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EHAM QTH QRZ ARRL HRO ICOM KENWOOD YAESU ELBO ROOM COMMENTS
China building large solar energy banks... WEDNESDAY EDITION: Coffee and donuts this morning at the club, stop by if you are in the area... Email:
As for pricing for the ICOM IC-7300MK2.
The new ICOM IC-7300MK2 HF/50MHz should fall between the YAESU FTDX-10, YAESU FTX-1 OPTIMA and KENWOOD TS-590SG.
Making it about $1600.00 - $1700.00 ( The lower it goes the more the desirable it will be against the YAESU lineup. )
Keep in mind that the ICOM IC-7600 - IC-7610 cost difference was about $500.00 months after the release.
This will pull ICOM out of the $1100.00 radio business with razor thin margins.
Pricing has to be a very tough decision for ICOM, hoping to sell better radios to current owners of 7300 to 7610 — 7610 to 7760 Etc...
It seems to me that the biggest selling feature is the MKII uses lass power, since "RX standby current consumption reduced by about 23%, lowering heat generation”
TECH SPEC: Optimized components reduce power draw from 0.9 A to 0.7 A (RX standby).
This would mean that the price for the used IC-7300 should fall to $400.00-$600.00 maximum in the resale market at first. With units sale prices falling every year to around $400.00, if someone bought a 7300 for that, they might consider the 7300 MKII as a nice upgrade, years from now.
It’s a guess that field day clubs & contesters might buy this radio, but how many of the 100,000 world wide owners will upgrade?
If 10% of current owners of the 7300 chooses to buy the MKII that would be a quick 10,000 unit out the door.
If priced around the $1650.00 it leaves new general hams operators with a virtual three way split between major manufactures.
The ham radio observer China’s Great Solar Wall is a Big DealData centers and the electrification of devices that previously ran on fossil fuels is driving increased demand for electricity around the world. China is addressing this with a megaproject that is a new spin on their most famous piece of infrastructure. At 250 miles long with a generating capacity of 100 GW, the Great Solar Wall will be able to provide enough energy to power Beijing, although the energy will more likely be used to power industrial operations also present in the Kubuqi Desert. NASA states, “The Kubuqi’s sunny weather, flat terrain, and proximity to industrial centers make it a desirable location for solar power generation.” As an added bonus, previous solar installations in China have shown that they can help combat further desertification by locking dunes in place and providing shade for plants to grow. Engineers must be having fun with the project as they also designed the Guinness World Record holder for the largest image made of solar panels with the Junma Solar Power Station (it’s the horse in the image above). The Great Solar Wall is expected to be completed by 2030 with 5.4 GW already installed in 2024. Want to try solar yourself on a slightly smaller scale? How about this solar thermal array inspired by the James Webb Telescope or building a solar-powered plane? Blog – Hackaday Read More Atomic Decay Clock is Accurate But Not PreciseAt this point, atomic clocks are old news. They’ve been quietly keeping our world on schedule for decades now, and have been through several iterations with each generation gaining more accuracy. They generally all work under the same physical principle though — a radio signal stimulates a gas at a specific frequency, and the response of the gas is used to tune the frequency. This yields high accuracy and high precision — the spacing between each “tick” of an atomic clock doesn’t vary by much, and the ticks cumulatively track the time with very little drift. All of this had [alnwlsn] thinking about whether he could make an “atomic” clock that measures actual radioactive decay, rather than relying on the hyperfine transition states of atoms. Frustratingly, most of the radioactive materials that are readily available have pretty long half-lives — on the order of decades or centuries. Trying to quantify small changes in the energy output of such a sample over the course of seconds or minutes would be impossible, so he decided to focus on the byproduct of decay — the particles being emitted. He used a microcontroller to count clicks from a Geiger-Müller tube, and used the count to calculate elapsed time by multiplying by a calibration factor (the expected number of clicks per second). While this is wildly inaccurate in the short term (he’s actually used the same system to generate random numbers), over time it smooths out and can provide a meaningful reading. After one year of continuous operation, the counter was only off by about 26 minutes, or 4.4 seconds per day. That’s better than most mechanical wristwatches (though a traditional Rubidium atomic clock would be less than six milliseconds off, and NIST’s Strontium clock would be within 6.67×10-11 seconds). The end result is a probabilistic radiometric timepiece that has style (he even built a clock face with hands, rather than just displaying the time on an LCD). Better yet, it’s got a status page where you can check on on how it’s running. We’ve seen quite a few atomic clocks over the years, but this one is unique and a great entry into the 2025 One Hertz Challenge. TUESDAY EDITION: I missed yesterday! I drove up to Epping, NH and bought a pallet of BioBricks (2000 pounds) and unloaded the pallet from the truck to the driveway by hand when I got home. That was 50 bundles of 40 pounders....so I didn't do much the rest of the day, I used muscles in my back I didn't know I had....I hear a lot of chatter about the new Icom 7300MKII, but is it worth all the buzz? I think not unless you are buying a 7300 for the first time. If you own one and plan on selling it to get the new model you are going to lose your shirt. I guess the original 7300 will dropS down to the $700 range which is a bargain to buy but guessing the MKII will go for $1400 plus, what are you gaining? A cw decoder that most wont use, HDMI port for direct monitor plug in, supposed enhanced rx and tx operation the average ham will never notice, easy remoting, and being able to run two computer programs at once with enhanced ports. In my case, it would be an exercise in stupidity to upgrade. My 7300 is used for digital programs like FT8 and SSTV only. I look forward to seeing the price! The Toys That Made Us TinkerLet’s kick off this article with some nuggets of knowledge and tidbits of trivia. Have you ever heard the term “flea market”? If so, have you ever wondered where this expression came from? In fact, it has several disputed origins. According to the Britannica, “The most common explanation is that the term is a translation of the French marché aux puces (literally ‘market of fleas’), so-named for the pests that were thought to infest the upholstery of second-hand furniture sold at such markets.” Bear this in mind for a moment (I’ll tell you when you can forget it again). In the days of wired telegraphy, long before radio appeared on the scene (say between the late 1830s and the early 1900s), the term “ham” was used to describe an operator with poor Morse code sending skills. This was a common descriptor for a clumsy operator whose “fist” (sending style) was bad, hence “ham-fisted.” The inventors of wireless radio communication (Marconi, Tesla, and others) began demonstrating practical signals in the 1890s, but radio didn’t become widespread for commercial or public use until the 1910s to 1920s. Read more- http://bit.ly/4mPzTdj The VLF TransformationPeople have long been interested in very low frequency (VLF) radio signals. But it used to be you pretty much had to build your own receiver which, luckily, wasn’t as hard as building your own VHF or UHF gear. But there is a problem. These low frequencies have a very long wavelength and, thus, need very large antennas to get any reception. [Electronics Unmessed] says he has an answer. These days, if you want to explore any part of the radio spectrum, you can probably do it easily with a software-defined radio (SDR). But the antenna is the key part that you are probably lacking. A small antenna will not work well at all. While the video covers a fairly common idea: using a loop antenna, his approach to loops is a bit different using a matching transformer, and he backs his thoughts up with modeling and practical results. Of course, transformers also introduce loss, but — as always — everything is a trade-off. Running hundreds of feet of wire in your yard or even in a loop is not always a possibility. This antenna looks like it provides good performance and it would be simple to duplicate. Early radio was VLF. Turns out, VLF may provide an unexpected public service in space. WEEKEND EDITION: Top of the morning hamsters. Looks like a stormy, tourist free weekend, the kind I like....
