Hamvention Friday opened in the midst of dense fog. Fortunately, the fog burned off before noon.

Attendence seemed high for a Friday with indoor exhibits swamped with amateurs soon after the doors opened at 9AM. The ARRL Expo area drew a substantial crowd with popular activities such as the W1AW 75th anniversary exhibit, the Youth Lounge and spectral purity testing courtesy of the ARRL Lab. Of c...

Since we are now at (or close to) the peak of Solar Cycle 24, it is no surprise that the solar indices are up. The latest forecast predicts Solar Cycle 24 to peak this fall, but that will be determined after the fact, and it will be based on a long running average of sunspot numbers. This past week, the average daily sunspot numbers increased by more than 34 points, rising to 156.1, while the a...

By Stan Horzepa, WA1LOU
Contributing Editor

Here are some online tools to help you answer that question.

As a fan of VHF and UHF operating, I often seek out mountaintop locations so I can work some DX, unimpeded by manmade objects and Mother Nature’s higher hills. And while I appreciate the view, I often wonder how far away the horizon is.

I discovered a great article about this topic years ago and...

CQ magazine announced its 2013 Hall of Fame inductees on May 17, welcoming eight new members into the CQ Amateur Radio Hall of Fame, including former QST Managing Editor Joel Kleinman, N1BKE (SK), who helmed QST from 2001 until his untimely death in 2012. In addition, CQ named two new members to the CQ DX Hall of Fame and two new members to the CQ Contest Hall of Fame.

Kleinman came to the Leagu...

After much testing, the ARRL will release a new version of Trusted QSL, the open-source development project responsible for developing and maintaining the three Logbook of the World (LoTW) client-side applications: TQSL, TQSLCert and the TrustedQSL library. After six weeks of public beta testing, version 1.14 is ready for official release and will be available for download from the ARRL website...

The ARRL’s e-mail service provider is continuing to experience technical issues that are affecting timely delivery of e-mail messages sent via the arrl.net forwarding service, as well as e-mail sent to addresses in the arrl.org domain. This issue remains intermittent, but may result in delaying the delivery of some messages sent to both arrl.net and arrl.org addresses by hours. The ARRL’s e-mai...

The FCC issued a Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture and Order (NAL) on May 14 in the amount of $18,000 to Nathaniel Johnson of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for failing to make his Citizens Band (CB) station available for inspection by the FCC and for failing to comply with the restricted hours of CB station operation.

The FCC first received complaints in January 2012 concerning interferenc...

By H. Ward Silver, N0AX
n0ax@arrl.net

Who can resist taking a long look at the vintage veterans sitting along the aisles of the flea markets? Hey, I’m talking about the radios, not the attendees! “Big iron” is making its comeback with Johnsons and Hallicrafters and Swans shoulder-to-shoulder at the hamfests. Before you test your lumbar regions by lugging one home, you might want to exercise your ...

The February 1984 operation to TI9CCC (Cocos Island) has now been approved for DXCC credit. In the past, radio amateurs who have submitted this operation on a DXCC application had it rejected due to an “incorrect date period.” According to DXCC Manager Bill Moore, NC1L, the date issue has now been resolved: “If you had this operation rejected, and your confirmation falls within February 15-28, ...

At its annual meeting last month, the Yasme Foundation’s Board of Directors elected Ward Silver, N0AX, as its new President. Silver will replace Wayne Mills, N7NG, who has resigned. Mills, founder of DX University, was named as the new DX editor of CQ magazine earlier this year. In recognition of Mills’ many years of service to the Yasme Foundation and DX University, the Yasme Board of Director...

NASA has been doing some exciting explorations of Mars with robots, currently Opportunity and Curiosity, which are maneuvered on the Martian surface by remote control. These robots collect and analyze soil samples and relay the results of these distant experiments back to Earth. While students can learn about these experiments in newspapers, scientific journals, on the Internet or TV, wouldn’t ...

The digital version of the June issue of QST is now available to ARRL members. The digital edition includes many features not available in the print version, such as:

• Watch video overviews of the following shack accessories:
  • ACOM 1500 HF and 6 meter amplifier.
  • Elecraft KAT 500 automatic antenna tuner.
  • Array Solutions AS-419 switched band-pass filters.

Every issue of QST is filled with the news...

This week, the average daily sunspot numbers remained about the same, with the number nudging up from 120.9 to 121.7, while the average daily solar flux numbers went from 136.5 to 137.5. For the past two weeks, the average planetary A index has been the same as the mid-latitude A index. Last week they were both 9.9; this week, both values were 8.

Sunspot numbers for May 2-8 were 102, 139, 156, 1...

By Stan Horzepa, WA1LOU
Contributing Editor

This week, Surfin’ highlights a Morse code kit-building project in an Oregon middle school.

When I was a student, the only technical gadget in the building was a cranky 16 millimeter projector that our teachers used to show films like Hemo the Magnificent and The Unchained Goddess.

Today’s typical classroom is filled with computers, laptops, tablets and -...

By Stan Horzepa, WA1LOU
Contributing Editor

This week, Surfin’ is impressed with a middle school project involving ham radio.

I wish I was back in school again. When I was a student, the only technical gadget in the building was a cranky 16 millimeter projector that our teachers used to show films like Hemo the Magnificent and The Unchained Goddess. I even got to run the projector on occasion.

Toda...

Prominent VHF/UHF/microwave enthusiast Mark Dabish, K8MD, of Howell, Michigan died unexpectedly on May 8. Dabish represented the Great Lakes Division on the ARRL VHF/UHF Advisory Committee and was a strong presence in VHF/UHF contests. Church services will take place at Mother of God Church in Southfield, Michigan on Saturday May 11, 2013 at 1:00 PM with burial to follow at Holy Sepulchre Cemet...

The ARRL’s e-mail service provider is continuing to experience technical issues that are affecting timely delivery of e-mail messages sent via the arrl.net forwarding service, as well as e-mail sent to addresses in the arrl.org domain. This issue remains intermittent, but may result in delaying the delivery of some messages sent to both arrl.net and arrl.org addresses by hours. The ARRL’s e-mai...

As part of the ARRL’s Centennial Celebration in 2014, the ARRL’s Public Relations Committee is sponsoring an “I am the ARRL” video contest. The Committee is looking for pairs of short video clips featuring ARRL members. One clip should show the radio amateur on the radio, while the other should show the amateur in his or her work setting saying “I am (name). I like (radio activity) and I am the...

In early 2012, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski tasked the FCC’s Technological Advisory Council (TAC) to study the role of receivers “in ensuring the efficient use of spectrum and to provide recommendations on avoiding obstacles posed by receiver performance to making spectrum available for new services.” On April 22, 2013, the FCC released a Public Notice (Docket No. ET 13-101), detailing the r...

Four new poll questions have just been published on the QuickStats page on the ARRL website. Let your voice be heard!

Questions in this month’s QuickStats poll:

• Do you own a solid-state or tube-type linear amplifier?
• Where will you be operating during Field Day 2013?
• Do you own a software defined receiver or transceiver?
• Have you participated in any VHF/UHF contests during the last five years?

Vis...