Category: Amateur Radio

Was a GREAT SUCCESS! Many major vendors, along with a very healthy attendance of used vendors.

Properly managed hamfest are thriving and growing. Poorly managed hamfest are dying.

Just took a look at the list of amateur radio vendors that will be in attendance this year. No doubt about it. This hamfest is rapidly expanding, while many others are in decline.

RADIOHF – Yaesu ft-920 transceiver >>everything<< works as it should, except no RF output. The lettering is gone on the rcl button. It comes with box and manual.Asking $550.00 plus shipping. Listing #XXXXX – Submitted on 07/18/22 by Callsign XX5XXX

Spoke with WZ4C over the weekend about dusting off the battery powered QRP gear and setting up in one or more of the local parks for a day of operating. WZ4C and I pretty much have a mirror image of the same gear for portable operating. Yaesu FT-817ND, Wolf River Coils portable 75-10m vertical antenna, an assortment of lightweight batteries, and a portable solar panel. It’s a worthwhile fun challenge with the QRP gear!

Worked several DX stations on 40. 20, and 15 meters this weekend. Not your signal report ‘hit and run” contacts. Had some very nice brief QSO’s with several operators in Japan, Indonesia, Australia, Israel, and several counties in South America.

Tried working several station is South America running QRP. Just couldn’t get the job done at 5 watts. However was successful at 25 watts!

Received a note from a fellow amateur, who has close contact with the Gaston County Amateur Radio Society (GCARS), that one or more amateurs that regularly operate (mainly in the morning hours) on 1.926mHz are now being compared with the bottom feeders that operate on 7.200mHz. My, my my. Who would have thunk it?

I quit maintaining a contact logbook many years ago. I also ended electronic or hard copy QS’ing, around the same time. However I do realize that many still do, and a hard copy QSL card is often desired.

My QSL card is below. Save the image, print it, fill in the blanks. Don’t cheat. If you do you’re only cheating yourself.