Windsor, Maine
Hamfest at the
Windsor
Fairgrounds
8AM to 12PM $5 Gate admission Door prizes, concessions, examinations.
7AM Seller and
Volunteer Setup
(no seller fee
apart from gate
admission)
Examinations at
9:30AM (walk-ins
welcome)
Talk-In: 146.520
and K1LX
Repeater
(146.985 PL:
136.5)
ARRL Sanctioned
and sponsored by
Lincoln Co.
Amateur Radio
Club (K1LX) http://www.k1lx.org
Contact Jose,
KB1TCD for more
information at
207-350-9082
New to amateur
radio? A hamfest
is a gathering
of amateur radio
(also known as
ham radio)
enthusiasts,
typically
featuring a flea
market, and
other activities
of interest to
hams. They often
involve buying,
selling, and
trading radio
equipment, as
well as learning
about new
technologies and
connecting with
other hobbyists.
The ARRL should be concerned! Preparedness Month: 12 Ways to PrepareSeptember is National Preparedness Month, and ARRL is working to arm members with knowledge and resources to be resilient in the face of disaster. Amateur radio serves as a powerful tool and national resource before and When All Else Fails®, but being prepared goes beyond radio. “Being ready to serve your community through ham radio begins with being ready yourself,” says ARRL Director of Emerg… Read more American Radio Relay League | Ham Radio Association and Resources – Read More 18 Clubs to Activate Erie Canal for Parks On the Air18 amateur radio clubs will activate the Erie Canal for Parks on the Air September 16-25 to celebrate the canal's 200th anniversary.The following is a message from K2EAG: After 6 months of planning, our state-wide activation of the Erie Canal for its 200th Anniversary is here! This event is a great opportunity to experience and share about the canal that transformed America, as clubs and individuals across New York State join together over the airwaves to activate the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor. We're excited to share the 18 clubs that will be activating the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor for this huge celebration--just like how each town celebrated upon the completion of the Erie Canal and their excitement of Governor DeWitt Clinton's inaugural voyage as he crossed New York State!
These clubs, and many more individuals, are planning Parks On The Air (POTA) activations within the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor (US-6532) from Sept 16-25. For those activating along the canal (which is encouraged), they might also be activating the Empire State Trail (US-8098), which is a common two-fer with the corridor. The Heritage Corridor is a large area that also includes Cayuga and Seneca Lakes, and even north of Albany, so regardless of location in the state, there are a lot of eligible locations and possible n-fers (activating from multiple POTA entities at once). As most of the clubs will be activating on Saturday and Sunday, we are also seeking individual activators to join us over the remaining days. We hope to fill the pota.app spotting page with US-6532 Erie Canalway over the 10 days, so be sure to spot with US-6532 as the primary park number, when operating from multiple POTA entities. This is not a contest, it's an operating event. All bands and modes are allowed. Take your time and be ready to share about the canal over the air. The canal has an important history for New York State and the country. Clubs and individuals are encouraged to make this their own event, operate with your own style, and consider if you'll also create a commemorative QSL for your contacts. We do however ask that you promptly upload your logs to POTA, clubs should ensure that both station callsign (club call) and operator (individual) both get logged, so both the club and individual can get credit with Parks On The Air. Please share your activations to social media, we recommend including the following tags in your posts: #ErieCanal200 #ErieCanalway #parksontheair, please also send your experiences and results to k2eag@arrl.net we can't wait to hear all the stories, see the location and learn how things went! If you or your club has any questions at all about participating in the event or how to get started with POTA, please don't hesitate to reply back and I'll help any way I can. 73, Matt K2EAG, Angela N3ARB and Mike N2MAK
Amateur Radio
Newsline Report FRIDAY EDITION: Today's Dumbass.....Looks like a low key, rainy weekend. Fine with me!....Ria’s Ham Shack focuses on getting ready for winter, radio wise.....Experimental Radio News 13 reports on blockchain satellites, cargo by drone, concealed weapons imaging at THz frequencies – and sailing in space.....The most recent international survey of adult skills revealed that 28 percent of U.S. adults aged 16-65 read below the equivalent of a third grade level — a 9 percent increase since 2017. No wonder why we have the no code tech license in place.... The September/October 2025 issue of The Communicator includes:
A Slice of History: BYTE Magazine, the Small Systems Journal, Turns 50
Wayne Green and
Carl Helmers'
chunky magazine
was first
published in
September 1975 —
and you can read
every issue
online now.
