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ARRL CW Sweepstakes contest
31 October 2025 | by  |
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| ARRL Sweepstakes layout |
Mike Weir, VE9KK, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from New Brunswick, Canada. Contact him at [email protected].
The Communicator: November – December 2025
Welcome to the November-December 2025 edition of the SARC Communicator, your go-to guide for all things amateur radio in our vibrant RF neighborhood. This edition is a journey across the history, innovation, and fascinating activities of amateur radio.
As we transition from crisp fall days to the festive glow of holidays ahead, this issue looks at the enduring legacy of Émile Baudot, the pioneer of digital communication, and revisits the vital role of radio during the catastrophic 1917 Halifax Explosion.
For satellite operators, discover how to seamlessly integrate SkyRoof with the Icom IC-9700 for LEO satellite operations, and check out our review of the past year in amateur satellites.
Technical articles dive into RTTY as a viable emergency digital mode and explores the fascinating use of radio telemetry in insect tracking. We also have several articles on a current ‘hot’ activity, homebrew vertical antennas for Parks on the Air (POTA). Finally, catch up on the excitement of the ARDF World Championship and a glimpse into the future of Software Defined Radio.
There are articles for all levels of amateur radio and you’re sure to find something of interest.
Download smaller low resolution
Dive in for inspiration, connections, and the pulse of what makes our hobby of hobbies special. A special year-end thank you to our contributors and columnists. On behalf of SARC and SEPAR, we wish all of you a safe and happy holiday season.
Stay engaged—our readership powers us forward!
Enjoy this final issue of 2025!
~ John VE7TI, Editor
Contents for this issue:
- The Rest of the Story: RTTY and Émile Baudot’s Enduring Legacy 4
- Radio's Role in the 1917 Halifax Explosion 8
- NARA NVIS Test 12
- The Lighter Side of Amateur Radio 13
- Repair and Repurpose 14
- Radiofrequency and Telemetry in Insect Tracking 24
- What’s New at DLARC — October 2025 28
- ARDF Canada World Championship 2025 in Lithuania 30
- Integrating SkyRoof with the Icom IC-9700 32
- RTTY; A viable emergency digital mode? 36
- Pile-Up Control System - Take control of the pile-up! 40
- Satellite Tracking: Looking back on 2025, and ahead into 2026 42
- Homebrew Mobile Antennas 44
- The genius logic of the NATO phonetic alphabet 46
- The North American QRP CW Club 48
- Simple QRP 9:1 Unun Construction 50
- The Dominator End-Fed Halfwave Antenna by KJ6ER 52
- The POTA PERformer vertical antenna revisited 60
- FreqBuddy: A Modern Web-Based Radio Frequency Database 69
- Ham Radio Outside the box: PERformer modifications 70
- A good idea for suspending radials 72
- A Portable Power Project 73
- Zero Retries 76
- Margaret Atwood on CW? 80
- When your hobby revolves around electricity... 82
- Back to Basics - Digital Modes 86
- Study Aids 89
- No-ham Recipes: Meatloaf with sweet tomato-mustard sauce 91
- Profiles of SARC members: Sheldon Friesen VE7SRF 94
- SARC Member donates digital nautical archive 97
- SARC 50th Anniversary the transformative role of SARC 100
- Peter Vogel VE7AFV: Profile in Tech, Science & Amateur Radio 102
- SARC General Meeting minutes 104
- The SEPAR Report 110
- We’re back on track! 115
- QRT: Is Amateur Radio an Old Hobby or a playground for explorers? 116
- HAM LEFTOVERS... 118
- A look back… at The Communicator—December 2015 120
The Communicator: November – December 2025
Welcome to the November-December 2025 edition of the SARC Communicator, your go-to guide for all things amateur radio in our vibrant RF neighborhood. This edition is a journey across the history, innovation, and fascinating activities of amateur radio.
As we transition from crisp fall days to the festive glow of holidays ahead, this issue looks at the enduring legacy of Émile Baudot, the pioneer of digital communication, and revisits the vital role of radio during the catastrophic 1917 Halifax Explosion.
For satellite operators, discover how to seamlessly integrate SkyRoof with the Icom IC-9700 for LEO satellite operations, and check out our review of the past year in amateur satellites.
Technical articles dive into RTTY as a viable emergency digital mode and explores the fascinating use of radio telemetry in insect tracking. We also have several articles on a current ‘hot’ activity, homebrew vertical antennas for Parks on the Air (POTA). Finally, catch up on the excitement of the ARDF World Championship and a glimpse into the future of Software Defined Radio.
There are articles for all levels of amateur radio and you’re sure to find something of interest.
