (WA5VJB), Aug, p. 74 p. 70 Antennas: Measuring Things You Can’t See, Britain Learning Curve: Perspective, Ochu (KOØZ), Jun, p. 71 (WA5VJB), Oct, p. 88 Learning Curve: Shack Safety – Fire Extinguisher Basics, Antennas: Antenna Simulation, Britain (WA5VJB), Dec, Ochu (KOØZ), Sep, p. 53 p. 87 Learning Curve: WAØCNS: A True Inspiration, Ochu Build a Portable High Efficiency 4-Band Vertical Antenna, (KOØZ), Nov, p. 68 Peter (AC8GY), Dec, p. 28 Learning Curve: Match This!, Ochu (KOØZ), Dec, p. 84 Building Antennas During the Pandemic, Bledsoe (KL4E), Sep, p. 39 BROADCASTING (AM/FM/TV) CQ Classic: Japan’s Dai Ichi Scientist (Profile of Professor Communications Horizons: Are You Going Hybrid?, De Yagi), Ball, 10/1955 issue reprint, Jun, p. 80 Santos (K8RKD), Dec, p. 68 Does an Antenna’s Orientation Affect a Signal’s Sound? Communications Horizons: Updates on Past Columns Madsen (K2PM) CQ 2020, Feb, p. 50 (Franken FMs, the Future of AM and WiFi6), De Santos Gordo’s Short Circuits: Non-Resonant No-Where After (K8RKD), Sep, p. 72 Winter’s Rain and Snow, West (WB6NOA), Mar, p. 76 Homing In: Put a Foxhunting Beam on Your Vehicle, Moell CLASSIC RADIO GEAR & NOSTALGIA (KØOV), Nov, p. 62 A Vintage Foxhunt, or … Two Hams in Crash Helmets, How to Tune a Yagi Antenna, Dalton (W6KW), Dec, p.10 Minikiewicz (W4FSV), Aug, p. 46 Learning Curve: A Relative Approach to Making Antenna Analog Adventures: Small Advances, Nichols (KL7AJ), Radiation Patterns, Ochu (KOØZ), Jul, p. 64 Jan, p. 70 Learning Curve: Antenna Switching, Ochu (KOØZ), May, Awards: Looking Ahead … and Looking Back, CQ Staff, p. 58 Apr, p. 78 Learning Curve: Antenna Tuner Basics, Ochu (KOØZ), Back in the Day: The FCC and Portable Operating, Oct, p. 81 Signorelli (WØRW), Jun, p. 29 Learning Curve: Match This!, Ochu (KOØZ), Dec, p. 84 CQ Classic: “So Who’s Looking After the Store?” Margolis, MF/LF Operating: To the Mailbag – A Few Considerations S., 1/1971 issue reprint, Sep, p. 24 for Using a 160-Meter Inverted-L on 630 and 2200 Meters, CQ Classic: … About Grid-Dip Oscillators, Bayne (W6WB), Langridge (KB5NJD), Oct, p. 84 3/1947 issue reprint, Nov, p. 34 MF/LF Operating: Using Scopematch to Resonate and CQ Classic: Aboard Yasme … St. Thomas to Panama, Weil Match Your Low-Band Vertical Antenna System, Langridge (VP2VB), 10/1955 issue reprint, Jun, p. 25 (KB5NJD), Jan, p. 86 CQ Classic: Amateur Radio … A Hobby For All Seasons, Gillmor (W1FK), 7/1980 issue reprint, Aug, p. 36 Multiband Off-Center-Fed Dipoles for 160 & 80 Meters, CQ Classic: Amateur Radio: The Next 50 Years, Bergeron Rose (KC1DSQ) and Glorioso (W1IS), Jun, p. 42 (NU1N), 1/1995 issue reprint, Jan, p. 35 Refurbished, Donated and Modified … Putting All the CQ Classic: Announcing CQ’s World-Wide DX Contest, Pieces Together at W8UM, Palmisano (KB8OIS), Guiliano 8/1948 issue reprint, May, p. 27 (KB8RCO), Laundra (N8RGF) and Fluegemann (KE8AQW), CQ Classic: CQ in the Space Age, Jacobs (W3ASK), Mar, p. 10 1/1995 issue reprint, Jan, p. 47 Screwdriver Antenna Controller For Your Smartphone, CQ Classic: Dateline Washington, DC: Volunteer Exam Griffin (AA4PG) and Wingard (N4DKD), Dec, p. 12 Program Off to a Successful Start, Cohen (N4XX), 8/1984 The Ferrite-Sleeve Autotransformer, Littlefield (K1BQT), issue reprint, Jul, p. 19 Dec, p. 64 CQ Classic: Di-Di-Di-Dit, Di-Dit, Stoner (W6TNS), 1/1995 The HEX-BEAM Revisited, Traffie (N1HXA), Oct, p. 51 issue reprint, Jan, p. 46 The Texas Star Multi-Band Antenna, Hinkle (K5PA), Dec, CQ Classic: Japan’s Dai Ichi Scientist (Profile of Professor p. 39 Yagi), Ball, 10/1955 issue reprint, Jun, p. 80 CQ Classic: Looking Into the Future of Amateur Radio, BEGINNERS/NEWCOMERS Matthews (W3FWJ), 2/1945 issue reprint, Jan, p. 31 Learning Curve: 75 Years and More to Come, Ochu CQ Classic: Past – Present – Future, Bouck (W8QMR- (KOØZ), Jan, p. 64 WLNG), 1/1945 reprint, Dec, p. 50 www.cq-amateur-radio.com December 2020 • CQ • 105 CQ Classic: Once in a Lifetime Conditions, Jacobs A Simple Dual-Band Upgrade for Your 40-Meter Dipole, (W3ASK), 3/1956 issue reprint, Jan, p. 36 Glorioso (W1IS) and Rose (KC1DSQ), Dec, p. 44 CQ Classic: QRP column - QRPp, Weiss (K8EEG), 11/1973 