I have used the excellent QTH.com classifieds site for many years to buy and sell radio equipment. I think it’s a great alternative to eBay.

I subscribe to the QTH.com classifieds newsletter and, this morning, Scott (KA9FOX) sent the following warning, which I am publishing to help spread the word. In summary, QTH.com is still a great place to buy/sell equipment, but they, along with other classifieds sites, have seen an increase in scam activity. Know the signs:

Dear QTH.com Ham Radio Classifieds user:

We’ve seen an alarming increase in the number of scammers utilizing our website (and it seems most other ham radio classified sites, too, based on reports coming in). I wanted to take this opportunity to explain what some of these scammers are doing, in hopes it will better protect you from them, when you are selling equipment on the QTH.com Classifieds at http://swap.qth.com.

Common scammer traits:

1) They will use some else’s callsign, and they will create an email address that contains that callsign, usually with a free email provider like gmail, yahoo, hotmail, etc. They sometimes pose as foreign callsigns (especially UK and Spain) but recently have been using USA callsigns.

2) They will sometimes post “For Sale” ads, but also will sometimes answer “Wanted” ads. Usually the prices are a little too good to be true.

3) They will use pictures of equipment they have found on the Internet (they don’t really own the equipment).

4) They seem to like payments via Western Union (no protection for the buyer), but will also use PayPal (hoping to drain their account before the buyer realizes they have been scammed).

5) They seem to know ham radio jargon. For all we know, these scammers are hams, but we can’t be sure.

6) They are sophisticated enough to use “proxy servers” so their IP address cannot be easily detected. This makes it difficult for us to block the scammers. We are constantly tweaking our filters to block these guys when possible, but it is a constant cat and mouse game.

What can you do to protect yourself?

* Ask for a phone number and call the person before agreeing on any deal. This is probably the #1 way to expose the rats.

* Check to see if the email address they used matches what is listed for that person on their QRZ.com profile. It could be a red flag if there is a mismatch.

* Be especially cautious of dealing with foreign hams. Not all foreign hams are scammers, of course! Just be extra careful!!

* Never use Western Union. Be very cautious of using Money Orders and Cashier’s Checks. PayPal and Credit Cards seem to be the best option, as far as having any buyer protection. Money Orders & Cashier’s Checks are perfectly acceptable if you are absolutely sure who you are dealing with.

* Read all of my “Safe Trading Tips” at http://chat.qth.com/viewtopic.php?t=12

About 100,000 ads are placed each year in the QTH.com Classifieds, and only a tiny, tiny fraction wind up being fraudulent. I do not want to scare you into thinking that it is unsafe to trade online. Rather, I simply want to arm you with knowledge, so that you will be able to sniff out the bad guys, and stay safe.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me directly at [email protected].

73 – Scott KA9FOX
QTH.com Ham Radio Classifieds
http://swap.qth.com

Price, Size and Availability: a Kenwood TS-990S update

April 5, 2012 k4swl 4 Comments

There is still very little known about the yet-unreleased, highly-anticipated Kenwood TS-990S HF transceiver, but we’ve confirmed just a few details from a contact at Kenwood…

Size:

The TS-990S will be the size of theTS-950SDX 200 watts, and have a similar footprint.

Price:

The TS-990S is expected to retail in the $5,000-6,000 US range.

Availability:

No promises on ship dates yet…but they have confirmed that the new rig will be on display at the 2012 Dayton, Ohio, Hamvention.

To be clear, Kenwood did not confirm the model number of TS-990S; it was implied.

Check back with QRPer.com as we will post early photos from Dayton.

Morse Code, News, Videos

Gmail Tap: I only wish it were true….

April 1, 2012 k4swl Leave a comment

Google has once again featured morse code–this time (unfortunately) as an April Fool’s joke! This video will explain it all, then, raise your hand if you’re disappointed.

Announcements, News, QRP Radios

Ten-Tec sale on R4020 and R4030 QRP transceivers

March 30, 2012 k4swl 5 Comments

TenTecmodel4020 — Ten-Tec Model R4020 (Photo: Ten-Tec)

Ten-Tec has just announced that they’ve placed their models R4020 and R4030 two band QRP transceivers on sale.

Both are now available for $199 US and include a QRP go-pack (which includes a shoulder bag, rig, and antenna).

Very good deal and quite tempting…

Announcements

Fred Maia, W5YI is Silent Key

March 30, 2012 k4swl Leave a comment

This is a sad day for ham radio.

Fred Maia and his W5YI group have been a driving force in ham radio education and volunteer examining. Fred was 76 and passed away after a battle with cancer.

(Source: CQ Communications)

CQ columnist Fred Maia, W5YI, a leading amateur radio journalist, educator and pioneer of volunteer examining, passed away on March 28 after a battle with cancer.

Maia, 76, published “The W5YI Report,” dubbed “America’s Oldest Ham Radio Newsletter,” from 1978 to 2003, and has been a CQ contributing editor since 1985. His regulatory affairs column, first titled “Ticket Talk,” then “Washington Readout,” offered news and perspective on FCC and ITU (International Telecommunication Union) actions, and helped untold numbers of hams wend their way through often-confusing mazes of the volunteer examining and vanity call sign systems. (Continue reading…)

Read the full article at CQ.

Kits, News

New Kit: The QRPometer from The Four State QRP Group

March 24, 2012 k4swl 5 Comments

This meter sounds like a fun and useful project. Purchase one here–all proceeds benefit OzarkCon! Details below:

(Source: Terry, WAØITP with The Four State QRP Group, via QRP-L)

The Four State QRP Group is pleased to announce a new kit, the QRPometer, a sensitive and accurate power/swr meter designed by David Cripe, NMØS. Complete specifications, assembly manual, and ordering information can be found here ttp://www.wa0itp.com/qrpom.html
PayPal is accepted.

