I was sad to hear about the demise of CQ Magazine earlier this year. Somewhat heartening was the fact that the CQ contests appeared to continue without much of a hiccup. That was due to a team of volunteers at the World Wide Radio Operators Foundation (WWROF), who took up the banner and keep some […]
Here are some of the more interesting QSL Cards that I’ve received in my Inbox over the last couple of months through November 2024. I’ve only worked two Andorran stations the entire time I’ve been licensed. So I was happy to receive this QSL Card from C31CA for a contact on 20M using FT8. This […]
Asia is the most populous continent on the planet. It’s also home to Japan, which has one of the largest Radio Amateur populations in the world. So there are a lot of potential contacts to be made. The FT8 Digital Mode Club (FT8DMC) issues the Asia Stations Award (ASSA) for working at least 100 different […]
The Arab speaking world straddles the African and Asia continents. In 1945 several Arabic countries formed the Arab League to draw its members closer and foster cooperation. Today there are 22 member states. The FT8 Digital Mode Club (FT8DMC) sponsors the Arab League Award (ALA) for working Amateur Radio stations residing within those countries. The […]
Maidenhead Grids are not just for VHF/UHF anymore. The FT8 Digital Mode Club (FT8DMC) offers the Worked Grid Award (WGA) for Amateur Radio operators who make contact with other stations in at least 100 different grids. Although 100 grids sounds like a onerous task. But with the FT8 digital mode it’s a goal easily achievable […]
China has a growing economy and a growing number of Amateur Radio operators. It’s a very different landscape than in the mid 1980’s when I was first licensed, when finding a Chinese station was a rare event. The YB6 DXC Digital Modes Club (YB6DXC) issues the WDM China award for working a minimum of just […]
As an American Ham Radio operator, there’s nothing easier than working other American stations. So there may be no easier award to chase after than one which only requires making contacts with stateside stations. The Worked Different Amateur Radio – USA award, from the European Ros Club (ERC), does just that. The first certificate in […]
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 HRD some […]
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 […]