Build a Portable High Efficiency 4-Band Vertical Antenna, issue reprint, Feb, p. 38 Peter (AC8GY), Dec, p. 28 CQ Classic: Results … CQ’s First World-Wide DX Contest, Kit-Building: Everything’s Better in 3D, Eisenberg 6/1949 issue reprint, May, p. 30 (KØNEB), Feb, p. 75 CQ Classic: Semiconductors, Stoner (W6TNS), 4/1959 Ham Notebook: Projects on the Workbench, Yoshida issue reprint, Jan, p. 44 (KH6WZ), Jul, p. 48 CQ Classic: The Dawn of Volunteer Examining: Ticket Talk, Ham Notebook: Using Those Harvested Parts, Yoshida Bash (KL7IHP), 6/1984 issue reprint, Jul, p. 16 (KH6WZ), May, p. 64 CQ Classic: The Dipper, Scherer (W2AEF), 5/1947 issue Kit-Building: A “Key” Development, Eisenberg (KØNEB), reprint, Nov, p. 40 Apr, p. 50 CQ Classic: The Song of the Flea, Waters (W2NZ), 3/1973 Kit-Building: Being Well-Grounded, Eisenberg (KØNEB), issue reprint, Feb, p. 40 Dec, p. 72 CQ Classic: VP2VB the First Time Around, CQ Staff, Jun, Kit-Building: Don’t Be Late for FT8, Eisenberg (KØNEB), p. 24 Mar, p. 54 CQ Classic: Zero Bias (Youth in Amateur Radio), 8/1948 Kit-Building: Face Shields and a New μBITX, Eisenberg issue reprint, Oct, p. 44 (KØNEB), Jun, p. 62 DX: AC3PT Sikkim 1974 — Amateur Radio’s Role in a Kit-Building: Flying High with a Simple Fun Kit, Eisenberg World Event, Schenck (N2OO), Dec, p. 92 (KØNEB), May, p. 61 JY1 50 Years On, Margolis, L. (G3UML), Sep, p. 29 Kit-Building: May the Morse Be With You, Eisenberg Learning Curve: 75 Years and More to Come, Ochu (KØNEB), Oct, p. 64 (KOØZ), Jan, p. 64 Kit-Building: Phasers Set on Stun, Eisenberg (KØNEB), Magic in the Sky: Milestones, Reinhardt (AA6JR), Jan, Sep, p. 55 p. 74 Kit-Building: Shields Up and More Building Time, Eisenberg Math’s Notes: Antique Wireless Communications (KØNEB), Aug, p. 55 Revisited, Math (WA2NDM), Feb, p. 52 Kit-Building: The G-QRP Urmston Reciever: A Kit With a Math’s Notes: Some Notes on Upgrading Older “Boat Long Heritage, Eisenberg (KØNEB), Jan, p. 72 Anchors” From Vacuum Tubes to Transistors, Math Kit-Building: The Morserino32, Eisenberg (KØNEB), Nov, (WA2NDM), Mar, p. 43 p. 56 My Friend “Elmo” – Personal Recollections of Guglielmo Kit-Building: The SO2R Mini – Are Two Better Than One? Marconi, Stinson (WØCP), Jan, p. 52 Eisenberg (KØNEB), Jul, p. 45 Personal Ham History, A, Hilliard (AK6OK), Jan, p. 48 Microcontrollers in Amateur Radio: Legend of the Headless So What Have You Done for the Last 40 Years? Gillmor Horseman, Luscre (K8ZT), Sep, p. 59 (W1FK), Aug, p. 40 Microcontrollers in Amateur Radio: Lockdown Projects, The Day I Let the Smoke Out! Milliman (K8HSY), Oct, How to Destroy an Arduino, and More, Luscre (K8ZT), Jun, p. 56 p. 68 Microcontrollers in Amateur Radio: Two New Projects That COMPUTERS & INTERNET Utilize Microcontrollers, Luscre (K8ZT), Mar, p. 62 Antennas: Antenna Simulation, Britain (WA5VJB), Dec, Single-Switch Station Command, Spies (WB9YBM), Jun, p. 87 p. 48 Communications Horizons: Wi-Fi 6E: Much More Screwdriver Antenna Controller For Your Smartphone, Bandwidth and Frequency Sharing, De Santos (K8RKD), Griffin (AA4PG) and Wingard (N4DKD), Dec, p. 12 Jun, p. 79 The Ferrite-Sleeve Autotransformer, Littlefield (K1BQT), Download Radio Calls from Gordo’s “On the Air” License Dec, p. 64 Manual CDs for Free!, Dec, p. 67 The Texas Star Multi-Band Antenna, Hinkle (K5PA), Dec, Microcontrollers in Amateur Radio: Lockdown Projects, p. 39 How to Destroy an Arduino, and More, Luscre (K8ZT), Jun, p. 68 CONTESTS & AWARDS Microcontrollers in Amateur Radio: Two New Projects That Announcing: The 2020 CQ World Wide DX Contest, Aug, Utilize Microcontrollers, Luscre (K8ZT), Mar, p. 62 p. 24 “Peanut” for Amateur Radio, Green (K3BEQ), Aug, p. 12 Announcing: The 2020 CQ World Wide DX RTTY Contest, Microcontrollers in Amateur Radio: 2 Projects + 2 Books = Jul, p. 33 Microcontroller Fun, Luscre (K8ZT), Dec, p. 78 Announcing: The 2020 CQ World Wide Foxhunting An Old-School Counter and Digital Dial, Julstrom Weekend, Apr, p. 41 (KCØZNG), Sep, p. 34 Announcing: The 2020 CQ World Wide VHF Contest, May, Build a Repeater Link Diplexer, Kincaid (WD8OYG) CQ p. 38 2020, Feb, p. 44 Announcing: The 2020 CQ World Wide WPX