This CQ WW WPX contest was my first major contest in a few years, as we are usually away on vacation and I end up missing it.

This year, my best bands were 20m during the daytime and early evening, before moving over to 40m later in the evening. Overall, the early evening and nighttime hours seemed to be the most productive, with both 20m and 40m really opening up.

During the daytime, I just could not get a good run going. At times, it felt like I was simply calling “CQ Contest” into the ether with very little response. Because of that, this contest turned into mostly search-and-pounce for me, with only the occasional attempt at running.

Throughout the daytime hours, I kept VFO A on 20m and VFO B on either 15m or, at times, 10m, constantly watching for openings. When conditions looked promising, I would jump down to those bands and was able to pick up additional contacts on 15m and 10m. Most of my 10m contacts ended up being with South America.

One thing that definitely kept me in the radio chair was the weather. It was quite chilly here, with daytime highs reaching only 8°C and evening temperatures dropping to around 2°C. In fact, I even had to break out the portable heater I use to keep my hands warm. I find that when my hands get cold, they just do not work as well on the keyboard when entering call signs and serial numbers.

This was also the first major contest for my new Icom 7610, and I am happy to say it performed flawlessly throughout the event. 

Show Notes

Featured Topic:

• Andy Stewart KB1OIQ - Andy’s Ham Radio Linux
  • Andy’s Ham Radio Linux - https://lhs.fyi/2j
  • EMA ARRL Biography - https://lhs.fyi/LF
  • XLog - https://lhs.fyi/LG

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    • Much appreciate your podcast and listen when I can. I would love to hear more for beginning DragonOS/Linux users. I certainly know enough to be dangerous, so need to upgrade my old Hp-UX. I am having issues with updates/upgrades on my old ASUS repurposed laptop. It is failing to boot on the new upgrades linux versions. I replaced the old HD drive with a SSD, when I put it together. I did the DragonOS and 73Linux install from Ham Radio Crusader. I have updated to wsjt-x 3.0 and it works well. Also installed gridtracker2, so it will update my QRZ log for me. I want to get PotaCat running so I can tie to my new ic7300 Mk2 and run it remote from my tablet or phone. Mostly using it for wsjt-x, with gridtracker2. I want to take this laptop to the field for POTA activations and expand on its use. Satellite tracking is another area, as well. So in general anything on DragonOS maintenance, adding new apps like POTACat, gridtracker2 or other interesting HAM tools to the mix would be great! Also any basic Linux tools to manage it. I still need to learn how to add access to my wifi printer and other pcs as well. Ham On and blessing to the Ham Shack family from Texas.
    • 73 - Don - KJ5MVN
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I started in the ham radio and shortwave listening hobby in 1972. By 1975, this was my first real receiver. It heard very well, and ignited my lifelong passion for radio.

The R-366/TRR-5 military receiver.

This old radio, the R-366/TRR-5, which is clearly identified on the faceplate in this picture of the military rig, had great ears. It was what I used to hone my Morse code copying skills and to get the hang of how amateur radio operators conducted communications with each other, with CW, AM, or SSB. I hope someday to own one once again.

The R-366

The R-366/TRR-5 is a significant piece of military history manufactured for the Navy Department Bureau of Ships by the Espey Manufacturing Company. Built during an era when the United States Navy required absolute reliability for ship to shore and ship to ship communications, the unit is a testament to the rugged industrial design of the mid-twentieth century. Often referred to as part of the TRR-5 receiving set, this equipment frequently incorporated high quality components and precision engineering including the gold standard Collins Radio Company designs of that period. These internal components were vital in providing the remarkable stability and selectivity needed to pull weak signals out of the dense electronic noise environment found on a crowded naval vessel. It did have heterodyne squeals on a select few frequencies, which any old tube receiver was prone to have, but those did not detract from the excellent capability of the radio.

The Service

For the sailors and radio operators serving aboard ships in the 1950s and 1960s these receivers were far more than just tools for duty. In the often cramped and isolated conditions of life at sea these radios served as a critical psychological anchor. Access to the bands meant hearing the familiar sounds of home or tuning into MARS stations where amateur radio operators facilitated phone patches that reconnected sailors with their families. This bridge to the outside world was essential for maintaining morale and supporting the mental health of military personnel who were otherwise cut off from the rhythms of civilian life for months at a time. Sitting in the radio shack and slowly tuning that large central dial while listening to the crackle of the ionosphere was a meditative escape from the constant hum of shipboard operations. Many ships would pipe ball games and news shows, or music programs, over the ships intercomms, providing health and morale to the personnel.

