The Communicator May-June 2025

Another full issue

Its a big issue, and great articles, along with our regular columnists.

Now read in over 165 countries, this issue brings you 120+ pages of Amateur Radio content from the Southwest corner of Canada and around the globe. With less fluff and ads than other Amateur Radio publications, you will find Amateur Radio related articles, projects, profiles, news, tips and how-to's for all levels of the hobby.







Download the May-June 2025 Communicator in 
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ead it on-line like a magazine

Previous Communicator issues:

Search for past Communicator issues

We now have a comprehensive searchable index back to 2007
HERE.  

As always, thank you to our contributors, and your feedback is always welcome. 

The deadline for the next edition is June 15th.

If you have news or events from your club or photos, stories, projects or other items of interest from BC or elsewhere, please contact us at [email protected]

73,

John VE7TI
'The Communicator' Editor


The Table of Contents for the May-June 2025 Communicator issue:

  • The Rest of the Story: Pavel Schilling .............................................4
  • NEW! A Complete Search Engine for The Communicator ..............7
  • News You Can’t Lose: ..................................................................12
  • News You Can’t Lose: Some enjoyable listening ahead! ..............12
  • News You Can Lose: ARRL New Taxes for DX QSOs ..................13
  • Mentoring Young Hams .................................................................15
  • Post Special Event Summary: Operation Manna: .........................18
  • Manna@80: The more unique contacts made by VB7MAN ..........24
  • Radio Oranje and the ‘Kraut Sieve’ ...............................................25
  • Radio Ramblings: Computing Science and Amateur Radio ..........28
  • Computing Science and Amateur Radio ........................................28
  • A LoRa-Based Mesh Network for Emergency Communication .....39
  • A Heathkit “Cantenna” Deep Dive ................................................41
  • Testing “Cantenna” oil ....................................................................43
  • Making a Better Heathkit "Cantenna" ............................................46
  • Another Notable Manna/Chowhound 80 Contact ..........................48
  • Exploring the iCOM IC-7300's Internal Antenna Tuner ..................49
  • Automatic Antenna Tuners & Couplers ..........................................52
  • Electronic Keyers & Keyer Paddles ...............................................53
  • Transients and Spikes on Power-line Voltage: ..............................55
  • So... What is an MOV? ..................................................................57
  • Testing MOVs ................................................................................59
  • A Cheap and Light Weight HF Antenna .........................................60
  • SO-124 [HADES-R] Satellite .........................................................61
  • Tracking the ISS with an Arduino-Based System ..........................63
  • Wondering where you can be heard? ............................................64
  • A Reference for Coaxial Cable ......................................................65
  • YADD: Maritime HF Activity Revisited ...........................................66
  • The Mystery of the Mis-keyed Callsign ..........................................69
  • Exploring Digital QSL Cards with DigiQSL: ...................................70
  • How to Operate Pedestrian Mobile ................................................72
  • Ham Radio Outside the Box: 25 Years a Ham ..............................75
  • 2m: Weak-Signal Performance of Common Modulation Formats .79
  • Zero Retries: An Introduction to the IP400 Network Project ..........82
  • KB6NU: Buttons Are Back, Baby! ..................................................85
  • KB6NU: Single sideband and a HAMNET update .........................87
  • Foundations of Amateur Radio: .........................................................
  • What is the difference between a Dummy Load and an Antenna? 88
  • No-ham Recipes: Chinese Chicken in Sauce ................................91
  • Back to Basics: A Balancing Act ....................................................92
  • Profiles of SARC members: Jaspal Bagha VA7JB ........................98
  • The Contest Contender: CQ WPX SSB ......................................102
  • The Contest Contender: The 2025 ARRL Rookie Roundup ........104
  • VB7MAN Participates in an International Microwave Party .........105
  • High School Communications Course Update ............................113
  • SEPAR Report: Winlink reestablished in the SEPAR program ....115
  • QRT [Opinion]: The FCC Policy Statement .................................118
  • Ham Leftovers... ..........................................................................121
  • A look back: May 2015... .............................................................122








Amateur Radio Weekly – Issue 379

Amateur Radio Weekly

Exploring the Caged Hen-Delta Antenna
This is a versatile ‘little’ loop antenna with a tiny turning radius, surprising DX performance, and stunning broadband qualities when caged.
AEOEN

First look at the HF Signals zBitx QRP Transceiver
An all-mode 80-10m QRP radio with a waterfall and weighing under 1 pound for under $200 USD shipped.
QRPer

Connecting the dots: Protecting and improving Amateur Radio access to 219-220 MHz
The twin challenges: Interference and regulatory burden.
Open Research Institute

Could Agent Sonya have done it? (It: QRP CW on 40 meters in 1939)
I believe Agent Sonya could have constructed the rig.
Copasetic Flow

