Category Archives: Ham Radio

RSGB and RAC 2020 conferences online with free registration

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Both the Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) and Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB) will hold their 2020 annual conferences online and open to the public.

Check out press releases for both evens below:

RAC Canada 2020 Conference and Annual General Meeting

Radio Amateurs of Canada is pleased to welcome all Amateurs to the RAC Canada 2020 Conference which will be held on  Sunday, September 20 before the RAC Annual General Meeting.

There is no registration fee for this event and registration is now underway.

Canada 2020 Conference Overview:

The  RAC Canada 2020 Conference  is an interactive mini-conference that will feature interesting presentations on a wide range of topics as shown below. Whether you are a new Amateur or have been enjoying Amateur Radio for many years there will be something of interest for you to discover.

Given the great response we have received, we have now decided to extend the schedule to include a keynote presentation followed by three sessions.

Each session will have multiple presentations so that participants can choose those presentations that are of most interest to them. In addition, all sessions will be recorded for viewing later so you won’t miss out if two of your favourites take place at the same time.

  • Keynote presentation: 12 noon to 12:50 pm ET
  • First session (4 presentations): 1 pm to 1:50 ET
  • Second session (4 presentations): 2 pm to 2:50 ET
  • Third session (3 presentations): 3 pm to 3:50 ET

The Annual General Meeting will then begin after the Conference at 4 pm ET.

Conference Presentations and Schedule:

The following is a list of presentations and the schedule of events.

Keynote Presentation: 12 noon to 12:50 pm ET

“A Fireside Chat”: “Amateur Radio during the Global Pandemic and other topics”

An informal discussion featuring the following distinguished guests:

  • Glenn MacDonell, VE3XRA: President, Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC  –  Moderator)
  • Tim Ellam, VE6SH: President, International Amateur Radio Union (IARU)
  • Rick Roderick, K5UR: President, American Radio Relay League (ARRL)
  • Steve Thomas, M1ACB: General Manager, Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB)

In these unprecedented times, this is an excellent  –  and possibly historic opportunity  –  to engage in a discussion on the challenges we face today and the future of Amateur Radio.

First session: 1 pm to 1:50 pm ET

  • Getting Started with Amateur Radio Satellites  –  Tom Schuessler, N5HYP
  • Amateur Radio and Youth  –  Brian Jackson, VE6JBJ
  • Amateur Radio Challenges in Canada’s North  –  Ron Thompson, VE8RT and Angela Gerbrandt, VY0YL
  • CY9C St. Paul Island DXpedition  –  Phil McBride, VA3QR

Second session: 2 pm to 12:50 pm ET

  • 6m FT8 DXing  –  Ron Scwhartz, VE3VN
  • Contesting: Remote Operating  –  Cary Rubenfeld, VE4EA and Tom Haavisto, VE3CX
  • VO2AC: Contest DXpedition to Labrador (CQ Zone 2)  –  Chris Allingham, VE3FU/VO2AC
  • Amateur Radio Hotspots: A Quick Overview  –  Allan Boyd, VE3AJB

Third session: 3 pm to 3:50 pm ET

  • La proposition d’une classe d’entrée pour les radioamateurs (en français)  –  Guy Richard, VE2QG/VE2XTD
  • Amateur Radio: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow  –  Allen Wootton, VY1KX
  • High Altitude Balloons: The Elevation Education  –  Kelly Shulman, VE3KLX

Instructions for Presentations:

Our volunteers are now hard at work preparing the instructions for all of the presenters and we will be sending them to you in the coming days. We thank you for your patience.

Please stay tuned to the RAC Canada 2020 Conference webpage for more information. We hope to see you at the event!

Jason Tremblay, VE3JXT
Conference Organizer
RAC Community Services Officer
[email protected]

RSGB 2020 Convention – Online

In response to the UK’s continuing social distancing regulations, the RSGB Convention Committee has changed the arrangements for this year’s event and is holding an online Convention on Saturday, 10 October 2020

The programme will be split into two streams and whether you’re a new licensee or have been enjoying amateur radio for many years there will be a range of topics from expert speakers that you can enjoy free throughout the day.

