CQ Amateur Radio July 2022

Dayton Roars Back … With an Asterisk The world’s largest hamfest was back in-person in May for the first time since 2019. The Dayton Hamvention® drew an official attendance of 31,367 people to the Greene County Fairgrounds in Xenia, Ohio, after being cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid pandemic. According to Hamvention officials, that’s about 1,000 fewer people than attended in 2019, but General Chairman Rick Allnut, WS8G, said he considered that “not bad for a pandemic recovery year.” Unfortunately, the pandemic is not completely behind us and CQ has heard reports from multiple sources of many attendees returning home and testing positive for Covid. We wish them all a full and speedy recovery. Also in Ohio … YOTA Camp 2022 The second annual Youth on the Air (YOTA) Americas summer…

JULY HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA — The Harrisburg Radio Amateurs’ Club will hold its 51st Annual Firecracker Electronics Expo and Hamfest and 2022 ARRL Pennsylvania State Convention beginning 8 a.m., Saturday, July 2 at the Harrisburg Postal Employees Picnic Grounds, 1500 Roberts Valley Road. Contact: Terry Snyder, WB3BKN, (717) 896-0256. Email: <wb3bkn1@gmail.com>. Website: <www.w3uu.org>. Talk-in 147.075 (PL 123). DXCC / WAS/ VUCC card checking. PLAINS, PENNSYVANIA — The Murgas Amateur Radio Club will hold the 43rdAnnual Wilkes-Barre Hamfest and Computerfest beginning 8 a.m., Sunday, July 3 at the Polish American Veterans, 2 South Oak Street. Contact: Herb, K2LNS, (570) 829-2695. Email: <murgasarc@gmail.com>. Website: <http://hamfest.murgasarc.org>. Talk-in 146.610- (PL 82.5). VE exams CAMILLUS, NEW YORK — The Radio Amateurs of Greater Syracuse will hold Roger’s RAGS Hamfest 2022 from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Saturday, July 9…

More Feedback on CQ’s Contest Policy Regarding Russia and Ukraine Editor, CQ: I wanted to say how much I appreciate your article in CQ April 2022. I generally stick with the rules of “no religion” and “no politics” on ham radio; however, being a student of history and especially WWII geopolitical & military tactics, I, too, must step up and support the Ukrainian people and condemn Russian political / warfare tactics in use. I believe if the world had stood against this exact type of behavior Germany was using against neighboring countries, perhaps the magnitude of war might have been avoided. Please help keep us informed. Thank you most sincerely, – Will Allen Peden, Jr., KE5OYL Plus, the Return of Print… Editor, CQ: What a joy to receive at last a copy of my favorite, CQ. What…

Several of our columns this month focus on HF “newbies,” hams who are just getting started on the shortwave bands. Prime among them is N2OO’s DX column, a “DX Chasing Guide for Novice and Technician Licensees.” (Yes, believe it or not, there are still Novices out there!) Following the same theme, “Learning Curve” editor KOØZ writes about the basics of trap antennas, which are frequently the first “commercial” antenna many hams try, after a dipole; and WB6NOA dissects a trap and shares an innovative mounting method for a multiband vertical in his “Gordo’s Short Circuits” column. I thought about calling this month’s issue an “HF Newbie Mini-Special,” but then I realized it ain’t just newbies. Solar Cycle 25 is rising at a delightfully fast rate, so far following a course predicted…

If high gas prices and/or environmental concerns have you considering the purchase of an electric vehicle (EV), here’s one more consideration to include in your decision-making: Will you be able to operate a mobile HF ham rig without debilitating interference from the car itself? Radio World magazine reports that the subject of electromagnetic interference (EMI) from EVs was a forum topic at June’s conference of the Audio Engineering Society. RW reports that interference to analog AM signals is so bad in some vehicles that the manufacturers are not including AM radios with their cars, opting only for FM and digital, both of which are more resistant to electrical noise. Such noise would likely be broadbanded enough to seriously degrade analog SSB and CW signals on the HF bands as well. VHF/UHF…

After a long three years since the last Hamvention® was held, it was great to see everyone there. It was wonderful to wander the largest ham radio flea market and convention in the world once again. Lots of planning by the hard-working Dayton Amateur Radio Association (DARA) Hamvention committees and volunteers made for another successful show. I even volunteered to put in my first-ever, four-hour shift as Net Control and alternating as assistant NCS of the talk-in on the W8BI 146.34/.94 repeater under the watchful eye of the talk-in chair, Elizabeth Klinc, KE8FMJ. With a laptop full of resources nearby, it was easy to guide those on their way as well as answer questions, such as where to go to get inside exhibitor credentials and get flea market vendors to…