Amateur Radio News and Notes Podcast

In the log this week

* MVARC Monthly Meeting Tomorrow (4/26/2025): K1RA on Multi-band, Multi-Mode Digital Decoding and Reporting Using SDRs

* MVARC Monthly Breakfast Tomorrow (4/26/2025)

* DXpedition Update: VP2VI British Virgin Islands Wrapping Up

* MVARC Nets on the Air

* What's happening with DX?

* Solar Activity Update

* Upcoming Contests

* Interesting Online Radio Content

MVARC Monthly Meeting Tomorrow: K1RA on Multi-band, Multi-Mode Digital Decoding and Reporting Using SDRs

Tomorrow, Saturday April 26, 2025 at 10:30 AM ET we will have our next monthly meeting. Our presenter this month is Andy K1RA, who will be discussing "Multi-band, Multi-Mode Digital Decoding and Reporting Using SDRs". Andy runs one of the biggest SDR based listening stations in our area reporting data to the Reverse Beacon Network and providing web-based Software Defined Radios as a service to the community. I use the data that comes from Andy's systems on a daily basis to enhance my operation on the air, and this promises to be a fascinating presentation.

Our monthly meeting will be held at the Mount Vernon Government Center at 2511 Parkers Lane, Alexandria, VA in room 119 shortly following our monthly breakfast. We encourage everyone who can make it to join us in person. For those unable to join we will also have a hybrid meeting available via Google Meet at https://meet.google.com/gew-gucu-gbu.

MVARC Monthly Breakfast Tomorrow (4/26/2025)

Tomorrow, Saturday, April 26, 2025, is the date of our next monthly breakfast. As usual we will meet up at 8 AM in the IHOP at 7694 Richmond Highway in Alexandria, Virginia for great conversation, camaraderie, and breakfast too. We have been having a great turn out in the last few months and there is always room for you to join in the fun. We hope to see you all there.

DXpedition Update: VP2VI British Virgin Islands Wrapping Up

QSL Card Courtesy VP2VI

The VP2VI DXpedition to the British Virgin Islands has been making a whole lot of QSOs since they started operation on April 10. On their QRZ page they indicated yesterday that with 14 days of operation so far they had made 148,400 QSOs with 32,900 unique call signs. They're wrapping up their very successful operation on the 27th, so if you haven't had chance to get them in your logs, look for them on the bands. The British Virgin Islands standings on Club Log's most wanted are #114 worldwide and #173 here in North America. More information about their operations can be found at https://www.qrz.com/db/VP2VI.

MVARC Nets on the Air

* 2 Meter FM Net: Tuesdays at 7 PM [146.655/- MHz (141.3 Hz PL Tone) ]

* 2 Meter Digital Net: Immediately Follows 2 Meter FM Net [146.655/- MHz C4FM]

* MVARC Slow Speed CW Roundtable: Saturday and Sunday at 7:30 AM [3.565 MHz CW]

* MVARC Cherry Tree Net: Saturday and Sunday at 8:30 AM [3.920 MHz LSB]

What's Happening with DX

There will be a lot of DX on the air in the next week. Stations on the air will include Tubuai Island (TX9A), Marion Island (ZS8W), Gambia (C5R), Bermuda (VP9KF), Angola (D2TX), Marcus Island Minami Tori Shima Islands (JG8NQJ/JD1), British Virgin Islands (VP2VI), Majuro Atoll Marshall Islands (V73MT), Solomon Islands (H44MS), and Antarctica (DP0GVN).

A calendar of DXpeditions can be found at https://dxnews.com/calendar/

Solar Activity Update

As we go to press the Solar Flux Index (SFI) was 170 and the estimated sunspot number was 132. Over the last week the SFI has increased. Solar activity has been at low levels recently and there are 11 numbered sunspot regions visible here on Earth. In the last day there were only minor C-class flares recorded. Activity is expected to continue at low to moderate levels over the next several days. Solar wind was somewhat enhanced at 630 km/s yesterday and has been declining. Nominal solar wind conditions are expected to return tomorrow. The chance of solar radiation storms at the S1 or greater level is low at 1%. R1 to R2 radio blackouts are possible with a predicted probability of 40%. R3 or greater blackouts are unlikely with a 1% chance predicted. There is a reasonable chance of 6 meter propagation, so keep an eye on the band and spotting clusters to be ready for openings. HF conditions have been favorable overall. It remains a fantastic time for amateurs of all license classes to get on the air and work the world.

Good sources of real-time solar information include https://www.spaceweatherlive.com/ and https://solarham.com/. A good overview of conditions can be found at https://dx.qsl.net/propagation/. To see D-layer absorption data and associated radio blackouts, visit https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/d-region-absorption-predictions-d-rap. To see real-time Maximum Usable Frequency (MUF) and Critical Frequency (foF2) information from radiosonde data, visit https://prop.kc2g.com/.

Upcoming Contests

On the contest calendar this weekend we can look forward to the 10-10 International Spring Contest on Digital, the Tipalayo DX Contest, the SP DX RTTY Contest, the UK/EI DX Contest on CW, the Helvetia Contest, the Florida QSO Party, the UA1DZ Memorial Cup, and the BARTG Sprint 75. As always the K1USN SSTs, MSTs, and CWTs will also be on the air.

The full contest calendar with events and exchanges can be found at https://www.contestcalendar.com/weeklycont.php

Interesting Online Radio Content

Steve KM9G takes a look at a battery load tester and power meter -

Sean W9FFF discusses what the QSL Bureau is all about -

Jim WT1W takes a look at a portable power meter -

Craig KM6LYW takes a look at add-ons for the DigiPi -

Josh KI6NAZ fixes a problem with his zBitx caused by an anemic power supply he was using -

Steve KM9G shows a breakout board for Icom radios -

Linas LY2H uses a MA-12 antenna for portable -

Vince VE6LK looks at the zBitx Part 1 (CW) -

Vince VE6LK looks at the zBitx Part 2 (FT8) -

Vince VE6LK looks at the zBitx Part 3 (SSB) -

Vince VE6LK looks at the zBitx Part 4 (Miscellaneous) -

Mike K8MRD shows a way to guy the new POTA33H Mast -

Kevin KB9RLW experiments with magnetite 3D printing filament for radiation shielding -

Walt K4OGO discusses buying a used rig as a first HF radio -

Chuck KK6USY shows his go-bag for an upcoming campout -

Barry KK7JXG compares the FX-4CR V and R series radios -

Matt M0DQW takes a look at the Micro PA100 HF Amplifier -

Andreas HB9BLA makes a 36,000 km contact with an ESP32 microcontroller -

Kevan 2E0WMG tries running a 7 MHz loaded vertical without radials -

Josh KI6NAZ Builds a QRP Labs QMX radio -

Raisa R1BIG shows some of her experience on the TI1RRC/P DXpedition -

David M0MPT shows the changes between the Yaesu FTM-510 and FTM-500 -

Andree DL8LAS shows some of the antennas for the VP2VI DXpedition -

Kurt ON7OFF takes a look at the harmonic suppression of the new Micro PA100 amplifier -

Josh KI6NAZ adds the Chameleon URT-1500 antenna to work the low bands -

Steve KM9G takes a look at an AC/DC Clamp Meter -

Mike K8MRD does some POTA at Huntsville state park -

George VK2AOE takes a look at a cheap 100 Watt amplifier -

Lidi KQ3Q tests her newly built QMX+ with a POTA activation-

Ara N6ARA shows how he built the SOTA Phone (Yes, it was real!) -

Callum M0XXT announces his new Venture antenna for POTA operation -

That's it for this week.

Best 73,

Ed

N2EC

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mvarc.substack.com

In the log this week

* DXPedition Spotlight: ZS8W Prince Edward and Marion Island

* The ARRL and Over 200 Members File Comments to the FCC In Re: Delete, Delete, Delete memo

* MVARC Nets on the Air

* What's happening with DX?

* Solar Activity Update

* Upcoming Contests

* Interesting Online Radio Content

Thanks for reading MVARC News! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

DXPedition Spotlight: ZS8W Prince Edward and Marion Island

Image Courtesy ZS8W Web Site - https://www.lral.lv/zs8w/index.html

Veteran DXpeditioner Yuris YL2GM is en route to Marion Island in the Prince Edward Islands near Antarctica. On his web site he reported Wednesday that he was on board the MV S.A. Agulhas II departing from Cape Town, South Africa. He will be operating April 21 through May 16, 2025 as he works as radio engineer for the South African National Antarctic Programme (SANAP) as they prepare for the Winter season. Yuris plans to operate from 160m to 6m working split UP 1 for CW and UP 5 for SSB. Also for FT8 he indicates that once you receive a RR73, you're in the log, so there is no need to continue transmitting a 73.

