I’m not entirely sure that “eyewitness” is the correct term for attending a virtual event. But I was there, so to speak, and here’s my report.

To Boldly Go Where No Amateur Radio Enthusiast Has Gone Before

OK, it wasn’t quite Star Trek worthy. But it did break some very new ground in amateur radio conferences. After all, many of us are used to living through in-person interactions at Hara Arena in Dayton, Ohio.

This was substantially different. To start there were 26,000+ registered and over 14,000 in attendance during the August 8-9 weekend. No scooters, bad restrooms, or challenged food. But also no direct contact with your buddies, the exhibitors, or tweaking knobs on all the great gear. Read More...

With VHF simplex operation it’s all about finding the other stations for general communication, DXing, or contest QSOs, and there’s no better tool than a spectrum scope for finding those stations. Two great rigs with a built-in spectrum scope covering VHF are the IC-7300 for 6 meters and the IC-9700 for 2 meters, 70 centimeters, and 23 centimeters.

Spectrum Scope

I put those rigs to use in the ARRL January 2020 VHF Contest. You can find the details of my rover setup and operation at VHF Rover Contesting – Truly Moving QSOs. The spectrum scopes and similar operating controls across both rigs were huge during my rover run. It can get very busy during a contest and being able to catch a glimpse of a signal on the scope makes all the difference in finding stations and then getting them into the log. Having similar control setups between the rigs also helps minimize confusion when switching from one rig to the other – the touch screen on both rigs is very, very helpful. Read More...

You may have read my earlier post titled Radio Contesting Journey – HF, VHF, Roving, and wondered about that last category, VHF Roving. Well, here’s more information along with highlights from my recent operation in the ARRL January VHF Contest.

VHF Contesting

VHF contesting is all about exchanging grids and maximizing the number of QSOs you can make on frequencies above 50 MHz. That usually includes 144 MHz, 432 MHz, and well up into the microwaves.

So, what’s a grid? It’s actually officially termed a maidenhead locator grid. This grid pattern divides the earth into ever more specific sections. For example, I’m in grid EM12kv. ‘E’ indicates the longitude field while ‘M’ indicates the latitude field. The ‘1’ narrows it down to longitude square and ‘2’ the latitude square. The ‘kv’ does the same thing for sub squares. You can even add further numbers for an extended square. Read More...

If you haven’t tried satellite operations, I heartily encourage you to check out this amazing yet easily accessed segment of our amateur radio hobby.

Ham Radio Satellites in Orbit

There are currently a number of amateur radio satellites on the air. While it’s no small matter to build and launch a satellite, it is becoming much more common. From piggy-back riding on other satellite launches to getting onto the International Space Station and tossed out the window, so to speak, there are many ways of getting into orbit.

There are two primary types of satellites: FM and SSB/CW satellites. The FM satellites currently include AO-85, AO-91, and AO-92. They use a single uplink channel and downlink channel. You can think of them as repeaters traveling at 17,500 miles per hour at roughly 300 miles above the earth. These three satellites have a 70 cm uplink frequency and 2 m downlink frequency. That means that your transmitter needs to be on 70 cm and receiver on 2 m. It also means that you can listen on 2 meters and hear your own transmitted signal repeated through the satellite. This is called full duplex versus half duplex when you can only hear when you’re not transmitting. Read More...

My contesting began as so many of my journeys begin – a simple entry with a great deal of discovery and learning along the way. Then, as with most of my efforts, I start thinking about changes that eventually become relentless efforts to improve from one contest to the next.

Now this is easy to do with anything in amateur radio. You can always get better and improve your station and your operating techniques. However, with contesting you actually have a report card on your efforts – your score for every contest you enter. Plus, you have a ranking against your fellow competitors. Read More...

My name is Jim and I’m a Magic Band addict. Here’s my story — weaving from Magic to Tragic then back to Magic — and doing so on a limited budget.

The Magic and Tragic Band

6 meters is known as the Magic Band because of all the extraordinary propagation that can happen on this VHF frequency (50 to 54 MHz), which is normally limited to line-of-sight propagation.

It can also be the Tragic Band — when none of this happens and the band is quiet for months at a time. Then all of a sudden one of those magic spells springs forth. That’s where the addiction comes into play! Read More...