This month marks the 50th anniversary of one of the giants of the technology magazine world: BYTE, The Small Systems Journal, which hit shelves in September 1975 promising a look at “computers — the world’s greatest toy.” BYTE’s origins can be traced to Wayne Green’s 73 Magazine, a publication he launched in October 1960 for the amateur radio community. Warm reader reception to articles about the nascent field of personal computing in 1974 and 1975 had Green thinking about a magazine dedicated to microcomputing, and a deal with Carl Helmers — author of a series of articles detailing an Intel 8008-based homebrew computer called the Experimenter’s Computer System — would give birth to BYTE. “This is the first issue of a new publication — BYTE,” Helmers wrote in the launch issue. “A monthly compendium of information for the owners and users of the new microcomputer systems becoming widely available at moderate cost. BYTE is your unit of information on the state of the art of small computer systems for individual persons, clubs and classroom groups. Each month you will find information ranging from computer club announcements to manufacturers’ advertisements, from technical details of hardware and software to humorous articles and editorial opinions.” Read more – Hackster.io: http://bit.ly/47uRpPr Cheap Thermal Camera Fits the Bill
If you want to save a little money on a thermal camera, or if you just enjoy making your own, you should have a look at [Evan Yu’s] GitHub repository, which has a well-thought-out project built around the MLX90640 and an ESP32. The cost is well under $100. You can watch it do its thing in the video below. There’s a PCB layout, a 3D-printed case, and — of course — all the firmware files. The code uses the Arduino IDE and libraries. It leverages off-the-shelf libraries for the display and the image sensor. The image sensor isn’t going to wow you. It has a resolution of 24×32, although that’s better than some cheap cameras, and it can still honestly be good for “what part is heating up” explorations. There is probably room for some clever smoothing in software as well. For only three or four times the price, you can find cameras with resolutions around 256×192, which is good for a thermal camera, even though it isn’t the megapixels we expect from our optical cameras or our phones. The bill of materials is relatively short. The bulk of the circuit and effort is in the circuit to charge the battery, regulate it, and protect it against bad behavior. Can’t decide if you need a camera at all? You aren’t alone. Or you can cheap out, but you might get what you pay for. Blog – Hackaday Read More
THURSDAY EDITION: Beautiful morning and the grocery shopping is done and put away. Tomorrow morning I will be thinking about how to move a pallet of BioBricks down into the basement, all 50- 40# packs. This old body is finding it harder every year to do stuff that was a snap not that long ago...
The Russian Woodpecker: By Dave W7UUU
A Thorn in Amateur Radio’s Side just the perceived “bad actors” of the world—many nations are developing techniques to use HF (high frequency) to bounce signals off objects well beyond the horizon and pick up the reflections. But some of these nations are developing OTHR systems that are in fact known to transmit in the HF bands, including the ham bands from 5 to 30 MHz! Those nations in clude Australia with their JORN system, China using OTH-B “backscatter HF” systems, France using their hauntingly named “NOSTRADAMUS” radar, Iran with their Sepehr system, Brazil with their OTH 0100, and lastly Russia (who some argue never stopped using HF OTHR systems that intrude on the ham bands). Add to that list Canada, India, and even the United States—ALL developing systems to use the HF bands for Over the Horizon radar. But of all these modern systems, none inspired the dread, outrage, and hatred among hams as the one that first turned heads and brought OTHR to the public—as it proceeded to ruin ham bands in the Cold War years of the late 1970s and into the ’80s. Its official name in Russian was Duga (Ду́гa)—the Russian word for arc, as denoted by the massive curved antenna array located near Chernobyl, Ukraine, in the former Soviet Union. But to the glob al amateur radio community, it was known by a name that echoed its relentless and maddening staccato 10 Hz signal that obliterated the ham bands like hammers on tin…. In the late 1970s, amateur radio operators world wide began hearing a peculiar sound on the air waves. It wasn’t a friendly CQ or a ragchew or even a contest—it was a sharp, repetitive, loud tapping noise that became famously known as the “Russian Woodpecker.” This maddening interference originated from the Duga radar system, a Soviet over-the-horizon radar designed to detect incoming ballistic missiles during the height of the Cold War. I was a young Novice ham in the spring of 1975, first operating CW and later that summer when I passed my General, taking my first steps into SSB operation. But the following summer, everything changed when in July 1976, I’d be happily in a QSO with an other ham on 40 or 20 meters, then BAM! Like a Tommy gun in an old gangster movie, the band The massive Chernobyl Duga antenna array—2300 feet long, 700 feet tall—in its t ime, it was one of the largest antenna arrays ever built on earth would be obliterated in an S9+ clatter of 10 Hz broadband pulses that utterly wiped out any signals that could be heard. The sound is not unlike that of a helicopter engine in flight. As a ham who lived through it, it was maddening be yond words. It would appear suddenly without warning, run for around 7 minutes unabated, then stop as suddenly as it started. After a period of time, presumed to be for cooling of the transmitter finals, it would fire off again for another 7-minute round. It didn’t take long for hams to realize when that first blast hit, you might as well turn off the rig and do something else for the next few hours. Once started, it would usually continue on for hours into the night. So what exactly was the Duga radar system? The Duga system consisted of two massive installa t ions in the Soviet Union—one near Chernobyl and the other in Siberia. Each installation was a colossal array of antennas, standing over 700 feet tall and stretching more than 2,300 feet in length. The pri mary site, near Chernobyl, became the most infa mous due to its proximity to the 1986 nuclear disas ter—the belief is it was sited there so the massive power requirements of the transmitters could easily be met with power from the Chernobyl plant. Modern-era urban explorers explore the Duga site just out side of Chernobyl, Ukraine. Duga operated in the HF spectrum, using frequencies between 7 and 19 MHz, though it occasionally ventured outside this range. With an es t imated output power of 10 MW— yes, ten million watts of RF—it packed a wallop that easily drowned out ham radio signals and shortwave broad casts alike. Its sig nal consisted of sharp pulses emitted at rates of 10 Hz or 16 Hz, de pending on the operating mode, and it was nearly impossible to ig nore once it appeared on the band. While the band width was determined to be roughly 40 kHz, in prac t ice it had the effect of wiping out the entire 40- or 20-meter ham bands (depending on which frequen cy range was being targeted during that session). The first signals attributed to Duga were heard in July 1976, and it continued its operations until 1989, when it abruptly ceased. The end of Duga coincided with the fall of the Soviet Union and a shift in mili tary priorities. Amateur radio operators, who had dealt with over a decade of interference, were not sorry to see it go silent. The Woodpecker’s intrusion into the HF bands was a headache of epic proportions for hams. Its signals appeared across multiple bands, often rendering entire sections unusable. Imagine settling in for some 40-meter DXing, only to have your receiver blasted by a rapid, brain-rattling S9+ tapping. Efforts to nullify or notch out the signal using filters were only marginally effective due to its sheer power and broad frequency spread. Probably the most famous of these blankers (which I used to own but sold years ago) was the AEA (Advanced Electronic Appli cations company of Bellevue, Washington) “Moscow Muffler” MB-1 Woodpecker Blanker. It worked OK— but took a lot of fiddling to adjust for best effect. Some inventive operators fought back with counter measures, including “Woodpecker jammers.” These devices transmitted signals specifically designed to interfere with the Duga signal. While satisfying to some, such actions were controversial and largely ineffective. They operated by transmitting synchro nized unmodulated CW signals at the same rate as the Duga signal. The goal was to introduce interfer ence confusion that might be interpreted by the Sovi ets as false signals. There was even a group formed for this pursuit called the “Russian Woodpecker Hunting Club.” But in the end, any perceived effect such jamming had could never be proven. And given the “David and Go liath” difference in power levels of the Duga vs. the hams running the jammers, it’s very unlikely that any The AEA Moscow Muffler filter was designed to mitigate the effects of the Russian Woodpecker. It was difficult to adjust, in that the width and sync controls had to be set to precisely align with the duration of the pulse, as well as it’s spectral width which could vary according to propagation. Additionally, the operator had to figure out if the pulses were 10 Hz or 16, but due to iono spheric effects, could vary. In the end, the Moscow Muffler was a poor solution and was not very effective. During these years, there were lots of reports that for those using HF for emergency communications or public service nets, the interference posed serious challenges as well. The Woodpecker often obliterat ed critical communications during emergency drills or even actual natural disasters, adding significant frus tration to the ARES emergency groups around the U.S.
