May 2006
Articles from the
May 2006 issue of CQ posted on our
website include:
Congratulations to CQ, CQ VHF and Popular Communications Contributing Editor Gordon West, WB6NOA, who has been named the Dayton Hamvention'sŪ 2006 Amateur of the Year, in recognition of his efforts in recruiting and training literally thousands of new hams, between his Radio School courses and his license manuals. Also honored this year are the FCC's Riley Hollingsworth, K4ZDH, with the Special Achievement award, and Motorola engineer Richard Illman, AH6EZ/W9, who won the Technical Excellence Award for developing Motorola's system for providing Broadband over Power Lines (BPL) without causing interference to amateurs and other HF/VHF spectrum users. Congratulations to all three.
If you're a regular reader of CQ, you might think our May issue kind of has things backwards, since we start out with our Propagation column, which generally lives at the back of each issue. But scientists at NASA have declared that we are officially at "solar minimum," the low-point in the 11-year sunspot cycle, and Propagation Editor Tomas Hood, NW7US, looks not only at that claim but also at a ground-breaking report from other NASA scientists predicting a later start and a much higher level of activity for the next solar cycle.
Next, Glenn Brown, NN8G, has a follow-up to K4TWJ's February "Homebrew Treat" project, in which he offers an alternative for those hams who aren't used to or comfortable working with high voltages, in "Homebrew Treat II: 'Look Ma, No High Voltage'." Next up, we have the results of the 2005 CQ WW RTTY DX Contest, and Contributing Editor Phil Salas, AD5X, reviews the MFJ-1775 6-band rotatable dipole. We wrap up this month's features with the results of the 2005 CQ National Foxhunting Weekend, by Joe Moell, K0OV.
Our main column section this month starts with "An Introduction to the White LED," by "Math's Notes" editor Irwin Math, WA2NDM. Public Service Editor Bob Josuweit, WA3PZO, looks at "High-Level Recognition for Hams" in his column, while "Washington Readout" editor Fred Maia, W5YI, digs into the United Kingdom's not-quite "lifetime" amateur radio license.
"World of Ideas" editor Dave Ingram, K4TWJ, continues with Part II of his annual "Keys" tour, looking at some of the most beautiful and unique code keys and keyer paddles available today. "Weekender" editor Phil Salas, AD5X, cooks up a couple of "Workbench Accessories" (and our survey this month asks, "What's on your workbench?") while Antennas Editor Kent Britain, WA5VJB, looks at a potpourri of assorted antenna topics. We stay on the topic of antennas in "How it Works," in which editor Dave Ingram, K4TWJ, calls on the expertise of MFJ Enterprises President Martin F. Jue, K5FLU, to discuss the basics of antenna tuners. Beginner's Editor Wayne Yoshida, KH6WZ, takes a look at the cascade of opportunities created by the introduction of new radio models, as the "first on the block" group buys the new rigs then sells off their old gear to help pay for the new stuff. Newer hams can often find good bargains this way, especially if buying from a club member who's willing to answer questions and help you with any problems.
Mobiling Editor Jeff Reinhardt, AA6JR, goes through his mailbag this month and covers a variety of interesting topics; "What's New" editor Karl Thurber, W8FX, shines his spotlight on a variety of new products, including an upgraded voice keyer, a 200-kHz to 400-MHz signal generator and a new, frequency-based design for a lightning protector that essentially acts as a high-pass filter, permitting signals between 30 and 512 MHz to pass through, while shunting lower frequencies, including those of lightning (DC-1 MHz) to ground.
"VHF-Plus" editor Joe Lynch, N6CL, also looks at that new sunspot study and wonders, "Is Greater Worldwide 6-meter Propagation on its Way?" in the next sunspot cycle? Awards Editor Ted Melinosky, K1BV, details a variety of awards offered by groups around the world; Contesting Editor John Dorr, K1AR, tackles the contentious question of "massaging" contest logs after the fact in his column, titled "When is the Contest Finished?" Finally, DX Editor Carl Smith, N4AA, joins the potpourri theme in our antennas and mobiling columns, with reports from "Here and There" on various opportunities for contacting stations in exotic locales.
That's a brief look at what's coming up in the May issue of CQ magazine, which should be on newsstands and in subscribers' mailboxes by late April. For information on becoming a CQ subscriber, click the "Click Here to Subscribe" button at the top of this page.
Sunspot Cellar Blues?
On the Cover:
On the Cover: Barbara (KE7AJ) and
Gary (K7OX) Elliott, with collie Milo, outside their home near Spokane,
Washington.
(Cover photo by Larry Mulvehill, WB2ZPI)
