Table of contents for December 2025 in Practical Wireless

KLINGENFUSS PUBLICATIONS: Klingenfuss are now working on their new products: • 2026 Shortwave Frequency Guide • 2026 Super Frequency List on CD • 2026 Frequency Database for the Perseus SDR • Supplement January 2026 to the 2025/2026 Guide to Utility Radio Stations to be published on 10 December 2025. www.klingenfuss.org info@klingenfuss.org LINCOLN SHORT WAVE CLUB TAKES PART IN RAILWAYS ON THE AIR FROM LUDBOROUGH STATION: The Lincoln Short Wave Club proudly participated in this year’s Railways on the Air event from the Lincolnshire Wolds Railway in Ludborough, operating under the special event callsign GB0LWR. They logged over 500 contacts, operating primarily on 40m phone, with some FT8 thrown in to give the operators a well-earned break during busy periods. They were also delighted to host Barry G4DBS, Chairman of the British…

The latest videos from TX Factor are now available, featuring Hamfest 25. The popular online TV show spent two days capturing the action at the UK’s premiere ham radio event. The show’s presenter Bob McCreadie G0FGX says: “There was so much going on this year that we have produced two episodes featuring the latest equipment news from Icom and Yaesu as well as the smaller companies and individuals bringing exciting amateur radio technology to our shacks, plus the latest updates from our sponsors the Radio Society of Great Britain. If you couldn’t be there this year, we will bring the atmosphere of this unique event to your screens, meeting the people and organisations at the heart of our amazing hobby and showing off some fascinating tech.” The latest episodes are…

In the annals of amateur radio history, the charismatic figure of Rowley Shears G8KW is a legend. In January 1956 he founded KW Electronics Ltd. A company that was destined to become the largest amateur radio manufacturing organisation the UK has ever seen Its Dartford factory designed, manufactured and exported a complete range of amateur products and later commercial equipment worldwide. KW was the company that popularised the use of affordable SSB. Its transmitters, award winning receivers and transceivers are legendary, gracing the covers of radio magazines throughout the 1960’s and 70’s. Equipment that’s still collected, used and much prized almost 70 years later. But there’s another story,… Told for the first time thanks to a three-year labour of love by his eldest son Richard, wider family and with recourse…

Another RSGB Convention, a must in my diary as I said last year in my write-up. It’s a great opportunity to catch up with old friends, old being the operative word in many cases as many of them I remember from my first RSGB HF Convention in the mid-80s, some 40 years ago! That said, it was great this year to see a number of younger amateurs at the event, and the RSGB had sponsored a table for the Youth on the Air folks. Hopefully many of these youngsters will stick with the hobby and maybe bring in some of their friends too. Credit is due to Ben Loyd GW4BML, the RSGB’s Youth Champion, for encouraging all this activity by young people. One of my complaints last year was about…

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Jan G5BBL reports: We are pleased to announce that SDR-Kits have been appointed an official supplier of the newly launched FA-VA6 1GHz Vector Antenna Analyzer 99% Kit. The designer, Michael Knitter DG5MK, has carried out a complete hardware and software re-design of the popular VA-FA5 model, which according to Michael is “keeping FA-VA5 good things and introducing exciting new things!” The FA-VA6 was reviewed in the last issue of PW and also features in this month’s Antennas column. Available to buy from: www.sdr-kits.net UK orders £291.60 incl VAT, + shipping. For shipping outside the UK please visit the SDR-Kits webshop for pricing.…

Last month I took a dive into of the FTX-1 QRP transceiver. Perhaps not so much a new radio as the opening gambit of a suite of possibilities designed to lock operators into the Yaesu brand. It includes a full range of complementary equipment intended lock out many of the new breed of would-be competitors. This month I’m taking a closer look at the rest of the range and there is a lot of choice on offer. Most obvious is the ‘Optima’, a combined 100-watt linear amplifier with inbuilt auto-matching tuner unit. Buyers have the immediate choice to purchase the FTX-1 as a standalone QRP radio and perhaps add the 100-watt PA later if that’s on the wish list. Alternatively, the complete package is available from the outset. Thankfully, the…

Before passing on the constructional details I would like to ask you to glance over the circuit diagram with me and to study it in conjunction with the sketches and photographs. If you cannot understand a circuit diagram please do not skip the next few paragraphs because I hope they might at least give you some idea of the usefulness of diagrams of this kind. We see that the aerial can be connected (by means of a wander plug) to a number of tappings on the untuned aerial coil; the lower the tapping is moved down the coil the greater is the degree of selectivity. The secondary winding is tuned by a .0005 mfd, condenser and the ‘top’ end is connected to the grid of the detector valve through a…

Welcome to this month’s On a Budget where I get to grips with a brand-new mode and build a dedicated single channel 60m transceiver to use it, for less than £50. The transceiver is a kit from Eric Edwards GW8LJJ, which I will describe in some detail shortly. But first, like me a month or two ago, you will probably be amongst the majority of readers wondering “what on earth is RADE?” Thankfully, Eric himself is author of another article this month explaining FreeDV and how to get started, so I can leave that explanation in his very capable hands, and write about the transceiver kit he is supplying. Just be sure to read that piece first. The FreeDV QRP transceiver kit Shortly after becoming aware of RADE a friend…