RSGB Construction Competition

The RSGB Construction Competition will again be sponsored by Martin Lynch & Sons.

Find out more, including how to enter, on the Construction Competition web page.

The RSGB Convention is proudly sponsored by Martin Lynch & Sons

Click here for more details.

Can’t receive anything on your new shortwave radio–? Read this.

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This morning, I received a question from Andrew, an SWLing Post reader in the UK.  Andrew writes:

May I ask a question please? I am very much a newbie to this. I am not really interested in FM, but I would like to listen to international stations on SW, utilities stations, amateur broadcasts and if possible, local airports, aircraft on air band.

I have just purchased a Tecsun PL-680 and have tried it inside my home with the telescopic and wire aerial that came with it, plugged into the antenna port and clipped to a point near the ceiling. All inside the house and the wire aerial did improve the reception, but I get hardly and channels either during the day or night.

Grateful for your detailed advice on what I need to do exactly to improve the number of stations I can receive.

Kind regards
Andrew

Thank you for your question, Andrew, and I hope you don’t mind that I share it here on the SWLing Post as I receive this question so frequently from new shortwave radio enthusiasts.

Of course, a number of things could be affecting your shortwave radio reception and there is, of course, the possibility the receiver is faulty–however, this is very unlikely. Let’s talk about what is most likely the culprit:

Radio Frequency Interference (RFI)

RFI is quite often the elephant in the listening room. It’s not always immediately obvious–especially if you’re new to shortwave listening.

RFI (also known as QRM) is radio noise that is created locally and often concentrated in our homes and neighborhoods. RFI deafens our shortwave radios by overwhelming the receiver with strong spurious signals. Even if you can’t hear the noise, it could still be overwhelming your receiver from a different portion of the band.

RFI can emanate from most any modern electronic or digital device in your home: televisions, power supplies, dimmer switches, smart appliances, and even computer hard drives. Honestly, most any device could be the culprit.

These “Wall Wart” type adapters can create a lot of RFI

RFI can also be caused by power line noises outdoors which have a much larger noise footprint and typically require intervention from your local utilities company/municipality.

In all likelihood, though, it’s a noise inside your home.

There’s a quick way to determine if RFI is the culprit:

Take your radio outdoors, away from the noise

Depending on where you live, this might only require walking with your radio to the far end of your garden/yard, or it might require hopping in your car and visiting a local park. The idea is to find a spot far removed from houses and buildings, outdoor lighting, and even power lines if possible.

Once you find a listening spot, turn on your portable and tune through some of the popular shortwave radio bands.

If in the late afternoon or evening, I like tuning through either the 31 meter band (9,400–9,900 kHz), 41 meter band (7,200–7,450 kHz) and, if late evening, the 49 meter band (5,900–6,200 kHz). Jot down the frequencies where you hear stations and perhaps even make notes about the signal strength. Then go back home and see if you can receive as many stations. Shortwave stations change frequencies often, but if you listen from home at the same time the following evening, the radio landscape should be similar.

My guess is that you’ll hear many more stations in the field than you can from within your home.

Living with RFI

Sadly, RFI is just a fact of life in this century. It’s very hard to escape, especially for those of us living in dense urban areas. This is one of the reasons I’m such a big fan of taking radios to the field.

There are things you can do to improve reception and I would encourage you to read through this post from our archives (the first two points in the article directly address RFI). Do your best to track down sources of noise and eliminate them.

If you find that, even in the field, your shortwave receiver can’t receive stations with the antenna fully extended, then it may indeed be an issue with the radio itself and you might need to send it back to the manufacturer or retailer if it’s within the return window.

Post readers: If you have other suggestions, feel free to comment!

