August 2009
Articles from the
August 2009
issue
of CQ posted on our
website include:
The August issue of CQ starts with a visit to a "country" that consists of just a few buildings in Rome -- the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, or SMOM. Giorgio Minguzzi, IZ4AKS, and Fabio Schettino, I4UFH, tell the story of 1A3A, the first major contest operation from SMOM during the 2007 CQWW Phone Contest.
Speaking of the CQWW, we follow the 1A3A story with the 2008 SSB results. Once again, despite continued low sunspot numbers, more than 5000 logs were received. Here's a preview of the worldwide winners in each major category: High Power All Band - HC8A; Low Power All Band - P40A (4th straight win!); QRP - LY8O; Assisted - LX7I; Multi-Single - CN3A (2nd straight win); Multi-Two - AO8A (2nd straight win), and Multi-Multi - K3LR.
We've also got our annual guide to new products introduced at Dayton in part one of our "Sunday Safari" by New Products Editor Anthony Luscre, K8ZT. Once again, there was so much new stuff that we were forced to break the article into two parts - radios and amplifiers this month, antennas and accessories next month.
Our columns for August start out with Math's Notes, in which WA2NDM offers a variety of hints and tips for any upcoming projects. Public Service Editor Richard Fisher, KI6SN, reports on the possible shutdown this fall of Navy MARS; "Washington Readout" editor Fred Maia, W5YI, answers readers' questions; and "World of Ideas" editor Dave Ingram, K4TWJ, reports on ham radio lighthouse activities, as well as on a growing rift between the two groups that sponsor ham radio lighthouse events.
Former "Weekender" editor Phil Salas, AD5X, pays a return visit with a quickie project to assemble a static bleeder for any antenna; Digital Editor Don Rotolo, N2IRZ, looks into a possible future role of APRS (Automatic Packet Reporting System) that goes well beyond vehicle tracking; QRP Editor K4TWJ covers simple but effective receivers and how to convert certain low-power transmitters into mini-transceivers; Mobiling Editor Jeff Reinhardt, AA6JR, looks at "Generating a Big Signal on a Limited Budget," and Beginner's Editor Wayne Yoshida, KH6WZ, goes through the paces of uninstalling a radio from a vehicle.
"VHF Plus" editor Joe Lynch, N6CL, reports on the ARRL June VHF Contest and on the big drop in noise levels nationwide on 6 meters and 222 MHz as a result of the switchover to digital TV the day before the contest. DX Editor Carl Smith, N4AA, covers upcoming events and shines the DX spotlight on the Radio Society of Great Britain's "Islands on the Air" (IOTA) program; and Awards Editor Ted Melinosky, K1BV, looks at a wide range of operating awards ranging from the Worked Argentine Antarctic Bases award to the Russian Silver Camel Award. Contesting Editor John Dorr, K1AR, asks the rhetorical question of whether contesting activity has reached its peak, and Propagation Editor Tomas Hood, NW7US, offers a preview of what to expect on the bands as we sweat through mid-summer. NW7US also has a commentary posted here on the CQ website in which he challenges the gloomy forecast made in May a panel of solar experts about sunspot cycle 24. Subsequent news reports (see our news page - "NASA: The Sunspot Cycle is not 'Broken' ") appear to support Tomas's belief that things really aren't as bad as they may seem.
That's a brief look at what's coming up in the August issue of CQ magazine, which should be on newsstands and in subscribers' mailboxes by late July. For information on becoming a CQ subscriber, click the "Click Here to Subscribe" button at the top of this page.
National Hamfest Vendor Appreciation Month
On The Cover
Well-known DXers Lynn (W4NL)
and Rosie (KA4S) Lamb at their station in Maryville, Tennessee.