Contest, Jan, Build an Adjustable Voltage Add-On for Your Power Supply, p. 54 Karras (KE3FL), Aug, p. 42 Announcing: The 2021 CQ World Wide WPX RTTY Building Antennas During the Pandemic, Bledsoe (KL4E), Contest, Dec, p. 66 Sep, p. 39 Announcing: The 2021 CQ DX Marathon, Nov, p. 92 Announcing: The 2021 CQ World Wide 160-Meter Contest, CONSTRUCTION Nov, p. 46 A Self-Calibrating Tuning-Tracking Controller for Magnetic Awards: 4U1A United Nations Award Program, Houser Field Loop Antennas, Sadkowski (K6KM), Dec, p. 16 (WA8JIM), Jul, p. 79 106 • CQ • December 2020 Visit Our Web Site Awards: An Introduction and Back to Basics, Houser LoJack “T” Hunt, Signorelli, P., (WØRW), Mar, p. 23 (WA8JIM), May, p. 77 November Surprise (Sweepstakes), Nichols (KL7AJ), Nov, Awards: Awards Editor Needed – Plus Parks, States, Grid p. 26 Fields and More, CQ Staff, Oct, p. 99 Results of the 2019 CQ DX Marathon, Sweeney (K9EL), Awards: CW Awards, Houser (WA8JIM), Sep, p. 77 Jun, p. 32 Awards: Electronic Banking, Moseson (W2VU), Nov, p. 89 Results of the 2019 CQ World Wide DX CW Contest, Dorr Awards: Field Day and Awards from Japan, Houser (K1AR), May, p. 12 (WA8JIM), Jun, p. 88 Results of the 2019 CQ World Wide DX SSB Contest, Dorr Awards: Getting the Confirmations You Need, De Young (K1AR), Apr, p. 14 (KS4AA), Feb, p. 88 Results of the 2019 CQ World Wide RTTY DX Contest, Awards: Helpful Tips to Earn Your Award QSOs, De Young Muns (WØYK), Mar, p. 15 (KS4AA), Jan, p. 100 Results of the 2019 CQ World Wide VHF Contest, Awards: Looking Ahead … and Looking Back, CQ Staff, Kalenowsky (K9JK), Jan, p. 14 Apr, p. 78 Results of the 2020 CQ WPX CW Contest, Trench (AA3B), Awards: Net Awards, Moseson (W2VU), Dec, p. 90 Nov, p. 16 Awards: The Ham Radio Honor System, Houser (WA8JIM), Results of the 2020 CQ WPX RTTY Contest, Muns Aug, p. 81 (WØYK), Jul, p. 20 Awards: Wallpaper, De Young (KS4AA), Mar, p. 85 Results of the 2020 CQ WPX SSB Contest, Trench (AA3B), Contesting Your Way to DX Success, Kennamer (K5FUV), Sep, p. 12 Jul, p. 28 Results of the 2020 CQ WW 160-Meter Contest, Blank Contesting: A New Contest QSL Strategy for the Fall (N2NT), Aug, p. 16 Season, Siddall (K3ZJ), Aug, p. 91 Contesting: ARRL DX Phone Contest Leads Off a Busy DIGITAL/PACKET Contesting Month, Siddall (K3ZJ), Mar, p. 92 Digital Connection: Alphabet Soup - ULS, FEC, IL2P, Contesting: Contest Activity is Still Up as Contesters Stay Rotolo (N2IRZ), Jul, p. 60 Safe, Shoppa (N3QE), Dec, p. 52 Digital Connection: Data Eye Patterns and a Test Trans- Contesting: Contesting Comes Alive in the Winter Cold, mitter to Build, Rotolo (N2IRZ), May, p. 70 Siddall (K3ZJ), Jan, p. 102 Digital Connection: Deviation and the Dongle, Rotolo Contesting: COVID-19 Contesting Spike Continues, (N2IRZ), Sep, p. 62 Shoppa (N3QE), Oct, p. 100 Digital Connection: High-Speed Packet Making a Come- Contesting: CW Spectrum Usage and Speed in CQWW back, Rotolo (N2IRZ), Jan, p. 83 CW, Shoppa (N3QE), Nov, p. 85 Digital Connection: Packet News, Data Radios, and Some Contesting: July Contests Keep the Bands Active, Siddall Practical Details, Rotolo (N2IRZ), Mar, p. 58 (K3ZJ), Jul, p. 88 Digital Connection: The Propagation Whisperer (WSPR), Contesting: On Public Logs and Mid-Winter Contests, Rotolo (N2IRZ), Nov, p. 75 Siddall (K3ZJ), Feb, p. 101 Kit-Building: Don’t Be Late for FT8, Eisenberg (KØNEB), Contesting: Spring Contest Activities and a New Contesting Mar, p. 54 Book for Beginners, Siddall (K3ZJ), Apr, p. 82 MF/LF Operating: What is This WSPR-15 That You Speak Contesting: The COVID-19 Spike On the Air, Shoppa Of? Langridge (KB5NJD), Jul, p. 56 (N3QE), Sep, p. 85 VHF Plus: How to Work Meteor Scatter with MSK 144, Contesting: The Impact of Coronavirus on Contesting, Emanuele (K8ZR), Oct, p. 91 Siddall (K3ZJ), May, p. 86 Winlink: Keeping You Connected “When All Else Fails,” Contesting: Whisper (WSPR) to Compare Your Contest Kocsis (WB9PYH), Oct, p. 32 Antennas, Siddall (K3ZJ), Jun, p. 98 CQ Classic: Announcing CQ’s World-Wide DX Contest, DX & OPERATING 8/1948 issue reprint, May, p. 27 60 Meters – The “Channel Band,” Part 2, Pater (W8GEX), CQ Classic: Results … CQ’s First World-Wide DX Contest, Jan, p. 