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MFJ’s Origins

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Jack Dully, who writes:

MFJ has gone through a metamorphosis with their marketing and I thought that some radio readers might find this brief origins of MFJ interesting!

From their September 2020 Newsletter:

MFJ: Labor of Love

October, 1972.

Richard “I am not a crook” Nixon was our country’s president, The Dallas Cowboys beat the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl VI, The Godfather was released to cinemas, George Carlin is arrested in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for uttering his ” Seven Words You Can Never Say On Television” comedic routine, Bobby Fischer defeats Boris Spassky in a chest match in Iceland, and in the small college town of Starkville, Mississippi a young Martin Jue started MFJ Enterprises, Inc., while still teaching at Mississippi State.

Martin F. Jue built this company back in 1972 with his bare hands. There were no other employees besides himself and he had a full time teaching job at Mississippi State University. The CW-F2 was his first product. It came about through a love of ham radio and in particular Morse code.

Since it is the day after Labor Day we thought we would salute the gentleman that brought us where we are today, The World Leaders in Amateur Radio Accessories! Without Martin Jue’s undying love and hard work for his namesake business, we all wouldn’t be enjoying our years here. MFJ has never had a major layoff or shutdown for any reason. 48 years later from Martin Jue’s single man company, we own four other businesses, have a tremendous product line and some of the most wonderful folks building ham radio toys under MFJ Enterprises, Inc.

Thanks again Martin Jue for your Labor of Love, MFJ the business. We are all grateful to you to be a part of your very successful venture into the world of business and ham radio. Your labor of love is greatly appreciated!

The CW-F2

Produced in October 1972, the CW-F2 was designed for the big boat anchor rigs of the time to help in CW filtering. The CW-F2 could separate two CW signals and make for more enjoyable listening. Mr. Jue used to give extra credit to his students if they helped build some of these.

The MFJ-998RT

Look at how far we have come! SMT, modern metal punching and forming machines. Here are the insides of the modern MFJ-998RT, legal limit automatic remote antenna tuner.

We salute all laborers out there for a job well done, especially our front line doctors, nurses, police officers, our US military, and Army National Guard during these crazy times. We appreciate you and our many customers! God Bless You All!

BTW — If you want to build your own modern CW-F2 kit today, the product is still alive on our Vectronics kit line as a CW audio filter kit.

P.S. VEC-820K is very similar to the first product of MFJ. A CW Audio Filter kit that you can have fun building yourself and relive a little history of MFJ!

Click here to visit MFJ.

Thank you for sharing this, Jack! 

MFJ does something that few other US manufacturers can do. They still keep the majority of their manufacturing in Mississippi and they have a solid warranty. You can even reach a human being in customer service and they repair or replace their own gear. They do this while keeping their prices very competitive.

Their gear must be the most widely used here in the States. You’re hard-pressed to find a ham who hasn’t purchased from MFJ.

Their founder and president, Martin Jue, is a top-shelf fellow, too. I’ve met him a number of times. He’s an inspiring guy with an amazing story. His employees love him, too, because he’s fully invested in his company, his community and his hobby. His company has virtually no churn at all–most of his employees have been with MFJ their entire working career.

Last month, I was very proud to add MFJ as a sponsor of the SWLing Post.

Radio Waves: Brazil Proposes End of all Ham Radio Exams, Radio Engineer Files Objection to WIPE, Radio in the Malvinas War, and List of 48 Weatheradio Sites in Proposed Closure

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Icom IC-756 Pro Transceiver DialRadio Waves:  Stories Making Waves in the World of Radio

Because I keep my ear to the waves, as well as receive many tips from others who do the same, I find myself privy to radio-related stories that might interest SWLing Post readers.  To that end: Welcome to the SWLing Post’s Radio Waves, a collection of links to interesting stories making waves in the world of radio. Enjoy!

