Category Archives: Announcements

Announcements, Events, News

Register and join us at the QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo!

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The 2023 QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo will be held on March 25 – 26 and I would encourage you to register now.

I have attended every QSO Today Visual Ham Expo since Eric (4Z1UG) created this brilliant virtual event. The online platform is quite easy to use and there are loads of fascinating topics from a wide variety of presenters.

Click here to check out the presentation list.

I applaud Eric for championing radio topics that are open and accessible to Technician (and equivalent) class operators.

Twice before, I haven’t been able to attend the Expo sessions live (due to my schedule) but I register anyway! Why? Eric archives and provides all of the presentations in video format on-demand for Expo attendees after the event has ended. I simply log in and work my way through presentations over the course of a month, one morning coffee after another! The gift that keeps on giving!

These presentations are a shorter format and (I find) focus less on general topics covered elsewhere; they’re truly unique to the Expo.

This is one of the main reasons I register for the QSO Today Virtual Expo: I want to support a platform that produces brilliant ideas, innovations, and encourages a wide radio of radio activities!

Click here to check out the Expo and register.

I have no idea how Eric puts all of this together, but I’m glad he does and we all benefit from it.

Ham Radio Workbench Podcast at the QSO Today Virtual Expo!

Join us for a live recording of the Ham Radio Workbench podcast as we help kick off the Expo on March 25, 2023 starting at 1:00 UTC (March 24, 2023, 6:00 PM).

Click here for the schedule.

Eric also shared the following preview of the Roundtable Lounge that allow Expo participants to hang out in real time and move from table to table fluidly.

Here is what the Ham Radio Workbench table will look like (20 seats):

I’m really looking forward to this event! I hope you’ll join us.

Click here to register for the Expo!

Announcements, News, QRP Radios

LnR Precision taking orders for the next batch of MTR-4Bs

9 Comments

Many thanks to Jim (N9EET) who notes that LnR Precision is now taking orders for the next batch of the Mountain Topper MTR-4B V2.3.

LnR notes the following on the MTR-4B order page:

Update: 2/24/22: MTR4 V2.3 online ordering is now active! We are releasing 100 units and they will be available as first come, first served. We have a handful of units built now but are expected to quickly have a 3-4 week lead-time before they ship. This could be LONGER and we can’t guarantee shipment in that timeframe but will do our best. We have enough parts in hand for 250 units so there will be another release of this model once we have shipped the first 100.

Also, the MTR4b pricing was increased slightly (up $20) to cover part cost increases. The overall costs were much higher but we know how bad overall inflation has been so we want to be as reasonable as humanly possible. Thanks so much for your continued patience and we know you will enjoy this radio!

This is great news for those of you who have been wanting to reserve an MTR-4B.

If you’re on the fence about ordering one, consider checking out my full review here.

Click here to check out details on the  MTR-4B order page.

Thanks for the tip, Jim!

Announcements, News, QRP, QRP Radios

End of an Era: The Yaesu FT-818ND is being discontinued…

43 Comments

Many thanks to Gavin (GM0WDD), followed by a number of other readers, who shared breaking news that both the Yaesu FT-818ND and the Yaesu FTM-400XDR are being discontinued due to parts availability.

The following announcement originally appeared on the Difona Communications Gmbh page on Facebook:

I suspect there will be a rush on remaining Yaesu FT-818ND stock. The 817 and 818 have been in production for well over two decades!  It’s one of my favorite QRP radios and certainly one I recommend.

Indeed, if you haven’t read it already, check out this article I posted only two months ago detailing why I think the 818 is such an enduring radio.

UPDATE: Many thanks to K4FBI who shares this announcement from Yaesu USA:

Announcements, New Products, News, Portable, QRP, QRP Radios

The FX-4L QRP SDR HF transceiver is on order!

49 Comments

This year, I’ve had a couple of readers very kindly offer to loan me their FX-4C transceivers to take to the field and review.

Those offers have been very temping because I’ve only heard positive comments from owners of this wee feature-packed SDR transceiver designed by Yu (BG2FX).