97 6/1949 issue reprint, May, p. 30 Announcing: 2021 Nominations Open for the CQ Amateur CQ Classic: Transmitter Hunts on VHF, Signorelli, H., Radio, DX, and Contest Halls of Fame, Dec, p. 81 5/1961 issue reprint, Mar, p. 31 Contesting Your Way to DX Success, Kennamer (K5FUV), CQ World-Wide DX Contest All-Time Records (2020), Jul, p. 28 Capossela (K6SSS), Oct, p. 40, 42 CQ Classic: Aboard Yasme … St. Thomas to Panama, Weil EF8R: The World’s Best Contesting QTH? Radchenko (VP2VB), 10/1955 issue reprint, Jun, p. 25 (RA5A), Oct, p. 10 CQ Classic: VP2VB the First Time Around, CQ Staff, Jun, Homing In: Arizona Youth Hunt for X-Beacons While Others p. 24 Hunt for Medals, Moell (KØOV), May, p. 54 DX: A5ØBOC: Thunder Dragon DX on the Low Bands, Homing In: Put a Foxhunting Beam on Your Vehicle, Moell Schenck (N2OO) and Ciuperca (KO8SCA), Apr, p. 10 (KØOV), Nov, p. 62 DX: AC3PT Sikkim 1974 — Amateur Radio’s Role in a Homing In: Socially-Distanced Radio Foxhunting, Moell World Event, Schenck (N2OO), Dec, p. 92 (KØOV), Aug, p. 66 DX: Chasing Old QSLs, Schenck (N2OO), Jan, p. 95 Homing In: Tales of the 2019 CQ World Wide Foxhunting DX: Chasing! Schenck (N2OO), Oct, p. 94 Weekend, Moell (KØOV), Feb, p. 70 DX: DXing and Coronavirus, Schenck (N2OO), May, p. 80 Hybrid Multi-Op Contesting at W7RN, Taormina (K5RC), DX: DXing and How I Got Started, Schenck (N2OO), Nov, Nov, p. 10 p. 78 Kit-Building: The SO2R Mini – Are Two Better Than One? DX: DXpeditions vs. COVID-19, Schenck (N2OO), Jun, Eisenberg (KØNEB), Jul, p. 45 p. 93 www.cq-amateur-radio.com December 2020 • CQ • 107 DX: How Do YOU Work DX? Schenck (N2OO), Mar, p. 86 MF/LF Operating: Using Scopematch to Resonate and DX: KP2A/D Desecheo 1981 … A Look Back, Schenck Match Your Low-Band Vertical Antenna System, Langridge (N2OO), Aug, p. 84 (KB5NJD), Jan, p. 86 DX: Public Logs: Pros and Cons, Schenck (N2OO), Feb, MF/LF Operating: What is This WSPR-15 That You Speak p. 93 Of? Langridge (KB5NJD), Jul, p. 56 DX: The History of “The Daily DX,” Schenck (N2OO) and McClenney (W3UR), Sep, p. 80 MISCELLANEOUS DX: Unwinding Bouvet 2018, Schenck (N2OO) and Allphin Adventures With Pico Balloons Using Amateur Radio, (K4UEE), Jul, p. 81 Medlin (W5KUB), Oct, p. 46 Florida: A Paradise for Activating U.S. Islands, Joyner Announcing: 2020 CQ Hall of Fame Inductees, Jul, p. 34 (W4YBV), Jun, p. 30 CQ Amateur Radio: 75 Years and Counting, Moseson Learning Curve: DX Techniques and DX Videos, Ochu (W2VU), Jan, p. 22 (KOØZ), Feb, p. 85 CQ Classic: Quiet Family Circle, Margolis, S., 9/1966 issue Public Logs – Continuing the Discussion, Siddall (K3ZJ) reprint, Mar, p. 23 and Anonymous, Feb, p. 98 CQ Classic: Memories of JY1, Margolis, L. (G3UML), Signals From Down Under, Charteris (VK4QS), Sep, p. 10 4/1999 issue reprint, Mar, p. 34 VHF Plus: PJ2T EME DXpedition to Curacao and HamSCI CQ Classic: Past – Present – Future, Bouck (W8QMR- Online, Emanuele (K8ZR), May, p. 74 WLNG), 1/1945 reprint, Dec, p. 50 VP2VB Sails (the Airwaves) Again – Part II, Ciuperca Gordo’s Short Circuits: Nothing Cancelled Here! West (KO8SCA), Jun, p. 18 (WB6NOA), Oct, p. 76 VP2VB Sails Again – Part 1, Ciuperca (KO8SCA), May, Ham Notebook: A “Swap Meet Go Bag” and Other Things p. 11 Related, Yoshida (KH6WZ), Mar, p. 65 W7L: Exploring Colorado’s 7 Lakes Wilderness Area, Ham Notebook: Ham Radio: Thankful for the Valuable Signorelli (WØRW), Jun, p. 16 Career Steppingstone, Yoshida (KH6WZ), Nov, p. 72 How CW Can Protect You From Dementia, Lazar HUMOR (W4DNN), Mar, p. 24 Amateur Operators Worldwide Await First Republic of Ideas and Resources for Growing Youth Involvement in Uzupis Operation, Heisseluft, Apr, p. 28 Amateur Radio, Luscre (K8ZT), Mar, p. 37 CQ Classic: Applications of Stealth Technology to the Learning Morse Code the Old-Fashioned Way, Averill Design of Invisible Antennas, Heisseluft, 4/1981 issue reprint, (K4EOR), Mar, p. 26 Apr, p. 35 Magic in the Sky: The Bands Are Buzzing, Reinhardt CQ Classic: Ionospheric Amplification, Ostermond-Tor (Ex- (AA6JR), Jul, p. 54 YM4XR), 4/1964 issue reprint, Apr, p. 31 Magic in the Sky: The Monday Morning Breakfast Club, CQ Classic: Quiet Family Circle, Margolis, S., 