A couple of days ago, a reader, who is a “sorter” for the ARRL Incoming QSL Bureau, emailed me about the ARRL’s decision to end funding for the bureaus at the end of this year. In an email dated Friday, June 21, 2024, Bart Jahnke, W9JJ, Radiosport and Regulatory Information Manager, informed the Incoming QSL Bureau managers that the ARRL Board of Directors had decided that the bureaus would have to recoup “their full expenses from shared charges to the participants themselves.”

According to the June 2024 Standard Operating Guidelines for Incoming QSL bureaus, the funding for many expenses, including PO box rental and other postal expenses, office supplies, printing, and mileage, was to have ended on July 31, 20204, but that date has been pushed back to the end of the year.

My reader was a little upset about this because this decision was made with little or no input from the bureau managers, and they were quite caught off guard by this decision. Not only that, the ARRL is putting the entire burden of how to recoup expenses on the bureau managers. In essence, this makes the bureau managers and sorters, not the ARRL itself, the bad guys in this scenario. I told him that this really didn’t surprise me as this kind of thing seems to be standard operating procedure for the ARRL.

My reader was also a little upset that the ARRL will continue to tout the QSL Bureau as a member benefit, when in reality, it’s the members and volunteers that will be footing the bill. When I asked if he had any idea how much this was actually costing the ARRL every year, he didn’t really know.

Honestly, I’m not sure how big a deal this really is. With the advent of Logbook of the World, paper QSLs are slowly becoming a thing of the past, in much the same way that AM phone has become a historic curiosity. Even so, I do sympathize with the volunteers who were not asked for any input and are now expected to squeeze more money out of their users. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the QSL Bureau volunteers quit over this slight from ARRL HQ.

Nor would I be surprised if the ARRL lost some members over the increase in fees. There are always hams out there just looking for an excuse to quit the League. As I’ve said in the past, the ARRL needs to get serious about how to increase membership, not lose membership.

Anyway, what do you think? Are you a QSL bureau user? If so, how do you feel about paying more for the service?  If you’re not a QSL Bureau user, do you think I’m making a big deal about nothing?

Not wanting to waste a glorious day, I had time for a quick activation in the morning and The Buck was the recommendation.

The route is pretty easy, not quite a straight line as I’ve drawn but I parked slightly east on the road and walked up until I met this fence line. A quick march and you can be at the top in 30 minutes. The sub-500m area is pretty boggy and wet, even today when it hasn’t rained in a while. It was a little slow in places, trying to avoid plunging my feet into ankle deep water. The path is also vague at this stage but then becomes more defined within about 1km of the summit.

The weather was amazing, brilliant sunshine, blue skies and not a breath of wind. I was roasting on the way up!

Even at the top the wind was minimal, and I’ve never seen my carbon-6 stand so straight at a summit before! I made use of the nice clear hole in the trig point and put the mast in it with the slim g on top. I could see for miles and miles!

I was hoping it would be a quick activation on 2m, as I needed to get back home by lunchtime, and this summit would cover a huge area. Back from his hols in Barbados, MM0EFI was first in the log. After 5 minutes, Bill in Aberdeen, GM0NRT, called back, and whilst we were talking I heard another station call. This time it was GM0UDL up in Fortrose, just north of Inverness who had seen my Lora tracker being picked up by GM4SJB (even further north!). He told me about his lora setup and how everyone around that area has setup iGates and DMR repeaters. Sounds like a great setup they have. Not long afterwards my fourth 2m contact, needed to qualify the summit, came from GM8ZKU across to the east by the coast. Again, another nice QSO with Simon for the first time. Time was getting on and I did need to be back home, I tried on more CQ but then called it a day.

I

had a quick look around for the ancient engravings but couldn’t find them. It was a quick walk back down the hill to the car. I’d forgotten about the sogginess but managed to escape with dry feet.

When I got home I looked up the Lora tracking on EA2RCF’s mapping page, and was surprised to see just how far away GM4SJB’s receiving igate was! It had also tracked me nearly the whole route up and down, which I then realised was me walking the county boundaries. The power on the tracker is tiny and the antenna isn’t amazing but this time it all worked well. I’ve been carrying it with me on most summits but there haven’t been any igates nearby that have picked me up.

A nice quick 4-pointer summit - I’m beginning to think Morven is a brutal 4-pointer! - although not for a wet day, or post a lot of rain. The summit is quite exposed, although maybe you could find some shelter depending on the wind direction. It’s a popular summit to do with Tap O’Noth, as that’s just a few miles away, however, I just didn’t have time on this occasion. Maybe they’ll be a good combo next year during the winter bonus period.

Michael “Mike” D. Valentine, W8MM, of Cincinnati, Ohio, passed away on Monday, September 16, 2024. He was 74. Mike and his wife of 51 years, Margaret “Peg” K. Valentine, have been the most generous individual supporters of ARRL The National Association of Amateur Radio. Valentine earned his amateur radio license as a teenager. “I was first licensed as WN8MSF and WA8MSF, simultaneously in the sp...

Beginning January 1st, Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB) will no longer offer paper based...

1494 2155 Coast FM via relay. SINPO 24432.
1611 1800 Mike Radio. SINPO 33433.
1621 1823 Radio Turftrekker. SINPO 34333.
1629 1940 Radio Spakenburg. SINPO 34433.
1633 1821 Radio Babylona. SINPO 34333.
1642 1812 Marskramer Radio. SINPO 24432.
1665 1828 Radio Tarzan. SINPO 44333.
1673 1931 Radio Armada. SINPO 34433.
4875 2002 Radio Akenzo. SINPO 54444.
5010 1745 Radio JVG. SINPO 24332.
5880 1954 Radio Rock Revolution. SINPO 54444.
6290 1730 Radio Lowland. SINPO 44333.
6895 1806 Zeppelin Radio (pres). SINPO 24332.