Earlier this year, I learned that Yu was retiring the FX-4C and would be introducing two new radios, so I decided to hold off on an FX-4C review for this reason.

My buddy, Don, informed me that the new radios were now available for pre-order, so I checked out the option on Yu’s website, and placed an order.

Details (features and specs) are still a little sparse because BG2FX is still finalizing the design and lining up production, but here’s a snapshot of the two models based on Yu’s preliminary info:

The FX-4CR

I was very pleased to read that my buddy John (AE5X) has one of these on order.

The FX-4CR can push 15-20 watts on most bands according to John, which is most impressive for a one pound radio that fits in the palm of your hand! It covers 80 – 6 meters, sports a color screen with a 48 kHz wide waterfall display, an internal sound card for digital modes, built-in speaker and microphone, 9 – 18 VDC input range, and even sports Bluetooth!

That’s an impressive array of features for $550 US (on pre-order).

The FX-4L

I pre-ordered the FX-4L and am told by Yu that it should ship by end of October or early November 2022. I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s an optimistic projection.

The FX-4L is essentially a more basic QRP version of the FX-4CR; it’s maximum output power is around 5 watts.

It’s very similar to the FX-4CR in many respects: it has the same display from what I can tell, covers 80 – 6 meters, has a wide voltage range 9 – 18 VDC, sports an internal sound card, and is super compact and lightweight.

The FX-4L doesn’t appear to have Bluetooth. Lu doesn’t mention a built-in speaker or microphone, but there’s an obvious speaker grill and even a small hole that might be a microphone. I’ll try to confirm this. Yu does note that there’s room in the chassis for the user to add a battery or ATU.

I’ve been more interested in the FX-4L because, as you likely know, it’s very rare for me top operate over 5 watts of power.

That said, I certainly see the appeal of a 15W+ radio like the FX-4CR.

(Many thanks to Yu for sharing all of the FX-4L photos above.)

Stay tuned!

I’m really looking forward to checking out the FX-4L and also reading AE5X’s assessment of the FX-4CR.

I’m curious if anyone else has pre-ordered one of these radios. Also, if you’re an FX-4C owner, I’d love to hear your comments!

Announcements, News, QRP Radios

Introducing the new Penntek TR-45L

35 Comments

If you’re a fan of the Penntek TR-35 or its predecessor, the TR-25, I’ve got some good news for you.

John (WA3RNC) announced this morning that he is now taking orders for his latest design: the long-awaited TR-45 Lite (TR-45L).

I’ve been helping John Beta test this radio since mid-August. I’ve activated a number of parks with it and have used it almost exclusively from home.

In short? I really love it.

Here’s the announcement John (WA3RNC) has posted on his website along with a form to fill out if you’re interested in purchasing from the first run. John notes:

The TR-45L 50-unit pilot run construction is now underway! These first units will be factory wired, tested, and aligned. These units will be available for shipment over the next several weeks. The plan is to have kits available in about 6 to 8 weeks. The kit price is expected to be $430.00. Please understand that this will not be a kit for beginners…

Pricing has been set at $580.00 for wired and tested pilot run units, with an additional charge of $22.00 for USPS Priority Mail shipping. There are two available options: The first is an internal 5200 MAH Li-Ion battery pack and charger with a price of $80.00, and the second is an internal Z-Match antenna tuner for easy matching in the field to simple wire antennas. The Z-Match tuner option is priced at $60.00. Note that the Z-Match ATU can be added later but will require that you drill some rather precise holes in the back case housing and a do a bit of soldering. [Continue reading…]

This radio is pricier than the TR-35, of course, but I would argue it’s very well worth the money: the receiver and audio are superb. The radio has a fun factor that’s hard to describe.

I’ve just updated the radio with the latest firmware and will be taking it on an activation this morning (Monday, Sep 26, 2022). Check the POTA spots page for me.

I’ll make a video including a full tour of the radio, then perform the activation.  If the hotspot bandwidth gods are on my side, I may have this posted later today or early tomorrow.