9/1966 issue Reinhardt (AA6JR), Apr, p. 65 reprint, Mar, p. 23 Surviving COVID-19 or the Next Pandemic, Millner CQ Classic: “So Who’s Looking After the Store?” Margolis, (WB2REM) and Hinkle (K5PA), Jun, p. 10 S., 1/1971 issue reprint, Sep, p. 24 WPX 2020 Crossword, Luscre (K8ZT), Feb, p. 30 Math’s Notes: Post Millimeter Wavelength Experimenta- Youth on the Air Camp Comes to the Americas, Rapp tion, Math (WA2NDM), Apr, p. 42 (WB9VPG), Jan, p. 10 KEYS & KEYERS, CW MOBILE Kit-Building: A “Key” Development, Eisenberg (KØNEB), Communications Horizons: Are You Going Hybrid?, De Apr, p. 50 Santos (K8RKD), Dec, p. 68 Kit-Building: May the Morse Be With You, Eisenberg Mobiling: Deep Thoughts on Mobiling in 2020 and Beyond, (KØNEB), Oct, p. 64 Reinhardt (AA6JR), Feb, p. 82 Mobiling: Non-Mobiling Mobiling, Reinhardt (AA6JR), May, LEGAL & REGULATORY p. 52 Back in the Day: The FCC and Portable Operating, Mobiling: Mobile vs. Base, Reinhardt (AA6JR), Nov, p. 60 Signorelli (WØRW), Jun, p. 29 Mobiling: Something New, Reinhardt (AA6JR), Aug, p. 64 CQ Classic: Dateline Washington, DC: Volunteer Exam Program Off to a Successful Start, Cohen (N4XX), 8/1984 OPINION/COMMENTARY issue reprint, Jul, p. 19 Zero Bias: A Ham Radio Success Story, Moseson (W2VU), CQ Classic: The Dawn of Volunteer Examining: Ticket Talk, Jul, p. 8 Bash (KL7IHP), 6/1984 issue reprint, Jul, p. 16 Zero Bias: HF Band Plans and the ARRL’s “Big IF,” Drive-In FCC Exams Attract a Crowd (Sort of), Williams Moseson (W2VU), Mar, p. 8 (N4UF), Jul, p. 12 Zero Bias: Let’s Go Exploring, Moseson (W2VU), Aug, News Bytes: The “Sunset” of the 3.3-3.5-GHz Ham Band, p. 8 Nov, p. 9 Zero Bias: Looking Back at a Year of Looking Back, Moseson (W2VU), Dec, p. 8 LOW/MEDIUM FREQUENCY Zero Bias: Numbers (Starting with 75), Moseson (W2VU), MF/LF Operating: Successful Low Power MF and LF From Jan, p. 8 South Florida, Langridge (KB5NJD), Apr, p. 58 Zero Bias: “See Spot Run” … Across the Sun! Moseson MF/LF Operating: To the Mailbag – A Few Considerations (W2VU), Sep, p. 8 for Using a 160-Meter Inverted-L on 630 and 2200 Meters, Zero Bias: Social DXing in the Age of Coronavirus, Langridge (KB5NJD), Oct, p. 84 Moseson (W2VU), May, p. 8 108 • CQ • December 2020 Visit Our Web Site Zero Bias: Thanksgiving Turkey Ham – and Fee, Fi, Fo … PROPAGATION Fee, Moseson (W2VU), Nov, p. 8 Digital Connection: The Propagation Whisperer (WSPR), Zero Bias: The Gigahertz Imperative, Moseson (W2VU), Rotolo (N2IRZ), Nov, p. 75 Apr, p. 8 Propagation: Cycle 25 Solar X-Ray Flare, Hood (NW7US), Zero Bias: The Power of Less Power, Moseson (W2VU), Jul, p. 92 Feb, p. 8 Propagation: December Propagation: Best DX Will Be on Zero Bias: The “Young Hams Crisis” is Getting Old, the Lower Bands, Hood (NW7US), Dec, p. 102 Moseson (W2VU), Oct, p. 8 Propagation: Fair Conditions Predicted for 2020 CQWW Zero Bias: Unexpected Heroes, Moseson (W2VU), Jun, DX CW Contest, Hood (NW7US), Nov, p. 94 p. 8 Propagation: Field Day, Hood (NW7US), Jun, p. 105 Propagation: Good Conditions Predicted for 2020 CQWW POWER SUPPLIES & BATTERIES DX SSB Contest, Hood (NW7US), Oct, p. 105 Build an Adjustable Voltage Add-On for Your Power Supply, Propagation: Higher-Frequency Hope in May, Hood Karras (KE3FL), Aug, p. 42 (NW7US), May, p. 91 CQ Reviews: Impulse Electronics Max Go Box, West Propagation: Ionospheric Radio Signal Propagation, Hood (WB6NOA), Dec, p. 25 (NW7US), Mar, p. 98 Gordo’s Short Circuits: Backyard Lockdown (LiFePO4 Propagation: Reflecting on the Kennelly-Heaviside Layer, Batteries), West (WB6NOA), Jul, p.71 Hood (NW7US), Apr, p. 86 Learning Curve: Boost Me Up! Ochu (KOØZ), Apr, p. 70 Propagation: Renewed Solar Activity Promises Improved Autumn DX, Hood (NW7US), Sep, p. 90 PRODUCT REVIEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS Propagation: Solar Wind and Coronal Holes, Hood CQ Reviews: Yaesu FTdx101MP HF Transceiver, (NW7US), Aug, p. 97 Kennamer (K5FUV), Apr, p. 24 Propagation: The HF (+/-) Bands in 2020, Hood (NW7US), CQ Reviews: Midnight Design Solutions Phaser Jan, p. 105 Transceiver Kit, Cady (N1IXF), Aug, p. 26 Propagation: The Solar Wind, Hood (NW7US), Feb, p. 105 CQ Reviews: Impulse