Image Courtesy User:Geo Swan, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The Prince Edward Islands of which Marion Island is a part, are uninhabited sub-antarctic volcanic islands in the Southern Indian Ocean. The SANAP researchers are the only people on Marion Island where they have a meteorological and biological research station. The Prince Edward Islands are currently listed as #11 in Clublog's DXCC Most Wanted List, so this promises to be a great chance to get a rare one in your log. More information can be found at https://www.lral.lv/zs8w/index.html. Good luck.

The ARRL and Over 200 Members File Comments to the FCC In Re: Delete, Delete, Delete memo

The ARRL announced on April 14, 2025 that they had filed comments in response to the In Re: Delete, Delete, Delete memo from the FCC seeking comment on ways to reduce regulatory burden along with over 200 members. Their suggestions for eliminating or modifying regulations included deleting symbol (baud) rate and bandwidth limits on LF and VHF/UHF, giving Technicians additional licence privileges on HF, updating the 80/75 meter band subdivisions, deleting limitations on digital codes used over the air (as long as they are publicly decodable), allowing third-party messages to be passed consistent with the rules adopted at WRC-03, removing amplifier drive limitations that disallow use of more efficient amplifier technology, allowing for the removal of previous addresses from the ULS to allow for greater privacy for amateurs, changing how special call signs are used with respect to the responsible call, and finally to delete the rule providing for paper license replacements since those are no longer offered. The full press release from the ARRL can be found at https://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-files-comments-responding-to-fcc-request-for-input. The public comment period continues until the 28th and the text of the memorandum can be found at https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DA-25-219A1.pdf.

MVARC Nets on the Air

* 2 Meter FM Net: Tuesdays at 7 PM [146.655/- MHz (141.3 Hz PL Tone) ]

* 2 Meter Digital Net: Immediately Follows 2 Meter FM Net [146.655/- MHz C4FM]

* MVARC Slow Speed CW Roundtable: Saturday and Sunday at 7:30 AM [3.565 MHz CW]

* MVARC Cherry Tree Net: Saturday and Sunday at 8:30 AM [3.920 MHz LSB]

What's Happening with DX

There will be a lot of DX on the air in the next week. Stations on the air will include Kiritimati Island (T32AZ), Saint Kitts Island (V47JA), Koror Island Palau (T88UW), Galapagos Islands (HD8G), Cambodia (XU7O), Marion Island (ZS8W), Gambia (C5R), Marcus Island Minami Tori Shima Islands (JG8NQJ/JD1), Bermuda (VP9KF), British Virgin Islands (VP2VI), Majuro Atoll Marshall Islands (V73MT), Solomon Islands (H44MS), and Antarctica (DP0GVN).

A calendar of DXpeditions can be found at https://dxnews.com/calendar/

Solar Activity Update

As we go to press the Solar Flux Index (SFI) was 151 and the estimated sunspot number was 70. Over the last week the SFI has decreased. The last week brought elevated geomagnetic K index values with G4 level storms. This caused widespread issues throughout the bands this week. In the near term is looks like the K index values will be calming down with values dropping to 3 today and in the mid 2s tomorrow. The chance of solar radiation storms at the S1 or greater level is low at 1%. R1 to R2 radio blackouts are likely with a predicted probability of 60%. R3 or greater blackouts are unlikely with a 10% chance predicted. There is a reasonable chance of 6 meter propagation, so keep an eye on the band and spotting clusters to be ready for openings. HF conditions have been favorable overall. It remains a fantastic time for amateurs of all license classes to get on the air and work the world.

Good sources of real-time solar information include https://www.spaceweatherlive.com/ and https://solarham.com/. A good overview of conditions can be found at https://dx.qsl.net/propagation/. To see D-layer absorption data and associated radio blackouts, visit https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/d-region-absorption-predictions-d-rap. To see real-time Maximum Usable Frequency (MUF) and Critical Frequency (foF2) information from radiosonde data, visit https://prop.kc2g.com/.

Upcoming Contests

On the contest calendar this weekend we can look forward to the World Wide Holyland Contest, the ES Open HF Championship, the Worked All Provinces of China DX Contest, the Dutch PACCdigi Contest, QRP to the Field, the CQMM DX Contest, the Nebraska QSO Party, the Michigan QSO Party, the Ontario QSO Party, the Quebec QSO Party, the EA-QRP CW Contest, the Feld Hell Sprint, and the Run for the Bacon QRP Contest. As always the K1USN SSTs, MSTs, and CWTs will also be on the air.

The full contest calendar with events and exchanges can be found at https://www.contestcalendar.com/weeklycont.php

Interesting Online Radio Content

Chuck KK6USY shows an antenna failure due to pushing more than rated power -

Tim G5TM is skeptical about the POTA Performer antenna -

Michael KB9VBR takes a look at the REZ Scout Antenna System -

Josh KI6NAZ goes over the best VHF/UHF antennas he has tested -

Mike K8MRD shows the newly released POTA33H Mast from Gigaparts -

Dr. Tamitha Skov WX6SWW goes over solar conditions -

Ralph of Electronics for the Inquisitive Experimenter goes over complex conjugates and Smith Charts for Impedance Matching -

Sean W9FFF and Carlos K9OL talk about elmering -

Matt M0DQW looks at the new HackRF H4M Module Development Kit -

Kevin KB9RLW takes a look at the Tram-1411 Discone antenna -

Kevin W1DED talks to the Contest Crew about the Multi-Multi Titan Stations ND7K and K3LR for CQ WPX SSB -

Hayden VK7HH shows an inexpensive battery testing load -

Callum M0MCX shows a day out with portable amateur radio -

Mike K8MRD vlogs a hike in the woods to a POTA activation -

Kevan 2E0WMG tests a no-name AliExpress antenna in a salt marsh -

Sean W9FFF and Bruce K9WBT look at a CTR-2 Dial for Flex Radios -

Evan K2EJT talks speed and Farnsworth with CW -

Morten LB0FI uses a delta loop for POTA -

Matt M0DQW does part 2 of his build for a VHF to Microwave SDR Transceiver -

Mike M0MSN uses a QRM nulling device to help deal with local noise -

Callum M0MCX tries to salvage some old coax with water ingress -

Vince VE6LK has his first CW QSO on the zBitx -

Mike K8MRD takes a look at a power station -

Kurt ON7OFF takes a look at the new Micro PA100 Amplifier -

IMSAI Guy takes a look at the DSO-TC4 component tester and oscilloscope from Fnirsi -

Matt M0DQW takes a look at a vintage Yaesu FT-225RD -

Mike K8MRD takes a look at the REZ Scout as a 1/4 wave vertical antenna -

Chuck KK7USY tries out a cheap QRP Z-Match tuner -

Steve KM9G takes a look at an updated ATU-100 ATU -

That's it for this week.

Best 73,

Ed

N2EC

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mvarc.substack.com

In the log this week

* The SV1GA/A Mount Athos DXpedition Accepted by ARRL for DXCC Credit

* Radio Amateurs of Canada Will Not Attend Hamvention This Year

* ARISS Announces ISS SSTV Transmissions April 11-16 for the International Day of Human Space Flight

* MVARC Nets on the Air

* What's happening with DX?

* Solar Activity Update

* Upcoming Contests

* Interesting Online Radio Content

Thanks for reading Amateur Radio News and Notes. Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

The SV1GA/A Mount Athos DXpedition Accepted by ARRL for DXCC Credit

Image Courtesy Christian Manhart, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO via Wikimedia Commons

Less than a week after the SV1GA/A team released a statement predicting extensive delays on DXCC accreditation, the ARRL announced that they determined the DXpedition met the accreditation criteria. I can confirm that my QSO with SV1GA/A was confirmed and the DXCC entity for Mount Athos now shows up in my list of entities worked. The ARRL noted that due to the actions taken by local authorities in the autonomous region in Greece, "any future operations by this team from Mt. Athos will require additional documentation for securing accreditation for DXCC credit". This is great news for the 5,965 operators who got in their logs for a total of 13,511 QSOs. The team made 1,903 CW, 634 SSB, and 10,974 FT8 QSOs during their brief time at Mount Athos. The statement from ARRL can be found at https://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-dxcc-statement-on-mount-athos-operation-sv1ga-a.

