Editorβs note: This article was written earlier in the week. The latest measurements show even higher numbers. See this week's K7RA Solar Report in The ARRLΒ Letter for latest information.Β
Record High Solar Cycle 25 Solar Maximum Sunspot Numbers Have Improved HF Propagation Since Mid-July and Possibly Bringing Worldwide 6 Meter F2 Propagation This Fall.
A surprise in my inbox today after six weeks an eQSL arrived confirming my reception of the Finnish pirate Radio Galaxy. I logged the station with a weak signal in SW England but it was enough to catch an ID and send off a report. Many thanks DJ MegaHertz.
Vibroplex, which first manufactured and sold its signature Morse code βbugβ key back in 1904, is the longest continually operating ham radio equipment provider on the planet, but that doesnβt mean the venerable company doesnβt have more than a few new tricks up its well-worn, rolled-up sleeves.
DX Engineeringβs Rod Ehrhart, K8RR, caught up with Scott Robbins, W4PA, Vibroplexβs owner since 2009, at Dayton Hamvention 2024 to discuss the mAT-TUNER line of automatic antenna tuners, which the Knoxville, Tennessee-based company has distributed in the U.S. since 2019. Watch the video below:
Scott, W4PA, highlights two new mAT-TUNER offeringsβmAT-50 Automatic Antenna Tuner and Coupler Packages and the 1500PRO Automatic Antenna Tuner, both available along with the entire mAT-TUNER lineup at DXEngineering.com.
The multipurpose, 1.8-54 MHz mAT-50 Automatic Antenna Tuner comes with either an Icom, Yaesu, or Kenwood coupler and corresponding control cable. This remote tuner has the capability of matching a variety of impedances and antennas including long-wires, dipoles, verticals, Yagis, whips, and virtually any coax-fed antenna. It features a maximum input power of 120W SSB/60W Digital.
(Image/DX Engineering)
Install the sturdy, weather-resistant tuner outside near the antenna. Then install the coupler inside near the transceiver to provide power for the tuner and control its operation. The tuner does not require a control cable between the remote tuner and coupler, making installation simple. The only required connection between the antenna tuner and coupler is one 50-ohm coaxial cable. Advanced technology employed in the tuner delivers stable performance and excellent anti-interference capabilities for convenient one-key tuning.
The mAT-50 can also be used as a universal tuner for all transceivers if a mAT-50-Y or mAT-50-M coupler is connected to an external DC power supply (not included) and a control cable is not installed. You can then operate the tuner manually.
The mAT-1500PRO Automatic Antenna TunerΒ is an upgraded version of the original mAT-1500 tuner. Improvements include reduced weight, high- quality housing, and additional interfaces for Yaesu, Icom, and Kenwood transceivers and their corresponding operating modes. This allows the tuner to be controlled directly from the transceiver, reducing the need for manual operation.
(Image/DX Engineering)
In addition, two antennas can be connected simultaneously, and the corresponding buttons for switching (in receive mode) are placed on the front panel for easy access. Other features include:
Designed for modern transceivers with a frequency range of 1.8-54 MHz
Rated for up to 1,500W SSB/800W Digital
16,000 memory locations
Fast tuningβfound values for a frequency are stored in the memory, enabling adjustments as quick as 100ms
Loop-through of the PTT line makes it possible to loop in the power amplifier behind the tuner. The tuner interrupts the PTT line to the power amplifier during the tuning process. This avoids tuning with high power, greatly reducing the possibility of damaging the tuner relays.
6 to 1,000 ohms tuning range, which corresponds to an SWR range maximum of 10:1. This allows it to match all coax-fed antennas such as a G5RV with a balun at the transition between two-wire ladder line and coax cable, but also a wideband vertical antenna designed for the rated power.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) accepted for public comment a Petition for Rulemaking filed by NextNav Inc., a licensee in the 900-MHz Location and Monitoring Service (LMS), to completely reconfigure the 902-928 MHz band and replace the LMS with high-powered 5G cellular and related location services.
The FCC Notice requested comment on the effects that NextNavβs proposals would have ...