Electronics Max Go Box, West Winter Sporadic-E-Like Propagation on 6 Meters, (WB6NOA), Dec, p. 25 Dzekevich (K1YOW), Nov, p. 28 First Look: Midnight Design Solutions Phaser Transceiver, Benson (K1SWL) and Heron (N2APB), Feb, p. 32 PUBLIC SERVICE & EMERGENCY What’s New: A Bunch of Books from ARRL, Moseson Analog Adventures: Breaking a Promise and Going Afield, (W2VU), Dec, p. 101 Nichols (KL7AJ), Jun, p. 60 What’s New: AOR AR5700D Wideband Receiver, Feldman Backup Power When the Grid Goes Down, Bruninga (KD2IWM) CQ 2020, May, p. 51 (WB4APR), Oct, p. 28 What’s New: ARRL Handbook for Radio Communications CQ Reviews: Impulse Electronics Max Go Box, West 2020, Feldman (KD2IWM) CQ 2020, Feb, p. 48 (WB6NOA), Dec, p. 25 What’s New: bhi Amplified DSP Noise-Canceling Speaker, Emergency Communications: ARRL’s Renewed EmComm Feldman (KD2IWM), Dec, p. 101 Focus and 60-Meter Interoperability, CQ Staff, Nov, p. 50 What’s New: Bird SignalHawk Handheld Spectrum Emergency Communications: COVID-19 and EmComm, Analyzers, ARRL Antenna Book (24th Edition), ARRL CQ Staff, May, p. 48 Operating Manual (12th Edition), Ampleon Transistors at Emergency Communications: CQ Krakatoa – The Sound RFMW, Pasternack High Power Amplifiers, Feldman Heard ‘Round the World, Palmer (W4ALT), Mar, p. 51 (KD2IWM) CQ 2020, Mar, p. 22, 75, 88, 110 Emergency Communications: Do You Speak HSEEP? CQ What’s New: Elecraft AX-1 Whip Antenna, Feldman Staff, Apr, p. 48 (KD2IWM) CQ 2020, Sep, p. 65 Emergency Communications: “Fire, Fire, Ring the Bell,” What’s New: Eton Elite 750 Receiver, Feldman (KD2IWM) Palmer (W4ALT), Jan, p. 62 CQ 2020, Jul, p. 37 Emergency Communications: Ham Radio Operators What’s New: Eton Elite 750 Receiver, Feldman (KD2IWM) Support COVID-19 Warriors in India, Mohan (VU2MYH), CQ 2020, Aug, p. 54 Sep, p. 50 What’s New: Hammond Manufacturing’s New 1557 Series Emergency Communications: It’s Exercise Time!, of Plastic Enclosures, Feldman (KD2IWM) CQ 2020, Feb, Broadway (N8BHL), Dec, p.70 p. 81 Emergency Communications: Net Basics, CQ Staff, Jul, What’s New: ICOM ID-52A/E Handheld, Feldman p. 42 (KD2IWM), Nov, p. 74 Emergency Communications: Showcasing Our Capa- What’s New: LDG Electronics YT-101, Feldman (KD2IWM) bilities … From Home, CQ Staff, Jun, p. 59 CQ 2020, Feb, p. 34 Emergency Communications: The ABCs of EmComm What’s New: N3FJP Amateur Contact Log 6.6, Feldman Abbreviations, CQ Staff, Aug, p. 59 (KD2IWM) CQ 2020, Feb, p. 34 Emergency Communications: Welcome to CQ’s Annual What’s New: Par EndFedz EF All-Band KW, RFMW Emergency Communications Special, CQ Staff, Oct, p. 16 Ampleon Transistor/Qorvo Amp, Amateur Contact Log 6.7, Emergency Communications: What the Heck is a Hamfest Feldman (KD2IWM), Oct, p. 38, 79, 83 (and Why Should You Go to One)? Palmer (W4ALT), Feb, What’s New: SteppIR’s New OptimizIR Evolution, Feldman p. 64 (KD2IWM) CQ 2020, Feb, p. 42 Ham Radio Activation in Philippines for Taal Volcano What’s New: Yaesu FTM-300DR transceiver, Spirit Morse Eruption, Pascua (DU1IVT), Mar, p. 52 Key, PreciseRF HG-3 Mag Loop Antenna, Feldman Planning Your First Amateur Radio Exercise or Event, (KD2IWM) CQ 2020, Jun, p. 51, 67, 78 Ruesch (W9JU), Oct, p. 19 www.cq-amateur-radio.com December 2020 • CQ • 109 Sherlock Investigates: USB Connector Failure Aborts Analog Adventures: Spicing Things Up, Nichols (KL7AJ), FT4/VARA Expedition, “Sherlock,” CQ 2020, Oct, p. 43 Feb, p. 78 Winlink: Keeping You Connected “When All Else Fails,” Analog Adventures: Ye Olde Gilbert Cell, Nichols (KL7AJ), Kocsis (WB9PYH), Oct, p. 32 Aug, p. 72 Ham Notebook: Electrical Things: Back to Basics, Yoshida QRP (LOW POWER) (KH6WZ), Sep, p. 67 CQ Classic: QRP column - QRPp, Weiss (K8EEG), 11/1973 Ham Notebook: SMT, SMD and μP, Yoshida (KH6WZ), issue reprint, Feb, p. 38 Jan, p. 76 CQ Classic: The Song of the Flea, Waters (W2NZ), 3/1973 How’s My Audio? Wagner (K5KG) and Romero (W4LT), issue reprint, Feb, p. 40 Oct, p. 53 Intense DXing from Cannon Mountain, Carter (W3ATB), Learning Curve: Hollow-State, Solid-State Primer, Ochu Feb, p.14 (KOØZ), Aug, p. 69 QRP: A Conversation About the True Meaning of QRP, Math’s Notes: A Simple and Versatile Audio Test