Download smaller low resolution
Dive in for inspiration, connections, and the pulse of what makes our hobby of hobbies special. A special year-end thank you to our contributors and columnists. On behalf of SARC and SEPAR, we wish all of you a safe and happy holiday season.
Stay engaged—our readership powers us forward!
Enjoy this final issue of 2025!
~ John VE7TI, Editor
Contents for this issue:
- The Rest of the Story: RTTY and Émile Baudot’s Enduring Legacy 4
- Radio's Role in the 1917 Halifax Explosion 8
- NARA NVIS Test 12
- The Lighter Side of Amateur Radio 13
- Repair and Repurpose 14
- Radiofrequency and Telemetry in Insect Tracking 24
- What’s New at DLARC — October 2025 28
- ARDF Canada World Championship 2025 in Lithuania 30
- Integrating SkyRoof with the Icom IC-9700 32
- RTTY; A viable emergency digital mode? 36
- Pile-Up Control System - Take control of the pile-up! 40
- Satellite Tracking: Looking back on 2025, and ahead into 2026 42
- Homebrew Mobile Antennas 44
- The genius logic of the NATO phonetic alphabet 46
- The North American QRP CW Club 48
- Simple QRP 9:1 Unun Construction 50
- The Dominator End-Fed Halfwave Antenna by KJ6ER 52
- The POTA PERformer vertical antenna revisited 60
- FreqBuddy: A Modern Web-Based Radio Frequency Database 69
- Ham Radio Outside the box: PERformer modifications 70
- A good idea for suspending radials 72
- A Portable Power Project 73
- Zero Retries 76
- Margaret Atwood on CW? 80
- When your hobby revolves around electricity... 82
- Back to Basics - Digital Modes 86
- Study Aids 89
- No-ham Recipes: Meatloaf with sweet tomato-mustard sauce 91
- Profiles of SARC members: Sheldon Friesen VE7SRF 94
- SARC Member donates digital nautical archive 97
- SARC 50th Anniversary the transformative role of SARC 100
- Peter Vogel VE7AFV: Profile in Tech, Science & Amateur Radio 102
- SARC General Meeting minutes 104
- The SEPAR Report 110
- We’re back on track! 115
- QRT: Is Amateur Radio an Old Hobby or a playground for explorers? 116
- HAM LEFTOVERS... 118
- A look back… at The Communicator—December 2015 120
Pile-Up Control System
PUCS: Take control of the pile-up!
Every special event station (SES) operator knows the thrill — and the chaos — of a true pile-up. The excitement of dozens of stations calling you simultaneously can quickly turn into frustration when QRM, doubles, and missed calls clutter the frequency. Wouldn’t it be great if there were a way to bring order to that chaos without losing the fun of real-time operating?
Enter PUCS, the Pile-Up Control System, a fully open-source, web-based platform designed by and for radio amateurs. Born from the ingenuity of the Radio Scouting Fellowship PA3EFR/J, PUCS elegantly blends traditional ham ingenuity with modern AI-assisted software development. The result is a modular, flexible system that any club or individual can tailor to their own operating style — from large-scale SES activities to small club field days.
PUCS can be seen operational at pucs.pa3efr.nl
From Normandy to the Netherlands
The idea for PUCS was sparked during an SES operation on the beaches of Normandy, where operators of TM80DDAY overheard multiple Australian colleagues discussing a private sign-up system for QSOs. Intrigued but unable to obtain the software, Erwin PA3EFR and his team decided to build their own version — and then share it freely with the world. With the help of AI tools and some Python wizard Barry, PC1K, PUCS was born. It was much later when Erwin decided to develop PUCS within his own environment.
Today, PUCS is freely available, fully documented, and open to anyone willing to experiment. It’s more than just software — it’s an invitation to collaborate, learn, and contribute to a smarter way of managing pile-ups.
What Makes PUCS Unique
At its heart, PUCS is a distributed system consisting of two parts:
- Frontend (commercial hosting): This is the public entry point where operators register their callsigns to join the queue. Think of it as a digital “waiting room” — transparent, fair, and visible to everyone.
- Backend (local PC): Here’s where the magic happens. The backend checks QRZ.com logbooks every minute, automatically removes callsigns that have already been worked, and provides an admin dashboard to manage the queue, export logs, and adjust settings on the fly.
Open Source, Open Spirit
PUCS is more than a tool — it’s a philosophy. The creators explicitly invite others to modify, enhance, and restyle the system to their own preferences. Whether you want to change the interface colors, add logging features, integrate digital modes, or redesign the operator dashboard, the code is yours to explore. There’s no hidden agenda, no locked components — just open code and open collaboration.
