Last December, students from the Advanced Technology Group of the Harbor Creek School District in Harborcreek, Pennsylvania, got the rare opportunity to talk with European Space Agency astronaut Andreas Mogensen, KG5GCZ, who was operating from the International Space Station (ISS). The event drew a great deal of attention, shining a spotlight on the young hams who did such a stellar job representing the bright future of amateur radio.
This May, members of the enthusiastic group were treated to another exciting opportunity to experience the best in amateur radio—an up-close look at one of the world’s premier contesting sites. Tim Duffy, K3LR, DX Engineering CEO, hosted the students at his superstation, where the young hams could see the antennas, transceivers, and other equipment that have been used by world-class teams to produce record-breaking scores in high-profile contests.
Joining Tim, K3LR, were Scott Jones, N3RA, DX Engineering sales manager; Colleen Campbell, KB8VAQ, a science teacher at Columbiana High School in Columbiana, Ohio; her daughter Katie Campbell, KE8LQR, who was a participant in the 2023 Dave Kalter Memorial Youth DX Adventure at K3LR; Drew Mortensen, AC3DS, and Allen Lombardozzi, KC3TGY, from Harbor Creek Senior High; and Elaine LaFuria, KC3SFY, from Harbor Creek Junior High.
“Thank you for this great opportunity for our students. They absolutely loved this trip today. Drew, Elaine, and I really appreciate all you did for our club today. This was such a great learning experience for them and us.”
Allen, KC3TGY, from the DX Engineering Facebook page
From all of us at DX Engineering and OnAllBands, best of luck to the Advanced Technology Group as you explore new worlds of opportunity through amateur radio. 73!
The 2024 DX Engineering Amateur Radio Products Catalog—packed with 132 pages of the latest equipment and tried-and-true gear from more than 175 manufacturers—is now available! Time to discard your 2023 dog-eared copy and bask in the glory of a sharp-edged new catalog, perfect for reading just about anywhere—on vacation, in the shack, or in the comfort of your favorite chair. If you haven’t received yours yet, visit DXEngineering.com and request a copy, or view the digital version online.
(Image/DX Engineering)
New Products from Leading Manufacturers
This year’s catalog is loaded with new offerings from top brands, including RigExpert, Alinco, Icom, Yaesu, Kenwood, Chameleon, Consolidated Wire, VA6AM, VE2DX, Carlson Communications, 4O3A, Par EndFedz, FlexRadio Genius Solutions, DIEX Antennas, Bioenno Power, Ham Radio Deluxe software, and many others. Just look for the NEW! icon in each section of the catalog.
Exclusive Brands
Also look for gear sold exclusively in North America through DX Engineering: OM Power amplifiers, DX Commander antennas, Ciro Mazzoni automatic magnetic loop antennas, Phonema speakers and acoustic modification kits, ACOM amplifiers, Kelemen antennas, HA8DU tuners, microHAM rotator controllers, diverse products from WiMo, AlexLoop portable loop antenna systems, OptiBeam Yagis, and many others.
Besides the fun you’ll have planning station upgrades, the 2024 edition of the catalog comes with a vital message from DX Engineering CEO Tim Duffy, K3LR: Now is an important time to give back to the hobby that has given us so much throughout our lives. The cover features photos of some of the ways DX Engineering gives back, including DXpeditions (e.g., TX5S Clipperton Island, H40WA Temotu Province, 8R7X Guyana) and youth contesting opportunities that were supported by DX Engineering.
In honor of the catalog’s release, OnAllBands would like to recognize the active operators at DX Engineering and the many hams worldwide who go out of their way to put the concept of “giving back” into practice.
To encourage others to follow suit, we present “10 Ways You Can Give Back to Amateur Radio”:
Become a Volunteer Examiner. Imagine the satisfaction of playing a key role in helping others join the noble ranks of ham radio operators.
Get involved in EMCOMM. Being part of an EMCOMM organization (RACES, ARES, storm spotting) and serving the communication needs of your community during a disaster is one of the most fulfilling ham radio activities. It could even save lives.
Make a difference as a member of your amateur radio club. Just being a member is only part of the equation. Take the time to serve as an Elmer to less experienced hams who may need your expertise but are perhaps too hesitant to ask for it. Patiently answer questions and offer wise guidance. Remember, you were a novice once too.
Donate to DXpeditions. You don’t have to be a company like DX Engineering to make an impact for operators hoping to activate IOTA and DXCC entities for the benefit of the ham radio community. Every donation makes a difference, and you’ll feel good knowing that you helped make a bunch of ATNOs possible—maybe even one for yourself!
