No RCV Port? No Problem – DXE RTR-1A

8 January 2026 | by Richard AA4OO  |  Leave a Comment (0)

The Sweetness of Noise Free Copy


I have been using my Receive only Loop on Ground antenna at my station for the past few weeks.  It was connected to my SDR through my receiver protection switch from OK1RP .  That switch protects my SDR from overcurrent during transmit.  I built this receiver protection switch from a kit nearly 8 years ago to protect my SDR when using it as the panadapter display for my Ten-Tec Eagle.  Back then I didn't use the audio from the SDRPlay RSP1 for listening because it was connected to the noisy antenna in my attic so audio from it sounded worse than my outdoor antenna but the signal was sufficient to use as input to the panadapter.  

But now, with the low noise, outdoor receive antenna at my station I can use the SDR as a receiver for listening during a QSO or just monitoring.

How you can use a receive antenna on a radio without a RCV port but with an outboard SDR?


For those of us that have radios lacking a dedicated antenna receive (RCV) port we need something able to listen to that the receive antenna that stays in sync with our transceiver.  Software Defined Radios (SDRs) have become very common in our hobby and entry level, dongle style SDRs are quite affordable.  They are receivers that connect to your PC via USB and generally offer wide receiver coverage.  In the case of the SDRPlay RSP1 that I use, it makes an excellent outboard receiver.  By syncing the SDR with the transceiver via OmniRig it tracks the frequency changes you are making from your radio.  Additionally it can sync the radio frequency and mode when you work with the SDR software running on your PC.

The receiver needs protection


Using a separate receiver when you have a transmitter at your station requires that you protect the receiver front end from transmit currents.  The SDR protection switch I built from OK1RP years ago is triggered by the Yaesu FT-DX10 transmit ground switch accessible through the optional Yaesu SCU-28 cable.  On transmit the FT-DX10 grounds the TX GND pin2 on the SCU-28.  This in turn is used by the OK1RP switch to disconnect the antenna input and protect the SDR on transmit.  There are RF switches that use RF-sensing to switch rather than a hardware cable, but results vary on how well they work and whether they can protect the receiver if they lose power, things get disconnected, etc.  So having a hardware triggered switch with some failsafes like the OK1RP can save you from an Oopsie that lets the magic smoke out of your receiver.

I had the FT-DX10's antenna port connected to my transmit antenna switch. That 2 position switch connected either my attic Doublet or the 80m OCF.  The transceiver was not connected to the receive only antenna in any way in that configuration.

I listened to stations coming through the LoG Receive antenna through PC speakers generated by SDRPlay's SDRUno software rather than through the transceiver because the receive only antenna offered a greater signal to noise ratio.  I turned down the AF volume on the FT-DX10 coming from the transmit antenna in order to hear only the receive antenna during QSOs.  The sidetone volume is separate from the AF volume so having it down on the transceiver during a QSO was not an issue.  Again, the transceiver was not connected to the LoG receive antenna so I couldn't use the radio controls during receive for filtering. SDRUno obviously did not offer the same features for shaping and adjusting the received signal as a dedicated amateur radio.  It provided choices for bandwidth, NR and CW-Peak. 

Switching from SDRUno to HDSDR


This is somewhat of an aside but I think it is worth mentioning.  I have been using SDRUno with my SDRPlay RSP1 SDR for the past few years to "listen" to the SDR as a receiver.  It works well enough but it has issues when I want to take the IQ output from it to software like CWSkimmer to provide a cluster server for stations I am hearing.   When I set SDRUno to output IQ it offers a number of bandwidths but they are not consistent across the ham bands.  For instance, 80, 40 and 20 offer 192 kHz as an available output bandwidth but 30, 17, 15 do not.  If I need to change bandwidths it requires modifying the Virtual Audio Cable or configuring different VAC's for the different bands, etc.  If I try using just 48 kHz for all bands that doesn't seem to work with CWSkimmer even though it has the option.   So I have switched to use HDSDR since it supports the 192 kHz bandwidth IQ output for all bands.  It also doesn't seem to lose it's mind when the computer goes to sleep like SDRUno. YMMV.


