I’m always working on improving my ham radio activities. And, all too often, one adventure that goes off the road leads to another. In this case, I built a PTT cable with relays for my IC-9100. It worked fine until one of the phono plugs didn’t make an electrical contact, leading to a burnt-out LNA. Read about my repair work while learning about SMD desoldering and soldering. 6 and 2 Meter Airspy SDR and LNA I use two Airspy SDRs, one for 6 meters and one for 2...

Occasionally, I like to review the Log-Checking Reports to see how I’m doing in the effort to turn in a clean log. It probably should be a part of my pre- or post-contest checklist. Here’s what I found, along with suggestions on improving these results in VHF contests, which, for me, have become digital contests. K5ND Current Log-Checking Results While the June 2023 VHF Contest caught my full attention, I downloaded all the LCRs currently available on the ARRL Contest website. You need to enter your call...

I’ve been contesting since 2010 when I discovered I could find many DX stations without pileups. That was running CW. In 2013, I moved to RTTY contests, partly for the same reason. By 2014, I had moved most of my contesting to VHF. Along the way, I had great fun, earned some awards, and even won a few categories. This guide to VHF contesting introduces the joys of contesting in general, examines the aspects particular to VHF contesting, guides your efforts at getting on the air,...

Contest Saturday was reasonably active, with 76 QSOs, 37 grids, and 2,812 points, well above my full 2023 January VHF contest results. But Sunday was exceptional, bringing my score to 17,296. Here’s the breakdown. 6 meters          140 QSOs        72 grids 2 meters          50 QSOs          20 grids Total                190 QSOs        92 grids Contest Scores Online The Contest Scores Online data gives a much better overview of my results. I spent roughly 25 hours in the chair. Saturday, a few rovers helped make my day with some good QSOs...

It’s been a while since I’ve entered an RTTY contest. I started with RTTY contesting in 2013 and ramped down in 2016. Along the way, I did pick up the CQ DX RTTY Award number 68, which you can find at the bottom of this post. I also worked the old-fashioned radio-teletype with real machines in the early 1980s but didn’t get involved with contesting. Winkeyer FSK The impetuous was trying out the Winkeyer FSK option. K0PIR provides directions on building the needed cable and the necessary...