The range of accurate power easurement extends down to a low 100 milliwatts. This kit was conceived to fill a need within the hobby for an inexpensive, highly accurate RF power and VSWR meter for QRP power levels. With it’s large digital display it makes a very useful addition to your shack.

The QRPometer uses simple analog signal-processing circuitry to provide a set of essential measurement features not previously available in a single unit. High quality, double sided,
printed circuit board construction is used, with solder mask and silk screened component reference designators.

All components are through-hole for easy assembly. NO toroids are required, and all controls and jacks are PCB mounted. The QRPometer can be constructed by beginners as well as experienced builders. Construction time is approximately 3 hours, depending on experience level. The only equipment required for calibration is a digital voltmeter, and a QRP transmitter..

All proceeds go to fund OzarkCon. As always, thank you for supporting the Four State QRP Group. http://www.4sqrp.com/

UPDATE: See comments–first run of these kits sold out within 27 hours! More to come later.

Conferences, Events

OzarkCon QRP Conference April 13-14, 2012

March 17, 2012 k4swl Leave a comment

OzarkCon is a fun and informative QRP conference held every year in Branson, Missouri. This year, the conference is being held at the Stone Castle Hotel and Conference Center on April 13 and 14th. Registration and room rates are very reasonable.

You can register for OzarkCon 2012 online.

OzarkCon at a Glance (via their website):

Large Dinner Banquet the first evening with after Dinner Speaker
Kit Building Session
Dummy Load QSO Party with Prize – work KØN
Open Music Session (pick’n & grin’n, Bluegrass, Country, Western) both nights
Vendor Tables – Kits, Parts and more…
Swapfest Tables
QRP flea market & vendor fair open all day Saturday
Wackey Key Contest with Awards
Homebrew Contest with Awards by Category
Day long presentations on leading edge activities or technologies
Drawings for Door Prizes, Door Prizes and more Door Prizes
Private Breakfast Saturday morning
Branson Attractions and Restaurants

Announcements, News

1993-2004 NorCal QRP Club Journals now available online

March 16, 2012 k4swl Leave a comment

(Source: KI6DS via QRP-L)

I would like to announce that the complete collection of QRPp, the NorCal QRP Club Journal that I did from 1993 to 2004 is now on line. Chuck Adams has scanned in every page of every issue and has it on line at http://www.k7qo.net/NorCal_QRPp.html. This is a temporary site, as we want to make sure that all of the bugs are out of it before we place it on the NorCal page where it will have a permanent home in about 3 weeks. This material is for the education of QRPers, and it will always be free. No one will ever have to pay anything to access it. We ask that no one makes it available on CD for distribution in any way. Everyone is granted permission to make an archival copy, but no one is granted permission to post any part or portion online. We want there to be one site where it is available. Some of the schematics will be redrawn and Chuck is coordinating that effort. I have struggled for years on how to make the information available and decided that this is the way to do it. Every article was donated, no one was paid anything for writing any article. So, I wanted to make it available for free. Enjoy. Thank you to Chuck Adams for doing the work to make the pdf’s, to Dean Davis for his future work in putting it on the NorCal web page, and especially to all of the contributors over the years. 72, Doug, KI6DS

News

Another CME Earth-bound!

March 7, 2012 k4swl 2 Comments

Even the Wall Street Journal picked up on the latest solar flare–the biggest in 5 years–which is headed towards Earth:

WASHINGTON—The largest solar flare in five years is racing toward Earth, threatening to unleash a torrent of charged particles that could disrupt power grids, GPS and airplane flights.[…]

“It’s hitting us right in the nose,” said Joe Kunches, a scientist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. He called it the sun’s version of “Super Tuesday.”

The solar storm is likely to last through Friday morning, but the region that erupted can still send more blasts our way, Mr. Kunches said. He said another set of active sunspots is ready to aim at Earth right after this.

But for now, scientists are waiting to see what happens Thursday when the charged particles hit Earth at four million mph. [Continue reading at the WSJ]

And the latest update from Spaceweather:

GEOMAGNETIC STORM UPDATE: A CME propelled toward Earth by this morning’s X5-class solar flare is expected to reach our planet on March 8th at 0625 UT (+/- 7 hr). Analysts at the Goddard Space Weather Lab, who prepared the CME’s forecast track, say the impact could spark a strong-to-severe geomagnetic storm.

Expect some major geomagnetic disturbances and don’t be surprised if the HF bands are very quiet while we’re being blasted with electrons. On the plus side? If you live in Northern latitudes, look for some awe-inspiring auroras in the night sky.

(Note: This is a cross-posting from my other radio site, the SWLing Post)

News

Google Doodle honors Heinrich Hertz’s 155th birthday

February 22, 2012 k4swl Leave a comment

If you visit Google’s home page today, you’ll notice that their typical logo has been replaced with an animation of an undulating, multi-colored wave.

If you click on the wave, you’ll be taken to sites telling the story of Heinrich Rudolf Hertz.

We should all take a moment today to thank Hertz for his contribution to the radio spectrum. Indeed, it was Hertz who showed that electricity could be transmitted via electromagnetic waves. This laid the groundwork for developing wireless telegraph and radio. In the 1930’s the International Electrotechnical Commission decided that Hertz’s name would become the unit of frequency for our electromagnetic spectrum–the hertz (Hz)–about four decades after the his death.

To read the story of Hertz, I would suggest browsing his Wikipedia entry.

If you missed seeing the Google Doodle animation, check out the video below:

This isn’t the first time Google has honored an influential innovator in our radio world, a few years they had a Google Doodle tribute to Samuel Morse.

If you follow my other site, the SWLing Post, you’ll notice that this is a cross-posting.