I’m not really sure where I found out about the RSGB Logbook: Explorer, but I like it a lot. It’s sort of a British version of my 21 Things to Do After You Get Your Amateur Radio License, but it’s a workbook that hams can print out and then fill up as they go along. Here are the activities included in the RSGB Logbook:
Register online. In this step, the new ham is asked to set up accounts on QRZ.Com, Logbook of the World, the RSGB QSL Bureau, and EchoLink.
Build a wire antenna. This task is to build a simple wire antenna and then describe the antenna.
Make 10 contacts through a repeater and log them.
Make 10 contacts on 2-meter simplex and log them.
Make 10 POTA contacts and log them.
Make 10 Summits on the Air (SOTA) contacts and log them.
Make 10 Bunkers on the Air (BOTA) contacts and log them.
Worked All Britain. Make 10 contacts in 10 different grid squares in Britain and log them.
Use different modes on HF. Make 10 HF contacts using at least two of the following modes: CW, FM, FSTV, FT4, FT8, JS8, JT65, MFSK, packet radio (AX25), PSK31, RTTY, SSB and SSTV; you MUST use at least 2 bands from the following list: 40m, 30m, 20m, 10m.
Make 10 VHF/UHF contacts on any band but 2 meters and log them.
Take the RSGB Quiz. The quiz consists of 10 questions that invites the readers to do a little research on famous radio amateurs and a couple of technical topics.
I think that perhaps for the next edition of 21 Things I’m going to use this format. It’s more interactive, and it just might get more hams to try new things with their licenses. Of course, some of these activities don’t really apply to U.S. hams. The reason for this is that British hams get more HF privileges than U.S. hams, but perhaps I can slant the activities I include to target those things that U.S. hams can do.
And, since everyone likes awards, I’ll design certificate for those that complete 75% of the logbook and submit proof of the activities that they’ve completed.
To see how one ham used the RSGB Logbook: Explorer, read read this article on the RSGB website.
Project TouCans is back up and running! The rig just stopped dead in its tracks during the NAQCC Sprint a few weeks back, and that was that. After two hours of debug and soldering yesterday, it's back.
A few things of note:
The battere was completely dead. The imuto power supplies TouCans uses hold their charge for weeks, so I'm guessing this was the number one issue. But! The battery didn't do it's usual buck supply hum into the radio, (hence me not realizing it was even close to being out of juice.)
The lack of buck supply hum might have been precipitated by the second issue I found. The audio output wire was severed within its insulation. A DC ohmmeter check indicate that there was an open circuit. I'm wondering though, if the wires were close enough together in the insulation if they weren't capactatively coupled, and therefore still producing sound and providing a bit of a filter. I replaced the wire in question, so we may never know. Here are the spots for the rig so far this morning. No backyard QSOs yet.
I finally landed at a quiet tape vs. noise configuration for TouCans on Saturday afternoon. Here’s how.
In the picture above, the wires circled in green include the + and - power wire, (white and red respectively), and the keyer wire, (also red.) When I taped the bundle of wires including the single turn coil shown in the white wire to the side of the can, the noise from the power supply went away. I was left with only noise from the radio, (the kind I want), and a gentle hum from the power supply because it had switched into buck converter mode to step its voltage up to the required 15V! The helicoptering from the Pico-W was also almost gone.
In other parts of the project, the Pico-W has started burning through pairs of AA batteries rather quickly.
I take a look at the 13th revised edition and first English translation of Rothammel’s Antenna book and compare is to the new 25th Edition of the ARRL Antenna Book. Which book stands out as the best?
Recently on the livestream we had a discussion about antenna books, specifically the Rothammel Antenna Book. This substantial tome is frequently called the antenna bible, for its comprehensive scope. Up until recently the book was only available in German, but now an english translation of the 13th edition is available. That translation opens this guide up to a whole new audience and many hams are discovering what a valuable resource it is. We’ll look inside the book in a bit, but first the specs,
Rothammels antenna book is 1600 pages, dimensions are , and it weighs about 4 pounds. The paper has a textured finish and the text is set in 10 point type. This smaller typeface can make it a bit harder to read, so get your reading glasses tuned up for it. Cost of the book is 59 euros. I ordered it online direct from the DARC, the German amateur radio association and with exchange and international shipping, my cost was $87 US dollars.