11am Meet in the βDungeonβ in theΒ Lowndes Emergency Services AnnexΒ of the Court House. Go to the 911 office door and press the 911 call button and tell them you are there for the HAM radio club meeting. Once in go left downstairs then to the right at the end of the hall. See Yβall There!Β
An update a few days ago from the N5J team said that many callers were continuing to use an older version of WSJT-X that wasnβt compatible with the new SuperFox Hound mode that is being used. This, despite considerable pre-DXpedition press informing everyone that the software update would be required.
Apparently, complaints from enough stubborn hold outs are causing the team to capitulate on this point as they just announced:
βIn response to the requests to run normal Fox Hound mode because some stations are having difficulty with the SuperFox mode, effective 00:00 UTC 16 August we will convert one of the two WSJT-X stations to the old Fox Hound methodβ.
I hope the real problem here is propagation related and not that radio amateurs are unable to upgrade their own softwareβ¦
I get mail! Sounds like a cheesy movie title from 20 or so years ago. But I do get inquiries about some of the projects I have published or are shown on my websites or the you tube videos.
There is a recurrent theme in the emails. It goes like this -- I am new to homebrewing, I lack a lot of experience, and I saw your work finally can you help me. I respond and the next email to me is about wanting to build a 100-watt radio using an FPGA, having all bands, all modes and no bigger than a shoe box.Β
Field Programable Gate Array (FPGA)
Given the many projects I have built, N6QW has never programmed or utilized an FPGA in a scratch-built rig. I can't figure out the staggering shift in going from say building a simple Direct Conversion Receiver to essentially replicating an ICOM IC7300 as a 1st project.Β
Thus, I thought this may be a good time to corral some thoughts on what constitutes a good design to start a 1st homebrew project. Just because a design does not have an FPGA does not mean it is not useful or worthy of the effort to build it.
Start small and think simple 1st projects
Use known topologies.
Use standard parts.
Think about rig maintenance (like access).
Think prototype and then a final build.
Make it a single band as a starting place.
Gather information and data on the circuits.
A flashlight and screwdriver are not enough
Build in modules ~ test as you progress.
Keep records and test data
Organize the information so it's useful
Send me the code -- Think when you ask this question --- which code?
Β
We could add a lot more to the list, but the message is clear you have to think like a homebrewer not just say I want to be a homebrewer. Scratch building a project has to start with a mindset about learning stuff -- for when you know stuff you can do stuff.
Those sending emails must be products of the flash the plastic generation. They read the first page of a murder mystery and immediately jump to the last page and miss everything in between.Β
I try to be responsive to requests for assistance but am beginning to believe I should stop. It takes time and my time today is most valuable. In a recent email asking, "send me the code", I suggested the person visit my website and then identify which project. The response back was I looked at a couple of the projects but just send me the code. My time has been wasted!
Many thanks toΒ Christian (IX1CKN)Β who shares the following field report: POTA Friends Meet to Activate IT-0737 by Christian (IX1CKN) With Andrea (IW0HK) in Turin for a few days, it would have been a shame not to use Sunday for a POTA activation, recreating the βMulticountry Roveβ team that participated in the Friedrichshafen Fair. Our chosen destination, β¦ Continue reading Quarter-Wave Conquers: Christian and Andreaβs POTA Success Despite Solar Slumberβ
was the skill to homebrew stuff. And by stuff I mean circuits, receivers, transmitters, accessories and the like. Oh, I can build kits all right - although as I age, my eyes aren't quite what they used to be, and SMD components can send shivers up and down my spine when they are microscopic. I can look at a schematic and make repairs. Heck, I did that for 22 years for a living. But to look at a schematic, and take a bunch of components and build a working whatever? I'm out of my league.
I look at the creations of Dave AA7EE or Bob W3BBO and I just wistfully whistle to myself. To have the prowess and ability to build a receiver or transmitter from scratch, have it work AND look beautiful too? God didn't gift me with that kind of talent.Β And that's OK, I guess. I just muddle around with the few things I can make, which are usually non-electrical and always would look nicer if someone else had built them.Β Β
Which brings me to last night. I needed a solution for my American Morse DCP paddles. I took them with me to FOBB, but stopped using them part ways into the event. I was hand holding them, and my big meaty paws were causing problems. I have the tension and contact spacing set so that this thing feels pretty much like a touch paddle. The problem is that it's so small that when I would hold it in one hand and key with the other, the holding hand would mess things up by accidentally creating extraneous dits and dahs.