Note that John (AE5X) has also been testing the TR-45L and will also have updates and videos.

The upshot?

If the TR-45L looks like the sort of radio you’d enjoy taking to the field, just go ahead and get one.  I think it’s brilliant.

I suspect his first production run will sell out in very short order.

It’s a simple radio with simple–almost Apollo era inspired–controls. The audio is gorgeous and I’m pleased with the filtering options. The internal battery option will power it for ages and the Z-match tuner options works beautifully.

Again, if you want to hear it on the air, check the POTA spots for me sometime between 16:00-18:00 today!

Stay tuned!

Announcements, News, POTA

Welcome News: POTA now has a manual log entry form on their website! Here’s how it works.

13 Comments

If you’ve watched any of my activation videos, you’ll note that I tend to log both on paper and on an app like HAMRS (iOS, Android) or ACLog (Windows Tablet).

Some have asked me why I still log to paper when I have a means to do it electronically in the field and that’s a valid question. There are a few reasons, actually:

  1. I don’t like the idea of my tablet or phone having issues mid-activation and losing all of the contacts that I’ve logged.
  2. I simply enjoy keeping paper logs. They’re easier to manage in the field, are easier to correct if I miss a letter in a call and paper gives me a space to scratch notes and extra callsigns I hear in a pileup.
  3. Plus, again, my paper logs can’t crash or freeze up.

It’s true that my phone and tablet rarely fail in the field, but I’m still a bit paranoid about it. I know it’s way more likely that the electronic logs could fail than my paper logs. That and I’ve been to the field recently and discovered my phone’s battery was very low because it wasn’t charging properly in the car en route to my activation.

If I’m being honest, I really dislike logging both to paper and to my phone simultaneously. It makes for a lot of busywork as I manage contacts rolling in on the bands–especially during pileups–plus I find typing callsigns on a phone with my fat fingers quite frustrating.

So why do I continue logging to an app in the field? The simple answer is that it saves me so much time later. POTA requires that all log entries be uploaded electronically (obviously) and my logging applications are not designed for transcription later; they’re designed for live-logging.

For example, if I transcribe my logs to ACLog the day after my activation, I have to manually correct the date and time of each log entry because ACLog defaults to the current date and time. It’s a bit tedious. Sometimes I try to use find/replace strings in a text editor after creating the log to make that process go a little more quickly, but I still have to correct the time of day manually for each entry.

I can set up ACLog to be more POTA-friendly, with only a minimum of fields, but I have to keep that customized ACLog installation separate from the main one I use in the shack.

Now, however, there’s a much better option should I choose to only log on paper in the field…

New Manual Log Entry on the POTA Website (Public BETA)

Only a couple months after introducing self-uploads, the POTA development team have introduced a web-based log entry form (currently as a public Beta) and it works brilliantly.

Continue reading Welcome News: POTA now has a manual log entry form on their website! Here’s how it works. →

Announcements, POTA, SOTA

The Big E exposition: Radio club seeks scheduled contacts with POTA and SOTA activators

4 Comments

Many thanks to Mark (K8LSB) who shares the following announcement:

Sharing POTA/SOTA with the Public

Greetings POTA/SOTA activators,

This year the Big E (exposition)—a “combined” state fair for the six New England states (CT MA, ME, NH, RI, VT)—will run for 17 days: from September 16 to October 2. In the past, 1.5 million people have attended the Big E, the fifth largest fair in the nation.

Hampden County Radio Association (HCRA) will be running a special events station (N1E) and have a booth at the event where we hope to acquaint the general public with the many facets of amateur radio. For example, we have made arrangements to have a live ARISS space station contact, emergency communications display, POTA/SOTA contacts (hopefully), etc. One of our key goals is to identify those who might be interested in getting their ham license and connecting them with license training classes held by radio clubs across New England.

I am seeking your help in two ways. First, I would like to schedule some contacts with people activating POTA/SOTA sites during the Big E period. To make this interesting for visitors, I’d like to limit this primarily to phone operation, and would love it the activators could talk for a minute or two about where they are and what they enjoy about POTA/SOTA operation; not just the typical “you’re 58 in Massachusetts.” Many of the folks who attend the Big E are people who enjoy outdoor activities like RVing, hiking, camping, biking, etc. and may be attracted to adding the adventure of portable ham radio operation to their recreational routine.