Amplifier, Rought (KA8SMA), Jun, p. 76 Math (WA2NDM), Sep, p. 44 QRP: A Conversation About the True Meaning of QRP, Math’s Notes: Another Chance for THz Experimentation, Revisited, Rought (KA8SMA), Dec, p. 75 Math (WA2NDM), Oct, p. 58 QRP: Are the Bands Dead? Not for QRP! Rought Math’s Notes: Antique Wireless Communications (KA8SMA), Apr, p. 53 Revisited, Math (WA2NDM), Feb, p. 52 QRP: Have Radio, Will Travel, Rought (KA8SMA), Aug, Math’s Notes: Balanced Video, Math (WA2NDM), Aug, p. 48 p. 61 Math’s Notes: If It’s Not Broken, Don’t Try to Fix It, Math QRP: “I’ll Either Get it Done With QRP or it Won’t Happen!” (WA2NDM), Jan, p. 55 Rought (KA8SMA), Feb, p.10 Math’s Notes: Post Millimeter Wavelength Experi- QRP: QRP and POTA … A Perfect Match for Fun on the mentation, Math (WA2NDM), Apr, p. 42 Air, Rought (KA8SMA), Oct, p. 68 Math’s Notes: Some Notes on Upgrading Older “Boat QRP From There to Here, Jurrens (N2GJ), Feb, p. 26 Anchors” From Vacuum Tubes to Transistors, Math QRP Quickies – The Warm Glow of Accomplishment, (WA2NDM), Mar, p. 43 Wilcox (K8WPE), Feb, p.19 Math’s Notes: Some Optical Laser Communication QRP Quickies – Combining Business Travel, QRP, SOTA Transmitter Evaluation, Math (WA2NDM), Jul, p. 36 and DX Contacts, Leonardelli (VE3IPS), Feb, p.20 Math’s Notes: Some Thoughts on Energy Harvesting, Math QRP Quickies – Operating QRP Portable and an Invisible (WA2NDM), Jun, p. 52 (to the HOA) Antenna, Peters (K9JP), Feb, p. 22 Math’s Notes: The Future Will Not Necessarily Be What We Think It Will Be, Math (WA2NDM), Dec, p. 48 Math’s Notes: The “Lowly” Diode, Math (WA2NDM), May, SHORTWAVE LISTENING p. 40 Listening Post: All India Radio Silenced by COVID-19, Math’s Notes: Ultrasonic Experimentation, Math (WA2NDM), Dexter, Jun, p. 54 Nov, p. 48 Listening Post: Australia’s Shepperton Transmitter Site Sherlock Investigates: $25,000 Radio Fails Because of 2- Torn Down, Dexter, Jul, p. 38 Cent Plastic Part, “Sherlock,” CQ 2020, May, p. 24 Listening Post: COVID-19 and Other Causes Keep Some Stations Off the Air, Dexter, Aug, p. 50 VHF Listening Post: COVID-19 Continues Taking Its Toll on Build a Repeater Link Diplexer, Kincaid (WD8OYG) CQ Shortwave Broadcasters, Dexter, Oct, p. 60 2020, Feb, p. 44 Listening Post: New Station in Chile Relays News of Unrest, Gordo’s Short Circuits: Backyard Lockdown (Plus Dexter, Jan, p. 58 Summertime Tropo for VHF DX), West (WB6NOA), Jul, p.71 Listening Post: Palau Back on the Air as Hope Radio, Making Peace (and Sharing an Antenna) With Your Co- Dexter, Dec, p. 60 Located Pager Transmitter, Kincaid (WD8OYG) CQ 2020, Listening Post: Possible Reactivation in Luxembourg, Apr, p. 38 Dexter, Feb, p. 59 VHF Plus: 2020: The Year Ahead from a VHFer’s Per- Listening Post: Radio Afghanistan Continues to Struggle spective, Emanuele (K8ZR), Jan, p. 92 With Frequency Scheduling, Dexter, May, p. 43 VHF Plus: 3.3-GHz Threat Update and HamSCI Workshop Listening Post: South American Broadcasters Return to the to Focus on Auroras, Emanuele (K8ZR), Mar, p. 81 Air, Dexter, Apr, p. 44 VHF Plus: Changes and Possible Changes to VHF+ Listening Post: Stations Reactivated Across the Globe, Amateur Allocations, Emanuele (K8ZR), Feb, p. 90 Dexter, Mar, p. 46 VHF Plus: How to Work Meteor Scatter with MSK 144, Listening Post: The Sad Decline of Russia’s Shortwave Emanuele (K8ZR), Oct, p. 91 Broadcasters, Dexter, Sep, p. 46 VHF Plus: K3ZR Says Tnx and 73, Emanuele (K3ZR), Dec, Listening Post: WBCQ Buys WHRI, Dexter, Nov, p. 52 p. 99 VHF Plus: NDØB Earns Fred Fish Memorial Award (FFMA) TECHNICAL DATA #10, Emanuele (K8ZR), Aug, p. 77 Analog Adventures: Getting More FUN From Your VHF Plus: PJ2T EME DXpedition to Curacao and HamSCI FUNction Generator, Nichols (KL7AJ), Dec, p. 82 Online, Emanuele (K8ZR), May, p. 74 Analog Adventures: Lock Me In, Scotty! Nichols (KL7AJ), VHF Plus: Springtime Surprise, Emanuele (K8ZR), Jun, Apr, p. 56 p. 84 Analog Adventures: Non-Linear, Nichols (KL7AJ), Oct, p. VHF Plus: U.S. Amateurs Establish New World Distance 72 Record on 122 GHz, Emanuele (K8ZR), Apr, p. 74 Analog Adventures: Small Advances, Nichols (KL7AJ), Winter Sporadic-E-Like Propagation on 6 Meters, Jan, p. 70 Dzekevich (K1YOW), Nov, p. 28 110 • CQ • December 2020 Visit Our Web Site ADVERTISERS’ INDEX DECEMBER 2020 Advertiser Page Phone Website 100 Watts & A Wire...... 69...... www.100WATTSANDAWIRE.COM Advanced Specialties Inc...... 81 ...... 