March 2004
Articles from the
March 2004 issue of CQ posted on our
website include:
The March 2004 issue of CQ starts out with an update on our November story by OH2BH on “Project Goodwill Albania.” The original story was written before the start of an international mission to help bring amateur radio into the curriculum of a Tirana technical university. The follow-up, by two members of the American team, Warren Hill, K7WX, and Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA, reports on the program’s great success. Among other things, it more than doubled Albania’s ham population, adding 39 new amateurs to its ranks, and brought Albania into the European CEPT agreement that will make it easier for hams from other European countries and the U.S. to operate when visiting there.
Next, Neville Cheadle, G3NUG, and Don Field, G3XTT, two members of the team for the upcoming 3B9C DXpedition to Rodrigues Island, offer a great tutorial on how to successfully work a big DXpedition, even if you’re battling pileups from an average station. Details on the 3B9C expedition, scheduled from mid-March to mid-April, may be found online at <http://www.fsdxa.com/3b9c>.
If it’s March, it must be time for the results of the CW weekend of last year’s CQ World Wide WPX Contest. Once again, our activity gauge shows code is alive and well, with the number of entries up again this year, and 12 new records being set. Don’t forget – the single sideband (SSB) weekend of the 2004 WPX Contest is on March 27th and 28th. Rules were published in last month’s issue and are here.
Contributing Editor Gordon West, WB6NOA, brings us a review of the W4RT Antenna Boss for Yaesu mobile radios designed for use with Yaesu’s own ATAS motorized antenna system. The Antenna Boss allows you to use motorized antennas from other manufacturers while still getting the full advantage of the ATAS control circuitry.
The situation is getting worse for hams living in areas controlled by homeowners’ associations, according to Part 1 of an article by National Antenna Consortium President Fred Baumgartner, KG0KI, subtitled “The Truth About Today’s HOA’s.” On a lighter note, we also have “The Life of Collins…,” by “#4,” an autobiographical look at the “life” to date of a Collins KWS-1 transmitter.
Moving to our columns for March, “Math’s Notes” Editor Irwin Math, WA2NDM, takes a look at power supplies; “How it Works” Editor Dave Ingram, K4TWJ, covers the basics of kit-building and soldering; Beginner’s Editor Wayne Yoshida, KH6WZ, says “Say What You Mean and Mean What You Say on the Radio,” and (thankfully) explains what it is he’s trying to say. While we’re trying to make things clearly understood, Antennas Editor Kent Britain, WA5VJB, explains antenna “Q” in plain English.
Public Service Editor Bob Josuweit, WA3PZO, looks at ham radio’s role in a national terrorism drill and other disaster preparedness exercises; “What’s New” Editor Karl Thurber, W8FX, looks at kits and more; this month’s “World of Ideas” column focuses on microphones, and “Radio Classics” Editor Joe Veras, now sporting his original callsign of K9OCO, takes us through the world of Heathkit’s early receivers.
“Washington Readout,” by Fred Maia, W5YI, takes a detailed look this month at comments filed in response to the FCC’s Notice of Inquiry on Broadband over Power Lines, or BPL. We have additional BPL-related developments in our Ham Radio News column as well. “VHF-Plus” Editor Joe Lynch, N6CL, reports on the first “EBBE” contact. What’s EBBE? Well, it’s not quite EME (Earth-Moon-Earth) or even a satellite contact. It’s Earth-Balloon-Balloon-Earth; in this case contacts made via a link between two simultaneously launched balloons, each carrying a repeater and a link transceiver.
DX Editor Carl Smith, N4AA, brings us up to date on DX Happenings for March; Awards Editor Ted Melinosky, K1BV, offers details of the Council of Europe Awards; Contesting Editor John Dorr, K1AR, reminds us that it’s important to have fun in contests, even if you’re a “big gun,” and Propagation Editor Tomas Hood, NW7US, wonders if the summer sporadic-E skip season will start early this year.
That's a preview of what will be in the March issue of CQ, which should be in readers’ mailboxes and on newsstands in mid- February.
Feburary 2004 Contest Calendar