Anyway, let's get to the point


This setup has worked pretty well, but I really wanted to hear the Receive antenna directly through the transceiver to make use of all the additional filtering and controls it brings to the table. Also, listening to the receive audio from the PC when I'm working a station just feels a bit disconnected from the normal process of using the transceiver.  I also wanted to continue to feed the SDR in parallel with the transceiver to have the panadapter and local cluster server functionality.  I couldn't do that whilst using the SDR as an audio receiver.  I needed more stuff.

The DX-Engineering RTR-1A


There was a new-in-box DX-Engineering RTR-1A available on a famous auction site.  This is the discontinued version of what is now sold as the RTR-2A.  I actually prefer the connections offered on the older switch plus it was far less than the cost of a new RTR-2A.  These switches don't come up used very often so beggars sometimes can't be choosers, although I'm sure something will pop-up for a steal now that I've purchased one.






The RTR-1A is a switch designed to allow a transceiver such as the FT-DX10 that only has a single antenna connection to make use of a Receive Only antenna.  It offers additional protection that a traditional transceiver with Receive Antenna ports does not have, because most transceivers simply ground the Receive antenna but don't offer any additional current protection coming in that port during receive.  The RTR devices not only switch out the RCV port during operation they also offer active front end protection on the RX ANT IN port while sending the signal to the transceiver antenna input.

For convenience it has a choice of 2 types of RX ANT IN connections, not for using both at once.

The two RX ANT IN ports are in parallel


This is important to note.  I initially thought that the 2 RX ANT IN ports were isolated from one another so that I could run the RCV antenna in one port and feed my SDR from the other RX ANT IN port.  But if I'd simply read the label "literally" it would have been clear even without reading the manual.  Those are both RX ANT IN, not OUT. They are in parallel.  If you run a connector to the SDR antenna input from the RX ANT IN port you will be loading the input and significantly reducing the sensitivity of the receive antenna.  Additionally, the SDR is not protected from transmit currents if you connect it in parallel with the receive antenna.  Whatever is received on the RCV antenna entering that port will be passed straight through to the other connector.  Since there's no protection, your SDR becomes a Red Shirt.

Because of this I can't feed my SDR with the receive antenna while using the RTR-1A without using a RF-splitter. Instead, I am using MAIN ANT OUT to route signals to the SDR for panadapter and skimmer logging only.  I lose the nice receive functionality directly on the SDR with this configuration. 

I could purchase or build an RF Splitter to use ahead of the RX ANT IN to split the output to the SDR.  If I did I would need to also use my OK1RP antenna relay protection switch to disconnect the SDR.  That would mean more than double the wiring, plus I would lose a minimum of another 3 dB on receive due to the splitter, and unless I buy a high quality HF $plitter from mini-circuits or DXE the lack of isolation would likely cause even greater losses due to loading across the circuits.  I researched making a 1.6 MHz to 60 MHz HF splitter with 30+ dB separation and it involves building a very tight circuit. Even a couple extra mm of wire change the circuit inductance.  I just don't think I'm up to that. Maybe I'll get a good splitter for my birthday, but for now I'll just use the TX ANT OUT to route to the SDR for panadapter use.   I love our hobby but it seems I always am one part shy of my optimal solution.  One thing I will say is that I learned a lot about RF splitting while researching the topic.  It's a heck of a lot more than building a Y-cable.

Connecting the RTR


Let's get this wired up.  More cables and wires at the station.  Who doesn't love more things to connect and get tangled up?  Even better, who doesn't love having to connect things with dissimilar connections?  I'm fairly confident that I have over 25 adapters for RF and DC connector types yet I still have to order more adapters for every new project. I never have just the right single adapter and end up having to connect 3 - 4 adapters in series to get the combination I need.  But I digress. 