201-VHF-2067...... www.advancedspecialties.net Air Boss — Innovative Tech...... 83 ...... 252-249-0287...... www.kr4loairboss.com Alaskit...... 69 ...... 907-488-0483...... http://alaskit.co Alinco...... 63 ...... 209-900-1296...... www.alinco.com Amateur Radio Roundtable ...... 65 ...... 901-570-2188...... www.W5KUB.com AOR U.S.A., Inc...... 5 ...... 310-787-8615...... www.aorusa.com bhi ...... 49...... www.bhi-ltd.com Buddipole Antennas ...... 61 ...... 503-591-8001...... www.buddipole.com CQ Calendar...... 39 ...... 516-681-2922...... http://store.cq-amateur-radio.com CQ Holiday Gift Ideas...... 96-98,Cov III ...... 516-681-2922...... http://store.cq-amateur-radio.com CW Easy/Success Easy ...... 27 ...... 561-302-7731...... www.success-is-easy.com Communications Concepts, Inc...... 65 ...... 937-426-8600...... www.communication-concepts.com EZ Hang...... 81 ...... 304-856-1026...... www.ezhang.com Electric Radio Magazine ...... 83 ...... 720-924-0171...... www.ermag.com ETON...... Cov II...... www.etoncorp.com HamTestOnline...... 81 ...... 888-857-6164...... www.hamtestonline.com Icom America Inc...... 31,56,57...... www.icomamerica.com Impulse Electronics...... 27 ...... 866-747-5277...... www.impulseelectronics.com International DX Association...... 77...... www.indexa.org LDG Electronics...... 1,45 ...... 410-586-2177...... www.ldgelectronics.com Pacific Antenna...... 83...... www.qrpkits.com preciseRF ...... 15 ...... 503-915-2490...... www.preciserf.com QCWA...... 69 ...... 352-425-1097...... www.qcwa.org RF Parts ...... 37 ...... 800-921-4834...... www.rfparts.com RT Systems...... 9,59 ...... 800-921-4834...... www.rtsystems.com REACT Int’l ...... 77 ...... 301-316-2900...... www.REACTintl.org SteppIR ...... 23 ...... 425-453-1910...... www.steppir.com W2IHY Technologies...... 43 ...... 845-889-4253...... www.w2ihy.com W5SWL...... 81...... www.W5SWL.com W7DXX Remote...... 59...... www.w7dxx.com YLRL ...... 91...... www.ylrl.org Yaesu...... 6,7,19,Cov IV ...... 714-827-7600...... www.yaesu.com Let CQ help you get the most for your advertising dollar! Contact Dottie K, CQ’s Advertising Director at 516-681-2922 x 106 or via email at [email protected] HAMSHOP Advertising Rates: Non-commercial ads are 20 cents per word including abbreviations and addresses. Commercial and organization ads are $1.00 per word. Boldface words are $1.50 each (specify which words). Minimum charge $2.00. No ad will be printed unless accompanied by full remittance. All ads must be typewritten double-spaced. Closing Date: The 10th day in the third month preceding date of publication (example: Jan. 10th for the March issue). Because the advertisers and equipment contained in Ham Shop have not been investigated, the Publisher of CQ cannot vouch for the merchandise listed therein. The publisher reserves the right to reject any advertisement. Direct all correspondence and ad copy to: CQ Ham Shop, 17 West John Street, Hicksville, NY 11801 (fax: 516-681-2926; e-mail: FOR SALE Rare Collins KW-1, serial number 96. Only www.oldqslcards.com HAM TRAVELERS Discount travel, tours, cruises, more. 150 made and it still works! $16,000 firm. Pictures upon www.GreatExpectationTravel.com request. Contact Teressa: POLYESTER ROPE: excellent for antenna support and guying. Go to REAL HAMS DO CODE: Move up to CW with CW Mental Block Buster III. Succeed with hypnosis and NLP. Includes two (2) CDs and Manual. Only $29.95 plus $7.00 s/h US. FL add $2.14 tax. Success Easy, 568 SE Maple Terrace, Port St. Lucie, FL 34983, phone 561-302-7731, TWO NEW NOVELS involving ham radio: Full Circle, and Frozen in Time, by N4XX. Visit QSLing SUPPLIES. e-mail: CASH FOR COLLINS, HALLICRAFTERS SX-88, & DRAKE TR-6. Buy any Collins equipment. Leo, KJ6HI, phone/fax 310- 418-9269, e-mail: MicroLog by WAØH Easy to use logging program. Free download . . . www.wa0h.com 112 • CQ • December 2020 Visit Our Web Site