January 2005
Articles from the
January 2005 issue of CQ posted on our
website include:
Happy New Year 2005! It's CQ magazine's 60th anniversary, and we're celebrating both in the magazine and on the air. Be sure to participate in the "CQ/60" on-air event between January 1 and March 1, 2005, the first 60 days of the year. Contact enough stations signing "/60" after their calls and you'll qualify for the 2005 edition of the "CQ Gang" award. Plus, CQ Amateur Radio Club station WW2CQ will be on the air from around the U.S. during the /60 period. An additional certificate is available for contacting WW2CQ in each US call district in which it's active. Click here for details.
The January issue of CQ features a unique hamfest in the desert of Arizona -- "Quartzfest" is part of the annual "Quartzite" gathering of motorhome enthusiasts in which over a million RVers get together each January in Arizona. The many hams among them meet at Quartzfest, and Contributing Editor Gordon West, WB6NOA, paid them a visit.
We also have details from columnist Fred Maia, W5YI, of the FCC's ruling on Broadband over Power Lines, or BPL. This is an issue that's been of major concern to hams in recent months and continues to cause worries about massive interference across the HF spectrum once the system is widely deployed.
We've also got the SSB results of the 2004 CQ World Wide WPX Contest, with continued high levels of participation - matching last year's record number of logs - and seven new world and continental records, despite the sunspot cycle taking a nosedive. The CW results will be along in March. Rules for the 2005 WPX Contest will be in our February issue. However, the January issue does have the rules for our RTTY WPX Contest, coming up on February 12-13 (the 2005 SSB WPX weekend is March 26-27; the CW weekend is May 28-29).
The January issue of CQ also has a CQ review of GAP's two DSP audio enhancing systems, the "Hear It" speaker and standalone module, plus our annual announcement and nomination form for the CQ Amateur Radio Hall of Fame. Nominations also open January 1 for the CQ Contest Hall of Fame and the CQ DX Hall of Fame. We also have "My Father, Ham Radio, and Me," by Peter Brandenberg, K2MMT, and the first installment of a year-long 60th anniversary mini-series called "60 Great Things About Ham Radio."
Among our January columns, "Washington Readout" Editor Fred Maia, W5YI, is up front this month with his report on the FCC's BPL ruling. Beginners' Editor Wayne Yoshida, KH6WZ, explains what "kerchunking" a repeater is, and why it's not a good thing to do; "World of Ideas" Editor Dave Ingram, K4TWJ, discusses options for setting up a remote-linked HF station; Public Service Editor Bob Josuweit, WA3PZO, looks at preparedness exercises in a column called "Field Day is Not Enough," and Antennas Editor Kent Britain, WA5VJB, examines "wounded wings," what happens to your signal when your Yagi loses all or half of an element (Hint: If it's the driven element, you've got a big problem).
"Math's Notes" editor Irwin Math, WA2NDM, looks back on his earliest days in the radio hobby, and "Magic in the Sky" features guest columnist Sean Barnes, N3JQ, writing about his very successful efforts to integrate amateur radio into his high school science curriculum. Sean was briefly licensed as a Novice when he was in 8th grade. His license expired, but his interest in radio and electronics never did, and when he began teaching after years in the military and private industry, he found that "Amateur Radio Was Calling Me Back," the title of his piece.
"How it Works" Editor Dave Ingram, K4TWJ, takes us behind the dials of a typical receiver; New Products Editor Karl Thurber, W8FX, shows us what goodies are available for last-minute gift ideas; "VHF Plus" Editor Joe Lynch, N6CL, shares reports on a record-setting Aurora opening in early November, and DX Editor Carl Smith, N4AA, looks at the unusual conditions on both HF and VHF caused by the solar events that touched off that big aurora.
Finally, Awards Editor Ted Melinosky, K1BV, answers some questions about the USA-Counties Award, CQ's premier domestic operating achievement program; Contesting Editor John Dorr, K1AR, looks at the "gray line" of how to interpret contest rules, and Propagation Editor Tomas Hood, NW7US, describes a great on-air propagation tool called PropNET and predicts good DXing conditions for 2005, despite the declining sunspot cycle.
That's a preview of what will be in January issue of CQ, which should be in readers’ mailboxes and on newsstands in mid-December. Best wishes to all of our readers and other visitors to our website from all of us at CQ for a happy holiday season and a happy, healthy, and hopefully peaceful 2005.
Rules: 2004 CQ RTTY WPX Contest
Rules: The 2005 CQ
World-Wide WPX
Contest
2005 Nominations Open for the CQ Amateur Radio
Hall of Fame
The "CQ/60" Operating Activity
and the "CQ Gang Award"
February 2005
Contest Calendar