Posts Tagged ‘Amateur Radio Newsletter’
The Communicator: November – December 2025
October 31st, 2025 | 
Author: 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
The Communicator September – October 2025
This publication, "The Communicator" from Surrey Amateur Radio Communications (SARC), serves as a bi-monthly electronic periodical for amateur radio operators. It covers a wide array of topics, including historical figures in radio. This month Jonathan Zenneck and Edwin Armstrong. In this issue we also provide technical explanations of radio propagation phenomena such as the Gray Line and solar indices, and practical guides for amateur radio activities like building antennas. We take a closer look at specific radio equipment (Baofeng, Icom, and Anytone), and engaging in digital modes like FT8.
The Communicator also features emergency preparedness strategies, and the diverse interests and community focus within amateur radio. Furthermore, it touches upon innovative developments like the Linux Handie Talkie (LinHT) and the importance of in-person technical conferences for knowledge exchange.
Now read in over 165 countries, this issue brings you 130 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.
LARGE or SMALL format, or read 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 October 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 September - October 2025 Communicator issue:
- The Unsung Pioneers: Jonathan Senneck 4
- A look at Edwin Armstrong’s contribution to broadcasting 6
- Field Day and Cross-Border Microwave Activity 7
- The Northern California DX Foundation: Decrypting solar indices 8
- Propagation Profile: Exploring the Gray Line in Radio Propagation 10
- News You Can’t Lose: Rescue team locates and rescues 12
- Page13—News You Can Lose: Mystery in Back Yard 13
- Radio Ramblings: Aircraft Radio Systems 14
- Another RFI Tracker 29
- Sniffing RF Noise with an Oscilloscope 29
- A Bridge Too Far... For Now! 30
- An AM Radio Transmitter Suitable for in-home broadcast 32
- ISED Releases New Documents for Amateur Exams 34
- Getting Started: Beginner's guide to the FT8 mode 36
- Using the Baofeng Radio: Your Guide to a Handheld Radio 37
- iCOM Special Interest Group: RFI & Noise reduction - USB cable 38
- WA5VJB’s "Cheap Yagis": Looking for a 1.2 Ghz solution? 41
- RigPi: Probably compatible with your rig 422
- The AnyTone 878 portable receives a major firmware update 44
- Ham TV again from the International Space Station! 46
- After 14 attempts our first circumnavigation of a pico balloon! 47
- The PERformer: 2024 ARRL QST Antenna Design Competition 50
- But, does it PERform? 59
- Ham Radio Outside the box: Testing the “PERformer” 60
- The Zenith Satellite Tracker 62
- Another Simple Morse Code Trainer: It uses only 7 parts 63
- High Altitude RF Adventures 64
- Hamshack Hotline Orphans invited to apply at Hams Over IP 69
- Zero Retries: The Linux Handie Talkie 70
- Ham on a Bike: Snatched a big one working my grey line 75
- Foundations of Amateur Radio: A POTA procedural proposal 76
- Listening to local RF via a web browser 78
- Back to Basics: Understanding decibels in Amateur Radio 80
- Crossword 83
- Danger in St. Elmo 84
- No-ham Recipes: Chili Con Rotini 85
- Profiles of SARC members: Michael Papp WB6GJE 88
- The SEPAR Report: Emergency Program: Net Strategies 92
- A new beam antenna for the OTC 95
- QRT: Building Your Own Antennas 96
- HAM LEFTOVERS... 98
- A look back at The Communicator—October 2015 100
The Communicator July – August 2025
We're coming up to our club's 50th Anniversary and this is another big issue, with a look back at our history, great articles, and our regular columnists.
