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The Communicator July – August 2025
1 July 2025 | by 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
2 Responses to “The Communicator July – August 2025”
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- Matt W1MST, Managing Editor
Always great information.
Makes me realize how far behind I’d gotten…Catching up will be fun. After being away from HAM for 12 years I was immersed in a digital world. FT8 WSJT-X and its developers have made catching up a challenge.
That said, one thing that hasn’t left Amateur Radio is the wonderful people who are so willing to help! The “Ham Friends” who offer their time so often.
One example was the late Mike Black W9MDB. I was struggling as I tried to get everything running. Out of the blue came a message – “Give me a call at XXX at XXX time”.
I did – It became a turning point for me. He was super patient. After `1 1/2 hrs!” I was into WSJT and FT8. One more call a few days later to iron out a few points and I was on my own. All of Mike’s generous time was given up at a time when, as I later learned, he wasn’t well. I’m willing to bet Mike helped many more besides me.
With his passing came the loss of one our the hobby’s greatest and most knowledgeable supporters.
In the 12 months and a bit since getting back on the air, FT8 has been my mode of choice. Using an EFHF antenna and an IC7300 got me on 4 bands. Of the 3,600 contacts made since, most were on FT8. With help, I have also learned to use FT4 WSPR, Grid Tracker and other modes. Thank you Amateur Radio!!
de Keith VO1AE
Thank you Keith. It is comments like yours that make it worth out time to put this publication together.