Radio Amateurs of Canada Will Not Attend Hamvention This Year

Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC), the national amateur radio organization of Canada, announced in a press release dated April 8, 2025 that their Board of Directors voted unanimously to cancel their plans to operate a booth at this year's Dayton Hamvention. Citing the strained relationship between the US and Canada due to trade disputes and suggestions of Canada becoming a U.S. State by American officials, they announced the cancellation "with deep regret". Calling it a "complex and evolving situation", RAC said it is "[their] hope that [they] will be able to return to Hamvention in future years and [they] hope that Canadian Amateurs who do attend the event will have a safe and enjoyable experience". The full RAC press release can be found at https://www.rac.ca/rac-will-not-attend-hamvention-this-year/.

ARISS Announces ISS SSTV Transmissions April 11-16 for the International Day of Human Space Flight

ARISS (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station) has announced that the International Space Station will be transmitting Slow Scan Television (SSTV) signals to commemorate the International Day of Human Space Flight today through the 16th. There will be 12 special images transmitted and if you decode them they encourage you to send them to the ARISS web site at http://ariss-usa.org/ARISS_SSTV/ and apply for an award. Transmissions will be on 145.800 MHz in the PD120 mode. More information can be found at https://mastodon.hams.social/@ARISS_Intl/114305089301542620

MVARC Nets on the Air

* 2 Meter FM Net: Tuesdays at 7 PM [146.655/- MHz (141.3 Hz PL Tone) ]

* 2 Meter Digital Net: Immediately Follows 2 Meter FM Net [146.655/- MHz C4FM]

* MVARC Slow Speed CW Roundtable: Saturday and Sunday at 7:30 AM [3.565 MHz CW]

* MVARC Cherry Tree Net: Saturday and Sunday at 8:30 AM [3.920 MHz LSB]

What's Happening with DX

There will be a lot of DX on the air in the next week. Stations on the air will include Fakarava Atoll (TX7XG), Chichijima Ogasawara Islands (JD1BOI, JD1BON), British Virgin Islands (VP2VI), Koror Island Palau (T88UW), Marcus Island Minami Tori Shima Islands (JG8NQJ/JD1), Dominica Island (J79WTA), Cayman Islands (ZF2LC), Gabon (TR8CR), Mali (TZ4AM), Majuro Atoll Marshall Islands (V73MT), Solomon Islands (H44MS), and Antarctica (DP0GVN).

A calendar of DXpeditions can be found at https://dxnews.com/calendar/

Solar Activity Update

As we go to press the Solar Flux Index (SFI) was 158 and the estimated sunspot number was 113. Over the last week the SFI has decreased. Overall solar activity has been low of late with the geomagnetic field at quiet to active levels. Only C-class flares have been seen recently with the largest being a C5.3 from region 4060. Solar wind has been slightly elevated due to coronal hole high speed streams and that elevation is expected to continue through the 13th. The chance of solar radiation storms at the S1 or greater level is low at 1%. R1 to R2 radio blackouts are at a a predicted probability of 45%. R3 or greater blackouts unlikely with a 5% chance predicted. There is a reasonable chance of 6 meter propagation through the middle of the month, so keep an eye on the band and spotting clusters to be ready for openings. HF conditions have been favorable overall. It remains a fantastic time for amateurs of all license classes to get on the air and work the world.

Good sources of real-time solar information include https://www.spaceweatherlive.com/ and https://solarham.com/. A good overview of conditions can be found at https://dx.qsl.net/propagation/. To see D-layer absorption data and associated radio blackouts, visit https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/d-region-absorption-predictions-d-rap. To see real-time Maximum Usable Frequency (MUF) and Critical Frequency (foF2) information from radiosonde data, visit https://prop.kc2g.com/.

Upcoming Contests

On the contest calendar this weekend we can look forward to the QRP ARCI Spring QSO Party, the JIDX CW Contest, the SKCC Weekend Sprintathon, the OK/OM DX Contest on SSB, the Yuri Gagarin International DX Contest, the IG-RY World Wide RTTY Contest, the DIG QSO Party on CW, Texas State Parks on the Air, the New Mexico QSO Party, the North Dakota QSO Party, the Africa FT4 DX Contest, the International Vintage Contest HF, the Hungarian Straight Key Contest, the ARRL Rookie Roundup on SSB, and the 4 States QRP Group Second Sunday Sprint. As always the K1USN SSTs, MSTs, and CWTs will also be on the air.

The full contest calendar with events and exchanges can be found at https://www.contestcalendar.com/weeklycont.php

Interesting Online Radio Content

The Northern California DX Foundation released their latest newsletter with tales of DXpeditions and fun on the air - https://ncdxf.org/newsletters/2025-SPRING.pdf

Steve KM9G looks into ferrite choice for UnUns -

Josh KI6NAZ installs a Meshtastic node on his roof -

Steve KM9G does a deep dive on getting FT8 to run on an Icom IC-703 -

Kevan 2E0WMG takes a look at the (tr)uSDX for ultralight portable operations -

Chuck KK6USY looks at an inexpensive Yagi for 70 cm -

Ramon EA5IW uses a President Lincoln radio for mountaintop portable -

Kevin KB9RLW shows how to do multi-color text with your 3D printer in FreeCad -

Walt K4OGO plays with the JPC-7 Portable Antenna -

Mike K8MRD looks at the REZ Antenna Systems Scout Antenna -

George VK2AOE attempts to resurrect a Realistic DX-160 -

Dugbo KD7DUG uses the QRP Labs QMX for SSB and CW from San Marcos High Point -

Matt M0DQW ventures into LEO Satellite work with the Arrow II Antenna -

David DL1DN shows off version 4 of his 2m and 70cm Moxon antenna -

Walt K4OGO announces his new antenna book published by the ARRL -

James KE8PZN tries hunting satellites -

Steve KM9G takes a look at a 100 Ah LiFePO4 Battery -

Kevin KB9RLW does a follow up on the resolution of the IC-705 PL tone issue -

Josh KI6NAZ talks about Ham Radio vs Satellite communications devices -

That's it for this week.

Best 73,

Ed

N2EC

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mvarc.substack.com

In the log this week

* The SV1GA/A Mount Athos DXpedition Announces Further DXCC Processing Delays Expected

* NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center Data Shows Solar Cycle 25 Has Peaked and is Declining

* MVARC Nets on the Air

* What's happening with DX?

* Solar Activity Update

* Upcoming Contests

* Interesting Online Radio Content

Thanks for reading Amateur Radio News and Notes! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

The SV1GA/A Mount Athos DXpedition Announces Further DXCC Processing Delays Expected

Image of Mt. Athos under Creative Commons License from Dave Proffer

It what appears to be an unfortunately timed press release distributed on April 1 (April Fool's Day), the SV1GA/A DXpedition that sought to bring Mount Athos on the air and was shut down shortly after it began in January, announced they expect further delays while the legitimacy of their paperwork is being reviewed by the ARRL to "ensure compliance". In the press release they mention that theirs was the first outside group transmitting from Mount Athos in more 35 years and that there is a history of challenges in getting operations verified at Mount Athos, even by the monks who live there. As they said in their release "the ARRL accreditation represents climbing a larger mountain than the mountain itself, for a DXpedition to a rare location, such as Mt. Athos". As your author had the good fortune of getting into the SV1GA/A log before they were shut down, we will be monitoring developments with great interest as they develop. The press release can be found at https://dxnews.com/sv1ga-a/.

NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center Data Shows Solar Cycle 25 Has Peaked and is Declining

Data Graphics Courtesy NOAA SWPC

As they say, it is all downhill from here. The NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center forecasts space weather conditions and collects data for that analysis. With recently added data, it appears that we reached the peak of Solar Cycle 25 at the end of last Summer and that we are now on a downward trajectory to lower sunspot numbers and solar flux indices. It is predicted that the SFI will dip below 150 early next year which will likely mean a large reduction in the reliability of the 10 and 12 meter bands. So enjoy the good conditions while you can and work that DX. NOAA's page tracking the solar cycle progression for Cycle 25 can be found at https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/solar-cycle-progression.