WEDNESDAY
EDITION:
Available on Amazon... Canadian Officials enlist amateur radio operators as critical backup for extreme weather planning: 'When the lights go out, we can keep going'"Our government is providing … critical communication supports across the province." As the world adjusts to a new era of rising temperatures and more severe weather-related disasters, governments across Canada have been turning to a decidedly old-school form of communication: the ham radio. While the use of ham radios has long been left mostly to amateur radio enthusiasts, officials increasingly have seen the relatively low-tech devices as an important means of communication during emergency situations, the Globe and Mail reported. In July, Ontario's government approved CA$545,000 (US$396,000) in funding for the Radio Amateurs of Canada to train its members to operate their ham radios during an emergency, according to the Globe and Mail. Allan Boyd, the association's president, said the group had roughly 5,000 members, most of whom were skilled enough to operate during an emergency, according to the Globe and Mail. Many ham radios do not require a lot of big, heavy equipment to operate and can be powered using a 12-volt car battery, making them ideal during power outages and disruptions to more modern forms of communications like internet and cell phone service. "When the lights go out, we can keep going," said Mike Kelly, a retired electronics technologist and ham radio enthusiast, according to the Globe and Mail. Some ham radios are portable, making it possible to transport radio operators and their equipment into disaster-stricken areas to provide immediate emergency communication. Beyond Ontario, other Canadian territories and provinces, including British Columbia, Nova Scotia, and Yukon, have also been integrating ham radios into emergency-response plans, according to the outlet. Unlike cell phones and other modern forms of communication, ham radios do not require space-based satellites or massive communications towers to operate. This infrastructure can easily be taken out by a natural disaster, making it more difficult to communicate during emergencies. By contrast, most ham radios work by bouncing their signals off of the stratosphere, making them far more resilient while still allowing their signals to cover vast distances. Plus, advancements in ham-radio technology have made it possible to send text-based messages over radio waves, rather than having to resort to more specialized forms of communication such as Morse code, according to Boyd, the Radio Amateurs of Canada president, as noted by the outlet. "Having continuous access to strong telecommunications is key to emergency coordination and response efforts," said Jill Dunlop, Ontario's Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Response, according to the Globe and Mail. "By investing in a growing network of Ontario Corps partners like Radio Amateurs of Canada, our government is providing GPS services, satellite phones, ham radios, and other critical communication supports across the province, including our remote regions to support emergency responders when disaster strikes," Dunlop continued. The renewed focus on ham radios highlighted the important role that resilient, mobile, decentralized technologies have to play in a world increasingly besieged by extreme weather events. TUESDAY EDITION: 1958 video game on oscilloscope...After testing my newly hung Endfed antenna with WSPR on several bands, it works pretty darn well. It is not as noisy as several had said it would be and performs pretty well for a so called "compromise antenna". It tunes quickly with my LDG auto tuner but I have not tried it with the radios internal limited tuner but I get a feeling it would work as well. I used the Balun Design 5KW 9-1 model, overkill but better safe then sorry...This Thursday at 730pm we will be doing a simplex FM net on 146.500 just to see how well it works with stations on the Northshore and southern NH, please say hello if youo hear us! Interview with ARRL CEO: Details on Recent Board Meeting, Huntsville Hamfest, Legislative Advocacy, and DXARRL CEO David Minster, NA2AA, is the guest on The DX Mentor YouTube channel this week. The hosts of the popular show – Bill Salyers, AJ8B, and Joe Pater, W8GEX – spoke with Minster at length about many topics of interest to ARRL members. They touched on the recent introduction of the DXCC® Trident Plaque, which recognizes the achievement of amateur radio operators who have confirmed two-way radio contacts with 100 or more DXCC Award countries (entities) on three modes. Minster also talked about the newly announced 10-Band DXCC award. The importance of radio clubs and 2026 being designated the ARRL Year of the Club was also a topic of discussion. Minster also answered questions about decisions made at the recent Second Meeting of the ARRL Board of Directors. The trio talked about this year’s Huntsville Hamfest, which held its annual convention in Alabama earlier this month. Huntsville Hamfest will host the ARRL National Convention next year, August 22 — 23, 2026. Read more American Radio Relay League | Ham Radio Association and Resources – Read More
