"6BHH" - Ray Thomas courtesy: SCARA

I've been fascinated with the ham radio gear and activity of the late 20's for a number of years, ever since getting a bundle of 'Antique Wireless Association' journals from Harry, VE7AIJ. Many of the issues described in detail, the construction of simple '1929-style' transmitters, and once I learned that there was an annual '1929 QSO Party', I was hooked.

Knowing of my interest in early radio, Paul, K7CW, recently sent me a link to a truly delightful piece of old 16mm 'home movie' style film. The footage appears on the Santa Clara County Amateur Radio Association's website where a description of the film places it in or around San Jose, California and likely filmed over a number of months from early 1925 to 1926.

These were the very early days of ham radio ... the 'wild-west' in terms of rules, frequency allocations and enforcement. Hams operated throughout the LF / MF spectrum and it would not be unusual to find them working ships at sea or trying to work the latest geographical expedition to the Arctic or to some other far away place. It was also the transition period from spark to carrier-based communications, with RF generated by tubes and not with rotary high-voltage generators.

The film shows the radio 'boys of '25' (and girls!), now all so long gone, when they were young and full of life. We see them meeting, playing in the California sun and proudly showing off their shacks and equipment ... occasionally mocking those 'new-fangled' transmitting tubes, soon to replace their much-loved spark generators.

I hope you enjoy this treasure from the past ... I'm sure the 'boys of '25' would be delighted if you do.
Steve McDonald, VE7SL, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from British Columbia, Canada. Contact him at [email protected].

I have been using a PC program called Morse runner and going to the LCWO website to increase my contest cw receiving speed and keyboard skill. I wanted to take it up a notch to what I consider a must have contest skill. The skill I am referring to is the ability to exchange contest info with my Iambic key ( Begali Contour) and not only the keyboard. Both Morse Runner and the tools from the LCWO site have been a great help with improving my keyboard and receiving speed and moving it forward. What I'm looking for and asking my blog readers input on is......a PC program similar to Morse Runner were I can use my key to interact with the program. Morse Runner sends you a call, you enter the call in the program (it checks you have enter proper call) then a contest report comes your way you enter it and the program sends your report. If all the info checks out as correct you are able to move on the the next contact. Does anyone know of a PC program out there were I can use my key and not keyboard to brush up on my key proficiency within a contest environment.

Oh and by the way of a radio report..... I was on the rig yesterday not much going on the CW portion of 20m and 30m during the early part of the afternoon. I ventured back around 22:00 UTC and 20m was sending some DX my way. Some of the stations heard but I was unable to contact were LZ300MSP (that call is a key full), T77CS, EA3AIZ from Spain struggled to hear my QRP signal but there was just to much QSB at his end. All was not lost DL3DXX heard me in Germany and gave me a 559 report.
Mike Weir, VE9KK, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from New Brunswick, Canada. Contact him at [email protected].

In this episode, Martin M1MRB / W9ICQ is joined by Edmund Spicer M0MNG, Matthew Nassau M0NJX, and Ed Durrant DD5LP to discuss the latest Amateur / Ham Radio news. Colin M6BOY rounds up the news in brief, and this episodes feature is - Shack Projects

• Institute to Revive Amateur / Ham Radio in India
• New Extra Question Pool Released
• First UK Amateur Radio Contact on 241 GHz
• Popular Science Magazine
• Eleven-year-old NJ’s Youngest Ham Operator
• EI2CCR 2m Repeater Back on the Air
• SA Amateur Radio Licence Fee Increases
• Marconi Exhibition and Talks

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

In this episode, Martin M1MRB / W9ICQ is joined by Edmund Spicer M0MNG, Matthew Nassau M0NJX, and Ed Durrant DD5LP to discuss the latest Amateur / Ham Radio news. Colin M6BOY rounds up the news in brief, and this episodes feature is - Shack Projects

• Institute to Revive Amateur / Ham Radio in India
• New Extra Question Pool Released
• First UK Amateur Radio Contact on 241 GHz
• Popular Science Magazine
• Eleven-year-old NJ’s Youngest Ham Operator
• EI2CCR 2m Repeater Back on the Air
• SA Amateur Radio Licence Fee Increases
• Marconi Exhibition and Talks

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

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.

Behold… mechanical beauty

N3ZN ZN-QRP Iambic Paddle (sporting my new call sign)

I re-entered the amateur radio hobby in the summer of 2015 after a bit of a hiatus.  To get my General license in 1996 a Morse code proficiency test was required.  At that time I had purchased a cheap MFJ practice key and a used version of the ubiquitous Bencher BY-1 paddle.  My Bencher was in reasonable shape but I just never became comfortable with it.  It always felt a bit imprecise to me and I wasn’t happy with the width and size of its paddles.

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

While the astronauts and cosmonauts on the International Space Station conduct experiments nearly 250 miles above earth, John Brier, KG4AKV, is on a mission of his own closer to home. The Raleigh, North Carolina ham hopes to fulfill a personal goal: have a voice QSO with a member of the ISS crew.

Brier hasn’t always been active since becoming licensed at age 15, but his interest was renewed two years ago after listening to a school radio contact through the ARISS program. Later, he successfully received a satellite image from the space station and began making contacts through SO-50, an easy-to-work voice satellite. He developed a keen interest in satellite communications, especially with the ISS.

“I listen to them talking to schools almost every month and I really like receiving the slow-scan TV images they send out a few times a year,” he says.

Brier has an active YouTube channel where he features videos of his satellite work. He also started a blog about communicating with the ISS, including hints for receiving slow-scan TV signals from space.

Even if he isn’t ultimately successful in making a two-way contact, he won’t be too disappointed. “I enjoy just receiving them, too,” Brier says.

Matt Thomas, W1MST, is the managing editor of AmateurRadio.com. Contact him at [email protected].