Connections on the RTR-1A switch  

  • The main TX antenna goes to the connector helpfully labeled MAIN ANT IN.  It's a PL259 to help insure that you are connecting a real antenna there, especially if you are trying to connect things in the blind (not advisable).
  • The Receive Only antenna goes to either of the RX ANT IN ports.  One is a female F-Type connector commonly used for TV / cable coax.  That is the one I am using with the coax coming in from the LoG antenna.  Additionally I have a quick disconnect F-Type on the end of the coax so I can pull it free when I'm not at the station.  
  • I run a cable from the MAIN ANT OUT port to my SDR, in-line with a passive diode based front-end protector.  The switch is supposed to offer protection for the SDR on disconnect, but I'm paranoid.  That ends up being a RCA male to male phono cable to the front-end protector, which outputs to a male to BNC female adapter, which connects to a male BNC to male sma cable to the SDR (whew!)
  • The next port connects the switch to your transceiver and is helpfully labeled RADIO.  Connect the ANT port on your transceiver to this connector using a male to male PL259.  Since it is also PL259 that helps you avoid connecting non-radiating bits to radiating bits.  
  • The last connection is labeled TRANSMIT GROUND.  This connection is what tells the switch to switch from RX ant to TX antenna.  It uses a RCA plug style connector to ground the center pin to shield when the radio goes into transmit.  It can ONLY work with a connector that goes to ground, no positive voltage keying.  My Ten-Tec Eagle had a TX GND RCA female connector built right into the back of the radio but as I mentioned above you will need to take the appropriate wires from the SCU-28 port on the Yaesu FT-DX10 (pin 2 to ground) for which I built a break out box from the SCU-28 with the appropriate connectors.
  • Lastly the switch needs 12v DC power to operate.  You could take that from the radio's SCU-28 cable or from an external supply assuming you have a common DC ground.  If the switch is not powered it defaults connecting the MAIN ANT IN port to the RADIO port and grounds the RX ANT IN and MAIN ANT OUT ports, thus saving your SDR.  If the switch is unpowered nothing goes out the MAIN ANT OUT port so my SDR sees nothing.
Okay that was simple right?  The transmit and radio cables are using PL259, the switch is using RCA, F-Type and PL259 (and a barrel for power), the receive antenna has a F-Type and the SDR has a female SMA.  If I add a splitter; well I'm not even going to go into all the additional connection adapters and cables I'd need.  

All this so that we can participate in a hobby that communicates wirelessly


Connections


In operation

Noise free reception

The RTR-1A isn't exactly a small box and it weighs more than I would have expected.  It just fits on top of the DX10 at my cramped station.  You want it easily accessible to operate the RX / MAIN switch on front panel to either momentary or fully switch from receive to main antennas.  Down is momentary, up is latched.

My LoG receive antenna is about 9 -12 dB down on receive compared to the 80m OCF.  So in most cases you want at least the first preamp on and sometimes the second preamp engaged although PRE-1 is usually sufficient.  There is so little noise on the LoG that all you are really bringing up is the signal when you turn up AF.  However when switching back to the main antenna you will be hit with a wall of sound and the waterfall will just turn white with the preamps engaged on lower bands.

I wish there was a dedicated button for the preamp on the DX10.  It requires leaving the EXTEND menu up and touching the screen to change preamp settings.  I have to touch it twice, once to get the IPO menu and the next to choose the setting.  I may look into getting a LNA to run prior to the RTR for convenience of not having to mess with the IPO menu.  I searched but I see no CAT command that I can send that will change the IPO setting from the computer.

Many signals from the LoG are so clean that they are completely copyable without budging the S-meter.  I had lengthy ragchews with 3 stations today on 30m using my attic antenna (my only efficient antenna for 30) that were completely buried in the noise of my attic antenna.  I was receiving 549 to 579 reports from these invisible stations.  The Doublet in my attic is good for transmit but blinded by noise on receive, so the LoG is a complete game changer for me on WARC bands.  It's also far less impacted by static crashes on 80m than the OCF.