In the November issue I reviewed the new FA-FA6 Single Port Vector Antenna Analyser. I was able to get an early look at the analyser thanks to Jan G5BBL from SDR-Kits sending me his own model, which was one of the first in the country. The VA6 comes as a kit, although assembly is minimal, but being Jan’s own model, the unit I received for evaluation was already assembled so it was not possible to describe the build experience. However, this did mean that I was able to dive directly into the evaluation and, after I had finished it, being suitably impressed wanted to have my own VA6 to replace my earlier VA5! At the time of the review they were not yet available in the UK, which was OK…

Following the October column which I aimed mainly at the youngsters coming into the hobby, I received a few emails saying how much this was needed and that I presented the case fairly well in order to influence as many as I could. Well, I am not sure how many youngsters read PW let alone my column, but I am a stubborn old man and don’t give up easily. So, I am having a second bite at this cherry in order to stir the passion that I hope exists in the younger generation. I shall attempt to wean you away from mindless scrolling, reading constant drivel that has little relevance to life. I might even lay down a challenge to you all! I need to see some responses from the…

The Famous Martin Lynch & Sons Open Day is on Saturday 29 November with doors opening at 8.30am (see the advert on the facing page). A chance to see the many new products available. Here are some of them: DX Patrol – Precision Satellite and HF Accessories, Exclusive to ML&S The DX Patrol range has become a respected name among satellite and microwave enthusiasts, offering compact, well-engineered equipment tailored to modern amateur radio needs. Now exclusive to Martin Lynch & Sons (ML&S), the line presents a complete toolkit for operating through the popular QO-100 geostationary satellite and beyond. From up- and down-converters to GPS-disciplined oscillators and full-duplex ground-station kits, DX Patrol provides a practical upgrade path for anyone wishing to explore the higher bands with precision and reliability. Kiwi Protection…

A few months ago, my wife, who is ex-Royal Navy, treated me to a show at the Grand Theatre in Lancaster. Charlie Connelly’s one-man show Attention All Shipping was on to promote his 2005 book of the same title. The performance was enjoyable, anecdotal, funny and informative in equal measure. Charlie is a great nesophile (a lover of islands), and shiver my timbers, what an evening it was! www.shippingshow.co.uk/the-show By the end of this year, the nation will be celebrating not 101 Dalmatians but the 101 years of a venerable British radio institution: on 11 December 1924, the first ever Shipping Forecast (SC) was broadcast. As I write, it is still on every day on BBC Radio 4 and Long Wave (198kHz, Figs 1 and 2). However, BBC LW is…

Joe Taylor’s WSJT-X suite of weak-signal software has transformed many aspects of today’s amateur radio. WSPR has become the standard mode for propagation and antenna analysis, and can’t fail to impress with its ability to record microscopic signals from around the globe. Likewise, FT8 completely dominates the world of HF data communications. On the VHF and UHF bands, the specialist WSJT-X modes have transformed EME and other challenging propagation modes. Why mention this now? Well, WSJT-X is undergoing a major new release to version 3.0, which is packed with new features that bring the suite up to date by adding many user-requested refinements. As is usual with WSJT-X releases, the process is carefully managed, with enhancements made available to public beta testers first to facilitate refinement of the features and…

By CRT device I mean a Yaesu YO-100, a Leader LBO-310 or a Heathkit SB-610 Station Monitor, each of which I have. All these items have in common a Cathode Ray Tube or CRT, which requires in excess of 1000 volts to operate. These voltages are LETHAL! Do not take on this work unless you are confident that you are capable of keeping yourself and any subsequent users, safe. I shall list the safety precautions, and the special equipment to be made or acquired, the ‘must do’ items before all else, and the routine tests for faulty conditions. Before we start, if the transformer is bad, or damaged, there is little point in going on. They are very rare in the open market and to have one made specially, would…

I’m writing this the day after giving a presentation on ‘What’s so special about VHF/UHF’ to the RSGB Convention at Milton Keynes. What makes things special for people tends to be a personal thing and it’s likely that what I think is ‘special’ about something will be different to what makes something ‘special’ for you. Nothing wrong in that at all! There’s no requirement for us to have to enjoy the hobby in exactly the same way as each other, although some common ground is undoubtedly helpful. In my presentation, I reflected a little on what made VHF/UHF special for me, in the hope that it might strike a chord with other people. For me, I think the overriding interest on VHF/UHF is the variance in propagation and the fact…

While browsing the internet I recently came across a two-metre handheld that also incorporated a general coverage receiver including airband. For around £30 it looked a bargain so I ordered one. When it arrived a couple of weeks later, I unpacked it and examined the contents of the package which included a battery charger. The first thing I noticed was that the charger wasn’t fitted with a mains plug conforming to the UK standard BS1363, Fig. 1. Part one of The Plugs and Sockets (Safety) Regulations 1994, which is an act of parliament and hence law, says that a Standard Plug for electrical equipment in the UK, and in particular domestic equipment, that operates at a voltage of 200V or more must be supplied with a plug that conforms to…