I was very lucky today, I heard T6MH Michael from Afghanistan on 10m with PSK31. And he did hear me. I worked Afghanistan before, so no new DXCC but I am happy to work him from Kandahar.
Paul Stam, PC4T, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from the Netherlands. Contact him at [email protected].

How do the cheap Baofeng handhelds compare? I have had the Baofeng UV-5R since I bought it from the 409shop in April 2012, but recently I noticed that the UV-B5, UV-B6, and UV-82 have appeared on the market also. If I should need another handheld transceiver for VHF/UHF, is there any advantage in getting any of the other models?

I prepared the following table in order to highlight differences and similarities. Bold characters signify an improvement for what I conceive to be typical radio amateur use.

Feature	UV-5R	UV-82	UV-B5
Front-end	OK	OK	Improved
Antenna	Short	Longer	Longer
Signal meter	On/off	On/off	Dynamic
Squelch	VHF: On/off UHF: Tiny steps 21. Dec 2013	As the UV-5R 21. Dec 2013	Larger steps
Size and shape	Square and small	Fits better in hand, larger buttons	Fits better in hand
Frequency/channel change	Up/down	Up/down	Rotary encoder
VFO/MR button	Yes	Turn radio off, then press menu as you turn it on 3. Jan 2014	Yes
Band button	Yes	No (in menu)	Switches  automatically
Dual PTT button	No	Yes	No
Programming	Need a computer to enter alpha tags	Alpha tags  can be entered  from keyboard	Alpha tags can  be entered  from keyboard
Memory channels	128	128	99 + 16 for FM radio
Display	7 characters in name	7 characters  in name	Harder to read, only 5 characters in name
Modifications	Enlarge mic hole, (and here), Low modulation mod	–	Unused button as background light switch

Sverre Holm, LA3ZA, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Norway. Contact him at [email protected].

Hello …. my name is Larry and I am a pileup addict.

Or at least that’s the way it seems lately!  For the past few days, everytime I have gotten on the air and worked a station, I had to bust a pileup in order to do it.  Of course, the Fox hunts are nothing but a big QRP pileup and I snared both Lee AA4GA and Johnny ACØBQ on 40 Meters last night.  OK, there really wasn’t much of a pileup on Lee, I have to confess – but there was for a while. By the time I was able to hear him well enough to work him, his pileup had dwindled.

But after the Fox hunts, I swung down to the low end of 40 Meters and busted the pileup to work Jim J6/W4QO, one of the QRP guys who is on DXpedition to St. Lucia.  Then, I beat two pileups at lunchtime today. The first was to work another good QRP friend on St. Lucia. This time it was Jerry J6/N9AW on 17 Meters.  That was a full blown pileup and Jerry was working them fast and fierce, in a manner that would make any grizzly hardened DXpedition veteran proud. And lest I slight him, Jim’s performance last evening was every bit as good as Jerry’s.  Two top notch QRPers and all-around ops in Jim and Jerry.

See, participating in those Fox hunts DOES help!  We actually learn a thing or two – not only how to navigate pileups, but also how to manage them.

Later at lunchtime, I busted a pileup to work ZD8UW on 12 Meters – Ascension Island.  At 5 Watts out from my end, that came out to just a smidge more than 1000 Miles per Watt.

Working a pileup can sometimes make you want to bang your head against the wall.  You’re in there, sending out your call in what seems like a hopeless battle, ala` Don Quixote.  But then, you hear your call coming back to you and you complete the exchange for another rare one in the books, and all thoughts of bloodying yourself disappear in the breeze!

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP – When you care to send the very least!

PS: I am working on the finishing touches to a new Christmas story.  Look for it here as we get closer to the Holiday.

Larry Makoski, W2LJ, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from New Jersey, USA. Contact him at [email protected].

AmateurRadio.com & NooElec have teamed up to give away
SDR (Software Defined Radio) receiver packages to TEN hams!

If you haven’t had the chance to play with an SDR receiver, here’s your chance! Using freely available software (SDRSharp, HDSDR), a modest antenna, and an inexpensive USB SDR dongle (the NESDR Mini or NESDR Nano), you can tune from 25 MHz – 1750 MHz right from your PC.