Similarly, this evening I worked 6 WWA stations (II3WWA, CR6WWA, VE9WWA, YO0WWA, SN4WWA, EG1WWA) on 40m in quick succession where I couldn't reliably copy 3 of them on my 80m OCF but could hear them on the LoG.  I'm flabbergasted at how much this changes home station operation. 




That's all for now.

So lower your power and power your radio with receive antenna switch

72/73 AA4OO


Richard Carpenter, AA4OO, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from North Carolina, USA. Contact him at [email protected].

Amateur Radio Weekly – Issue 402

3 January 2026 | by Cale K4HCK  |  Leave a Comment (0)

Amateur Radio Weekly

RM Noise: AI noise filtering
Live filtering of voice and CW.
RM Noise

Run HamClock on your AllStarLink node
There is a script written to do this and it is easy to use.
EtherHam

POTA operators need to be more respectful
Interactions can be downright stressful, especially during the later hours of the day when a lone operator can look “suspicious” to someone who doesn’t understand Amateur Radio.
VE3IPS

W6RGC/AI: AI amateur radio operator and voice assistant
Natural language APRS capabilities allowing operators to send and receive APRS messages using conversational voice commands.
W6RGC

What QRP has taught me about slowing down
One of the things I love most about QRP is how naturally it encourages me to slow down and be present in the moment.
QRPer

Amateur Radio Television live streams
View live feeds of Amateur Radio Television transmissions.
BATV

UberSDR
A powerful, web-based SDR platform powered by ka9q-radio.
UberSDR

52 week Ham Radio Challenge wrap-up
What a journey it’s been!
Ian Renton

North Pole connection: Families speak to Santa through Ham Radio
Ham Radio operators have coordinated the holiday tradition through Santa Net for 20 years.
WVIA

Video

Replacing the IC-705 USB port with USB-C
Close-up shots of each step, what to watch out for, and tips to avoid common mistakes during installation.
KM4ACK

Improving receive performance on 80 Meters
Is a dipole or a loop better?
Ask Dave!

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Amateur Radio Weekly is curated by Cale Mooth K4HCK. Sign up free to receive ham radio's most relevant news, projects, technology and events by e-mail each week at http://www.hamweekly.com.

The rear view mirror and then looking ahead

31 December 2025 | by Mike VE9KK  |  Leave a Comment (0)

 


Looking back on 2025, my total contacts were down fewer than in the past two years. As always, they were 100% CW, and my DXCC count for the year was the lowest since 2022 at 91 (2022 had 90).

Challenges Faced

Limited time in the radio chair played a big role, as 2025 filled up with home renovations: replacing all wood flooring except the bedrooms (that's 2026's summer project), a complete bathroom redo, and new kitchen cupboards. I enjoy my weekly CWTs and MSTs, but missed 41 due to renovations; high winds and freezing rain forced me to skip three major contests while taking down my Hustler 4-BTV antenna. Purchases were minimal—a Raspberry Pi4B, the Icom RC-28, and some dabbling in Python scripting.

Looking to 2026

I'm saving money now for a spring purchase: the Butternut HF6V antenna, which adds 80m to my contesting and stands up to our windstorms (rated to 80 mph), so no more take-downs. Large home projects remain, but I'll mix in more radio by better managing mornings—I'm up early and after radio blogs are read I often waste time online reading the news; instead, I'll fit in code practice and pileup work instead of surfing the days news. Python scripting continues too, with cool programs already running—more on that in 2026.

Final Thoughts

I get a kick out of rereading past New Year's posts, comparing plans to reality. As a good friend used to say, "Mikey dreams for free." Here's to at least some 2026 dreams coming true.


 


Mike Weir, VE9KK, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from New Brunswick, Canada. Contact him at [email protected].

The Communicator: January – February 2026

31 December 2025 | by John VE7TI  |  Leave a Comment (1)

The Communicator First Issue of 2026

Happy New Year! This first issue of 2026 spans 110 pages and offers a comprehensive exploration of amateur radio. Readers will find a diverse mix of content, including technical projects, the latest operating news, and engaging historical perspectives relevant to the amateur radio community.

