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 Next Revolution in Amateur Radio

news bytes: Quartzfest Distance Challenge Winners

The Bottlecap Balloon Brigade Mystery • No one is certain if the mystery object shot down by the U.S. Air Force over the Yukon in February was the K9YO-15 ham radio balloon. But this is certain … the speculation that it might have been is shining a spotlight on this small but growing corner of our hobby, with potentially positive impacts.

An Interview With ChatGPT on the Future of Ham Radio • While we can’t vouch for anything else in this issue, the following is definitely NOT an April Fool article, although part of us wishes it was…

Sherlock Investigates: Seismic Signals Below 1 Hz • With earthquakes making big news recently, our intrepid electronics detective shows you how to build a receiver to pick up signals generated by tectonic activity and have your own home seismometer.

Results of the 2022 CQWW DX SSB Contest • “Amazing conditions this weekend … I wish every contest was like this. –VE2HEW”

2022 CQWW DX SSB PLAQUE WINNERS AND DONORS

Remembering Fred Laun, K3ZO

Youth Operators in Action

Exploring the CQ WW Contest

A Makeshift CQWW Yagi and Other Antenna Musings

Announcing: The 22nd Annual CQ World Wide Foxhunting Weekend • Saturday, May 13 – Sunday, May 14, 2023

what’s new

A Vintage Winter Field Day… • Operating Winter Field Day out in the field is always a challenge. W4FSV added to his personal challenge by operating outdoors with vintage tube gear. At least it kept him warm!

A CQ Exclusive: Emergency Power Generation Systems Using Starchy Tuber Arrays • Professor Emil Heisseluft investigates how potatoes have the potential to solve the world’s energy problems.

behind the bylines…

The Concentric Yagi • It may look strange, but that’s just because you haven’t seen one before. NR5Q presents a fundamentally new antenna design based upon extrapolations of Pasquinade equations.

Looking Ahead

My Dumbest Portable Operation • Regular readers will know that WØRW loves operating pedestrian mobile, often in remote locations. Several years back, though, he tried his hand at operating from a very NON-remote location, resulting in…

Unusual Facts About Cable Loss • Most of us know that any antenna feedline carries both forward and reverse power. But very few hams realize that certain coaxial cables are designed to more efficiently carry energy in one direction than the other. WØMH, a former Society of Broadcast Engineers “Engineer of the Year,” explains this new twist on coax.

Learning Cyrillic Morse Code • Increase the enjoyment of your CW QSOs with hams in Russia and other countries where the Cyrillic alphabet is used (including Ukraine) by learning some basics of Cyrillic Morse Code. K6CTW has developed an app that can help.

math’s notes • A Universal AM Modulator

emergency communications • A Collaborative Effort

kit building • Updates, Antennas and Tools, Oh My…

magic in the sky • I Need a Bigger Antenna!

antennas • Care and Feeding of SWRs

SPURIOUS SIGNALS

qrp: low-power communications • Winter Field Day with My Old Friend … the...