If you want to listen to MF/HF, just add the inline Ham It Up upconverter to tune down as low as 500 kHz. There’s even an Android app (SDR Touch) that allows you to plug these USB SDRs into your tablet (Android 4.0+, must support USB OTG)!

These little USB SDR receivers are amazing and extremely affordable (under $20). They are a lot of fun to play with!

Prize Packages

We’re giving away TEN prizes including:

Two (2)
Complete HF sets including:
NESDR Mini receiver
Ham It Up upconverter
SMA to MCX cable
SMA to BNC adapter
SMA to PL259 adapter
SMA to F adapter

Two (2)
Complete Touch SDR sets including:
NESDR Nano receiver
SDR Touch license (for Android tablets)
USB OTG micro & mini cables

Three (3)
NESDR Mini receivers

Three (3)
NESDR Nano receivers

Eligibility

All licensed Amateur Radio Operators worldwide
(Worldwide shipping is included!)

How to Enter

It’s simple!
Leave a comment to this post.
(e-mail address will not be shared)

Entry Duration

Only 1 week!

You may enter only once from
4 December 2013 18:00 UTC
to
11 December 2013 20:00 UTC

(multiple entries from the same entrant will be discarded)

Winner Announcement

11 December 2013

We will announce the winner on AmateurRadio.com.

You can get the winner announcement by
subscribing to our free Amateur Radio Newsletter via e-mail,
following our posts via RSS feed, or via Twitter (@amatradio).

Sign up so you won’t miss our next prize drawing!

Please tell your friends about this giveaway!

Thank you to NooElec for offering these fantastic prizes!

Learn more about their cool USB SDR receivers!

Visit their website at NooElec.com / eBay store / Amazon store

For more information about SDR, check out the SDR sub-Reddit (/r/RTLSDR), Ham Radio Science and RTL-SDR.com.

The winner will be chosen at random (using random.org) from all valid comment entries to this post received by the contest deadline. Entries will be deemed valid at the sole discretion of AmateurRadio.com and may be rejected for any reason, including inappropriate comments. Entries received after the deadline will not be considered. The prize may not be transferred. The prize may not be exchanged for cash. Winner agrees to allow AmateurRadio.com to use their name and callsign to announce them as a winner on our site, and to share their contact information with the sponsor for the purposes of awarding the prize.  No purchase necessary to win. Odds of winning dependent on total number of entries received. Winner is responsible for any applicable taxes or fees imposed by their jurisdiction. Void where prohibited by law. E-mail addresses of all other entrants will not be shared with any third party, including the sponsor.

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

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].

Things are coming along

The boxes are slowly getting unpacked and things put away, the roll top ham radio shack is taking shape as well. I found I had a lot more gear than there was room for in the condo and may have to shed more gear! At this point there has been some bumps in the radio setup but all seems to be slowly coming together. I can't believe all the cables that are involved in having the radio talk to various hardware components. There has been one major mystery I am not as of yet to solve.....I have setup the Alexloop and added the K3 to the mix. I was able to get a great SWR and surprisingly a low to moderate noise level...BUT.....I was calling CQ on different bands with 5 watts but was not once spotted on the Reverse Beacon network. Hmmmm I then went "simple" I hooked up the KX3 to the Alexloop and again calling CQ at 5 watts was not spotted at all on the Reverse Beacon network????? I have tried to move the Alexloop closer to the window and the balcony door, the only thing that happened was the SWR was very hard to adjust on the Alexloop. I then move the loop about 4 feet from the balcony door and the SWR was great but no spots?
My setup is a stealth operation and really can't put the Alexloop on the balcony but I am 6 stories up and back in the townhouse I did have the Alexloop inside and it did very well so at this point I am stumped.
Mike Weir, VE9KK, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from New Brunswick, Canada. Contact him at [email protected].

I should really get extra points for being out in the West Cumbrian winter but hey ho at least it wasn’t Corney Fell, that really is nasty in the driving rain.

Another reasonable attempt with the 5w and 3 ele beam. A bit frustrating tonight as I could here many stations much further away but just couldn’t work them but then again I’m not in it for the glory, just a bit of fun.

Here’s the map all the same. The east coast does get missed quite a bit but there is a lot of rock in the way.

Alex Hill, G7KSE, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Cumbria, UK. Contact him at [email protected].