November 2003
Articles from the
November 2003 issue of CQ posted on our
website include:
Our November issue starts out with a close-up look in W2VU's "Zero Bias" editorial at response to our September reader survey, which asked about keeping or changing the code requirement and allowing Technicians to operate on HF, now that the international radio rules leave it up to each country to decide if it wants to keep a code requirement for HF access by hams. Our readers were evenly split on the code question, with half saying keep things as they are and half saying some change is needed. On the other hand, nearly two-thirds of the readers support some limited HF privileges for Technicians. The greatest number suggest opening up Novice HF privileges to Techs. This survey provided important information for CQ's own comments to the FCC on various petitions to change the rules regarding code tests and HF access. Our petition, filed after this issue closed, calls for eliminating code testing and merging the Novice and Technician licenses, along with opening the whole 10-meter band to Novices and Techs. We at CQ are strong believers in the value and appeal of Morse code as an operating mode and we think people will continue to learn and use it even if there is no FCC requirement. The full text of our FCC comments is available here on our website as a PDF file.
Our leadoff feature article takes us to Albania, where author Martti Laine, OH2BH, the noted DXer and DXpeditioner, helped get ham radio back on the air a decade ago. Now, Martti and several other hams are heading back to Tirana to help blend amateur radio into the curriculum at the Technical University in the Albanian capital. Martti's story of ham radio life in Albania since 1992, and his description of the education program -- which can be easily adapted to other countries -- is fascinating reading.
If you own some classic Collins gear and something needs fixing that's beyond your comfort level, Harvey Laidman, W8DX, has a profile of a "radio doctor" in California, known locally as "The Wizard of Orange," who specializes in repairing Collins radios.
A very popular way to buy and sell old Collins gear and other used ham equipment is via auction sites on the internet, such as e-Bay. Gary Shea, KC9CRZ, gives us his Top-Ten list of tips for successful selling online, as well as a guide for buyers, in an article we call "Going, Going, Gone."
Contributing Editor Gordon West, WB6NOA, follows with a review of the W2FS "Universal QSYer" keypad, a handy device for rapidly programming small go-anywhere radios like the ICOM 706 or Yaesu FT-817. Also reviewed this month is the SCAF-1 audio filter from Idiom Press. Contributing Editor Joe Veras, N4QB, is very impressed.
Last summer, the L-S-T, or Landing Ship Tank, Museum Ship visited Memphis, Tennessee on a Mississippi River cruise. CQ Contributor John Wood, WV5J, visited the on-board ham station -- WW2LST -- and reports on this floating ambassador for our hobby. Next, Bill Alber, WA6CAX, shows us how he got set up to operate 60-meter mobile without breaking the bank. Mobiling columnist Jeff Reinhadt, AA6JR, also covers 60 meter mobile in his column this month, along with info on some really inventive antenna installations. Speaking of 60 meters, there should soon be more authoritative information available from manufacturers on making 60-meter mods where possible, since the FCC has given them the green light to give out that info without requiring a MARS or Civil Air Patrol permit. The FCC ruling stresses that it's the amateur's responsibility to make sure any modified radio is technically "clean," especially in terms of unintended signals, or "spurs," on other frequencies. Additional information is available on our news page and the full FCC statement is available online as well.
Finally in our features, Jack Najork, W5FG, recounts his visit the late Grote Reber, a former ham acknowledged as the father of radio astronomy, shortly before Reber's death last year. Radio astronomy is also on the mind of "Math's Notes" columnist Irwin Math, WA2NDM, who reports on his recent visit to the massive Arecibo radio telescope in Puerto Rico and a tour by a resident ham.
We've also got the rules for the 2004 CQ World Wide 160-Meter Contest in this issue. And speaking of contests, we're just a month away from the single sideband weekend of the CQ World Wide DX Contest, on October 25th and 26th. Propagation Editor Tomas Hood, NW7US, predicts "high normal" band conditions for that event in his November column, along with even better conditions for the CW weekend of the CQ World Wide a month later.
Antennas Editor Kent Britain, WA5VJB, looks at linear loading, a popular way to shorten antennas, as well as some tips for putting down ground radials. Guest Public Service columnist Brian Williams, NB5R, introduces us to the "Incident Command System," an approach to disaster and emergency management that's being adopted all around the United States. "Washington Readout" Editor Fred Maia, W5YI, summarizes the first half-dozen or so petitions filed with the FCC to change or eliminate code testing. Contributing Editor Dave Ingram, in his "How it Works" column, takes us inside amplifiers; and in "World of Ideas," Dave shows us how to build a transceiver from an old 1960s-vintage AM broadcast radio!
DX Editor Carl Smith, N4AA, discusses how and when to call a DX station to increase your chances of getting through; Contesting Editor John Dorr, K1AR, answers some basic questions about the "language" of contesting, like what's a run or a mult or a dupe? Awards Editor Ted Melinosky, K1BV, looks at short-term awards, offered only for a limited period of time; and VHF-Plus Editor Joe Lynch, N6CL, tells us about more record-breaking band openings at the end of a very hot VHF summer.
HF Privileges for Techs and the Future of Code Tests -- CQ Readers Speak Out
Reader Survey response news release
CQ Files FCC Comments news release
Full text of CQ's FCC comments
Rules: 2004 CQ World Wide 160 Meter Contest
October Contest Calendar