MVARC Nets on the Air

* 2 Meter FM Net: Tuesdays at 7 PM [146.655/- MHz (141.3 Hz PL Tone) ]

* 2 Meter Digital Net: Immediately Follows 2 Meter FM Net [146.655/- MHz C4FM]

* MVARC Slow Speed CW Roundtable: Saturday and Sunday at 7:30 AM [3.565 MHz CW]

* MVARC Cherry Tree Net: Saturday and Sunday at 8:30 AM [3.920 MHz LSB]

What's Happening with DX

There will be a lot of DX on the air in the next week. Stations on the air will include Cyprus (ZC4RH), Fakarava Atoll (TX7XG), Chichijima Ogasawara Islands (DJ1BOI, JD1BON), Guadeloupe Island (TO1Q), Tanzania (5H3MB), Cayman Islands (ZF2LC), Mali (TZ4AM), Greenland (OX3LX), Martinique (FM/F8AAN), Dominica Island (J79WTA), Gabon (TR8CR), British Virgin Islands (VP2VI), Majuro Atoll Marshall Islands (V73MT), Solomon Islands (H44MS), Senegal (6W7/ON4AVT), and Antarctica (DP0GVN).

A calendar of DXpeditions can be found at https://dxnews.com/calendar/

Solar Activity Update

As we go to press the Solar Flux Index (SFI) was 180 and the estimated sunspot number was 158. Over the last week the SFI has increased. NOAA is forecasting G1 geomagnetic storms today and tomorrow due to predicted coronal hole activity. The chance for solar radiation storms at the S1 or greater level is low at 15% due to flare potential from sunspot region 4048. R1 to R2 radio blackouts are likely today and tomorrow due to region 4048 with a predicted probability of 70%. R3 or greater blackouts are less likely with a 15% chance predicted. There is a reasonable chance of 6 meter propagation through the middle of the month, so keep an eye on the band and spotting clusters to be ready for openings. With the forecasted R1-R2 blackouts there may be some brief degradation of propagation this weekend, but conditions have been favorable overall. It remains a fantastic time for amateurs of all license classes to get on the air and work the world.

Good sources of real-time solar information include https://www.spaceweatherlive.com/ and https://solarham.com/. A good overview of conditions can be found at https://dx.qsl.net/propagation/. To see D-layer absorption data and associated radio blackouts, visit https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/d-region-absorption-predictions-d-rap. To see real-time Maximum Usable Frequency (MUF) and Critical Frequency (foF2) information from radiosonde data, visit https://prop.kc2g.com/.

Upcoming Contests

On the contest calendar this weekend we can look forward to the PODXS 070 New Member Jamboree, the EA RTTY Contest, Georgia State Parks on the Air, Florida State Parks on the Air, the RSGB FT4 International Activity Day, the Louisiana QSO Party, the Mississippi QSO Party, the Missouri QSO Party, the SP DX Contest, and the George Batterson 1935 QSO Party. As always the K1USN SSTs, MSTs, and CWTs will also be on the air.

The full contest calendar with events and exchanges can be found at https://www.contestcalendar.com/weeklycont.php

Interesting Online Radio Content

Chuck KK6USY Builds a 1.5 pound Moxon antenna -

Matt M0DQW takes a look at an inexpensive QRP antenna tuner -

Josh KI6NAZ takes a look at Low Profile and Stealthy Radios -

Vince VE6LK unboxes a zBitx -

Hayden VK7HH Fixes an FM Broadcast Transmitter (Part 1) -

Hayden VK7HH Fixes an FM Broadcast Transmitter (Part 2) -

Jeff KF0MYB and Joe KF0MYJ talk about the FCC "Delete, delete, delete" memo -

Kevan 2E0WMG activates Hedge-end Island by kayak -

Sebastian KI2D shows how to do call stacking in PoLo (Portable Logger) -

David DL1DN updates his 2m and 70 cm Moxon Antennas -

George VK2AOE makes bases for some classic CW keys -

Kevin KB9RLW shows how to use a NanoVNA to find a cable fault -

Steve KM9G takes a look at some tool batteries for portable ops -

Matt M0DQW builds a complete VHF to microwave multi mode SDR transceiver -

Mike M0MSN shows his ATAS 120A controllers -

Walt K4OGO tries out the MA-50 Positive V Dipole Antenna -

Mike K8MRD puts the Wattcycle 280 Ah LiFePO4 battery through its paces -

Walt K4OGO takes a closer look at the Red Corner USDR+ 8 Band Transceiver -

April Fools Videos (no ... these aren't real, but they are amusing!)

Tim N7KOM makes a coffee cup holder for his VHF Yagi -

Steve KM9G puts his radials in a spiral for "Spin DX" -

Ara N6ARA introduces the SOTA Phone -

That's it for this week.

Best 73,

Ed

N2EC

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mvarc.substack.com

In the log this week

* MVARC Breakfast and Meeting Recap and a Look Ahead

* Contest Spotlight: CQ World Wide WPX Contest This Weekend

* HF Signals zBitx Radios Start Shipping

* MVARC Nets on the Air

* What's happening with DX?

* Solar Activity Update

* Upcoming Contests

* Interesting Online Radio Content

Thanks for reading Amateur Radio News and Notes! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

MVARC Breakfast and Meeting Recap and a Look Ahead

Photo Courtesy Corey KN4YZY

Last weekend MVARC had both our monthly breakfast and monthly meeting on Saturday. We had a good turn out to both with lots of folks joining in the conversation at the breakfast and many joining us for the meeting as well. At the meeting, Ed N2EC (of the third person) gave a talk about Battery Power for Portable Operations and we had a lively back and forth discussing battery technology and how to size your setup for portable. The slide deck from Saturday's presentation can be found at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1U547LbiSXxoIowrG-F839kTIkor0q3Te/view?usp=drive_link.

Next month's meeting presenter is scheduled to be Andy K1RA, who will be discussing "Multi-band, Multi-Mode Digital Decoding and Reporting Using SDRs". Andy runs one of the biggest SDR based listening stations in our area reporting data to the Reverse Beacon Network and providing web-based Software Defined Radios as a service to the community. I use the data that comes from Andy's systems on a daily basis to enhance my operation on the air, and this promises to be a fascinating presentation. More details to come in a future Amateur Radio News and Notes.

Contest Spotlight: CQ World Wide WPX Contest This Weekend

Spring contest season continues this week with one of the biggest contests of the year: the CQ World Wide WPX Contest on SSB. This is another contest wh ere you can work a ton of DX, but what makes this one special is everyone can work everyone. The WPX part of it is referring to an interesting component of the contest where different call sign prefixes are the multipliers. So for me, the prefix would be "N2", so if you worked me you'd get a multiplier. But "W2" would be another, as would "K2", throw a different number in there and then you get still more, so the points escalate quickly and almost all contacts are "good contacts".

The contest starts at 0000 UTC on Saturday, March 29 (8 PM ET Friday Night), and ends on 2359 UTC on Sunday (7:59 PM ET Sunday). During that period of time a single operator can work 36 of the 48 hours and any off-times must be a minimum of an hour with no contacts logged. Bands allowed for the contest include 160m/80m/40m/20m/15m/and 10m. The exchange is RST plus a serial number, so "59 25" if you're someone's 25th contact. Make sure you get the serial number, as it is required to match for the QSO to count. The final score is the QSO Points x Number of Prefixes Worked. QSO Points are 3 for contacts on different continents on 10m/15m/20m and 6 points on 40m/80m/160m. On the same continent but different countries points are 1 point on 10m/15m/20m and 2 points on 40m/80m/160m. Finally contacts in the same country are 1 point on all bands. The Prefix multipliers are applied only once, regardless of band or frequency of operation. Prefixes are the combination of the letters and numbers on the first half of the call, so N4, W4, WA4, S51, LY1000, are all separate prefixes to be counted. For entry, single operator categories include High Power (not exceeding 1500 Watts), Low Power (not exceeding 100 Watts), QRP (not exceeding 5 Watts). There are also a bunch of overlay categories that can be entered alongside your main category like Tribander, Rookie, Classic, and Youth. Check the rules for details on these. There are also Multi-Operator categories including Multi-One, Multi-Two, Multi-Unlimited, and Muti-Distributed. Again check the rules for full details. Rules and more information can be found at https://www.cqwpx.com/.

With band conditions being pretty great due to us being near the top of Solar Cycle 25, this will be a great opportunity to work the world. Have fun and good luck!

HF Signals zBitx Radios Start Shipping

Image Courtesy HFSignals.com

HF Signals, makers of the Bitx series of radios that includes the popular sBitx radio announced a new radio to their line-up at the end of last year called the zBitx. It is a 5 Watt, all-band, all mode SDR using the Raspberry Pi Zero 2W and an integrated display for just $150 (or $178 shipped). Since the Raspberry Pi is integrated in the system, it can do digital modes like FT8 without additional hardware (no computer is required). As you can imagine, lots of folks raced to be on the pre-order list for this rig (your author included). The original plan was to have them ship by the end of February, but there were delays associated with parts acquisition due to the Chinese New Year and some firmware update issues that pushed things back a bit.