Support youth operators. This is a cause at the top of DX Engineering’s must-do list, and there are a number of ways you can get involved: donate gear to help build school stations and offer your mentorship to help grow stellar operators; contribute to youth DXpeditions; get involved in Jamboree on the Air (JOTA); reach out to schools about the value of including ham radio as part of STEM curriculums; volunteer to do ham radio presentations to youth organizations, 4-H clubs, places of worship, etc.; introduce your own kids or grandkids to ham radio during ARRL Kids’ Day; and the list goes on.
Reintroduce a friend to ham radio. We hear it all the time at DX Engineering: “I haven’t operated a radio in thirty years. I have no idea where to begin.” Be that person to patiently help a ham rediscover the magic of getting on the air.
Join the ARRL. If you haven’t done so already, you should. The minimal annual fee supports an organization that has passionately advocated for the interests of operators everywhere since 1914. Plus, you receive many educational benefits that can add to your enjoyment of getting on the air. Join today!
Support not-for-profit organizations like INDEXAand HamSCI. The volunteer-run INDEXA (International DX Association) has been dedicated to making DX possible since its establishment in 1983. The group has sponsored hundreds of DXpeditions to rare and semi-rare entities, in addition to combining radio activity with humanitarian pursuits. HamSCI, the Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation, promotes advanced scientific research through amateur radio activities, encourages the development of new technologies, and provides educational opportunities for the amateur radio community and general public.
Play by the rules…and accept that there are many ways to be a ham. One of the easiest ways to give back as a ham is to be a good operator. Play by the rules when contesting. Adhere to proper etiquette when chasing DX or using a repeater. How you present yourself on the air matters and can be the difference between another operator having a positive or negative experience. Take this a step further by imparting your operating wisdom to new operators. And finally, understand that there are many roads one can take on the ribbon-like highway of ham radio interests. Not every avenue may be the path you prefer, but that’s okay. We’re all hams, so lift up your fellow operators whenever you possibly can.
OnAllBands is pleased to announce that Tim Duffy, K3LR, DX Engineering CEO, has been inducted into the CQ Amateur Radio Hall of Fame in recognition of his lifetime of contributions to the amateur radio service and his fellow hams.
(Image/DX Engineering)
This latest accolade follows a long list of accomplishments for Tim since first becoming licensed more than 50 years ago, including his induction into the CQ Contest Hall of Fame in 2006; chairing Contest University for 15 years; moderating the Hamvention Antenna Forum for 40 years; hosting scores of contesters at his K3LR superstation; being awarded Hamvention Amateur of the Year in 2015 and the YASME Excellence Award in 2016; and his ongoing support of numerous youth operator activities and DXpeditions. You can read Tim’s full bio here.
“I am extremely honored to join the prestigious list of amateur radio operators who have earned this distinction. My most sincere thanks to everyone on the selection committee who helped to make this possible, my colleagues at DX Engineering, and those in the ham radio community who continue to keep amateur radio vital and thriving—today and for generations to come.
It is my greatest privilege to share the bands with you. I look forward to continuing to give back to the hobby that has given me so much over my lifetime on the air.”
Tim Duffy, K3LR
K3LR joins these 2024 CQ Amateur Radio Hall of Fame inductees:
Joachim Kraft, DL8HCZ/CT1HZE, of Hamburg, Germany, publisher of “DUBUS” magazine; and Richard A. Ross, K2MGA, president of CQ Publishing who passed away on April 27, 2024, at age 84.
Last year it became illegal to use or hold a cell phone or electronic device in your hand, lap, or other part of the body while driving on Ohio roads. If an officer sees a violation, they can pull you over. Drivers over 18 years old can make or receive calls via hands-free devices, including a speakerphone.
Ohio’s new distracted driving law can be found in Section 4511.204 of the Ohio Revised Code. It started in April 2023 with only warnings issued. Full enforcement of the law began in October 2023. Penalties can consist of:
First offense in two years: two points assessed to driver’s license, up to a $150 fine*
Second offense in two years: three points assessed to license, up to a $250 fine
Third or more offenses in two years: four points assessed to license, up to a $500 fine, possible 90-day suspension of driver’s license
Fines doubled if the violation occurs in a work zone
* Completion of a distracted driving course can help avoid fines and points.