All scripts, examples, and documentation are available on GitHub:
https://github.com/PA3EFR/PUCS
Why You Should Try It
PUCS is a perfect project for your club’s next technical workshop. It offers practical lessons in networking, APIs, databases, and web hosting — all wrapped around a real amateur radio application.
Beyond that, it promotes fairness in pile-ups, gives weaker stations a chance to make contact, and even allows SWLs to log their participation.
So fire up your soldering iron if you must, but this time, your “kit” is made of code.
Download PUCS, make it your own, and bring calm to your next pile-up.
As Erwin, PA3EFR, says: “Ask AI as your friend for support — and enjoy your own moments of challenge!” On behalf of the Radio Scouting Fellowship PA3EFR/J we look forward to see you on our PUCS screens at a next special event occasion.
~ Sander PD9HIX
Yet another loss to the Amateur radio market!
Richard, VE2DX back in January 2020 started a company called VE2DX Electronics design. that wanted to provide innovative products for the Amateur radio community, and that he did. I have been following his product line up, and it has progress throughout the years. He seemed to be always advancing his product line with quality and creative projects. His product line was picked by DX Engineering in the U.S. which is a major in road to a very large Amateur radio market. Below, Richard explains in an honest, upfront release as to the direct reason for his departure from his dream come true adventure.
VE2DX ELECTRONICS DESIGN MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT!!!!
1- Shipping to the USA:
Please be advised that we can not and will not ship anything to the USA as of September 19th, 2025, because the shipping companies in Canada will NOT take any shipment unless WE pay YOUR tariffs in advance.
These Tariffs are from US Customs, and there have been many administrative errors, such as the fact that our products are covered under USMCA and should not be subject to any tariffs AT ALL!
As a result, US Customs is requesting that transport companies pay in advance for US citizen tariffs. Consequently, these transport companies are charging our company tariff fees, making it almost impossible to collect the payments from our customers, many weeks or months after the fact.
Let's be very clear: we are not charging anyone any tariffs, nor is Canada. These tariffs are imposed by US Customs and are to be paid by the importer, not the Canadian exporter.
Bottom line, we will no longer be able to ship anything to the USA. We invite you to contact our US-based resellers if you need any products.
2- HamCation, HanVention, HamXposition, and other US Hamfests.
We will be cancelling our presence at ALL US hamfests for 2026 (See Point 4).
3- Is VE2DX Electronics Design for sale
YES! Please contact us if you are interested (See Point 4).
4- Are we going to close?
Yes, :( Many of you have been following and supporting us from the very beginning.
No later than last week, I was in NH to discuss a potential US partner and initiate some manufacturing in the USA, but the numbers just aren't there. :(
I am very sorry to inform you that, as of November 2025, VE2DX Electronics Design Inc. will no longer exist.
We continually strive to develop innovative approaches and technologies that can assist our fellow ham operators at a fair price. As a result, it took us far too long to become profitable. This, combined with the August 2024 floods and US Customs tariffs, makes it impossible to develop further. As a result, we must consider selling or closing our beloved company. And for those of you who heard my awful jokes in the past, YES! I will now have to do the dishes ;P
I will continue working on designs and software updates, but will no longer be marketing them. I will be happy to help as an Elmer, localy or not as I have often done.
I want to thank everyone for their support over these GREAT six years. And I hope for a QSO over the air soon...
:(
73
De Richard G. Desaulniers Sr., VE2DX
Mike Weir, VE9KK, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from New Brunswick, Canada. Contact him at [email protected].
LHS Episode #598: Fake Ham Radio
Hello and welcome to the 598th installment of Linux in the Ham Shack. In this short topics episode, the hosts discuss a revived zombie satellite, tracking the next NASA moon mission as a ham, flatpak updates, KDE's birthday, ham radio in flight simulators 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].
New Pi4B up and running.
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I got around to purchasing a Pi and settled on the Pi4b I did not want to splurge on the Pi5 as I only use the Pi for HamClock. The package I ordered was the iRasptek Pi4B, 4GB, 64GB micro SD card, 2 monitor cables, cooling heat sinks, case, cooling fan and 3.5 amp power supply with an on/off switch.
I did not need 2 monitor cables, but that is
what
it came with. Also, it came with 2 cooling fans. Not sure why, unless
the
fans have a habit of failing. The SD card was loaded with Noobs, which
easily allowed me to install the Pi OS and did some configuring and update downloads. I then
downloaded HamClock, and I was once again good to go. 
Pi 4B in the case and fan connected
Up and running HamClock
Mike Weir, VE9KK, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from New Brunswick, Canada. Contact him at [email protected].
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