It was announced that the rigs began shipping this week with folks getting delivery dates as early as Wednesday. As I write this mine hasn't shipped yet, but hopefully it will get dispatched soon. The rigs are currently not for sale until the pre-orders are fulfilled, but founder Ashhar Farhan VU2ESE, has said that once they can have a 10 day fulfillment cycle again, they will start taking orders again. More information on the zBitx can be found at https://www.hfsignals.com/index.php/zbitx/.

MVARC Nets on the Air

* 2 Meter FM Net: Tuesdays at 7 PM [146.655/- MHz (141.3 Hz PL Tone) ]

* 2 Meter Digital Net: Immediately Follows 2 Meter FM Net [146.655/- MHz C4FM]

* MVARC Slow Speed CW Roundtable: Saturday and Sunday at 7:30 AM [3.565 MHz CW]

* MVARC Cherry Tree Net: Saturday and Sunday at 8:30 AM [3.920 MHz LSB]

What's Happening with DX

When one of the major contests is on the calendar like the CQ WW WPX SSB Contest, operators fan out around the globe to bring DX locales on the air. This weekend is no different, so there will be a lot of DX on the air. Stations on the air will include Bonaire (PJ5K), Sao Vicente Island Cabo Verde (D4DX), Madeira Island (CQ3W), Antigua (V26K), Rodrigues Island (3B9DJ), Vanuatu (YJ0CA), Guadeloupe Island (TO1Q), Tanzania (5H3MB), Cayman Islands (ZF2LC), Grenada (J38XB), Dominica Island (J79WTA), Cook Islands (E51ANQ), Martinique (FM/F8AAN), Sint Maarten Island (PJ7AA), Mali (TZ4AM), Comoro Islands (D68Z), Solomon Islands (H44MS), Sri Lanka (4S7KKG), Benin (TY5C), Senegal (6W7/ON4AVT), and Antarctica (DP0GVN).

A calendar of DXpeditions can be found at https://dxnews.com/calendar/

Solar Activity Update

As we go to press the Solar Flux Index (SFI) was 157 and the estimated sunspot number was 95. Over the last week the SFI has decreased. Geomagnetic fields have been causing periods of G1 and G2 level storms in the last few days with a Kp value of 6 being experienced mid-week. Much of this was being caused by a very large coronal hole causing high speed streams of wind directed at Earth. Kp values are expected to hover around 4 today and decline into the low 3s tomorrow with active conditions persisting. High solar winds (currently near 800 km/s) are expected to continue today, but should wane this weekend. Flare activity has been low and is expected to remain so over the next several days. The chance of R1-R2 radio blackouts is forecast to be at 25% and R3 or greater blackouts are at 1%. With a few exceptions due to the now waning solar winds, conditions have been favorable overall. It remains a fantastic time for amateurs of all license classes to get on the air and work the world. Conditions should be good for this weekend's contest.

Good sources of real-time solar information include https://www.spaceweatherlive.com/ and https://solarham.com/. A good overview of conditions can be found at https://dx.qsl.net/propagation/. To see D-layer absorption data and associated radio blackouts, visit https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/d-region-absorption-predictions-d-rap. To see real-time Maximum Usable Frequency (MUF) and Critical Frequency (foF2) information from radiosonde data, visit https://prop.kc2g.com/.

Upcoming Contests

As mentioned earlier the big event this weekend in contesting is the CQ WW WPX Contest on SSB. Also on the contest calendar this weekend we can look forward to the Sasquatch Stomp, the Feld Hell Sprint, and the Classic Exchange on CW. As always the K1USN SSTs, MSTs, and CWTs will also be on the air.

The full contest calendar with events and exchanges can be found at https://www.contestcalendar.com/weeklycont.php

Interesting Online Radio Content

Tim G5TM does the calculations for how much LiFePO4 battery you need -

Oxford Shortwave Log takes a first look at the Choyoung LC90 Shortwave and Internet Radio -

Michael KB9VBR takes a look at the Surecom SW-28F SWR/Wattmeter -

Craig KM6LYW adds a USB port to his Yaesu HT -

Kevin KB9RLW finds a workaround for a PL-tone issue for the ICOM 705 when working satellites -

Mike K8MRD goes on a hike and activates POTA with the Alpha Antenna FMJ -

Bill AJ8B talks to ARRL CEO David NA2AA about his operating and his day job for the DX Mentor Podcast -

Hayden VK7HH talks about some Retevis deals on Amazon -

Kevin W1DED talks to Mark K1RX about Contesting Tips and Tricks -

Kevan 2E0WMG uses the inexpensive vertical from AliExpress -

Morten LB0FI takes a look at the Sierra Radio Systems Station Controller -

Mike K8MRD talks tuners and chokes -

Josh KI6NAZ compares telescoping 2m and 70cm HT antennas -

Linas LY2H puts the Bamatech Flight Deck through its paces -

Matt M0DQW takes a look at the Baofeng DM-32UV and is pleasantly surprised -

Jim WT1W takes a look at a USB cable tester -

GreatScott takes a look at USB PPS for variable power supply via USB C -

Kevan 2E0WMG uses the FX-4CR and really enjoys it -

Kevin W1DED talks to the Contest Crew about strategies for CQ WPX SSB -

George VK2AOE shows his homebrew single tube rig with a digital VFO -

Walt K4OGO puts together an inexpensive HF setup for a fly-in operation -

Rob N1NUG takes a look at the GA-800 Active Loop Antenna -

Steve KM9G makes a 2m go-bag -

Mike K8MRD takes a look at the Malahit DSP2 Receiver -

Kevin W1DED talks real-time contesting with Victor VA2WA and Craig K9CT -

Kevin W1DED talks about Levi K6JO's dominant ARRL DX SSB performance from ZF1A -

That's it for this week.

Best 73,

Ed

N2EC

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mvarc.substack.com

In the log this week

* MVARC Breakfast Tomorrow (3/22/2025)

* Learn About Batteries for Portable Operations at MVARC's Monthly Meeting Tomorrow (3/22/2025)

* Virginia QSO Party Recap

* QRP Labs Announces Beta SSB Firmware for the QMX and QMX+

* MVARC Nets on the Air

* What's happening with DX?

* Solar Activity Update

* Upcoming Contests

* Interesting Online Radio Content

MVARC Breakfast Tomorrow (3/22/2025)

Tomorrow, Saturday, March 22, 2025, is the date of our next monthly breakfast. As usual we will meet up at 8 AM in the IHOP at 7694 Richmond Highway in Alexandria, Virginia for great conversation, camaraderie, and breakfast too. We have been having a great turn out in the last few months and there is always room for you to join in the fun. We hope to see you all there.

Learn About Batteries for Portable Operations at MVARC's Monthly Meeting Tomorrow (3/22/2025)

Tomorrow, Saturday March 22, 2025 at 10:30 AM we will have our next monthly meeting. This month, Ed N2EC (of the third person) will be giving a presentation on "Battery Power for Portable Operations". I will go over what you need to know about the different battery chemistries out there, how to size your system to your needs, go over some case studies from QRP to QRO, discuss commercially available options and how to build your own, talk about using solar to recharge your system, and even do some show-and-tell so you can see different systems first hand. It should be an informative talk whether you're brand new to portable power or an off-grid pro, so bring your questions and get charged up with us.

Our monthly meeting will be held at the Mount Vernon Government Center at 2511 Parkers Lane, Alexandria, VA in room 119 shortly following our monthly breakfast. We encourage everyone who can make it to join us in person. For those unable to join we will also have a hybrid meeting available via Google Meet at https://meet.google.com/gew-gucu-gbu.

Virginia QSO Party Recap

Last weekend we were lucky to have good band conditions and a lot of participation in the Virginia QSO Party. I wasn't able to operate for the full time, but ended up with 300 in the log, all in CW. I got 32 counties and cities in Virginia, 37 states, and 1 Canadian province. I also was able to get 7 DXCC entities in the log including the Slovak Republic, Lithuania, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia, and Ukraine. I was excited to work Laci OM2VL on all 5 bands I operated on (80 m, 40 m, 20 m, 15 m, and 10 m), it is almost certain he'll be the top DX op once again this year. He will also be featured on this year's certificates in honor of his consistent participation in the VAQP. Thanks for all the hard work by the Sterling Park Amateur Radio Club putting on the contest and thanks to all who participated. I can't wait for next year's edition!