ROC-HAM Radio Network Celebrates 200th Anniversary of Erie CanalSeptember 1, 2025The following is a message from the ROC-HAM Radio Network: ROC-HAM Radio Network celebrates 200th anniversary of the ERIE CANAL with a special event callsign W2R, from SEPTEMBER 1ST - SEPTEMBER 29TH. W2JLD will be on the air celebrating the 200th anniversary of the ERIE CANAL. The Erie Canal is a historic waterway in New York State, connecting the Atlantic Ocean via the Hudson River to the Great Lakes at Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, it was North America's first navigable waterway linking the two systems and the greatest public works project of its time. The canal was an immense commercial success, dramatically reducing transportation costs and fostering the growth of cities like Buffalo and Rochester, and playing a vital role in New York's rise as the "Empire State". Today, the original canal is part of the New York State Barge Canal and is primarily used for recreational boating and as part of the multiuse Empire State Trail. Key Facts & History
Today
W2JLD will be transmitting at various sites throughout downtown Rochester,NY. Cobbs Hill Park was part of the western waterways system that allowed boats to turn around in a large body of water. The Erie Canal ran thru part of his neighborhood, known as lock #66, there is a large portion of it which is visible from the expressway here in Rochester,NY. Help John celebrate the 200 anniversary of the ERIE CANAL and work him. There will be a special event QSL CARD available upon request. This is a HF only event, look for him on 20 meters, 40 meters. He will list what frequency he will be on, on the ROC-HAM.NET website. WEEKEND EDITION: Perfect Labor Day weather...I finally got the 84 foot end fed Balun Designs antenna up. It is not as good as the ladder line dipole by far but will serve as a backup if needed, hopefully not. A squall hit the island yesterday twice knocking down trees and power lines. We didn't see that one coming. A lot of my fisherman friends were out in it and said the hail was no fun along with the 50 mph gusts.... Learn Morse Code One Second at a TimeLearning Morse Code is no longer a requirement for HAMs in many jurisdictions, but it’s still a nice skill to have. [I_void(warranties)] wanted to learn, but couldn’t find a trainer that fit his style. What to do but build it yourself? Since we’re in the midst of a challenge, he took up the gauntlet and turned his need to learn Morse into a 1 hertz Morse code game. In concept it is quite simple: a message beeps out in Morse, with a corresponding LED flash, all in one second. The player then has one second to type think they heard. Get it done fast enough, and a character LCD will tell you if you scored. The project is based around an Arduino Nano; thanks to easily-available libraries, a PS/2 keyboard can serve as input and a 2×16 LCD as feedback with no real effort expended. For the audible component of the Morse challenge, an 8-ohm speaker is driven right off a pin on the Arduino. We won’t claim this efficient design only took one second to put together, but it probably didn’t take too long. Of course this trainer, unlike some we’ve seen, only helps you learn to listen to the stream of dots and dashes. None of the others ever tried to fit a One Hertz theme, or [I_void(warranties)]’s particular learning style. For some, decoupling send and receive might be just the ticket to finally learning Morse one second at a time Hackaday Read More Hurricane Watch Net Marks 60 Years of ServiceThis Labor Day weekend, the Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) celebrates its 60th anniversary of providing critical communications support to the National Hurricane Center (NHC) and communities impacted by hurricanes. As Hurricane Betsy was pummeling the Caribbean on Labor Day weekend 1965, a ham radio operator started hearing calls for information from operators in the Bahamas. Jerry Murphy, K8YUW, sprang into action. He began relaying surface data and storm conditions to help those in the path. That first net paved the way for what would become the Hurricane Watch Net. HWN has been active for 156 landfalling hurricanes, including 60 major hurricanes (Category 3 or stronger). Of those, 12 struck as Category 5 hurricanes. The net’s longest continuous activation occurred during Hurricane Matthew in 2016, when operators remained on the air for 151 hours straight. Among the deadliest storms ever recorded by the net was Hurricane Mitch in 1998, which claimed more than 11,000 lives in Central America. HWN operates on 14.325 MHz and 7.268 MHz, often simultaneously, with net control stations strategically positioned throughout the region to maximize coverage. “The Hurricane Watch Net continues to serve the public interest by helping save lives during hurricanes. We are
Amateur
Radio Newsline
Report
FRIDAY EDITION: Are you hungry....I am not quite sure how tariffs are helping us as a country, we pay the additional tariff and the government gets the tariff money. Is Trump going to give us each a share of the money coming in??.....If the idea is bring back ham radio manufacturing, that sure as hell isn't going to happen. Imagine this country trying to manufacture an Icom 7300 and be able to sell it for under $1000 at this country's labor rates, rules and regulations...lol Amateur Radio Daily: Route 66 On The Air 2025The 2025 Route 66 On The Air special event will be active September 6-14. This year, 24 clubs located across the route will be operating special 1×1 callsigns. QSL cards and certificates will be available.