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributors Rob (PE9PE), Bennett Kobb, Harald
(DL1AX), and Dennis Dura for the following tips:

Brazil proposes end of all amateur radio exams (Southgate ARC)

ANATEL, the Brazilian National Telecommunications Agency, recently published a public consultation, CP65, which is available at this link:

In their website, LABRE, the Brazilian Amateur Radio League, was surprised by the CP65 proposal that proposes, among other topics, the extinction of the COER (amateur radio certificate) exam for all classes and replacement by free access to initial class C, as is done today with the Citizen’s Band, as well as access to subsequent classes B and A upon presentation of the Certificate of Technical Course and Graduation in Telecommunications, respectively, or minimum stay of 3 years in each class.

In addition, the aforementioned proposal suggests ending the rules of different prefixes for each of the States of the Federation, remaining only the prefix per class and there would no longer be any special callsigns.

The proposal, in addition to going against what is consensus in the international regulation related to the Amateur Radio Service, is absolutely contrary to the LABRE’s thinking with regard to the minimum requirements to be a radio amateur and also does not match ANATEL’s request for support from LABRE in the revision of amateur radio regulations in Brazil.

For further clarification on the subject, LABRE has already requested a meeting with ANATEL, which will be scheduled soon.

PR7GA

Radio Engineer Files Objection to WIPE (DRMNA.info)

Story by Bennett Kobb:
On September 3, radio engineer Alex Pilosov of Shortwave Solutions filed with the FCC an objection to WIPE, the DRM-based HF station of Turms Tech of New York, presumed to be ready to broadcast from the Armstrong Tower in Alpine, NJ.

WIPE is suspected to be intended mainly for secret, non-broadcast message transmission for private trading clients while broadcasting financial and economic news for the public.

WIPE is not yet operational. The station is waiting on its FCC license, but Pilosov took aim at possible glitches in its license application. He also raises the issue of whether U.S. shortwave stations can legally conduct non-public telecommunications in the broadcast bands in a service limited to broadcasting.

Pilosov is a consultant to HF stations in the Experimental Radio Service, which are not constrained by the broadcast rules; thus he or his clients are prospective competitors to WIPE. This is Pilosov’s second FCC objection. He also filed against the application of Parable Broadcasting for WPBC, a DRM HF station proposed for Batavia, IL.[…]

Radio in the Malvinas War (RAE)

In 2020 we celebrate the centenary of radio in Argentina. Such an event can be approached in various ways, since there are several milestones along this century of radio in our country. There are some events that are marked by fire in collective memory.

It is our intention to approach the celebration focusing on an event in which radio was in the spotlight: the 1982 Malvinas War, a conflict waged on various fields: military, economic, diplomatic and, of course, communications, mainly as a means of propaganda.

Most countries over time have recognised the great potential of radio as an effective instrument both in times of war and peace. Historically, Germany was the first country to use this for purely political purposes.

During WWII the broadcasts of Radio Tokyo, Radio Germany, the BBC in London and other stations were used for propaganda and military purposes by combatant nations.

The post-war period and the subsequent Cold War brought along a “war of the airwaves”. During these years, countless stations emerged with their own propaganda styles, looking to advance their social, political and economic systems.

An example of this are the broadcasts of Radio Moscow, Voice of America or Radio Beijing. Along with these stations, others of a clearly political nature emerged, such as Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty, that targeted countries in Eastern Europe, as well as nations that became independent after the collapse of the Soviet Union. This group also includes the so-called clandestine stations, which generally broadcast secretly from conflict zones or from nearby regions or using rented transmission sites.

Before April 2, 1982, the Malvinas Islands had one radio station: the Falkland Islands Radio Service (FIBS) – with broadcasts in English. Content aired included locally-produced programs as well as news services of BBC London. It broadcast on 536 khz and 2370 khz.