Operating the Radio

The tactile experience of operating this specific receiver remains vivid in my memory. The layout with its distinct knobs for selectivity phasing and BFO control was designed for the hands of a professional radio operator who needed to manipulate the signal in real time. It required a disciplined ear and a steady hand to copy Morse code through heavy atmospheric conditions but that struggle made every successful reception feel deeply rewarding. It taught me the patience and technical appreciation that have defined my amateur radio hobby for decades. Owning and using a piece of history like this represented a connection to the generations of operators who stood the watch before me.

Traveling the World…

With this historic military receiver, I discovered an entire world as a child in the mid 1970s. I spent countless nights in the quiet darkness of my room with only the warm orange and yellow glow from the vacuum tubes leaking out of the back and top grills and slots of the radio enclosure, as those hot tubes cast soft light on the ceiling and walls. That radio allowed me to travel the globe from my listening position often sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of this big rig. Those late night listening sessions, when I should have been sleeping, ignited a lifelong passion for understanding the vast and interconnected world of shortwave radio as well as medium-wave DXing. I heard International Shortwave Broadcast stations as well as AM broadcast stations from Europe, Asia, the South Pacific, the Atlantic regions, South America, Central America, and North America–all over the world! I listened to amateur radio operators on Morse code, SSB, and AM modes. Ships at sea, aircraft doing transoceanic flights, fishing vessels comms where fishing captains would chat with other boat captains, and even military communications were all at my fingertips on the dial of the radio as I listened to these exotic places by headphones. I even picked up a station from Peru, South America late one night, on the mediumwave broadcast band. That is how great that receiver could hear. Of course, I had a very excellent outdoor dipole antenna that was cut for 160 meters.

What Receiver Was Your First?

What was your first major receiver? Was it just a receiver, or was it a transceiver? When was that? What did you hear that captured your imagination? Do you still have that radio?
I hope to someday have this R-366/TRR-5, once again.

~ Happy DX!
NW7US

In this episode, we join Martin Butler M1MRB, Martin Rothwell (M0SGL), Frank Howell (K4FMH), Bill Barnes (WC3B) and Leslie Butterfields (G0CIB) to discuss the latest Amateur / Ham Radio news. Colin Butler (M6BOY) rounds up the news in brief, and the episode's feature is New Lead Free Solder.

We would like to thank our and monthly and annual subscription donors for keeping the podcast advert free. To donate, please visit - http://www.icqpodcast.com/donate

• Senator Ted Cruz Praises Amateur Radio Volunteers for Emergency Preparedness
• Project Pursues Mysteries of Sporadic E-Skip
• Open-Source Software Modem Called a Vara Replacement
• ARISS Announces Plans for Moon-Based Ham Radio
• Helping Girl Guides Earn Licenses in the Caribbean
• Alamogordo Hamfest Turns 40 This September
• Student Joins South Georgia Island Dxpedition Team
• Turn Your Android Phone into a Modern Ham Radio Transceiver
• Icom UK and Icom America Partner to Sponsor WRTC 2026

 I have been running my WSPR desktop unit for almost 24 hours to get a better feel for band conditions ahead of this weekend’s CQ WW WPX contest. The bands I focused on were 10m, 15m, 20m, and 40m, using my Hustler 4BTV antenna. The results showed that 40m and 20m have been the strongest bands, while 15m has been relatively weak and 10m has been virtually non-existent. The evening hours appear to be when band activity really picks up and could provide my best opportunity for strong run rates. We’ll see how it all plays out, because before you know it, Sunday evening will be here and another contest will be in the books.

Senator Ted Cruz, in this pre-Memorial-Day message, thanks amateur (ham) radio volunteers who serve the public through emergency communications, readiness to meet public communications needs, and are ever-ready technical assets.

Senator Ted Cruz Highlights Amateur Radio Public Service (Memorial Weekend 2026)

Sen. Cruz highlights the role these amateur radio FCC-licensed volunteers have in providing essential communications when violent storms knock out communications in local and regional areas, when power is out, cellular communications limited or overwhelmed, and communications services are stressed beyond capacity. Senator Cruz notes that these ham radio operators step forward to provide first-response communications in many situations, and gives examples of such in recent years, such as the 2017 Hurricane Harvey emergency when the catastrophic flooding across Texas took so many lives, and ham radio was there providing critical emergency communications. This was again demonstrated in the horrible Camp Mystic floods. He emphasized that as the United States of America prepares for yet another Summer Season, ham radio volunteers are ready to step up and provide these essential amateur emergency communications services. His comments also reflect growing Congressional recognition of the value Amateur Radio Operators bring to communities across the country.

Senator Cruz is Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. His comments align with the ARRL’s ongoing efforts to strengthen and protect Amateur Radio’s role in emergency preparedness and public service communications. As a member of ARRL, I applaud the Senator’s acknowledgement of the service we amateur radio operators provide our communities.