Now read in over 165 countries, this issue brings you 130 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 July - August 2025 Communicator in
LARGE or SMALL format, or read 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 August 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 July - August 2025 Communicator issue:
- The Unsung Pioneers - Some lesser-known early Amateur Radio experimenters and the dawn of wireless communication 4
- Some Early Surrey Amateur Radio Club History 7
- Telus Donates Tower/Trailer to SARC! 10
- News You Can’t Lose: The Centennial Gleissberg Cycle 12
- Page13—News You Can Lose: The Lighter Side 13
- Amateur Radio History In the Province of British Columbia 15
- Radio Ramblings: The Grab Bag 18
- Amateur Radio Contesting... But is your log accurate? 27
- Digital Library of Amateur Radio and Communications 30
- Remote WAN Operation and the Perils of CG-NAT Drive 32
- Six Meters: The SARC 50.070 MHz beacon 34
- Spooltenna Product review 36
- (ISED) Releases New Documents for Amateur Exams 39
- You’ve got the Power!! Monitoring your voltage 40
- Reinventing Spark Gap Radio 42
- 7300 SIG: Efficient SD Card Management 48
- Antenna Adventures: A compact 2m/70cm J-pole that wasn’t 52
- Fence Solar - Add a back-up power source 54
- The first interstellar software update: Voyager 1 58
- Update on the VE7NFR Pico Balloon 60
- AMSAT Designates SO-125: A New FM Repeater Satellite 61
- SkyRoof: New Amateur Satellite Tracking Software 62
- CQ: International Dog & Cat Days Special Event 63
- A Comprehensive Guide to Crafting an Engaging QRZ Bio 64
- Ham Radio Outside the box: An Improved Tank Circuit 67
- Top Ten Steps For successful portable QRP operation 70
- Small Pistols of Ham Radio Contesting 73
- The RSGB Looks at Morse Code 73
- "Too Many Antenna? What You Talking About Willis?" 74
- The World of CW - VE9KK Looks at a Contest Keyboard 76
- Zero Retries: Repeaters Are For Voice, Digipeaters Are For Data - NOT! 78
- KB6NU: What’s In Your Rubber Duck? 84
- Foundations of Amateur Radio: What's really happening at the IARU? 86
- Back to Basics: The Common Mode Choke 89
- No-ham Recipes: BBQ Chicken Marinade 93
- Profiles of SARC members: Fred Orsetti VE7IO 96
- Another SARC Founder: Ralph Webb VE7OM 100
- Here is a great new callsign search site 103
- SARC-SEPAR Field Day 2025: 3F at our Training Centre 104
- The RAC Canada Day Contest: Celebrating Canada’s 158th 107
- I have switched PDF readers! 108
- CQ WPX (CW) Contest: Using VB7MAN 109
- The New Look of Our Website 110
- Friends Lost... 111
- SARC General Meeting Minutes: May 2025 112
- SARC Annual General Meeting Minutes: June 2025 115
- The SEPAR Report: Field Day 2025 120
- QRT: OM, YL, and XYL: Are they still appropriate? 124
- Ham Leftovers... 127
- A look back at the Communicator—July 2015 128
The Communicator May-June 2025
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
LARGE or SMALL format, or read 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
The Communicator March – April 2025
You will find some great articles in this issue, along with our regular columnists.
Now read in over 165 countries, this issue brings you 115+ 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 January - February Communicator in
LARGE or SMALL format, or read it on-line like a magazine
Previous Communicator issues:
Search for past Communicator issues
We are working on providing you with a comprehensive searchable index,
but in the meantime a searchable topic index is HERE.
As always, thank you to our contributors, and your feedback is always welcome.
The deadline for the next edition is April 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 March - April 2025 Communicator issue:
- The Rest of the Story - Alfred Lewis Vail 4
- Bob King G3ASE: World War II RSS Monitor 8
- World Amateur Radio Day 10
- News You Can’t Lose - BandOpticon 12
- Page13—News You Can Lose 13
- Radio Ramblings: Passive Radar Update, BladeRF SDR, $5 Yagi 14
- The Wobbulator 25
- Rubber Coating Removal 28
- Dealing With Leaking Dry Cells 29
- An affordable and easy PCB vise solution for electronics hobbyists 30
- The ‘7300’ User Group - The spectrum scope and waterfall 31
- Remote control and operation 34
- Do you own an Alinco DR/135/235/435T or TYT9000? 37
- The Background Noise on the HF Amateur Bands 38
- BCQP 2025 — Initial Thoughts 44
- From the ATV Journal - An Impressive, Low Cost LNA 46
- Pi Pico Makes SSTV Reception a Snap 49
- ISED Releases New Canadian Basic Amateur Radio Question Bank 50
- Forget the Coax, Use Cat 6 52
- Ohm’s Law: Look what you can do with it 53
- Stranded: An Unlikely Friendship 55
- A satellite primer 58
- A DMR Primer 59
- Those Darn Wall-Wart Power Supplies! 60
- Operation Manna @ 80: Honouring the legacy through amateur radio 63
- Ham Radio Gizmos Platform Launches Documentary Series 66
- Ham Radio Outside the Box: An Off-Center Fed Sleeve Dipole 67
- Are You a Rag Chewer or a “59 73” Operator? 70
- 2 Meters: Another Slacker DXpedition 71
- KB6NU: How do we encourage more experimentation in amateur radio? 74
- What CAD software do you use? 75
- SARC on 24 GHz! 76
- The Solar Max: Is a second peak coming? 77
- Foundations of Amateur Radio 78
- No-ham Recipes: Toad-in-the-hole 81
- Back to Basics: Understanding Ohm's Law 82
- Profiles of SARC members 88
- Index of Past Profiles of SARC members 90
- Winter Field Day 95
- A Review of Distracted Driving Regulations in BC 109
- QRT: The Crucial Role of Amateur Radio 110
The September – October SARC Communicator
We're back!
Read in over 150 countries, we bring you 125+ pages of Amateur Radio content from the Southwest corner of Canada and elsewhere. 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.
You can view or download it as a .PDF file:
Previous Communicator issues:
Search for past Communicator issues
and a full index is HERE.
As always, thank you to our contributors, and your feedback is always welcome.
The deadline for the next edition is October 15th and we're especially looking for articles and stories about 3D printing for amateur radio.
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
