Tabla de contenidos para January 2026 en Practical Wireless

Well, having said last month that I had done relatively little operating, I had a play in the CQWW Phone contest at the end of October and in a limited effort on the 10m band, made over 700 contacts in 123 DXCC entities. It was fun and probably the last year that we will enjoy such good propagation on 10m until the next sunspot peak. And I am writing this while in Uganda for the CW leg of the contest, where I will be operating as 5X1DF. I plan a 40m single-band entry as there is no existing record for that category from Uganda so I am sure to set a new record! I was here last year but had to cut my trip short when my wife was taken…

1. What was the earlier callsign of Don Beattie G3BJ 2. Who is credited with the discovery of the Ionosphere? 3. What is the RSGB’s Brickworks? 4. Which PW author had a serious tower collapse? 5. What is the callsign of the Chancellor of Germany? 6. Which 10m multimode rig started life as a CB transceiver? 7. What is a VNA? 8. What was the new Icom flagship transceiver, reviewed in the May issue by Richard G3UGF? 9. What did Daimon build in an Altoids tin? 10. Where was this year’s International DX Convention, reported on by the PW editor? 11. What is a UMPP-ASK? 12. Which husband and wife team are responsible for the RSGB Tonight at 8 and many other video presentations? 13. What does SINAD stand for? 14. What, in a radio sense, was…

Question 1. G3OZF (Jan, p.35) Question 2. Edward Appleton (Feb, p.7) Question 3. A scheme from the RSGB to encourage newcomers to explore a wide range of aspects of the amateur radio hobby (Feb, p.58) Question 4. Roger Cooke G3LDI (Mar, p.52) Question 5. DK7DQ (Apr, p.7) Question 6. The Anytone AT-6666 Pro (Apr, p.12) Question 7. Vector Network Analyser (Apr, p.46 and others)  Question 8. The IC-7760 (May, p.8) Question 9. An 80m CW transmitter (Jun, p.22 Question 10. Visalia, California (Jun, p.26) Question 11. A CW Key (Jun, p.30) Question 12. David and Tammy Palmer (Jul, p.37) Question 13. Signal In Noise and Distortion (Jul, p.56) Question 14. Frequency hopping (Aug, p.15) Question 15. G4HKS (Sep, p.24) Question 16. www.pwcontest.org.uk (Sep, p.37, etc) Question 17. The Icom IC-7300…

Portable operating has bloomed significantly in the past couple of decades, led from the origins of Worldwide Flora and Fauna and Summits on the Air. These were mainly niche activities until the year-long ARRL National Parks on the Air event in 2016. That unexpectedly strong participation morphed into the more general but independent Parks on the Air (POTA) program. It has been the fastest-growing amateur radio activity in the U.S. as well as becoming an international phenomenon. This organised activity space has promoted innovation in portable power, radios, and, especially, antennas that fit the criteria of easy installation, take-down and transportation. Portable operators face several challenges, mostly involving the choice and deployment of an effective HF antenna. For instance, the highly popular end-fed half-wave (EFHW) wire antenna needs a tree…

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1. The Ham Radio Guide Book 2025 is a newly released, comprehensive printed guide aimed squarely at amateur radio enthusiasts. It consolidates essential information in a full-colour, magazine-style format—covering frequency allocations, band plans, licensing tips, operational best practices, and handy reference tables. It’s your year-round companion, packed with clear diagrams, FAQs, and updates relevant to the 2025 amateur radio landscape. The Problems It Solves: 1. Fragmented Info – Instead of hunting across websites, forums, and PDFs, this guide neatly gathers reliable, up-to-date content in one polished volume. 2. Beginners’ Confusion – New hams often struggle with licensing rules, band planning, and tech jargon. This guide breaks it down into accessible chunks. 3. Reference Fatigue – Digital documents can be slow to access or inconvenient in the shack. This guide keeps…

FT8 OPERATION ON 60 M: AVOIDING OUT-OF-BAND TRANSMISSIONS: From David G4NVB: There has been increasing discussion among UK amateurs about FT8 activity on the 60-metre band, particularly the allocated segment from 5354 to 5358kHz. A common issue is accidental out-ofband operation caused by transmit-audio offsets. When operating FT8 on the usual 5357kHz dial frequency (USB), software such as WSJT-X allows a wide range of audio offsets. However, using a Tx offset above 1000Hz will place your transmitted signal outside the upper band edge. Many operators therefore keep offsets at 950Hz or below as a safety margin. This becomes a problem when frequently switching bands. For example, if you were previously on 3573kHz (80m) with a 1500Hz FT8 offset, and then move to 60m without adjusting it, your actual transmit frequency…

