Get your winter gear on! The FYBO (Freeze Your B___ Off) Winter QRP Sprint, sponsored by the Arizona ScQRPions, is being held Saturday, February 4, 2012, from 1400Z-2400Z.
The rules are simple, and you even get multipliers for your (low) temperatures. Lots of fun, lots of QRP.
Read the full set of rules at the Arizona ScQRPions QRP Club website.
UPDATE May 8, 2012: Want to see the real photo of the TS-990S? Check out this post.
The image above has been floating around the Internet for a couple of months as the concept for the Kenwood TS-990S. Is it the real thing? No. Absolutely not.
It is, without a doubt, a Photoshopped image. I ran an image error level analysis to see what parts were Photoshopped–see results below and follow this link to the full anaysis.
We will post TS-990S images when they become available from Kenwood. [UPDATE: see our most recent post with photo.]
In this Glowbug Times article, Andy shows us his very cool homebrew tube amp. Andy shares his motivation:
Once upon a time I’d decided to join a Big Guns Gang and made a Super-Duper Powerful Vacuum Tube QRP amplifier for my 800mW QRPP homebrew telegraph vacuum tube transceiver “3T” (I promise to write a separate article or two about this three tube transceiver project later). It was not an easy decision to me because for that legendary time I’d almost a year used the QRPPpower of less than a watt[…]
Read Andy’s full article here. Make sure to browse the many other articles he has published–his attention to design detail is simply inspiring.
This is a great time-lapse video of the assembly of the Midland Amateur Radio Club‘s Elecraft K3:
See, that wasn’t so hard!
I just received the following from Ten-Tec:
We are progressing along per our schedule for having the 539 ready for orders at Dayton of 2012.
I have a hunch the Ten-Tec booth will be busy at the Hamvention this year.
For many, the CW event of the year is Straight Key Night (SKN). This is the time of year that you dust of the straight key and hit the bands with fellow hams who are using the most time-honored tradition for sending CW.
Regardless of your sending and receiving skills on CW, SKN has a lot in store for you. Since this is a non-contest event, fellow operators are more patient with making contacts and more likely to rag chew. For many, this is the first time they’ve used their straight key since the previous year’s SKN, thus CW speeds are more comfortable for the novice across the band.
Straight Key Night is held every January 1 from 0000 UTC through 2359 UTC.
The ARRL has a great article about SKN–check it out and get pumped for a full day of straight key bliss.
It appears that Elecraft is now accepting orders for the KX3 QRP tranceiver that we first mentioned on QRPer.com during the 2011 Dayton Hamvention. Order are expected to be shipped in February 2012.
The kit version of the KX3 will be priced at $899.95 US, while the factory assembled and tested version will sell for $999.95 US.
Here are full details from an email via Elecraft’s Wayne (N6KR) and Eric (WA6HHQ):
Some of the [KX3] options can be ordered now, while others (including the internal 2-m module and 100-W external amplifier/ATU), will be available later this year.
The basic KX3 includes:
Available options include:
In addition, a custom-designed KX3 dust cover is available (please contact [email protected] ).
Delivery of both the basic KX3 and options subject to availability. As always, we invite suggestions for new features, improvements and accessories.
For more information ontheKX3, including pictures, specifications and videos, see our KX3 Page: http://www.elecraft.com/KX3/kx3.htm
Thanks, Ken (WA4MNT), for bringing this very cool and simple project to our attention.
Click here to download instructions–parts are available from Ken for $23, or components can be home-brewed (I can imagine the plastic components can be replaced with wood).
Check out some of Ken’s other projects at www.qrpbuilder.com.
Dave Mayfield noticed a pattern in the bricks of this Milan, Illinois National Guard building.
(Source: WQAD)
Just after we announced that 73 Magazine was available on archive.org as a free download, Ham Radio Magazine (1968-1990) is also now available. [Thanks to John AE5X (via QRP-L) and Eric WD8RIF for the tip!]
I cannot underscore the treasuretrove of information that you can mine out of these two publications. Both 73 and Ham Radio Mag have numerous articles related to home brewing, antenna design and low power operation.
What are you waiting for??? Christmas is here early! Go grab your copies of Ham Radio Magazine!
[UPDATE: It appears Ham Radio Magazine has been removed from Archive.org. Has anyone noticed if they’re still available somewhere online? Please comment!]
Be sure to check a full index of article by topic at Bill VE3WGX’s website.