Historical and Informative Features

Readers will find historical profiles of notable figures in radio, this time including Edouard Branly, inventor of the coherer, and the fateful and communications-stricken flight of Amelia Earhart. The Silent Revolution: The future of RF is in light, is an overview of transceivers using light rather than wires, promising  less noise and terrific bandwidth. You will find tutorials on a variety of relevant subjects including HF digital modes such as FT8 and JS8Call, suggestions for contest logging software, and tips for successful portable operations.

Technical Articles

Several articles in this issue delve into practical projects and technical experimentation. Topics covered include encrypted communications in amateur radio, antenna construction and tuning, including the revolutionary Challenger+, low-power (QRP) operating strategies, free access to online software-defined radio receivers, and modifications to homebrew equipment. Additional articles address emergency communications preparedness, recent regulatory changes affecting Canadian amateurs, and reviews of new ham radio products and books.

Regular Sections

The issue includes our regular informative columnists, providing valuable information for operators.  They include feature propagation forecasts, updates on satellite and digital modes, reports on VHF/UHF activity, summaries of recent contests and on-air events, and even a ‘snow muffin’ recipe for Winter Field Day.

Feature Article: Embracing Versatility in Amateur Radio

An opinion piece reflected by the cover: “Are you an Amateur Radio chameleon?” (p. 102), employs the chameleon as a metaphor for versatility in the hobby. Drawing on the Senegalese proverb, “The chameleon changes colour to match the earth, the earth doesn’t change colour to match the chameleon,” the article gently critiques operators who specialize exclusively in one aspect of amateur radio—whether chasing DX on HF, focusing on VHF repeaters, contesting year-round, or limiting activity to digital modes like FT8.

While acknowledging that specialization can foster deep expertise, the article contends that remaining in a single niche may restrict personal growth and diminish the enjoyment of amateur radio. Instead, it celebrates those who adapt fluidly, moving between CW, SSB, digital modes, satellite work, QRP portable activations, microwave experimentation, public service events, and homebrewing. These “chameleons,” the article suggests, find greater fulfillment and contribute more broadly to the amateur radio community.

It concludes with an invitation for readers to share their own stories of adaptation and discovery by emailing [email protected].

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Please note that there are active links for additional content when viewed on-line.

On behalf of SARC and SEPAR, we wish all of you a happy, healthy and prosperous new year.  

~ John VE7TI, Editor


Contents for this issue:

  • Edouard Eugène Désiré Branly  and his Coherer  4
  • Amelia Earhart: Better radio skills may have made a difference 32
  • Photonics the Silent Revolution: The future of RF is in light 38
  • Ham Rocket Men 42
  • The story of Salmon, Idaho   44
  • Profile: The Canadian International DX Club 48
  • The Challenger+ OCF: A portable  Halfwave Antenna by KJ6ER 50
  • About that Un-un 57
  • Coaxial Cables and Common Mode Currents 58
  • A Challenger+ build  61
  • 2025 Appointment to the Canadian Amateur Radio Hall of Fame: Geoff Smith VA3GS (SK) 62
  • A Starter Guide: Internet Remote Software Defined Radio (SDR) Receivers 64
  • The BC QSO Party   66
  • Ham Radio Outside the Box: What really determines the efficiency of an antenna? 68
  • The VA7ZEB Line of Sight (LoS) Web App 71
  • Converting the shack computer to Linux 74
  • Foundations of Amateur Radio: I have a problem with logging 76
  • Back to Basics: Near Vertical Incident Skywave 79
  • Amateur Radio HH as a modular option of a new electric car  82
  • No-ham Recipes: Winter Field Day Snow Muffins 83
  • Profiles of SARC members: Blake R. Wiggs VA7BWG 86
  • 2025 SARC Field Day Results 92
  • SARC General Meeting minutes 94
  • The Christmas Social 96
  • Coming up 98
  • The SEPAR Report 100
  • Are you an Amateur Radio Chameleon? Embrace the multiverse of the ‘Hobby of Hobbies’ 102
  • Ham Leftovers 106
  • A look back: at The Communicator—January 2016 108
  • Kudos 112





The New Year’s Ham Baby

31 December 2025 | by John VE7TI  |  Leave a Comment (0)


Midnight struck! The calendar flipped,

A brand-new baby boy born fully equipped. 