Source: Route 66 On The Air European Ham Radio Retailer Halts US ShipmentsThe following is a press release from Passion Radio: European Ham Radio Retailer Passion Radio Suspends US Shipments Following 15% Tariff IncreaseTo our US Amateur Radio Clients and Community Because of the recent 15% tariff increase on products imported from the European Union, the suspension of several carrier services to the US, and the growing complexity of the US import system, our online shop Passion-Radio.com must suspend all shipments to the United States until further notice. In particular, La Poste, the French national postal operator, suspended parcel shipments to the United States as of August 25, 2025 (1), removing one of the main EU–US postal channels. At the same time, UPS announced that starting September 8, 2025, an additional international processing fee will apply to all import shipments, regardless of origin. There has also been some misunderstanding regarding customs procedures. When parcels arrive in the United States, the buyer must settle not only the 15% customs duty, but also the service fee charged by the carrier for filing customs declarations and advancing duties to US Customs. These charges are billed locally at delivery and remain outside the seller’s control. Import duties and tariffs are always the responsibility of the buyer, not the seller. "Unfortunately, with constant changes in tariffs, rates, and carrier processes, we cannot guarantee fair, efficient, and transparent shipping conditions," said David, F1JXQ, Director of Passion Radio. "Our goal is to resume shipments to the US as soon as a reliable and cost-effective solution is available for everyone." Meanwhile, our collaboration with five US-based suppliers continues without disruption, as the European Union has not imposed any retaliatory tariffs or reciprocal 15% import duties on products arriving from the United States. Updates will be communicated through our shop: https://www.passion-radio.com/store/hamradio-us-tariff-43 and our social channels. To all our US friends on the bands: we thank you for your understanding and support, and we look forward to resuming deliveries as soon as possible. Passion Radio Shop Practical tariffs
impact on an item
€50 Conversion: €50 ×
1.12= $56.00* After tariffs (with 15%, rate €1 = $1.16 August 2025 rate) Conversion: €50 ×
1.16 = $58.00* Total payable ≈ 58.00 + 8.70 + 15.00 = $81.70 Total surcharge ≈ +$25.70 (~+45.89% increase compared to $56.00, before tariff tax) *Not calculated, fees that may apply when converting Euro € <> US $. Danger in St. ElmoA box of old blasting caps (mercury fulminate/KClO3 mix) was just found in one of the old buildings in the mining town of St. Elmo, CO, 2 July 2015. When members of Historic St. Elmo and Chalk Creek Canyon Inc. cleaned out the outhouse behind the Home Comfort Hotel in St. Elmo, they found a potentially explosive surprise. On the floor of the outhouse, they found what they believed to be dynamite, said Walter Roth, a member of the historical group. Later in the day a bomb squad found blasting caps rather than dynamite. I had operated there with my PRC319 Pedestrian Mobile right in front of that Hotel several times before. (See CQ Magazine June 2016, p. 16-18). While the electric blasting caps are usually shorted and would not be effected by a QRP radio, my 50W radio was at a dangerously high level to be transmitting near a box of blasting caps. It would be a smart idea to avoid operating in any old mining areas where unexploded dynamite might exist. Paul, W0RW FCC Batch Filing System UnavailableAs of Monday morning, August 25, 2025, the FCC’s Electronic Batch Filing (EBF) system—used by all VEC organizations to file exam sessions, individual applications, and club license applications—is not processing submissions. This outage means that applications for new and upgraded licenses, as well as individual and club filings, are not currently being processed or issued. ARRL VEC alerted FCC staff, who are working to resolve the problem. While the system briefly processed a small number of Monday’s submissions on Wednesday, it has since gone down again. Thousands of applications remain pending on the FCC side. ARRL VEC Manager Maria Somma, AB1FM, reported that the FCC has not provided an estimate on when the system will be restored. THURSDAY EDITON: KIDS.... Sunny and cool today on the rock, boating season comes to an end in a few weeks....With all the events on the air including POTA, CHOTA, IOTA, I think someone should organize DRUNKS AND DRUGGIES ON THE AIR, "DADOTA". Participants could set up stations at their local watering holes, get drunk or high, stir up a little ham radio interest with the local patrons and have a good old time. From my listening experience, there are plenty of drunks and druggies on the air now.... Scranton’s Historic HamSCI Field Exercise (Pennsylvania)The University of Scranton’s Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation (HamSCI) team recently returned from a trip to K3LR, an amateur radio “super station” in West Middlesex, where they participated in hands-on learning and strengthened their ties in a network of enthusiasts. During their visit in early August, members of the University’s HamSCI student club presented research, toured the advanced engineering setup at K3LR and even operated the station themselves. The trip, which was done in support of and funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and NASA research projects, was the first multi-day exercise ever for HamSCI. Read more – RoyalNews: http://bit.ly/4mtYJ2h Amateur Radio Daily: DXLook Adds QSO View and Multi-Language Support
DXLook has introduced a new QSO View that lets radio amateurs upload their own ADIF (.adi) log files and see their QSOs displayed on the map. Each contact is shown with a great-circle arc from your station to the destination, and markers include details such as callsign, grid, band, mode, date, and time. Filters for band and mode are available, and users can toggle arcs and time labels on or off. QSO View runs fully in the browser, so uploaded log files never leave your computer. In addition, DXLook’s Help and Tour sections are now available in multiple languages (English, Spanish, German, Russian, Chinese, and Japanese), making it easier for operators worldwide to get started. These updates join DXLook’s existing tools — Summary, Cluster, MUF, Reports, and POTA — giving operators more ways to explore propagation and their own activity in one place. Try it now at https://dxlook.com Source: DXLook
WEDNESDAY EDITION: Open house at the club this morning if you are in the area, free coffee and donuts.... The Mysterious Shortwave Radio Station Stoking US-Russia Nuclear Fears
A popular
shortwave
Russian radio
station dubbed
UVB-76 has been
an enigma for
decades. But its
recent messages
have turned it
into a tool for
Kremlin
saber-rattling.
Shortly after US president Donald Trump hung up a call with Russia’s Vladimir Putin this spring, an obscure shortwave radio channel, broadcasting from a military base somewhere in Russia, sprang to life. Through a fog of static, at 4625 kHz on the shortwave dial, a man’s voice spoke in monotone: “Nikolai, Zhenya, Tatiana, Ivan.” He repeats the message—spelled out in the Russian phonetic alphabet—followed by a series of numbers and letters. The whole message reads: “NZhTI 01263 BOLTANKA 4430 9529.” What it means is anyone’s guess, but lots of people were guessing. This radio station, dubbed UVB-76, has spent much of 2025 broadcasting cryptic messages, strange music, and pirate interruptions. The channel has elicited fascination for decades. This time, however, something is different. Now, Moscow’s network of propagandists and warmongers are suddenly fascinated by this obscure channel. Read more – Wired: https://www.wired.com/story/uvb-76-russia-us-nuclear-fears/ 2025 One-Hertz Challenge: Fixing The Clock That Once Synced The World