We just lost the moon
Whether or not the global Amateur Radio community has any “buddies” in the Chinese space program, we need to make some.
KE9V

1946 Philips 170A-15 RadioBerry receiver project
Build a nice shortwave receiver for the radio shack based around the RadioBerry HAT on a Raspberry Pi 4 housed in a vintage receiver cabinet.
M0AWS

Ham Radio for preppers
I want to help expand knowledge of people, in particular those who want to become Amateur Radio Operators, and Preppers.
Ham Radio for Preppers

In an uncertain time, Ham Radio sees a signal boost
Amateur Radio enthusiasts have been preparing for emergencies for decades. Now their expertise is drawing packed rooms of newcomers.
INDY Week

Italian Radio Amateurs can use 70 MHz (4m) and 40 MHz (8m) band until end of 2025
The 70.200 MHz segment coincides with the SSB centre of activity.
EI7GL

Bid on a piece of NYC radio history
Alford FM antenna elements from Empire State Building go to auction.
RadioWorld

Video

Best POTA sites around Dayton
The five best POTA sites to activate while you are in town for Hamvention.
K8MDB

SDR Television
A DVB-S2 / AAC / H264 / H265 program for use on the QO-100 satellite.
Tech Minds

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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.

Tomorrow starts Manna/Chowhound Weekend

Manna@80! 

Operations Manna and Chowhound were lifesaving food drops to Northwest Holland 80 years ago, just prior to the end of World War Two. Over 20,000 people had died from starvation and a colder than normal winter. Allied pilots and support staff from the UK, the US, Canada, Poland, and Australia dropped over 7,000 tons of food behind enemy lines. 

There are 10 special event stations operating in these countries Friday, April 25 through Sunday, April 27. If you contact 4 or more, a special event certificate will be issued. Check QRZ.com for any of the following callsigns or Manna80.radio on the web where the stations’ current operating frequencies are available via HamAlert.


Participating stations:


Netherlands
1. PH80MAN: Operating from drop zone Duindigt near The Hague.


The UK

2.  GB80MAN: International Bomber Command Centre

3. GB8MAN: Royal Air Force Station Binbrook

4. GB80CHO: 100th Bomb Group Museum in Thorpe Abbots


The United States

5. W4C: Boca Raton Amateur Radio Assn


Canada

6. VB7MAN: Surrey Amateur Radio Communications in Surrey, BC

7. VB6MAN: Calgary Amateur Radio Club at the Bomber Command Museum of Canada in Nanton, Alberta

8. VE1MAN: Pictou County ARC in Picton, Nova Scotia


Australia

9. VK80MAN: Bull Creek Aviation Heritage Centre Perth, Australia


Poland

10. SN80MAN: The SP5KAB Radio Club

We hope to make contact with you.


[​IMG] ​
~ John VE7TI



LHS Episode #578: The Weekender CXXVIII

Listen Now

Spin the Random Topic Wheel (Segment 1)

  • What Does Your Operating Week Look Like?

This Weekend in Hedonism (Segment 2)

  • Cheryl’s Recipe Corner

  • Cajun Hasselback Chicken

  • Description

  • Hasselback Chicken has soooo many ways to prepare it. But, I was looking to change it up and this is what I came up with. It’s on our Tuesday night dinner menu, along with Garlic-Butter shrimp stuffed portabella mushrooms and Cajun-spiced rice with a creamy gumbo sauce to go on any thing that looks like it needs a sauce.

  • Ingredients

  • 1-1/2 lbs chicken breast halves, boneless and skinless (about 2 halves)

  • 4 ounces monterey jack pepper cheese, sliced into thin 1/4 inch slices

  • 2 tablespoons cajun seasoning

  • 1/2 cup spinach, cooked (frozen and thawed or sauteed fresh)

  • salt, to taste

  • pepper, to taste

  • Directions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Using a sharp knife, make slits in the chicken breasts that are about 3/4 inches wide, making sure not to cut all the way down through the bottom of the chicken breast. You will have about 7 or 8 slits per chicken breast, depending on how large your chicken breasts are. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Place the spinach evenly in the slits of the chicken. Combine the breadcrumb and Cajun seasoning in a small bowl. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the chicken. Place the pepper jack slices in the slits of the chicken. Place each chicken on its own lightly greased sheet of tin foil and make a “bowl”, surrounding each chicken breast. This keeps the juices contained. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove each chicken breast from its tin foil “bowl” and place on a serving dish.

  • Cheryl’s Mixed Drink Corner

  • Rum Old Fashioned

  • Description

  • Let’s add a new twist on the classic Old Fashioned.