(Image/Ohio.gov)
So how does this affect ham radio? After all, there is an electronic device in your hand when you are talking on a speaker microphone to a mobile transceiver. Well, I present to you:
(1) “Electronic wireless communications device” includes any of the following:
(a) A wireless telephone
(b) A text-messaging device
(c) A personal digital assistant
(d) A computer, including a laptop computer and a computer tablet
(e) Any device capable of displaying a video, movie, broadcast television image, or visual image
(f) Any other substantially similar wireless device that is designed or used to communicate text, initiate or receive communication, or exchange information or data
An “electronic wireless communications device” does not include a two-way radio transmitter or receiver used by a person who is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission to participate in the amateur radio service.
-Section (H) (1) from Section 4511.204 of the Ohio Revised Code
The last paragraph in Section (H)(1) specifically calls out amateur radio as an exception!
You might want to keep a copy of your FCC amateur radio license in your vehicle and maybe even a copy of the section above that exempts licensed amateur radio operators. Law enforcement has a lot of rules to remember, and this is just a good way to help yourself if an incident occurs.
Questions? Share them in the comments below or email me at KE8FMJ@gmail.com
Editor’s note: Ohio joins many other states with similar restrictions. According to the Governors Highway Safety Association, 34 states—along with U.S. territories—prohibit all drivers from using handheld cell phones while driving; 49 states ban text messaging for all drivers. Mobile operators are advised to check their own state’s driving distraction laws for wording regarding use of ham radio devices.
The 100% RIB (Rig in a Box) N5J operation from the Jarvis Island National Wildlife Refuge, one of the rarest DXCC entities on the planet, is scheduled for a two-week run from August 5-20, 2024. The operating team will consist of Don Greenbaum, N1DG; Mike Snow, KN4EEI; Tomi Pekarik, HA7RY; and Rig in a Box innovator George Wallner, AA7JV. All four operators were also part of the DX Engineering-sponsored Baker Island KH1/KH7Z DXpedition in 2018.
Uninhabited Jarvis Island, which features a dried lagoon where guano deposits were mined in the nineteenth century, is an unincorporated, unorganized U.S. territory administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) of the U.S. Department of the Interior as part of the National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) system. Jarvis was declared a NWR in 1974. In 2009, President George W. Bush designated Jarvis Island as part of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument. It is 1,305 nautical miles south of Honolulu.
Incredibly Rare
How rare is a Jarvis Island activation? Very is an understatement. Consider that it hasn’t been active since the April 1990 AH3C/KH5J DXpedition, which logged 55,000 QSOs over ten days. The only other time Jarvis has been QRV was AD1S/KH5 in November 1983—the first time this 1.7-square-mile coral island in the South Pacific was on the air. AD1S/KH5 recorded 16,800 QSOs, which, when added to the QSOs made during the last DXpedition there 34 years ago, doesn’t amount to a mountain of contacts. But because Jarvis Island is a dual entity with the rare but more frequently visited Palmyra Atoll—about 450 miles to the northwest—Jarvis/Palmyra ranks as #18 globally and #9 in Europe on Clublog’s Most Wanted List. Read this fascinating article by Hal, W8HC, about some of Palmyra’s history and the DX Engineering-supported K5P January 2016 DXpedition to the atoll.
Why So Rare?
It’s no secret in the ham community that getting permission from government gatekeepers to put boots—as well as antennas, tents, and other gear—on wildlife protected locales like Jarvis has been a challenge, to say the least. The Rig in a Box concept, which allows hams to operate remotely through self-contained stations set up on land, seems to be finding a more receptive audience with those who make the decisions regarding whether or not to permit DXpeditions to highly restricted lands.
In the case of Jarvis, government entities also wanted to ensure that the mission of the wildlife refuge was compatible with the mission of the ham radio operators. After negotiations that began in 2021, assurances that the DXpedition would have limited environmental impact, and the decision to combine N5J’s ham radio activity with scientific research, the team was granted a Special Use Permit for operation on the reserve.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service notes that the Jarvis Island National Wildlife Refuge is home to numerous shore and seabirds, including the brown booby, masked booby, red-footed booby, and blue-gray noddy; more than 250 species of fish; manta rays; sea turtles; and “some of the most remote coral reefs in the world,” per its website.
N5J organizers hope a successful activation of Jarvis Island will open the door for other rare DXpeditions in which leaving a minimal footprint is an imperative. N5J plans to have six RIB stations on the island—two for local operation from a boat and the others for remote operation through multiple operators around the world via Starlink. Chasers will be able to reach operators on 160-6M in SSB, CW, and FT8.
From the Jarvis DXpedition website: “The use of the RIB concept and our agreement to take three scientists with us to allow USFWS to conduct needed research on the island were the factors making this possible. Our organization wishes to thank the management of the Pacific Remote Marine National Monument for their efforts in making this possible.”