We’re going to compare that book to the American standard antenna guide, the ARRL Antenna book. The ARRL antenna book has been around since 1939 and the new 25th edition has some pretty substantial updates in it. The latest edition was released in the fall of 2023, so this is the newest guide available. This book is no slouch either, it weighs five pounds, is inches and and has 1120 pages. While the Rothammel guides paper has a duller texture, the ARRL antenna book is a smooth coated paper set in an easier to read 12 point type. The paperback edition is $69.95 and is available direct from the ARRL or from online retailers.
For full disclosure, both books were purchased by me with my own funds.
In perusing the books, you’ll spot some key differences right away, so lets open them up, take a look at the contents and talk about the information inside.
So which book is right for you. Rothammels is certainly more comprehensive with its quantity of antenna styles and variations. The content is direct and too the point. While it may not be comprehensive, it does give you the references and links so you can go off and explore.
On the other hand, the ARRL guide may not catalog such a diversity of antenna styles, the information it has is a bit deeper and well rounded. The ARRL antenna book also offers a substantial amount of electronic content to supplement the printed version and has plans and diagrams for antenna projects you can build.
One thing I’ve noticed between these two books is that the ARRL guide is more of a snapshot of what is the current trend in amateur operation. If you’ve followed past editions of this book, you’ll see content added and content taken away. If a design or style of antenna falls out of popular favor, it may be eliminated or have a diminished presence in the book. That’s one of the reasons why past editions of the antenna guide are still quite popular.
On the other hand, it feels like once an antenna makes its way into Rothammels, its pretty much there to stay. You’ll find information on antennas both old and new and there are some pretty esoteric styles that are covered in the book. Not having any experience with previous editions, as they are all printed in german, that’s my feeling in reading this revised 13th edition. From a research standpoint, this extreme depth is great as you can look up an antenna, search the citations and reference material, and go on from there.
Which may be the biggest comparison between these two books. Rothammels is a starting point, a guide to get you going on a project or antenna design, while the ARRL antenna guide is the one stop shop with theory, design, and plans.
If you are starting out on the journey to build your own antenna systems and want to know more about the theory and design, I’d add the ARRL antenna book to your library.
If you are looking for ready reference, maybe not so much a construction book, then I’d go with Rothammel. Although you can certainly build much of anything thats in the Rothammels guide. It just takes more work to put the formulas, charts, and sketches together into a working antenna. I’ve found Rothammels to be valuable in looking something up, getting a concise overview and working from there. Final word, I think both are excellent books and both are valuable in their own regard. I own previous editions of the ARRL antenna guide and was glad when they finally came out with a new edition this last year. And I’m also glad that an english translation is available for this seminal geman antenna book. I’ll be using both in future antenna projects.
Links may be affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This does not affect the price you pay.
Timestamp 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:23 Rothammels Antenna Book 13th revised edition English 00:01:42 ARRL Antenna Book 25th Edition 00:03:07 Look ARRL Antenna Book 25th Edition 00: 10:40 What’s inside the Rothammels Antenna Book 00:17:51 Which is the best antenna book
Reinisch, B. W., and I. A. Galkin, Global ionospheric radio observatory (GIRO), Earth, Planets, and Space, 63, 377-381, doi:10.5047/eps.2011.03.001, 2011.
I’ve been a member of Facebook for many years, joining since before it became the advertising behemoth it is today. Back then I did make fairly regular use of it to interact with friends and colleagues as well as groups. But my use of it dwindled to reading group posts and posting ‘happy birthday’ messages. But I kept it.
As hobbies changed with time and retirement I joined several new groups. Again, really all I did was read posts.
At some stage during this time I also began to use Messenger. I now find that I rarely get any use out of Facebook and only have two contacts in Messenger that I do not have elsewhere. So I thought it time to get rid of Facebook. That did not go as planned!
First, the Messenger app on the Mac decided it would log me out and I cannot log back in. I get as far as the 2FA challenge where it allegedly sends me a text which never arrives. Three goes at that and I just deleted the app, life is too short.
Then I went into Facebook and after being bounced around between Facebook and the overarching Meta sites I was a given a choice of disabling my Facebook account and keeping Messenger, or deleting my Facebook account – which was my aim – but losing Messenger as well.
Choices, choices… so I’ve disabled it pending contacting my only two Messenger contacts and asking them if they have WhatsApp, Telegram or Signal. Hopefully they do, and Facebook can be assigned to (my) history.
Update: 11/1/24 YES! Both contacts use WhatsApp, so… Facebook deleted. Or it will be after 30 days apparently, in case I change my mind (fair enough, nice to have a cooling off period)
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