CQ Magazine Highlights

August 2010
Last August, CQ took you to the warm Mediterranean for a look at operating the CQ World Wide DX Contest from the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. This year, we take you north, north of the 50th parallel into CQ Zone 2 with the story of the VE2DXY contesting team and the unique challenges the team members face. The story is by team members Andy Vavra, KD3RF/VE2DXY, and Irwin Darack, KD3TB. Click here to read a special web supplement to Andy and Irwin's article, titled Digging Deeper: Solar Flux, the A-index and CQWW Propagation from Zone 2. If your weather is a little warmer than what you're likely to encounter in the fall in northern Quebec, you might be interested in "Organize Your Own Backyard Updgrade Class," by CQ Contributing Editor Gordon West, WB6NOA. Next, we have the SSB results of the 2009 CQ WW DX Contest, with a record-breaking 6065 logs received, up more than 1000 from the record set in 2008. Sunspots? Who needs sunspots? Here's a preview of the worldwide winners in each major category: High Power All Band - HC8A (2nd straight win); Low Power All Band - P40A (5th straight win!); QRP - RX1CQ; Assisted - ER4DX; Multi-Single - CN3A (3rd straight win); Multi-Two - AO8A (3rd straight win), and Multi-Multi - PJ2T. Expanded results are available here on the web. We've also got Part 1 of our annual guide to new products introduced at Dayton, presented by New Products Editor John Wood, WV5J. This installment covers radios and amplifiers; in September, we'll preview antennas and accessories. Our columns for August start out with Math's Notes, in which WA2NDM asks the rhetorical question, "What If?" -- What if what? Well, you'll have to read the issue to find out! "Washington Readout" editor Fred Maia, W5YI, provides a roundup of amateur radio rulemaking proceedings pending before the FCC; Public Service Editor Richard Fisher, KI6SN, reports on the ham radio response to a deadly early June tornado in Ohio; Mobiling Editor Jeff Reinhardt, AA6JR, looks at "Choosing a Mobile Rig," and "Learning Curve" editor Rich Arland, K7SZ, reports on what he learned on his visit to the Dayton Hamvention. QRP Editor Cam Hartford, N6GA, also discusses Dayton (his first visit there in more than 15 years), as does Kit-Building Editor Joe Eisenberg, K0NEB. Joe's focus, though, is on the building technique known as "Manhattan-Style Construction." Digital Editor Don Rotolo, N2IRZ, responds to reader requests for more information on "Computer Numerical Control," or CNC, and how he uses a CNC machine to drill out circuit boards for various projects. "VHF Plus" editor Joe Lynch, N6CL, asks whether EME (Moonbounce) is the future of weak-signal VHFing and discusses ham radio educational partnerships with public schools; Awards Editor Ted Melinosky, K1BV, looks at publicizing awards that your club may sponsor; and DX Editor Carl Smith, N4AA, brings us the story of Dave Wade, W5DAW, of Mississippi. Dave has been licensed a little over two years and in that time, has worked 230 DXCC entities and confirmed 172, as well as 140 zones toward the 200 needed for CQ's 5-Band Worked All Zones award (he got his mixed WAZ certificate back in May). All this, by the way, has been worked with 100 watts, a vertical antenna, no Cluster spots and no computer logging program! Finally, Contesting Editor John Dorr, K1AR, writes about ways to improve your CW skills (W5DAW says he couldn't have worked nearly as much as he has without CW), and Propagation Editor Tomas Hood, NW7US, discusses the slow but sure rise of Sunspot Cycle 24. 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.