If you have any on-the-air activities you'd like to share, send them along and I can add them to a future edition of Amateur Radio News and Notes.

QRP Labs Announces Beta SSB Firmware for the QMX and QMX+

QRP Labs, makers of several inexpensive and highly regarded QRP kits and radios, announced this week that they have released a beta firmware for their QMX and QMX+ radios that will allow them to transmit on Single Sideband in addition to CW and single tone digital modes. Customers have been eagerly awaiting this since the QMX was first released at Four Days in May in 2023. This is very much a beta release, as there have already been some issues found that are being worked on ... as founder Hans Summers G0UPL says in the announcement update on their groups.io from Wednesday it is "for the brave". But now that it is released we can expect updates as users test to get everything fully functional (the second release came less than a day after the first).

Considering that the 5-band QMX starts at $102.47 and the 11-band QMX+ starts at $125, this new firmware makes the rigs some of the most cost effective and full featured QRP rigs available. I would not be surprised if they are soon backordered! If you have a QMX and are among "the brave" the beta firmware can be found at https://qrp-labs.com/qmxp/ssbbeta.html.

MVARC Nets on the Air

* 2 Meter FM Net: Tuesdays at 7 PM [146.655/- MHz (141.3 Hz PL Tone) ]

* 2 Meter Digital Net: Immediately Follows 2 Meter FM Net [146.655/- MHz C4FM]

* MVARC Slow Speed CW Roundtable: Saturday and Sunday at 7:30 AM [3.565 MHz CW]

* MVARC Cherry Tree Net: Saturday and Sunday at 8:30 AM [3.920 MHz LSB]

What's Happening with DX

There will be a lot of DX on the air in the next week. Stations on the air will include Madeira Island (CQ3W), Avdimou Beach British Sovereign Base Cyprus (ZC4MK), Jamaica (6Y7EI), Antigua (V26K), Rodrigues Island (3B9DJ), Vanuatu (YJ0CA), Guadeloupe Island (TO1Q), Grenada (J38XB), Tanzania (5H3MB), Cayman Islands (ZF2LC), Dominica Island (J79WTA), Cook Islands (E51ANQ), Martinique (FM/F8AAN), Sint Maarten Island (PJ7AA), Mali (TZ4AM), Comoro Islands (D68Z), Solomon Islands (H44MS), Sri Lanka (4S7KKG), Benin (TY5C), Senegal (6W7/ON4AVT), and Antarctica (DP0GVN),

A calendar of DXpeditions can be found at https://dxnews.com/calendar/.

Solar Activity Update

As we go to press the Solar Flux Index (SFI) was 180 and the estimated sunspot number was 170. Over the last week the SFI has slightly increased. Solar activity has been moderate due to an isolated M1.5 flare from solar region 4031. Solar wind was also enhanced in the last day but is expected to diminish today with another enhancement to be seen tomorrow according to NOAA forecasts. Geomagnetic fields were quiet to unsettled yesterday, and quiet to unsettled activity is expected today and unsettled to active activity forecast tomorrow. Yesterday brought a G1 level geomagnetic storm and Kp index values of Kp5. The Kp index is forecast to come down today and tomorrow with values around 2 today and in the low to mid 2s tomorrow rising to above 3 by the end of the day. There is only a 5% chance for S1 or greater solar radiation storms for the next few days according NOAA forecasts. In terms of radio blackouts the chance of an R1-R2 blackout is at 30% and the chance for R3 or greater radio blackouts is at 5%. Conditions have been favorable overall. It remains a fantastic time for amateurs of all license classes to get on the air and work the world.

Good sources of real-time solar information include https://www.spaceweatherlive.com/ and https://solarham.com/. A good overview of conditions can be found at https://dx.qsl.net/propagation/. To see D-layer absorption data and associated radio blackouts, visit https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/d-region-absorption-predictions-d-rap. To see real-time Maximum Usable Frequency (MUF) and Critical Frequency (foF2) information from radiosonde data, visit https://prop.kc2g.com/.

Upcoming Contests

On the contest calendar this weekend we can look forward to the North American SSB Sprint, AWA John Rollins Memorial DX Contest, the Russian YL/OM Contest, the Africa All Mode International DX Contest, the UBA Spring Contest on 6 meters. As always the K1USN SSTs, MSTs, and CWTs will also be on the air.

The full contest calendar with events and exchanges can be found at https://www.contestcalendar.com/weeklycont.php

Interesting Online Radio Content

Hayden VK7HH takes a look at a classic Icom rig that he still loves today -

Michael KB9VBR and Joe KD9CGX activate an ATNO for POTA while Joe does his first CW Activation -

Becky N4BKY and Mike N4FFF share their favorite Morse Code learning tools and games -

Bob WV7W takes a look at the JPC 12 Antenna and uses it to activate POTA -

Ralph of Electronics for the Inquisitive Experimenter goes into the math behind the feedline side of an antenna tuner -

James KE8PZN shows us the Otter Vortex Pro Ice Fishing Tent he uses for POTA -

Jeff KF0MYB shows a battery operated alternative to canned air products -

Kevin W1DED talks to Kody K3KLB about his Winter Field Day operations in a Ice Fishing Tent -

Josh KI6NAZ takes a look at an upgraded speaker mount from Lido -

Hayden VK7HH takes a look at some Chinese duplexers -

IMSAI Guy takes a look at the ZeenKo Log Periodic Antenna for 400 MHz to 8 GHz -

Steve KM9G shows a budget battery load tester -

Chuck KK7USY shows a homebrew antenna he built -

Dugbo KD7DUG shows the essential figure 8 method for wrapping wire and line -

Ramon EA5IW takes his QRP Labs QCX Mini to a mountain top in Spain for 30 meter fun -

Dugbo KD7DUG takes us on a Bike Packing adventure to Orosco Ridge -

Walt K4OGO gets great performance for a low cost with an inexpensive vertical antenna -

Rob N1NUG takes a look at the Power Queen LiFePO4 battery and MPPT Solar Controller -

Sean W9FFF shows a design issue with the Yaesu FT-5D -

IMSAI Guy takes a look at the TinySA Ultra Plus Spectrum Analyzer -

Matt M0DQW shows us the SDRBerry SDR Receiver for Raspberry Pi -

Kevin W1DED talks to Adrian KO8SCA about next year's DXpedition to Bouvet as 3Y0K -

Forrest KI7QCF gives a survey of his favorite keys and paddles for beginners (on the expensive side of things) -

Callum M0MCX of DX Commander talks about the 2 transmitter station he is building -

Morten LB0FI uses an inexpensive monitor to build a HamClock -

Steve KM9G takes a look at batteries and gear from Kevin W0AEZ -

Mark KD7DTS talks to Umesh KK6TXI about home made batteries while they activate SOTA -

That's it for this week.

Best 73,

Ed

N2EC

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mvarc.substack.com

In the log this week

* Contest Spotlight: Virginia QSO Party This Weekend

* MVARC Nets on the Air

* What's happening with DX?

* Solar Activity Update

* Upcoming Contests

* Interesting Online Radio Content

Contest Spotlight: Virginia QSO Party This Weekend

The Virginia QSO Party, run by the Sterling Park Amateur Radio Club, will be held this weekend, March 15-16, 2025. The fun starts at 1400 UTC (10 AM EDT) on Saturday going until 0400 UTC Sunday (or Saturday at midnight EDT) and then starts back up Sunday at 1200 UTC (8 AM EDT) going until 2400 UTC (8PM EDT). This contest is a whole lot of fun with lots of opportunities to work all over since everyone will be trying to get Virginia stations in their logs. There are a lot of awards and 30 plaques waiting for you to win them. As we heard in Gordon Miller NQ4K's talk at our last meeting there are a lot of niches available for competition and all Virginia stations get a certificate when they participate. The VAQP has been growing a lot since it was started and has some of the highest participation of all the state QSO Parties in terms of logs submitted (3rd behind California and Florida, if I remember correctly) and it is quite possibly the most popular QSO contest when normalized for state population. There are some new additions for 2025 including allowing remote operation and bonus stations for extra points (AJ4LN, KK4AIA, KM4SK, NQ4K, W4KSN, and W8ANT).