But this was no ordinary, cooing tyke, 

He burst out screaming... "CQ! Q-R-Z! gimme a mic!"

His parents, both veteran 2-letter hams, 

were thrilled—not only by baby, but the accurate count on his radiograms. 

His first sound was: "dah dit dah dit, dah dah dit dah", a properly spaced CQ, 

A perfect fist, spectacular for a ham just so new.

Mr. Jones, the neighbor wasn't as happy. 

Just what I need, another ham next door like his mama and pappy. 

They named him "Kenwood", a name everyone knew, 

but in phonetics, baby confused quite a few. 

They bypassed the rattle, the blanket, and ball, 

‘cause he only wanted a transceiver with a nice waterfall. 

He skipped "goo-goo" for Q-codes instead: 

"My QTH is my bedroom!" is what he often said. 

And change me often when I get wet… 

I don’t want to risk the high voltage when I’m on a QSO in bed.

One day, they found him, in a corner on the floor, 

He'd built a QRP rig they couldn’t ignore. 

He keyed up on twenty, it was truly a feat, 

Sending: "Happy New Year!!" it sounded so sweet.

The FCC called, "Is that your harmonic on the air?" 

His dad just laughed, "No, sir, that’s my son you hear there. 

"He's only seven weeks old, and his signal's 5-9-9" 

The New Year's Ham Baby? He’s doing just fine!

~ The Communicator ~




Licensed Amateurs by State

29 December 2025 | by Richard AA4OO  |  Leave a Comment (1)

 How Extra is Your State?

My amateur radio license was set to expire early in 2026, so I sat down to navigate the FCC’s renewal process. I don’t recall a separate payment system (CORES) needing to be tethered to an FRN a decade ago, but it’s there now, and hopefully at your next renewal you will enjoy the game of Bureaucratic Twister as much as I did. I'll spare you that particular headache for this post.

While I was clicking through the digital maze, it reminded me of the time I spent a decade ago studying to upgrade from General to Extra. I wanted the extra band privileges and the ability to help out as a VE, but it made me wonder: how many amateurs actually bother with the climb to the top of the licensing hill?

Back in 2006, the upgrade from Technician to General still required the 5 WPM Morse test. If I’d had the audacity to try for Extra at that time, I would have needed to demonstrate 20 WPM. Since I was already struggling to keep my head above water at 5 WPM, the prospect of hitting 20 felt about as realistic as me winning the lottery.

The FCC eventually dropped the Morse requirement in 2007, but I didn't give the upgrade serious thought until 2015 when I started playing with QRP rigs and CW again. The reality is that if you enjoy working CW, there are exclusive neighborhoods in the bands that you simply can’t enter without an Extra ticket—and that’s usually where the best DX is hiding.
Amateur Extras - Percentage by State




Show me the data

That was a wordy intro, so what’s this really about? I wanted to be able to query the FCC database. There was supposedly an API at one time, but that seems to be defunct now. However, you can still download the entire FCC database as a zip file: https://data.fcc.gov/download/pub/uls/complete/l_amat.zip That download provides a collection of pipe-delimited files containing the raw data from the FCC amateur license database. Many of these are large files, containing data that is related by call sign or fccid records.

If you were so inclined, you could load those records into the database of your choice, a Jupyter Notebook, or any other tool to query it.  I would guess they are too large for Excel but not having Excel I can't be sure. Fortunately, a helpful ham created a bash script that downloads and parses these files into a MySQL database. You can find the repository for that script at: https://github.com/k3ng/hamdb

I had to modify the script slightly to get it running under Windows, but otherwise, it worked as expected. The script includes some simple commands to send SQL to the database server to look up a record by call sign or return all call signs for a specific zip code. In my initial testing, I found it interesting that there are 257 licensed operators in my zip code.