The HP 115BR is not one of the most well-known products from Hewlett-Packard. And yet, it was remarkably important nonetheless. This hardware once synced time around the world. Now, for our 2025 One-Hertz Challenge, [curiousmarc] has taken on the job of restoring it. The HP 115BR itself was not used alone, but in concert with the HP5060A atomic clock. The latter would output a 100 KHz reference output. It was the job of the HP 115BR to divide this frequency down to provide a superbly accurate 1-second tick. The example on [curiousmarc]’s bench showed up in poor shape. It was “very broken,” and he reported that it had also previously been hacked to some degree. However, he has been able to restore it to proper functionality, including the special modification for continuous tick adjustment, as used in the 1964 flying atomic clock experiment. He was even able to sync it to NIST’s current atomic clock signal from Fort Collins using the WWV radio signal. We’ve seen plenty of old HP metal restored over the years; it’s always pleasant to see how well things were built back in the day. Video after the break. Meshtastic: How to stay connected after a hurricane hitsWhen the power goes out and cell towers fail after a hurricane, staying in touch can be next to impossible. But a new open-source technology called Meshtastic is giving Southwest Floridians a way to communicate when all else fails. Dana Dash of Cape Coral is one of the local pioneers testing this system. The first thing you notice when visiting his home is the antenna on the roof. It's not for satellite TV or the internet, but for a radio communications network. “It’s called Meshtastic. It’s an off-grid communications protocol,” Dash explained. “There’s no license required. It uses LoRa band technology to connect your cell phone to other devices on the network.” Meshtastic runs on a frequency once used by older cell phones. The FCC has since opened it for public, license-free use. Unlike ham radio, which requires training and certification, Meshtastic is designed to be accessible to anyone. Dash says the system could be critical after disasters like Hurricane Ian, when cell and internet service were knocked out across Southwest Florida. “When a hurricane happens, I’m out finding where there’s water, fuel — any necessities,” he said. “People with no comms at all can’t call to ask if gas stations are open. We can broadcast that information over the network to anyone with a node in Cape Coral, North Fort Myers, wherever.” The devices, called “nodes," can connect by Bluetooth to your phone through a simple app. Type a message, and it hops across the mesh network until it reaches another user. With the right placement, a single node can extend coverage up to 100 miles. Ben Giddens of Cape Coral, a licensed ham radio operator, carries a pocket-sized node every day. He sees it as a powerful backup. “It was used in Eastern Tennessee after Hurricane Helene,” Giddens said. “About 120 radios were deployed to volunteers for search and rescue communications.” Once you buy a node, you’re automatically connected to the “mesh.” Messages can be sent publicly or privately, hopping up to seven times across the network. “There are probably about 10,000 users in the United States,” Dash noted. “I’ve seen about 400 online in Florida at any one time.” Unlike traditional services, Meshtastic is open-source and community-powered. If one node goes down, others can still pass messages through. “It’s not commercialized. Nobody can pull the plug and shut the whole system down,” Dash said. “The more people on it, the more powerful it becomes.” As storm season continues in Florida, some residents see Meshtastic not just as a hobby, but as a lifeline TUESDAY EDITION: Installed the 9-1 balun up 25 feet and coax run to the shack. today I have to shoot a line over a maple tree to attach the 124 foot FlexWeeve wire to complete the job. I never have tried a end fed antenna at home but have deployed one on field day, I just want to see how it performs. Balun Designs suggested the wire lengths for best performance but added it is a compromise antenna, I thought that was interesting. 2025 One-Hertz Challenge: A Software-Only AM Radio Transmitter
We’ve been loving the variety of entries to the 2025 One-Hertz Challenge. Many a clock has been entered, to be sure, but also some projects that step well outside simple timekeeping. Case in point, this AM transmitter from [oldradiofixer.] The software-only transmitter uses an ATTiny85 processor to output an AM radio signal in the broadcast band. It transmits a simple melody that you can tune in on any old radio you might have lying around the house. Achieving this was simple. [oldradiofixer] set up the cheap microcontroller to toggle pin PB0 at 1 MHz to create an RF carrier. Further code then turns the 1MHz carrier on and off at varying rates to play the four notes—G#, A, G#, and E—of the Twilight Zone theme. This is set up to repeat every second—hence, it’s a perfectly valid entry to the 2025 One-Hertz Challenge! It’s a simple project, but one that demonstrates the basics of AM radio transmission quite well. The microcontroller may not put out a powerful transmission, but it’s funny to think just how easy it is to generate a broadcast AM signal with a bit of software and a length of wire hanging off one pin. Video after the break. The Best of Amateur Radio Honored With ARRL AwardsARRL honors the work of amateur radio operators who grow the hobby by advancing technology used within, and the operating culture, of the Amateur Radio Service. At the Second Meeting of the ARRL Board of Directors, hams and journalists who have covered amateur radio were honored with awards. The ARRL Technical Innovation Award is granted annually to individuals who are licensed radio amateurs with accomplishments and contributions which are of the most exemplary nature within the framework of technical research, development, and application of new ideas and future systems in the context of amateur radio activities. The Board bestowed the 2025 ARRL Technical Innovation Award on Matthew Wishek, NBØX, for his work on development of Opulent Voice Minimum Shift Keying transceiver implementation, and “modem module” architecture. The ARRL Technical Service Award is given annually to individuals who are licensed radio amateurs whose service to the amateur community and/or society at large is of the most exemplary nature within the framework of amateur radio technical activities. The 2025 award was issued to Bill Meara, N2CQR, and Dean Souleles, KK4DAS, who have developed and facilitated the “SolderSmoke Direct Conversion Receiver Challenge” education project, which has enabled high school students and many amateur radio operators to construct a working HF receiver. The ARRL Herb S. Brier Instructor of the Year Award recognizes the very best in amateur radio instruction and recruitment in memory of Herb S. Brier, W9AD (SK), long-time CQ Novice Editor, who represented the spirit of effective, caring, amateur radio instruction. The 2025 ARRL Herb S. Brier Instructor of the Year Award was awarded to Dennis Simon, KB7UTV. The ARRL Hiram Percy Maxim Memorial Award is given annually to a licensed radio amateur under the age of 21 whose accomplishments and contributions to both the community of amateur radio and the local community are of the most exemplary nature. Alexia Snethen, KM6LGG, received the 2025 ARRL Hiram Percy Maxim Award. She also is the recipient of the ARRL Foundation Goldfarb Memorial Scholarship. The Philip