The second way you can help is, for those of you who live in New England, to consider helping staff our booth at the Modern Living building. We hope to have at least four active hams at the booth from 10 am through 10 pm. Our operating shifts are from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm and 3:30 to 10 pm. As you can imagine, we need a lot of hams to help out! We have contacted all the radio clubs in New England to solicit volunteers, but we could still use some more hams on specific days. This is a volunteer activity, but we have funds to offset the price of admission ($15) and parking ($10), and can provide free overnight accommodations with local ham families if this makes the logistics easier.

If you’d like to volunteer to be one of our “activator” contacts, please contact me via [email protected] 

If you’re interested in learning more about our Big E plans or would like to volunteer, go to:  https://nediv.arrl.org/project-big-e/  and scroll down to the “How Can I Help” and click the link for volunteering. It will show the specific dates and times that are open.

73, Marc K8LSB

Announcements, New Products, News, Product Announcements, Videos

Yaesu FT-710: Video update from Yaesu USA

5 Comments

Many thanks to Frank (K4FMH) who shares the following video update from Yaesu USA:

Click here to watch on YouTube.

Announcements, News

Starting today, you’ll be able to upload your own POTA logs!

6 Comments

The Parks On The Air website has the following message displayed on their home page:

After 12:00 Zulu (9AM Eastern Time USA) Friday, July 1 [2022], and once you have logged into the http://pota.app site, you will notice “My Log Uploads” as an option in our menu. Immense thanks WR5B and N0AW!

Those of us who have been POTA’ing for a few years will find this a very welcome feature!

Up to this point, POTA has been using regional volunteer coordinators to upload logs and they’ve done an amazing job. As POTA has grown–by orders of magnitude over the past few years–the amount of time needed to do uploads is truly significant for those coordinators. In at least one case I know a coordinator’s work load actually cut into their own POTA activating and hunting time.

I’ve always been so appreciative of our coordinators, but always felt hesitant to bug them when I’d discover an error in my logs that required deleting a log entry and re-uploading. I’ve never had a coordinator complain, but I hated to get them involved over a transcription error on my part.

I’m so happy to see that the beta testing has gone so well and the system will be online within an hour (at time of posting Friday morning).

I understand Mike (K8MRD) will soon publish a video here explaining how the new self uploads work.

Many thanks to all of those involved with making POTA what it is today and I’m so pleased to see self uploads being brought online. I would suggest we all be patient if we experience any problems as I suspect the new functionality is going to get a proper workout starting today!

Announcements, News

The QRPer Board: A new discussion board for QRPer.com

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Friends, I’d like to share some good news with you!

The short version:

I’ve created a QRPer discussion board that anyone can join, free of charge, at QRPer.net.

My hope is that this will be a spot for community members to get quick answers to questions and connect with other like-minded operators.

Everyone is welcome and this board is already populated with a number of moderators who will make sure that all questions–no matter how simple–are welcome. Trolls and rude people will be weeded out.

I would encourage you to create an account and check it out: http://qrper.net

The long version:

In the past, I’ve mentioned in posts that email from readers and subscribers (of both QRPer.com and the SWLing Post) has increased to a point that I can no longer keep up with them. It became very evident when I went camping in West Virginia last month and came back home to find no less than 60 messages in my inbox. These 60 messages were all ones needing some sort of reply or acknowledgement–they didn’t include notifications and SPAM.

I take pride in replying to each and every message I receive, but sadly I can no longer keep up with the volume. Sadly, I don’t have enough time especially with my busy family life.

In fact, I realized recently that replying to emails is actually taking a large bite out of the time I have to do content creation. I can’t let that happen, because that could quickly lead to burn-out. Both of my sites are pure labors of love and I enjoy them immensely. Continue reading The QRPer Board: A new discussion board for QRPer.com →