As mentioned before, one of the things I like about 365project (NOT at all connected with Microsoft) is seeing places I am never likely to visit, such as this view from a friend in these far-flung islands between Scotland and Iceland.

This article focus on the radiation angle of vertical antennas and the fundamentals ... - Listed in Antennas/Theory

Regarding current media reports Earlier today in worldwide media, there have been reports that two-way...

Please join us this evening at 7:00PM on the 147.090 repeater, for our monthly Meeting-on-the-Air!

On the agenda, we’ll be covering minutes from last week’s meeting, share some updates, and talk about some upcoming activities, such as the Maine QSO Party and Simulated Emergency Test (SET).

As always, if you have HF capabilities, you’re welcome to join us on 28.455 USB for the After Net, immediately following our net on the repeater.

See you there!

73,

Tim Watson KB1HNZ

The Japanese electronics manufacturer Icom said it stopped making the walkie-talkie model in 2014 and has warned about fake versions for several years

It  seems amazing that I have been retired from Sepura for 16 years now! These days I am totally out of touch, but they seemed to have moved on a lot. 

An update on the RSGB strategic priorities We have been reporting on the RSGB strategic priorities every month since January 2024. As well as appearing in RadCom, each update is published on the website so they can all be seen in one place. Head to RSGB strategic priority updates. RSGB members will be aware that […]

There are a lot of exciting things happening on the DX Engineering Facebook page and DX Engineering YouTube channel. Make sure to check in from time to time for product reviews, ham radio news, overviews of the latest equipment, and interviews put together by DX Engineering for the benefit of the ham radio community.

One of the most popular shows is the Manufacturer’s Showcase hosted by Tim Duffy, K3LR, CEO of DX Engineering. Tim has interviewed dozens of representatives from the manufacturers whose products you’ll find available at DXEngineering.com. You can listen to these insightful interviews live and send questions in real-time Thursdays at 2:30 pm ET or visit YouTube to watch the archived videos, along with hundreds of other videos from DX Engineering—everything from instructional presentations on weatherproofing coaxial connectors to FM satellite etiquette.

Also, don’t miss Tim’s Weekend Special on Facebook Fridays at 4 pm ET, featuring interviews with hams on rare DXpeditions, innovators in the amateur radio community, youth operators, and more.

Today, we’re excited to feature K3LR’s interview with Ray Novak, N9JA, senior sales manager at Icom America.

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Here are some of the highlights:

• Details about the upgraded Icom ID-52A PLUS VHF/UHF Multi-Function D-STAR Handheld Transceiver with enhanced Bluetooth, dual operation of terminal mode and simplex/repeater operations, and updated USB-C charging/data port for faster connections and charging.
• News about the very cool 60^th Anniversary Limited Edition model of the ID-52A PLUS with metallic-colored body, exclusive embossed hand strap, and commemorative box.

(Please check on the availability of the ID-52A PLUS and Limited Edition model at DXEngineering.com.)

• The plug-and-play reliability of the IC-905 VHF/UHF/SHF All Mode Base/Portable Transceiver for super high frequency operating and all the fun you can have on the microwave bands, POTA activations included. You can watch a great overview by Michael, KI8R, of the IC-905 on the DX Engineering YouTube channel.
• IC-905 accessories: 2.4 GHz, 5.6 GHz, and 10 GHz colinear antennas; and 10 GHz parabolic antenna

Visit DXEngineering.com for the full lineup of Icom products, including the IC-705 HF/50/144/430 MHz All Mode Portable Transceiver, AH-705 Antenna Tuner, SP-38 Base Station Speaker, and more.

The post Icom USA’s Ray Novak, N9JA, Discusses an Upgraded Icom HT and the Fun of the IC-905 (Video) appeared first on OnAllBands.

The Big Kansas Coil is a lightweight, portable, and durable base loaded vertical antenna system that when paired with a telescoping whip operates on the 6 through 80 meter ham radio bands. This coil offers some innovative features, including: 3D printed construction out of engineering grade materials, integrated coil scale, easy to use adjustment collar, and a wider diameter coil than anything else on the market.

The Big Kansas Coil: https://bigkansascoil.com/
HF Manpack Collapsible 7 Element Whip Antenna: https://amzn.to/4epr3zh
MFJ-1979 telescoping whip antenna: https://amzn.to/3Vv6Dfv

So what makes the big Kansas Coil different than other base loaded coils? First off is the construction. This coil is entirely 3D printed out of engineering grade Glass and Carbon Fiber filled Nylon material. This coil is lightweight and durable. The material is weather and heat resistant so this antenna is rated for up to 100 watts digital modes with a 50% duty cycle.

The second is its size, or diameter of the coil. This coil is wider than anything else on the market. In building loading or inductance coils, the diameter of the coil will affect the Q or quality factor. Narrow coils will have a very high Q and extremely sharp bandwidth on the lower bands. If you make the coil wider, the Q is reduced and you end up with more bandwidth. I’ll demonstrate what that means a bit later in this video.

As a bonus, patrons can view the unedited phone contacts for this POTA activation. Visit my page on Patreon for details: https://www.patreon.com/kb9vbrantennas

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Links may be affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This does not affect the price you pay.

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The post Is bigger better? The Big Kansas Coil Vertical Antenna System appeared first on KB9VBR Antennas.

N8DL will be active as VP2MMM from Montserrat Island, IOTA NA - 103, 23 - 29 October 2024.

IK8UND will be active again from Corsica Island, IOTA EU - 014, in CQ WW DX SSB Contest, 26 - 27 October 2024 as TK9R.

 

Just 5 English spots of my 2.5W 6m FT8 so far today.  See map.