J. McGan Silver Antenna Award is given to a licensed radio amateur for volunteer public relations efforts on behalf of amateur radio who best exemplifies the public relations efforts of Philip J. McGan, WA2MBQ (SK). The 2025 awardee is Micah Martin, KN6VUT, of California, who has been recognized by his peers for his exemplary service in the Tehachapi Amateur Radio Association (TARA) as the club’s Public Information Officer (PIO), leading to a 59% increase in club membership and nearly tripling the number of license applicants in the area. The Bill Leonard Professional Media Award pays tribute to late CBS News President Bill Leonard, W2SKE, by recognizing professional journalists whose outstanding coverage highlights the enjoyment, importance, and public service value the amateur radio service has to offer. The 2025 award for print reporting was given to Makena Kelly and Dell Cameron of WIRED for their article, “Through Hurricanes Helene and Milton, Amateur Radio Triumphs When All Else Fails®”. The award for video reporting was bestowed upon NBC TODAY Correspondent Harry Smith for his report, “Meet the students using radio waves to contact the ISS”. More information about ARRL awards, along with nomination instructions, can be found on the ARRL website. F.C.C. hits pirate radio station in Worcester, MA with $25K fine45 Fremont Street in Worcester Google WORCESTER — The Federal Communications Commission recently proposed a $25,000 fine against Noah Opoku Gyamfi for allegedly operating an unlicensed radio station on 103.9 FM in Worcester under the name “Unity Radio.” F.C.C. field agents said they traced transmissions during a 2024 enforcement sweep to a commercial building at 60 Fremont St. and matched the over-the-air programming to an online stream promoting itself as “Unity Radio.” During an on-site inspection, a man identifying himself as “Frank” and “Opo National” allowed agents into the facility and powered down the transmitter at their request; investigators linked the alias to Gyamfi and to the station’s listed contact number, according to the notice dated August 7th. Regulators said Gyamfi had been warned in 2019 after agents found an over-limit signal on the same frequency at 45 Fremont St., but unauthorized operations allegedly continued, contributing to the penalty amount. The pirate operation is not affiliated with Unity Radio, WUTY-FM 97.9, a licensed Worcester station that has been broadcasting since 2017. The agency said pirate broadcasts can interfere with licensed stations and public-safety communications, including Emergency Alert System messages. Under the PIRATE Act, maximum penalties can reach $2,453,218 in total for violations. MONDAY EDITION: I started painting the second of three bathrooms, I have it half cut in and will go do the other half when I get thru with this blog. Foggy and cool, good day for inside work..... The ARRL Solar ReportOn August 22,
Spaceweather.com
reports a
fast-moving Coronal
Mass Solar activity
has decreased back
to low levels with a
few weak Read more American Radio Relay League | Ham Radio Association and Resources – Read More Ham Radio Users Explain Why They're Worried About AST SpaceMobile's Satellite PlansAST SpaceMobile’s attempt to justify its use of the amateur radio band for its satellites has done little to assuage concerns from the ham radio community. “AST is again economical with the truth,” an amateur radio operator in Germany named Mario Lorenz wrote to the FCC on Friday. AST SpaceMobile wants to use the 430 to 440MHz bands outside the US to control and track its constellation of 248 satellites, which promise to beam cellular connectivity to smartphones across the globe. However, these bands have long been allocated to amateur radio operations, raising fears that AST’s operations will create widespread interference.
On Tuesday,
Texas-based AST
defended using the
radio band, telling the
FCC that any radio
interference should
be minimal. It would
use the 430 to
440MHz band for
"very limited,
non-routine" use,
such as for
“emergency
operations when
other frequency
bands are
unavailable." However, the amateur radio community says AST is already using those bands. On Friday, AMSAT-Deutschland sent a letter to the FCC that says amateur radio users have detected signals from AST’s satellites over the radio bands. The claim is therefore either a misrepresentation or a deliberate falsehood,” AMSAT-Deutschland wrote. In particular, AST’s BlueWalker-3 satellite was spotted using the radio band up until July 23 as the amateur radio community began campaigning against the spectrum use. Ironically, AMSAT-Deutschland operates as a group devoted to the advancement of satellite communications, along with amateur radio satellites. In the letter, the group even noted: “We applaud AST SpaceMobile’s ambitious goals. However, innovation must not come at the expense of internationally recognized and community-supported amateur radio services.” AMSAT-Deutschland also tells PCMag the clash with AST has hit a nerve with the amateur radio community over concerns it could “set a precedent” if the FCC greenlights the company’s use of the 430 to 440MHz bands for satellite control. In addition, the group is worried that the FCC is “effectively shifting the resulting interference risks to other countries.” “If similar authorizations are granted to other commercial operators, the 430-440 MHz band could gradually become unusable for amateur radio. What is framed as ‘exceptional use’ today risks becoming the norm tomorrow — to the detriment of a long-standing and diverse community of amateur radio users,” the group said. “It also raises questions about AST’s technical maturity,” the group added. “Other large-scale satellite operators — such as SpaceX, with over 6,000 Starlink satellites in orbit — appear to manage TT&C (Telemetry, Tracking, and Command) functions without resorting to use of the amateur UHF band.” AST didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. But the company submitted a third-party analysis to the FCC that claims to show the risk of interference to be “extremely unlikely” to amateur radio operations. However, Mario Lorenz, the amateur radio user who helped kick off the protest campaign, told the FCC on Friday that the third-party analysis was flawed. “Yet again, AST tries to get away with handing in only half the homework it was supposed to do,” Lorenz wrote. “Despite its title, the study addresses only a single scenario of interference in the AMATEUR RADIO SATELLITE service," not amateur radio use on the ground. The Bulgarian Federation of Radio Amateurs also told the FCC last month: “Even slight interference under these operating conditions can result in harmful interference as defined in (FCC regulations) 47 CFR §2.1, disrupting communications, damaging experimental data integrity, and jeopardizing control of amateur satellites.”
WEEKEND EDITON: Great weather for the ham fest and great turnout as well, ham radio is alive in New England. the big news is the new Icom 7300MKII. I love the built in hdmi port, enhanced rx and tx, cw decoder....wonder what the initial price will be?
Hamfest dinner Icom Unveils New IC-7300MK2 HF / 50 / (70) MHz Transceiver
Icom has introduced the new IC-7300MK2, HF / 50 / (70*) MHz transceiver at the JARL Ham Fair 2025 (August 23–24, 2025). Initial shipments are planned by the end of 2025.
Enhanced Performance
Firsts for Icom HF radios
Other Highlights
Packed with features for serious operators, the IC-7300MK2 is ideal for contesting and DX hunting. More InformationHAMS YOU MIGHT KNOW- ALIVE AND SK K1TP-
Jon....Editor of As The World
Turns....
SILENT KEYS Silet Key
KA1BXB-Don...Regular
on 3900 mornings....just
don't
mention
politics
to
him,
please! |