As always, there are a lot of different categories in which you can participate. From a station perspective this includes Mobile (a station that can operate while in motion and doesn't require disconnections to move), a Rover station (which can also operate mobile, but can also operate outside the vehicle and change equipment), Expedition (which can move to non-permanent stations but is not utilizing a mobile station -- you have to set up once you get there), and of course, Fixed (your home station). From a power perspective there is High (Over 150 W), Low (under 150W), and QRP (5W or less). Modes include Phone, CW, Digital, and Mixed (if you do more than one mode). Stations can be Single or Multi-operator, Single or Multi-transmitter, and Single or Multi-band). All these options means you can really focus your operating to chase after a plaque that interests you!

For the rules, VA stations can work everyone and out-of-state stations can only work VA. Fixed stations can work once per band and mode, mobiles can be worked again in different counties or independent cities, Mobile stations should use a suffix in the call sign to denote their mobile status. Some things that are specifically allowed in the contest: working via satellites, remote stations, and the use of spotting networks (including self-spots) are all permitted. On the flip side of things, cross mode and repeater QSOs are NOT allowed. One other thing of note: logs with a significant number of QSOs with the same stations will be considered check logs.

In terms of the exchange, it will be QSO number and QTH. So if you worked me, the exchange would be "123 FFX" where 123 is my current QSO count and FFX is the abbreviation for Fairfax County. Non-VA stations would be QSO Number and State/Province/Country so "001 PA" for a station in Pennsylvania just starting out. One thing of note, Digital is allowed, but rarely worked because you need the full exchange. FT8 does not have an easy way to do this (you can change your own details, but the answering station is unlikely to have serial number and S/P/C, the required exchange). As a result, the digital plaque hasn't been awarded in the last couple years. That said ... if you made a RTTY, Olivia, or other digital mode run, you'd be very likely to win that plaque!

Points are 1 for Phone, 2 for CW and Digital, and 3 for Mobile/Rover/Expedition stations. Multipliers are for each VA county and independent city (all 133 of them!), US States (not including VA, of course), Canadian Provinces, and DXCC entities (excluding the US, Canada, Alaska, and Hawaii). For Mobile/Rover/Expedition stations, if they work 10 stations in a county or city they can also claim it as a multiplier for themselves. For DX stations the multipliers they get to claim are the VA Counties and Cities. There are also Bonus points for working the bonus stations. Final score is QSO Points x Multipliers + Bonus Points. Logs need to be submitted by April 15th either electronically (the preferred method) or via mail. Full rules and a whole lot of information can be found at https://www.qsl.net/sterling/VA_QSO_Party/2025_VQP/2025_VQP_Main.html. If you want to hunt some of the mobile, rover, and expedition stations, K1RA has put together an APRS mobile tracker for the VAQP at https://k1ra.us/vaqp-aprs/ and general spots can be found at http://www.qsoparty.com/.

This year promises to be one of the best VA QSO Parties yet with ever increasing participation and with us being at the height of Solar Cycle 25. As Gordon NQ4K told us "if you're not having fun you're doing it wrong!" -- so get on the air and have fun. And if you do submit a log, make sure to mention you're part of the Mount Vernon Amateur Radio club if you're a member. It would be fun to see the club in the standings for the club competition! Have fun and Good Luck!

MVARC Nets on the Air

* 2 Meter FM Net: Tuesdays at 7 PM [146.655/- MHz (141.3 Hz PL Tone) ]

* 2 Meter Digital Net: Immediately Follows 2 Meter FM Net [146.655/- MHz C4FM]

* MVARC Slow Speed CW Roundtable: Saturday and Sunday at 7:30 AM [3.565 MHz CW]

* MVARC Cherry Tree Net: Saturday and Sunday at 8:30 AM [3.920 MHz LSB]

What's Happening with DX

There will be a lot of DX on the air in the next week. Stations on the air will include Andaman Islands (VU2AX), Jamaica (6Y7EI), Sint Maarten Island (PJ7AA), Eleuthera Island - Bahamas (C6AJB), Grenada (J38XB), Tanzania (5H3MB), Mali (TZ4AM), Comoro Islands (D68Z), Solomon Islands (H44MS), Sri Lanka (4S7KKG), Benin (TY5C), and Senegal (6W7/ON4AVT).

A calendar of DXpeditions can be found at https://dxnews.com/calendar/

Solar Activity Update

As we go to press the Solar Flux Index (SFI) was 160 and the estimated sunspot number was 160. Over the last week the SFI has slightly increased. In the last few days the solar conditions have been degraded due to solar storms with elevated Kp index values. Yesterday brought a G1 level geomagnetic storm and Kp values of Kp5. The Kp index is forecast to come down today and tomorrow with values around 3 today and in the low to mid 2s tomorrow, so we expect conditions to improve for the weekend. Solar activity has been at low levels with only low level C-class flares being observed. Geomagnetic conditions are expected to be unsettled to active today and tomorrow. There is only a 1% chance for S1 or greater solar radiation storms for the next few days according NOAA forecasts. In terms of radio blackouts the chance of an R1-R2 blackout is at 40% and the chance for R3 or greater radio blackouts is at 5%. Periods of G1 geomagnetic storms are possible through the 15th and solar wind features are enhanced due to Coronal Hole High Speed Streams. Even with the challenges of the last couple days, conditions have been favorable overall. Things look to be calming down in time for this weekend's Virginia QSO Party. It remains a fantastic time for amateurs of all license classes to get on the air and work the world.

Good sources of real-time solar information include

https://www.spaceweatherlive.com/ and https://solarham.com/. A good overview of conditions can be found at https://dx.qsl.net/propagation/. To see D-layer absorption data and associated radio blackouts, visit https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/d-region-absorption-predictions-d-rap. To see real-time Maximum Usable Frequency (MUF) and Critical Frequency (foF2) information from radiosonde data, visit https://prop.kc2g.com/.

Upcoming Contests

The contesting highlight for this weekend as mentioned earlier is the Virginia QSO Party. Also on the contest calendar are the PODXS 070 Club St. Patrick's Day Contest, the BARTG HF RTTY Contest, the Popov Memorial Contest, the F9AA Cup on SSB, the Russian DX Contest, the AGCW VHF/UHF Contest, the Feld Hell Sprint, the AWA John Rollins Memorial DX Contest, the UPA Spring Contest on SSB, and the Run for the Bacon QRP Contest. As always the K1USN SSTs, MSTs, and CWTs will also be on the air.

The full contest calendar with events and exchanges can be found at https://www.contestcalendar.com/weeklycont.php

Interesting Online Radio Content

Matt M0DQW takes a look at the Baofeng BF-UF32 tri-bander and finds spectral purity issues -

Bob WV7W gives some tips on adjusting your bug -

Lewis M3HHY uses a TinySA Ultra to explore RF signals at a transmitter site -

Mike K8MRD takes a look at the VGC VR-N76 (AKA BTech UV-Pro) and likes what he sees -

Steve KM9G does the MARS mod for his FT5D -

Michael KB9VBR shows how he set up a mobile multi-op, multi-transmitter station for the Wisconsin QSO Party -

Josh Ki6NAZ deploys the Spooltenna with the Lil' Dude 6 mast -

Sean W9FFF builds a Meshtastic node with a Spec 5 Trekker Case -

Mike K8MRD talks POTA logs and foreign operations -

Tim G5TM sees how long he can run portable with a LiFePO4 battery -

Rob N1NUG takes a look at a TinySA Ultra -

Walt K4OGO talks about how to get (and how not to get) the benefits of salt water for HF -

Kevin KB9RLW shows the final design of his clever 29:1 harmonic drive for a magloop antenna -

Jim WT1W talks about using oscilloscopes for doing some power measurements -

Hayden VK7HH unearths ham radio treasure on AliExpress -

Matt M0DQW builds a cheap 350 Watt Remote ATU -

Sean W9FFF shows that some claims on 18650 batteries listed at Amazon are inaccurate -

Dan WD4DAN and Sebastian KI2D go over new features in Ham2K PoLo (Portable Logger) -

Kurt ON7OFF/HS0ZPX live streams working DX from Thailand -

Nanofix DIYs a powerful soldering fume extractor -

Kevin W1DED talks to DX Marathon Youth Award Winner Pia DL7PIA about her activities in Amateur Radio -

Thomas K4SWL activates POTA with an Index Labs QRP Plus -

Duff WA7BFN brings the latest LICW Podcast with discussions about working satellites and more -

Steve KM9G talks about getting kids interested in Amateur Radio -

Kurt ON7OFF takes a look at the soon to be released Micro PA100 Amp -

Vince VE6LK takes a look at the Wiretap 3D Printed Paddles from VE6SFX -

Andy DL6FA has a QSO using 3 different CW Keys -

Lidiette KQ3Q and Junie N1DUC activate Biscayne National Park with Mochi the duck -

Dugbo KD7DUG has a Summit to Summit contact with KG6YJ -

That's it for this week.

