I’m a big fan of HamRadioDeluxe (HRD). All of my logged QSOs go into it. QSL chores are much easier by having all of your contacts in an easily searchable database. As a software engineer, I delayed jettisoning paper logs for far too long. There’s no going back now for me. Despite buying to HRD, […]
For the FT4 and FT8 digital modes, like in comedy, timing is everything. If your computer clock is even one second off from other stations you are intending to work your signal strength will suffer. A difference of a couple of seconds may mean you are not decoding any signals at all. The importance of […]
Despite being the size of the state of Montana, Japan packs 125 million people into hundreds of cities. With a large Amateur Radio population the Japan Amateur Radio League (JARL) came up with the Japan Century Cities Award (JCC). To qualify for the entry level award you need to confirm contacts with Japanese hams in […]
The Valley of the Moon Amateur Radio Club (VOMARC) held its annual picnic in Sugarloaf Ridge State Park for the second time on September 22, 2024. Darrel (WD6BOR) expertly manned the grill and produced a non-stop output of hamburgers and hotdogs for all interested. As if that wasn’t enough, the food table contained a wide […]
Like the United States, Japan divides up their nation into ten geographical areas and assigns each a digit used to create their Amateur Radio callsigns. The FT4 Digital Mode Club‘s (FT4DMC) rewards Hams who make contact with at least one station in each of those call areas using FT4. The JCA is an award synonym […]
England is the most populous entity within the United Kingdom. For Amateur Radio purposes, like in Soccer/Football, it’s treated as a separate country. The FT8 Digital Mode Club (FT8DMC) offers the Worked English Stations Award (WESA) for making contact with a given number of different English stations. The entry point for the first award is […]
During their August 2024 meeting, the Valley of the Moon Amateur Radio Club (W6AJF) held a 2M Yagi antenna build event. The club’s President, Ed (W1EJ), ensured all of the needed parts were provided. Several members brought soldering irons and other tools that were needed to complete the work. In the end, everyone interested was […]
Here are some of the more interesting QSL Cards I’ve received over the last couple of months leading into August 2024. I also received a nice card for 7P8EI in Lesotho from CW and SSB contacts 17M and 15M respectively. Strangely though, my scanner would not scan the card without a weird anomaly showing up […]
China’s economy has risen over the decades, and so has its population of Radio Amateurs. I recall starting out in Ham Radio in the 1980’s and China was a rare find on the bands. That’s no longer the case. The European ROS Club (ERC) issues the Worked Different Amateur Radio – China award to Hams […]
South America has 12 nations, 3 territories and a few other DXCC entities thrown in for good measure. The Worked Different Amateur Radio – South America Award from the European Ros Club rewards Hams who make contact with at least 50 different stations on the continent. There are a good number of Hams in South […]