CQ Amateur Radio

CQ is the magazine for active hams, with a focus on the practical. Every article is clearly written and aimed at involving you, the reader...whether it's a story of operating from some exotic location, an article to deepen your understanding of ham radio science and technology, or a fun-to-build project that will have practical use in your ham shack. Join us on our monthly journey through the broad and varied landscape of the world's most fascinating hobby!

CQ Amateur Radio

announcements

ham radio news

zero bias: a cq editorial • The Lost (?) Art of Conversation

news bytes • COVID’s Continuing Toll

“How Amateur Radio Factors In My Career Plans” • Winning Essays from the Third Annual Intrepid DX Group “Dream Rig” Essay Contest

About the Intrepid DX Group

Inside the 63rd Green and Yellow Contest (CVA) • It’s kind of a cross between Armed Forces Day and a DX contest … amateurs around the world looking for contacts with stations in Brazil, with extra points for stations at military facilities and the director’s station at the Brazilian Army Communications School. Contributing Editor PT2ZDX/LU9EFO takes us behind the scenes at contest headquarters.

“Little Boy” and “Fat Man” Portable Antennas • Students of World War II will recognize “Little Boy” and “Fat Man” as the names given to the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, respectively, in 1945. Author AH6CY, who was born in Hiroshima three months before the bombing, has “repurposed” the names to much more peaceful uses, identifying two portable antennas that he’s designed.

The Continuing Anticlimactic Adventures of the Perverted V (Part 2) • N2EWS continues his tale of getting back on the air after a many-year absence, and operating from an antenna-restricted housing development.

Trees and HF RF Interactions • It’s well established that trees can attenuate RF signals, particularly at VHF and UHF, and particularly in summertime when leaves are added to the equation. But there hasn’t been much attention paid to the impact of trees on HF communication. W3DIY and G3WRT have concluded that close-in trees not only introduce signal loss but also change polarization and radiation patterns.

Build a Foxhunt Variable Attenuator • Hidden transmitter hunting, or foxhunting, is a fun challenge that also helps develop skills in tracking down unknown signal sources. But once you get close, a signal may overwhelm your receiver. Step attenuators will help, but they tend to be very expensive and difficult to use in the field. WA4KFZ came up with a very effective and reasonably priced solution that you can wear on your belt.

SPURIOUS SIGNALS

dx • VU4W Andaman Islands DXpedition Apr 28 – May 16, 2022

From DXpedition to Disaster Aid: Ham Radio on the Andaman & Nicobar Islands • Talk about being in the right place at the right time…. After a 17-year effort to get permission to operate from India’s Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Bharathi Prasad, VU2RBI, and her team of hams were set up and on the air when December’s massive earthquake and tsunami struck. Their DXpedition immediately turned into a three-week-long emergency communications mission. Here is VU2RBI’s story….

Putting VU4 On the Air: The Story Behind the Story

what’s new

2023 WPX Crossword Puzzle

Scanner Frequency Organization • WB9YBM continues his series on getting the most from your scanner (and yes, there’s still plenty to listen to!), this time focusing on keeping the many frequencies you may be monitoring well-organized.

A Mag Loop? – You Have to Be Kidding • I started a skeptic, and ended a believer regarding magnetic loop antennas. Here I describe my several attempts to build and use small loops, and what changed my mind about them.

Sherlock Investigates: Switch...