Best 73,

Ed

N2EC

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mvarc.substack.com

In the log this week

* Vienna Wireless Winterfest Hamfest This Sunday, March 9, 2025

* DXpedition Spotlight: VU4AX - Andaman Islands

* MVARC Nets on the Air

* What's happening with DX?

* Solar Activity Update

* Upcoming Contests

* Interesting Online Radio Content

Thanks for reading MVARC News! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Vienna Wireless Winterfest Hamfest This Sunday, March 9, 2025

Sunday, March 9, 2025 the Vienna Wireless Society is hosting the 49th Winterfest hamfest at Oakton High School, 2900 Sutton Road, Vienna, VA 22181. This is one of the biggest hamfests that is close to us here in Northern Virginia and is always a fun time. The Mount Vernon Amateur Radio Club has rented a table inside, so we'll be there selling gear and letting folks know about the club. Tickets are $12 (plus service fee) in advance and $15 at the door, so getting them online is a way to save a few bucks. Tailgating is $20 and includes an admission ticket. They also have a raffle where they're giving away a Yaesu FTDX10 and an Icom ID-5100A-D. If you're able to make it plan on stopping by and saying hello. This is one of a small handful of hamfests in the area still operating, so giving your support helps to ensure it will be there for years to come. Also, it is a great way see old friends and make new ones. More information can be found at https://viennawireless.net/wp/winterfest/. Of note, this Sunday is when we "Spring Forward" into Eastern Daylight Time -- so make sure to set your clock so you get there on time and don't miss any deals! We hope to see you there!

DXpedition Spotlight: VU4AX - Andaman Islands

Image Courtesy DX-Adventure.com

This week brings a highly anticipated DXpedition to South Andaman Island in the Bay of Bengal to the East of the Indian subcontinent. This is a rare entity, particularly for North America where it ranks number 28 on the Club Log most wanted list. It is a particular challenge due to the fact that the azimuthal path is nearly directly over the North Pole. The DX-Adventure team plans on setting up on the Western beach to improve their working conditions for North American contacts and will be using Spiderbeam beam antennas on 10, 12, 15, 17, and 20 meters. They have indicated they will be focusing on providing the best opportunities to North America as is possible, looking for band openings to exploit. The plan is for them to be running 6 stations 24 hours a day, starting on the 10th and continuing until the 20th. Due to regulations on the island, there will not be any 6 meter operations as the government limits operations on that band to 25 Watts on FM. The operating team includes 10 operators from Belgium and 2 operators from the Netherlands. This promises to be an exciting opportunity to get some particularly rare DX in your log. For more information about the DXpedition, check out their web site at https://www.dx-adventure.com/en/home-eng/. Good Luck!

MVARC Nets on the Air

* 2 Meter FM Net: Tuesdays at 7 PM [146.655/- MHz (141.3 Hz PL Tone) ]

* 2 Meter Digital Net: Immediately Follows 2 Meter FM Net [146.655/- MHz C4FM]

* MVARC Slow Speed CW Roundtable: Saturday and Sunday at 7:30 AM [3.565 MHz CW]

* MVARC Cherry Tree Net: Saturday and Sunday at 8:30 AM [3.920 MHz LSB]

What's Happening with DX

There will be a lot of DX on the air in the next week. Stations on the air will include Cayman Islands (ZF2CA), Cocos Keeling Islands (VK9CU), Andaman Islands (VU2AX), Jamaica (6Y7EI), Sint Maarten Island (PJ7AA), Antigua (V26MN), Comoro Islands (D68Z), Solomon Islands (H44MS), Sri Lanka (4S7KKG), Benin (TY5C), Senegal (6W7/ON4AVT), Marcus Island Minami Tori Shima Islands (JG8NQJ/JD1), and Antarctica (FT4YM, 8J1RL).

A calendar of DXpeditions can be found at https://dxnews.com/calendar/

Solar Activity Update

As we go to press the Solar Flux Index (SFI) was 149 and the estimated sunspot number was 147. Over the last week the SFI has declined. Conditions have been excellent for HF propagation and are predicted to remain good. Solar activity has been low with only low level C-class flares being observed. Geomagnetic conditions are expected to be quiet today and unsettled to active tomorrow. There is only a 5% chance for S1 or greater solar radiation storms for the next few days according NOAA forecasts. In terms of radio blackouts the chance of an R1-R2 blackout is at 45% and the chance for R3 or greater radio blackouts is at 10%. No G1 or greater geomagnetic storms are expected and no significant solar wind features are forecast. Conditions have been favorable overall and the 10 meter band has been open everyday with lots of DX on the bands. It remains a fantastic time for amateurs of all license classes to get on the air and work the world.

Good sources of real-time solar information include https://www.spaceweatherlive.com/ and https://solarham.com/. A good overview of conditions can be found at https://dx.qsl.net/propagation/. To see D-layer absorption data and associated radio blackouts, visit https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/d-region-absorption-predictions-d-rap. To see real-time Maximum Usable Frequency (MUF) and Critical Frequency (foF2) information from radiosonde data, visit https://prop.kc2g.com/.

Upcoming Contests

This weekend brings the Novice Rig Roundup, the SARL VHF/UHF FM Contest, the Commonwealth (BERU) Contest, the DIG QSO Party, the AGCW QRP Contest, the EA PSK63 Contest, the South America 10 Meter Contest, the Stew Perry Topband Challenge, the Oklahoma QSO Party, the Idaho QSO Party, the Wisconsin QSO Party, the TESLA Memorial HF CW Contest, the UBA Spring Contest, the FIRAC HF Contest, the YOTA Contest, the Classic Exchange Contest, and the 4 States QRP Second Sunday Sprint. As always the K1USN SSTs, MSTs, and CWTs will also be on the air.

The full contest calendar with events and exchanges can be found at https://www.contestcalendar.com/weeklycont.php

Interesting Online Radio Content

Ralph of Electronics for the Inquisitive Experimenter takes a look at how Antenna Tuners work to match your antenna via complex conjugate matching -

Josh KI6NAZ takes a look at the CTR2 Mini and MIDI rig control devices -

Michael KB9VBR does a POTA rove in Wisconsin's Driftless region -

Hayden VK7HH takes a look at the LiTime 50 Ah LiFePO4 battery -

Mike K8MRD Builds a Yaesu FT-891 Go-Bag with an Armorloq cage -

Steve KM9G takes a look at the new Retevis MA1 Dual Bander -

Matt M0DQW takes a look at the new Retevis MA1 Full Duplex 50 W Mobile 2m/70cm rig -

Mark KD7DTS and Ara N6ARA do multiple SOTA activations back-to-back -

Sean W9FFF really likes a new antenna winder design -

Hayden VK7HH gives his favorite HTs on Amazon for 2025 -

Mike K8MRD talks RFI suppression for mobile operations -

Paul OM0ET takes a look at a new firmware and HI-Z receive circuit for the Micro Pocket Receiver -

Josh KI6NAZ takes a look at the Intellitron HA-1711S antenna and compares it with the MFJ Long Ranger -

Forrest KI7QCF unboxes a new (to him) QRP rig and activates some POTA -

Tim K5OHY unboxes a G90 and does some backyard POTA hunting -

Sean W9FFF talks about whether you should be "worried" if your neighbor has a tower -

Rob N1NUG fixes a problem with his NanoVNA -

Hayden VK7HH lists his picks for the best antennas on Amazon -

Craig KM6LYW talks about the latest version of his DigiPi suite -

Kevan 2E0WMG goes kayak portable at a salt marsh -

George VK2AOE makes a waterfall display to accompany his Kenwood TS-520 -

Dugbo KD7DUG activates Iron Mountain for SOTA and takes us along for the adventure -

Tim N7KOM talks about the K6STR Emergency Backup Antenna -

Matt M0DQW shows you how to use an RTL-SDR locally with a web browser based SDR software program -

Sean W9FFF tears down the Reel POTAble Antenna -

Mike K8MRD takes a look at the Nurzviy SolarEpoch Foldable Solar Panels -

Steve KM9G takes a look at a Aferiy Power Station -

That's it for this week.

Best 73,

Ed

N2EC

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mvarc.substack.com