June 2004
Articles from the
June 2004 issue of CQ posted on our
website include:
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The big news for the June issue of CQ is a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking from the FCC that came out just before our deadline. The biggest proposal in this “housekeeping” document is to adopt the ARRL’s petition to “refarm” the HF Novice bands into expanded phone (voice) subbands on 80, 40 and 15 meters, while giving Novices and Technicians with code access to the full General Class CW subbands on each of those bands. Other significant proposals include allowing auxiliary operation on 2 meters (legalizing Kenwood’s “Sky Command” system for using a dual-band handheld or mobile rig to remotely control an HF transceiver) and allowing amplifier manufacturers to once again sell amps that cover the 12 and 10-meter ham bands. Information on these and other proposals will be found in this month’s “Zero Bias” editorial and “VHF Plus” column. Full details will be in W5YI’s “Washington Readout” column in the July issue, but that will come out after the comment deadline for this proposal, WT Docket 04-140.
The complete NPRM is available online in Word, PDF, or text format at the following addresses:
Word:
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-04-79A1.doc>
PDF:
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-04-79A1.pdf>
Text:
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-04-79A1.txt>
Comments are due by June 15, 2004, with reply comments due by June 30.
Our features for June include part 1 of “The Phoenix QRP Transceiver,” a feature on building a low-power transceiver from the “ashes” of a junked TV set, by Dan Metzger, K8JWR (Note: Two errors slipped into the schematic for this project, both at the lower left. The coil labeled L3 should have a value of 9 uH, 39 turns; and the 100k resistor to the left of Q5 should be labeled R10. We apologize for any confusion.Click here to view corrected schematic); results of the 2003 CQ World Wide VHF Contest, by Contest Director John Lindholm, W1XX; a CQ review of AOR’s ARD-9800 digital voice modem by Editor Rich Moseson, W2VU; and a look at some mysterious Long-Delayed Echoes by frequent CQ contributor Bob Shrader, W6BNB.
Our columns this month start out with “World of Ideas,” by Dave Ingram, K4TWJ. This month, Dave looks at “Outdoor HF’n.” In “Washington Readout,” by Fred Maia, W5YI. Fred examines three proposals for restructuring amateur licensing that have been put out for preliminary comment by the FCC. The proposals come from the ARRL, the National Council of Volunteer Examiner Coordinators, and a little-known group called the Radio Amateur Foundation.
Next, in “Math’s Notes,” column editor Irwin Math, WA2NDM, explains the “Reflex Receiver;” Public Service Editor Bob Josuweit, WA3PZO, looks into “Public Service and Science;” Digital Editor Don Rotolo, N2IRZ, examines digital amateur television (DATV), and K4TWJ’s QRP column on low-power operating offers updates on equipment and notes on QRP contesting.
In this month’s “Beginner’s Corner,” editor Wayne Yoshida, KH6WZ, has the basics on “Antennas to Get You Going,” and “What’s New” editor Karl Thurber, W8FX, spotlights some of the latest goodies in the ham radio marketplace. “Radio Classics” editor Joe Veras, K9OCO, looks back at the phasing method of generating a single sideband signal, along with some of the rigs that used phasing SSB (as opposed to the more common filter method). As mentioned at the beginning, this month’s “VHF-Plus” column by Joe Lynch, N6CL, focuses on the VHF aspects of the big rule-changing proposal announced by the FCC in mid-April. Joe’s column is followed by the rules for the 2004 CQ World Wide VHF Contest and by K1AR’s “Contesting” column, which John devotes this month to a memorial of well-known contester Bill Fisher, W4AN, who recently became a Silent Key.
We finish up with DX Editor Carl Smith, N4AA’s review of operating practices (recommended reading for all), a Q&A session with Awards Editor Ted Melinosky, K1BV, and a look at likely propagation conditions for Field Day from Propagation Editor Tomas Hood, NW7US.
The June issue of CQ should be on newsstands and in readers’ mailboxes by mid-May, and available hot-off-the-presses at the CQ booth at the Dayton Hamvention®. We’ll be in a new location again this year, at the other end of the main arena from where we were last year, in booths 74 and 75. We hope to see many of you there!
Rules: 2004 CQ World Wide VHF Contest
The all-ham Johnson family of Bemidji, Minnesota … W0PJ, N0MJ, K1MJ, N0CMJ (with Boo, the cat), W0GJ and KL7YL.