I want to use them for the Skeeter Hunt, but realized that I need some kind of base. That would allow me to handle it better. But what could I use? I went down to the shack and started hunting around. I didn't have any wood or metal blocks laying around that would be useful, but then my eyes landed upon and old Velamints tin that had been sitting on the shelf for years. A possibility?
I took a punch and made a tiny hole in the lid. Then I went into my parts drawers looking for a screw and nut skinny enough to go through the hole in the paddle, but long enough to reach into the case. After rummaging around for a while, i found what I needed.
I'll go to a sporting goods store on Saturday and will purchase some of those small and round split bead sinkers that are used for fishing. I'll pour a few packets into the tin and will put some tape around the edges to make sure it never accidentally opens, "spilling the beans" as it were. That should make the base heavy enough for table top use without making it too heavy.
Just like my drive on mast holder, it's no work of art, and it's no ingenious design, but it works and I guess that's all I can ask for.Β
And perhaps I won't even get the chance to use the paddles this Sunday, anyhow. I may just be operating the Skeeter Hunt from the shack, if at all. 91% chance of thunderstorms on Sunday afternoon. Yuck!
The other place I haven't been having any luck is listening for N5J - the Jarvis Island DXpedition. When I get home, they seem to be concentrating on 15 and 17 Meters. Not only can I not hear them, I can't hear the pileup, either!
If you are of a certain age, you started with something like WordStar (or WordPerfect) most likely. Well those who want to continue have built archives to keep you going: https://sfwriter.com/blog/?p=5806 Anyone can have WordStar for DOS 7.0 up and running on a Windows computer in a matter of minutes using this archive; with justβ¦ Continue reading Blast from the Past β WordStar 7.0Β Archive
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Alan Roe, who writes: The BBC World Service βsix-monthβ schedules now seem to have been deleted permanently from the BBCWS website. I have therefore produced my own βat-a-glanceβ schedule listing the BBC WS English programmes on shortwave, which I have now updated to version 1.3. Click here to download [β¦]
Many thanks toΒ SWLing PostΒ contributor and noted political cartoonist,Β Carlos Latuff, who sharesΒ his radio log art of a recent NHK broadcast. Carlos notes: Part of NHK shortwave radio news bulletin about typhoon nΒ° 7 βAmpilβ approaching Japan. Listened yesterday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Click here to view on YouTube.
Up to now I have always used FT8 rather than FT4, especially with QRP.Β FT4 is quicker, but not as sensitive as FT8. I can imagine with Es out of season, FT4 might catch some openings that FT8 might miss.Β
This would apply for other types of propagation too where very brief openings might occur. I can imagine some F2 DX openings might be very fleeting. FT4 might catch these. I am not sure how many monitor FT4, but I imagine far fewer than FT8.Β
One useful future WSJT-X enhancement would be automatic detection of FT8 and FT4 speeds so stations could use either modes in either slots.Β
As you know the facet of amateur radio that I most enjoy is QRP.Β However, I sometimes wonder what having high power, a tower and a big beam would be like.
In a recent 70cm contest I noticed one station working Scotland and France when I could not even hear them! I can imagine that 1000W, a big beam, and a tall tower would certainly help!
I can think of several examples: you ring up (almost any business) to be greeted with an AI message like "say in your own words what you want to talk about". With a poor voice I find it almost impossible to be understood. Many supermarkets are replacing checkouts that have humans with auto-tills where you just scan barcodes. You try to talk to your bank and get sent to a call centre on the far side of the planet where you are just a number. Most website chats are just AI bots, not humans.Β Β It goes on and on.
Human beings like talking with human beings.Β
For some lonely people it is the only human interaction they get. In my view we are going backwards as a society. Less and less we are able to speak with each other.