Send your letters to: Practical Wireless Letters, Warners Group Publications plc West Street, Bourne, Lincs PE10 9PH E-mail: practicalwireless@warnersgroup.co.uk Various Musings Dear Don, “What’s so special about VHF/UHF?”, asks Tim GW4VXE (PW December 2025). For me, it will always remain a reminder of my very first foray into the world of actually talking to someone I heard rather than, just eavesdropping on a conversation - not being able to put my oar in, so to speak. They were exciting times, peppered with occasional jaw-dropping surprises. Like working stations out in the Sun-drenched Balearic archipelago, using a few watts and a DIY indoor antenna. To paraphrase Forrest Gump, when operating on VHF/UHF, you never really know what is going to pop up next. A station on the other side of town,…

SUMMIT OF DREAMS – A SOTA ADVEN-TURE MEMOIR:This is a book for radio amateurs, SOTA activators, and adventurers alike. In Summit of Dreams, Ben Lloyd GW4BML shares his exhilarating memoir of climbing the UK’s wildest summits and broadcasting from the peaks. Blending mountaineering with amateur radio, this story captures the essence of Summits on the Air: resilience, connection, and the thrill of hearing voices reply from across continents while standing on a mountaintop. From windswept ridges to remote island activations, Ben’s adventures, joined by his family, show how radio and exploration can unite generations. If you’d like to read these adventures and experience the magic of SOTA, order your copy today (£16.99): https://tinyurl.com/588bwem7 RSGB NATIONAL RADIO CENTRE WINS A SIR ARTHUR CLARKE TEAM AWARD :At a glittering awards ceremony in London…

What does the name Heaviside bring to mind? The ionosphere, I wager, but this article’s ‘Radio Great’ gave us much more than that. Oliver Heaviside, pictured in Fig. 1, was born on 18 May 1850 into a working-class family in Camden, North London. He was bright and went to a grammar school, but left at 16. Some accounts attribute this to his family’s finances but others, if they’re correct, give us our first glimpse of his nature. He might have ceased formal education because he hated the way he was being taught, especially in mathematics. Whatever the reason, he spent the next two years in scientific and mathematical self-study, including telegraphy and Morse code. These were the skills to have; it was the equivalent of going into AI today. Practical…

Cable racks are a truly useful addition to any shack, workshop, or lab. I could possibly say that they are an essential item. Use a cable rack, or two, to avoid knots and make it easy to see what you have. It is wise and good practice to look after your test cables and scope (oscilloscope) probes. Getting reliable and repeatable test results is a great skill. This is only possible with well cared for test equipment and test leads. Test leads and scope probes, if not well looked after, can be prone to subtle degradation. Also, with oscilloscope probes I avoid returning my frequently used ones to their original cases, as typically the bends are always in the same place and this creates a likely point of failure. My…

BBC Broadcasting House, London: Part V During World War II, the German bombing raids were relentless. Enemy action had already severely damaged Broadcasting House on 15 October 1940. On 19 November of that year, the radio transmitter located in Birmingham was demolished by enemy bombing and the BBC premises in Swansea were destroyed on 21 February 1941. For security reasons, the BBC European Service was transferred from Broadcasting House to Bush House in London on 17 March 1941. On 30 June 1944, Bush House was severely damaged by a ‘flying-bomb’. On 10 May 1941, Queen’s Hall in London, historic home of The BBC Proms, was demolished by bombs. The music continued, however, from the Albert Hall with the undaunted veteran conductor, Sir Henry Wood, still in charge on the rostrum,…

THE RAOTA WINTER 2025 EDITION: The winter edition of the Radio Amateur Old Timers Association magazine has been sent to the printer and should be with members in the near future. Additionally a copy has been sent to the Audio editor who will arrange for audio copies to reach members with limited vision at the same time as the printed version. As always the magazine opens with comments from the President and Editor, followed by the opinions, news, and comments submitted by members. The comments are often quite wideranging and not always directly about amateur radio, but are always thought provoking. The subject of the Apollo moon landing has surfaced again, with some describing the incredible technical challenges that cause others to still wonder if it was all faked, and…

All information published here reflects the situation up to and including 21st November 2025. Readers are advised to always check with the organisers of any rally or event before setting out for a visit. To get your event on this list, email the full details, as early as possible, to: practicalwireless@warnersgroup.co.uk 25 January 2026 LINCOLN SHORT WAVE CLUB WINTER RADIO RALLY: The Festival Hall, Caistor Road, Market Rasen, LN83HT. Doorsopenat10.00. Admission £3.00. Tables £10.00. Indoor event ample free car parking. Hot refreshments including our famous bacon butties. Card payments accepted. To Book Tables and Further Details: Please contact: Steve M5ZZZ, Mobile:07777699069 Email: m5zzz@outlook.com 1 March 2026 EXETER RADIO RALLY: New Venue, The Kenn Centre, one mile from the end of the M5. Free car parking. Entry fee £3. Bring &…