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     February 2008

Articles from the

February 2008 issue
of CQ posted on our

website include:

The February issue of CQ continues our ongoing series of interviews with hams in high places, this month featuring retired Vice Admiral Scott Redd, K0DQ, who most recently served the nation as Director of the National Counterterroism Center. Scott is also an ardent contester who has won just about every major on-air competition at least once. Next, we have our annual Market Survey of current ham equipment by Contributing Editor Gordon West, WB6NOA. Gordon's focus this year is on HF transceivers ... which are available - pre-built or as kits - from more than a dozen manufacturers.

If VHF holds more interest for you than HF, this issue also has the results of last year's CQ World Wide VHF Contest. While we didn't have a repeat of the incredibly massive band openings of 2006, participation (and fun) continued to increase. On the topic of contests, we also have the rules for this year's CQ WPX Contests -- SSB in March and CW in May.

John Wood, WV5J, tells us about "Jeff's Walk," one ham's trek across Australia to raise awareness for a charity, and how he used ham radio to remain in contact throughout the trip (He "wore" solar panels while walking each day to recharge his batteries!). Finally among our features, Ron Thomas, W8QYR, tackles the touchy issue of "Hams and Math," trying to increase the comfort level with math for the non-engineers among us.

In February's columns, Public Service Editor Bob Josuweit, WA3PZO, reports on ham radio's response to massive flooding in the Pacific Northwest just after Thanksgiving; "Washington Readout" editor Fred Maia, W5YI, explores the mysteries of the FCC's Universal Licensing System (ULS) and reports on results of the 2007 World Radio Conference that affect ham radio; and "World of Ideas" editor Dave Ingram, K4TWJ, goes deep undercover to continue his "Hamming from the Shadows" series on ways to put a station on the air even if you are living with antenna restrictons.

"Weekender" editor Phil Salas, AD5X, shares tips on minimizing RF interference in your home and ham shack; Digital Editor Don Rotolo, N2IRZ, takes us inside the nuts and bolts of setting up and operating the popular PSK-31 program, Digipan; Mobiling Editor Jeff Reinhardt, AA6JR, explains the secrets behind efficient and effective mobile station setups, and QRP Editor Dave Ingram, K4TWJ, looks at mini-rigs you can build into various tins and cans.

New Products Editor Anthony Luscre, K8ZT, introduces a 4-band rotatable dipole, audio enhancers and a company that will create custom front panels for your construction projects. "VHF-Plus" editor Joe Lynch, N6CL, shares news of the first reported two-way ham contact made by bouncing signals off the International Space Station, as well as new scientific discoveries about the Northern Lights.

Awards Editor Ted Melinosky, K1BV, spotlights a series of awards from the South African Radio League (SARL); DX Editor Carl Smith, N4AA, previews the results of DX magazine's 2007 "Most Wanted" countries survey; Contesting Editor John Dorr, K1AR, offers "Another View of the Future" of contest activity; Beginner's Editor Wayne Yoshida, KH6WZ, presents a propagation primer; while Propagation Editor Tomas Hood, NW7US, continues his series on the building blocks of propagation, as well as reporting on some promising observations regarding the possible start of the new sunspot cycle and offering his predictions for February's band conditions. Finally, "Math's Notes" editor Irwin Math, WA2NDM, looks at "ultra capacitors" and their potential for supplementing or replacing batteries in some applications.

That's a brief look at what's coming up in the February issue of CQ magazine, which should be on newsstands and in subscribers' mailboxes by late January. For information on becoming a CQ subscriber, click the "Click Here to Subscribe" button at the top of this page.

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