The AM frequency was intended to cover the Port Stanley area, reaching a little further with SW transmissions.[…]

List of 48 Weatheradio Canada transmitting site proposed for decommissioning (Weatheradio Newsletter)

As mentioned in a previous post, Weatheradio Canada is considering shutting down 48 network transmitters across the country. SWLing Post contributor, Dennis Dura, recommends checking out the Weatheradio Canada Newsletter for updates.

He also forwards the following list of sites that are proposed for decommissioning. Click here to download the list as a PDF.

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CATSync: Control web SDR tuning from your rig

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Rob (PE9PE), who writes:

This is an interesting tool for those hams suffering from lots of local QRM.

https://catsyncsdr.wordpress.com/

Thanks, Rob! CATSync seems to allow control of a web-based SDR from any OMNI Rig-supported radio via CAT control (which is the majority of transceivers). It appears CATSync allows control of tuning and mode changes via your radio and from the web SDR interface back to your rig.

One interesting use of this would be to use a remote SDR for receiving while using your home antenna for transmitting. This could help those inundated with RFI at home. While this might not be an allowed practice for contesting (having your receiver and transmitter in two different locations) it’s certainly permitted if you want to check in with a net or chat with friends. You don’t need CATSync to do this–you can always manually tune a web SDR separately–it would simply facilitate keeping both your RX and TX on the same frequency.

CATSync has a free trial with limited control–you can purchase the full version for 9.95 EUR.

Click here to check out CATSync.

Thanks for the tip, Rob!

A 3D-printed cover for the Mountain Topper MTR-3B QRP transceiver

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Eric McFadden (WD8RIF), who asks:

Thomas, what’s the orange thing on the MTR-3B in the last photo in your post about the Red Oxx Booty Boss? [see photo above]

Glad you asked, Eric! It’s a 3D-printed protective cover.

My daughters have been asking for a 3D printer since they’ve used them at Maker Faires, the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute, and most recently the Huntsville Hamfest. Both of my girls love designing and creating things, so this year we got them one for their birthday.

After loads of research, I purchased a Creality Ender 3 Pro 3D from Amazon.com (affiliate link) for about $240 US. My daughters were thrilled when they unwrapped the box on their birthday to find a 3D printer inside! We spent the following morning assembling it, calibrating the print bed, and printing a sample file.

Like most, our first prints were fun, simple things we found on Thingiverse.  The girls printed a Saturn V rocket, a cat, and an X-Wing fighter. Those prints gave us an opportunity to learn about slicing 3D files, building support structure, and proper bed calibration.

Covering the MTR-3B

When the printer arrived, I already had the Red Oxx Booty Boss on order and was assembling my field radio kit.

One concern I had about the MTR-3B (in any pack) was that the small band switches could catch on a zipper or pocket mesh and be damaged. I had read a few accounts of this happening to others.

The LnR Precision MTR-3B transceiver

I thought about keeping the MTR-3B in a thick poly bag, but I knew that wouldn’t offer a lot of protection for the switches. Out of curiosity, I searched Thingiverse hoping perhaps someone had designed a small case that could possibly house the MTR-3B.

To my surprise, I discovered an engineer actually designed a snap-on cover for the MTR series of radios. It was then a simple matter of downloading the file, slicing it, and setting it to print while I slept that night.

The next morning, I had a cover sitting on the printer bed.

I purchased a pack of multi-color PLA filament knowing it would give my girls an opportunity to play with color a bit. The printer was already loaded with bright orange filament which I thought would be brilliant for the MTR-3B.

Those of you familiar with 3D printing are probably aware that ABS would be a better, stronger material for the cover since the side clips are certainly the weak points of the structure. We haven’t ordered ABS filament yet, but I think the PLA will actually function well for a while–it’s sturdier than I anticipated. When we have ABS in the house, I’ll plan to re-print it.

I couldn’t be more pleased because the cover fits the MTR-3B like a glove and doesn’t add a lot of bulk to this pocket-size transceiver. It was also a great print for beginners.

