The K7RA Solar Update

Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: Our sun seems to have fallen back into a very quiet phase, far different from the way it looked in November 2020. That was 6 months ago, and we assumed that since we were emerging from a solar minimum, by now we would be seeing much more solar activity. It hasn’t happened. More recently, sunspots disappeared after May 1, and solar flux naturally declined as wel...

IEEE Committee Webinar “RF Exposure in the Time of Conspiracies” Set for May 12

The IEEE Committee on Man and Radiation (COMAR) has issued an invitation to its webinar, “RF Exposure in the Time of Conspiracies.” The 1-hour event is set to get under way at 1800 UTC on Wednesday, May 12. COMAR is a group of experts on health and safety issues related to electromagnetic fields, from power line through microwave frequency ranges. Its primary focus is on biological effects of n...

First-Time Exam Applicants Must Obtain FCC Registration Number before Taking Exam

Beginning May 20, 2021, all amateur examination applicants will be required to provide an FCC Registration Number (FRN) to the Volunteer Examiners (VEs) before taking an amateur exam. This is necessary due to changes the FCC has made to its licensing system.Amateur candidates who already have an FCC license, whether for amateur radio or in another service, already have an FRN and can use the sa...

Spring Radio Club of America QSO Party is Saturday, May 8

The semiannual Radio Club of America (RCA) QSO Party takes place on May 8. “Band conditions are still not their best but we still expect plenty of QSOs,” RCA Executive Vice President Chip Cohen, W1YW, said. “Come join the fun and contact other club hams and the club’s station, W2RCA. All are welcome.” The QSO party is open to RCA members and non-members and is SSB only. Activity begins at 1800 ...

Very High Speed Club Special Event is Active During May

Special event call sign OZ60VHSC will commemorate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Very High Speed Club (VHSC) on May 1, 1961. Leading the group at its founding were PA0LXL, DL1XA, and DJ4KW, who sought operators who could copy at 40 WPM solid for at least 30 minutes, encouraging CW traffic in general and QRQ (high-speed) traffic in particular. Members sponsor new membership candidat...

Members of the Potomac Valley Radio Club to Activate NSS for Armed Forces Day

Intrepid-DX Group Adds a Second Physician to Bouvet Island DXpedition Team

“Bouvet is like the Mount Everest of DXCC entities,” 3Y0J DXpedition co-leader Paul Ewing, N6PSE, said. “It is among the most challenging entities to activate due to significant transportation costs and personal sacrifices required by the team to make the 42-day round trip. Fortunately, Bouvet is not our first mountain.”Ewing reports that Mike Crownover, AB5EB, a veteran emergency room physicia...

Nationwide Spring Drill Set for May 8, World Red Cross Day

The Red Cross Emergency Communication Training Group is holding its nationwide Spring Drill on World Red Cross Day, Saturday, May 8, 2021. Individuals are invited to participate. Last year, more than 1,000 participated in the initial spring drill.The bar has been raised to Winlink proficiency for this year’s drill. Red Cross forms are integrated as templates in Winlink Express, and hams using W...

Top Amateur Radio Websites - Issue 2117

5 Band Pipe Vertical Antenna, Moxon Beam for 2m, Simple J-Pole for the 2m band, Ham Radio: Using Repeaters, WebSDR Wismar, DARC Contest Calendar, VSPE - Free Serial Port

Top Amateur Radio Websites - Issue 2116

What does 73 mean, G7FEK antenna revisited, Quad Band Inverted V Antenna, ICOM IC-R9500 Review, Arduino si5351 VFO sketch , A QRP Transmatch ATU, Bridgerland Amateur Radio Club

Top Amateur Radio Websites - Issue 2115

Pocket-sized SSB CW RTX for HF Bands, Portable SSB transceiver for 14MHz, The DxDozer, DxCalendar by DXCenter, 40m CW QRPp/QRP transceiver , AGWMorseTrainer, DL4YHF PIC-Keyer

World Amateur Radio Day: At Home But Never Alone

ITU News caught up with Otava Tuomi to learn what ham radio means to him as a young amateur radio operator, and its role - and revival - amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Top Amateur Radio Websites - Issue 2114

Hairpin antenna for 40m band, AGWQSLPrint, Improving Gain of the Super J-Pole Antenna, FreePCB, Linear Loaded 40m Dipole, Coaxial Collinear Antenna for 70 CM Band, 40m loaded dipole, VSP Manager,

ICOM IC-R20

IC-R20 by Icom. Wideband Receiver Professional radioreceiver, allow double receiver, from HF to Microwave, digital recorde, DTCS, Memories and 11 hours countinuous reception.

VHF Bi-Square Beam Antenna

Antennas/2M2 Wavelength ,2 Meter Bi-Square Beam , 5dbd gain. This antennas are very cheeap to build and their radiation pattern is similar to a figure 8 with maximum signal through the loop but they may be used as a near-omnidirectional antenna

Halo Antenna for 50 MHz

Antennas/6MThe antenna described in this article is for 50 MHz, but the design can be scaled for any band, including VHF, UHF, or even the higher HF bands. The antenna is nothing more than a square loop of wire, approximately 30" (or ~76cm) per side. The loop is fed in the middle of one side, and the opposite side to the feed point has a gap in it.