  • Ingredients

  • 3 orange wedges

  • 3 Luxardo maraschino cherries

  • 1 sugar cube

  • 3 Dashes Fee Brothers Black Walnut Bitters

  • 2 ounces Pusser’s British Naval rum

  • Directions

  • Fill an old-fashioned glass with ice and set aside. Combine two of the orange wedges, two of the cherries, the sugar cube and the bitters in a mixing glass. Muddle the sugar cube with the other ingredients until the sugar dissolves. Add the rum and a scoop of ice to the mixing glass and stir for 40 rotations. Empty the old fashioned glass and then double-strain the cocktail into the glass and garnish with the remaining orange wedge and maraschino cherry.

  • Russ’s Drink Corner

  • Starward Single Barrel Single Malt Australian Whisky

  • Description

  • Whisky for the modern, curious drinker. Our distillery is nestled in the heart of Melbourne, Australia. Not the outback. Or a sunshine-soaked beach. Melbourne is a bustling city that celebrates unique cuisines and cultures. Here, we ditch the airs and graces and focus on flavor instead. That’s why we use red wine barrels to mature our whisky. We source all our whisky ingredients from just a day’s drive away. Then, in the wildly varied Melbourne weather, our whisky draws out its signature fruity, delicious flavor in just three short years. We call this elemental maturation and it’s why we couldn’t make our whisky anywhere else. Our Melburnian founder, David Vitale, grew up in a big Italian family. He was born and raised around a food-obsessed, flavor-forward dinner table. And he knows our whisky feels right at home at those moments spent enjoying a meal with others.

  • Details

  • Mashbill: 100% malted barley

  • Region: Melbourne, Australia

  • Proof: 110.6 (55.3% ABV)

  • Color: Full caramel (may be colored)

  • Nose: Vanilla, cherry, red grapes, blackberry, caramel

  • Taste: Creme broulee, blackberry, pear, honey, grappa, oak tannins

  • Finish: Warm and medium finish with vanilla, hints of oak, dark fruits

  • Price: $65 (750ml)

  • Rating: 90

Segment 3 (Announcements & Feedback)

  • Please Help Support the Show

  • Patreon

  • Paypal

  • Merch

  • Topics

  • YouTube

Segment 4 (New Subscribers, New Supporters & Live Participants)

  • Free Patreons

  • RmRfMyEx

  • Mastodon

  • Anna - VK4NNA

  • Bluesky

  • wi9ll

  • Live Chat

  • Darren, VK6EK

  • Nate, WY0X

  • DittyDumDumDitty

  • Mike, K6GTE

  • Steve, KJ5T

  • Woody, KC1VOP

  • Eduardo, PU5PEO

  • Fred, KI5FQQ


Russ Woodman, K5TUX, co-hosts the Linux in the Ham Shack podcast which is available for download in both MP3 and OGG audio format. Contact him at [email protected].

LHS Episode #577: Shake Your Foundations

Hello and welcome to installment 577 of Linux in the Ham Shack. In this short topics episode, the hosts discuss ORI and the 220MHz band, a potential shake up in US amateur radio licensing, virtual swap space in the Linux kernel, apt, OrangePi and much more. Thanks for listening and have a great week.

73 de The LHS Crew


Russ Woodman, K5TUX, co-hosts the Linux in the Ham Shack podcast which is available for download in both MP3 and OGG audio format. Contact him at [email protected].

ICQPodcast Episode 454 – Hiroyasu CQ7373 Review

In this episode, we join Martin Butler M1MRB, Dan Romanchik KB6NU, Caryn Eve Murray KD2GUT and Edmund Spicer M0MNG  to discuss the latest Amateur / Ham Radio news. Colin Butler (M6BOY) rounds up the news in brief and the episode's feature is Hiroyasu CQ7373 Review.

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

  • Efforts to Save Marconi Towers in Canada
  • Hams Invited to Monitor Meteor Scatter Events
  • Ham Radio News Presenter Retires At 101
  • This Battery Looks Good on Paper Because it's Paper
  • Zero Retries Newsletter Hosting Inaugural Conference
  • South African Radio League Commits to Helping Continent’s Less-Developed Nations
  • RSGB Board Chair and Vice Chair Announced
  • RAC Votes to Cancel Attendance at Hamvention

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

AmateurLogic 204: Bletchley Park


AmateurLogic.TV Episode 204 is now available for download.

A visit to Bletchley Park, Tommy’s continuing Meshtastic Adventures part 2, DIY 50 Amp power supply, and more on Hamsci’s MW eclipse studies.

Download
YouTube


George Thomas, W5JDX, is co-host of AmateurLogic.TV, an original amateur radio video program hosted by George Thomas (W5JDX), Tommy Martin (N5ZNO), Peter Berrett (VK3PB), and Emile Diodene (KE5QKR). Contact him at [email protected].

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  • Matt W1MST, Managing Editor