And best of all, I know the front switches and buttons are well-protected in my field bag.

I’d like to thank Thingiverse designer CockpitBob for designing this little cover and sharing it!

We’re also super pleased with the Creality Ender 3 Pro 3D printer. Thanks to my friends who helped guide that purchase decision.

Care to share?

3D printers are incredibly useful tools for radio enthusiasts of all stripes. I’m still very new to this world, so I would love to hear about your 3D-printed radio projects. Besides this post, we’ve featured at least one in the past, but I’d love to share more.

Please comment or contact me if you’d like us to feature your 3D project!

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Please consider supporting us via Patreon or our Coffee Fund!

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The International Space Station now has an accessible FM Repeater

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If you’ve been following ham radio news lately, no doubt you’ve heard that the International Space Station now has an FM repeater in operation. Pretty much any amateur radio operator can use this repeater with a capable dual band radio and (ideally) a directional antenna.

Here’s the information about the new system from an ARISS news release:

First Element of ARISS Next Generation (Next-Gen)
Radio System Installed in ISS Columbus Module

September 2, 2020—The ARISS team is pleased to announce that set up and installation of the first element of our next generation radio system was completed and amateur radio operations with it are now underway. This first element, dubbed the InterOperable Radio System (IORS), was installed in the International Space Station Columbus module. The IORS replaces the Ericsson radio system and packet module that were originally certified for spaceflight on July 26, 2000.

Initial operation of the new radio system is in FM cross band repeater mode using an uplink frequency of 145.99 MHz with an access tone of 67 Hz and a downlink frequency of 437.800 MHz. System activation was first observed at 01:02 UTC on September 2. Special operations will continue to be announced.

The IORS was launched from Kennedy Space Center on March 6, 2020 on board the SpaceX CRS-20 resupply mission. It consists of a special, space-modified JVC Kenwood D710GA transceiver, an ARISS developed multi-voltage power supply and interconnecting cables. The design, development, fabrication, testing, and launch of the first IORS was an incredible five-year engineering achievement accomplished by the ARISS hardware volunteer team. It will enable new, exciting capabilities for ham radio operators, students, and the general public. Capabilities include a higher power radio, voice repeater, digital packet radio (APRS) capabilities and a Kenwood VC-H1 slow scan television (SSTV) system.

A second IORS undergoes flight certification and will be launched later for installation in the Russian Service module. This second system enables dual, simultaneous operations, (e.g. voice repeater and APRS packet), providing diverse opportunities for radio amateurs. It also provides on-orbit redundancy to ensure continuous operations in the event of an IORS component failure.

Next-gen development efforts continue. For the IORS, parts are being procured and a total of ten systems are being fabricated to support flight, additional flight spares, ground testing and astronaut training. Follow-on next generation radio system elements include an L-band repeater uplink capability, currently in development, and a flight Raspberry-Pi, dubbed “ARISS-Pi,” that is just beginning the design phase. The ARISS-Pi promises operations autonomy and enhanced SSTV operations.

ARISS is run almost entirely by volunteers, and with the help of generous contributions from ARISS sponsors and individuals. Donations to the ARISS program for next generation hardware developments, operations, education, and administration are welcome — please go to https://www.ariss.org/donate.html to contribute to these efforts.

ARISS–Celebrating 20 years of continuous amateur radio operations on the ISS!

If you’d like to get a taste for what it’s like making contacts via the ISS repeater, check out this video from K0LWC (thanks for the tip, Paul):

Of course, you don’t have to be an amateur radio operator to listen to the traffic on the ISS repeater. All you need is a scanner or receiver that can tune to the downlink frequency of 437.800 MHz and coordinate your listening session with an ISS pass (I like using NASA’s Spot the Station service). You’ll stand a much better chance of working or listening to the ISS repeater with a high pass.

Have you made a successful contact via the ISS repeater already or listened to the repeater traffic? Please comment!