However, if you want to obtain interesting insights that requires writing SQL (Structured Query Language), which is the standard for relational databases like MySQL or PostgreSQL. If you haven’t spent time as a software developer, that might seem a little daunting. 

But in this bold new age of "I don't need to know nothin because I have an AI assistant" 

Anyone can now generate a SQL script to return the results they are looking for.

Specifically, I wanted to know how many amateur operators held Extra Class licenses across all states. It was a bit tricky to pull the correct data because the operator class is part of a table that contains every upgrade and renewal. Since there are multiple records for many call signs, you have to build a query that returns only the most recent result from the updates (hd) table.

Example SQL Query:

SELECT 
    e.state,
    -- Total count of all active licenses in the state
    COUNT(*) AS total_licenses,
    -- Count of Extra Class specifically
    SUM(CASE WHEN a.class = 'E' THEN 1 ELSE 0 END) AS extra_class_count,
    -- Percentage of the state's total that is Extra Class
    ROUND(SUM(CASE WHEN a.class = 'E' THEN 1 ELSE 0 END) * 100.0 / COUNT(*), 2) AS state_extra_percentage,
    -- Distribution of other classes (optional context)
    SUM(CASE WHEN a.class = 'G' THEN 1 ELSE 0 END) AS general_count,
    SUM(CASE WHEN a.class = 'T' THEN 1 ELSE 0 END) AS technician_count
FROM fcc_amateur.am AS a
JOIN fcc_amateur.en AS e ON a.fccid = e.fccid
INNER JOIN (
    -- Get the single highest fccid (most recent) for every callsign
    SELECT MAX(fccid) AS latest_fccid
    FROM fcc_amateur.hd
    WHERE status = 'A'
    GROUP BY callsign
) AS latest ON a.fccid = latest.latest_fccid
WHERE e.state IS NOT NULL AND e.state != ''
GROUP BY e.state
ORDER BY extra_class_count DESC;

I joined those results with census data into a Google Sheet to provide the following:

Results



Conclusion

That table shows that Idaho has the highest percentage of Amateur Radio licenses  by population but one of the lowest percentage of operators upgraded to Extra class. 

The column "One out of every" I find interesting just to demonstrate how rare licensed operators are in the population.  For example, in the state of North Carolina where I reside while there are 25,924 licensed operators, given the total population of the state only one out of every 42,609 persons are a licensed operator.  There are more doctors in the state than licensed amateur operators.

As to my original question of how many upgraded to Extra there are only 5,705 amateurs in NC or 22% of the licensed operators.  So almost a quarter of operators in NC upgraded to Extra.  It ranks slightly better than other states in that regard (see map above).

Play around with the table and let me know in a comment if you find anything surprising or interesting.



That's all for now

72/73 de Richard AA4OO

Richard Carpenter, AA4OO, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from North Carolina, USA. Contact him at [email protected].

ICQPodcast Episode 473 – Is AI About to Kill Ham Radio?

27 December 2025 | by Colin M6BOY  |  Leave a Comment (1)

In this episode, we join Martin Butler M1MRB, Dan Romanchik KB6NU, Caryn Eve Murray KD2GUT, Edmund Spicer M0MNG, and Ed Durrant DD5LP to discuss the latest Amateur / Ham Radio news. Colin Butler (M6BOY) rounds up the news in brief, and the episode's feature is, Is AI about to kill Ham Radio?

We would like to thank Richard French (M7GET) and our monthly and annual subscription donors for keeping the podcast advert free. To donate, please visit - http://www.icqpodcast.com/donate


Colin Butler, M6BOY, is the host of the ICQ Podcast, a weekly radio show about Amateur Radio. Contact him at [email protected].
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