For much more about the Rig in a Box concept, watch Tim Duffy, K3LR, DX Engineering CEO, interview RIB creator and N5J operator AA7JV:
For up-to-date details about Jarvis Island N5J, visit their official website.
DX Engineering Lends Its Support
In DX Engineering’s ongoing mission to stand beside hams who are putting rare DXCC entities on the air, the company contributed a range of gear to complement the RIB setups:
Look for many more details at OnAllBands about Jarvis Island N5J in the days ahead. And stay tuned—OnAllBands will be featuring the equally rare one-operator (FT4GL) activation of Glorioso Islands, May 24-June 19, later this month. The 160-6M operation will include the use of VA6AM band pass filters provided by DX Engineering.
Sometimes we come across a video at OnAllBands that is simply too good not to share with our readers. Today’s video spotlight is just that—a six-minute confirmation that amateur radio, even in this age of smartphones and a million other shiny distractions, can still capture the imaginations of young people, the techies who will one day carry the torch for our beloved hobby. If you’ve ever wondered about the future of amateur radio, prepare to be inspired. Better yet, the segment below exposed a national audience to just how cool amateur radio can be.
On December 11 of last year, longtime television journalist Harry Smith and a film crew from NBC’s Today Show was on hand at Harbor Creek High School in Harborcreek, Pennsylvania, to document the moment when sophomore Giles Veit, KC3SRK—to hearty applause from students, teachers, and guests in the packed gym—made contact with European Space Agency astronaut Andreas Mogensen, KG5GCZ, commander of the International Space Station. During the 10-minute QSO with the ISS, multiple participants from the school’s Advanced Technology Group—students ranging from seventh to twelfth grade— asked Mogensen (below) questions.
Students in the group raised money to purchase the equipment (some of it from DX Engineering) needed to make the contact. The group plans to visit amateur radio super station K3LR this summer. From all of us at OnAllBands and DX Engineering, congratulations to everyone involved! Now enjoy the video—and see if you can spot the DX Engineering logo which pops up throughout.
You can watch the entire event thanks to this video from ARISS (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station).
For most people in the path of totality, the April 8 Great American Eclipse was likely a once-in-a-lifetime experience. (Only residents in southern Illinois were in the path of totality for both the 2017 and 2024 eclipses). In case there is still someone out there who is unfamiliar, a total solar eclipse happens—as it did earlier this month—when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, completely blocking the face of the Sun. The sky darkens as if it were dawn or dusk. The next total solar eclipse that will be visible in the U.S. (only in Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota) will be in August 2044.
But what does this have to do with amateur radio? Many emergency communication agencies had been planning for the 2024 eclipse for years. I recall first talking about it during the last one in 2017.
From an emergency perspective, the main takeaway from 2017 was to expect a large number of out-of-town viewers to come into the region prior to the start of the event, followed by a mass exodus once the eclipse concluded—also, to expect traffic jams and delays.
The Emergency Operations Centers (EOC) of many Ohio counties staffed for the eclipse along with EMCOMM volunteers who were placed in strategic locations. There were formal and informal nets on many repeaters during the event. Some EMCOMM volunteers did not deploy to any specific location but reported from wherever they happened to be, similar to a SKYWARN activation.
Some of the things the EOCs wanted reports about included:
Life safety issues: Accidents with injuries, medical incidents, etc. particularly if cell service was disrupted in that area
Traffic congestion, especially on side roads, as the Department of Transportation would probably track the interstates pretty well. Reports of disabled vehicles (accidents, out of gas/out of charge, mechanical issues) if they were impacting traffic flow
Infrastructure items such as power outages, water main breaks, etc.
Any previously undefined incident that should be reported
Total Solar Eclipses: 2017 vs. 2024:
August 21, 2017
April 8, 2024
Population in path
12 million
32 million
Max Duration
2 min 40.2 secs
4 min 28.1 secs
Path width
71 miles
124 miles
Emergency organizations identified concerns that needed to be addressed:
Community Events
Areas with increased population
Allowing access to public restrooms
Acquiring and distributing viewing glasses
Planning Traffic Flow Coordination for Critical Infrastructure, including EOC activation to coordinate with response partners
Information Coordination
Advising residents of recommended actions prior to the eclipse (groceries, gas, etc.)
Encouraging travelers to have backups for data-dependent services (maps, cash)
Providing lists of community events, hotels, gas stations, grocery stores, and restaurants for visitors
The years of planning in Ohio must have paid off because very few issues were reported, and the Great American Eclipse was a great success!
Questions? Share them in the comments below or email me at KE8FMJ@gmail.com.
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