Founded by Sandro Nelli, I0JXX, the company boasts decades of experience producing high-gain directional Yagis for VHF, UHF, and 6M, as well as SHF and EHF operating. For those who work the “birds,” their satellite-friendly, 18-element 2400 MHz antenna allows you to uplink to the AMSAT QO-100 geostationary amateur radio transponder. I0JXX also offers parabolic antenna feedpoint elements required to receive the 10 GHz downlink signal.

You’ll find a great selection of I0JXX products at DXEngineering.com, including:

• 24 Models of VHF/UHF Beam Antennas

Also choose from I0JXX VHF/UHF antenna power dividers, aluminum telescoping masts, and more.

What’s New from I0JXX

DX Engineering is excited to carry these new offerings from I0JXX:

SEQJXXBOX Sequencer

This advanced switching control unit for preamplifiers, power amplifiers, transceivers, and transverters is typical of VHF, UHF and SHF amateur and commercial radio systems. When using independent low-noise mast-mounted or inline preamplifiers and inline power amplifiers, the correctly sequenced timing of PTT and disconnect signals must be sent before a transceiver or transverter is keyed. The SEQJXXBOX Sequencer provides precisely timed control relays to help protect your preamplifier, power amplifier, and receive-transmit relays from damage caused by improper switching.

Featuring independently configurable time delay sequencing for SSB and CW modes, the SEQJXXBOX has four separate output relays which are tied in series to ensure the proper switching sequencing of every critical component in the receive-transmit chain. 

Configurations and functions are entered with a four-button control. Status info in RX and TX is displayed on a 2 x 16 alphanumeric blue-tone readout. Independent front panel switches for turning on or off the preamp, the power amp, and the sequencer, along with programmable control over CW break-in and relay timing provide intuitive and helpful operational flexibility. Two rear panel eight-screw barrier strips handle all input and outputs, so simple stripped lead wiring is required from all peripheral components. A simple foot switch for SSB PTT is provided with each unit.

LNA Receive Preamplifiers

These preamplifiers offer high gain amplification with very low internal noise for VHF and UHF amateur band optimized devices used worldwide by experimenters and contest enthusiasts. Excellent receive-only performance at low current is achieved by these compact 12VDC units, available in two connector configurations: SMA female input and output, or Type N male input and female output.

LNA (low noise amplifiers) offer preamplification using ultra-low noise components as good or better than most receiver front ends, to preserve the capabilities of a low-noise antenna system. Typically, they do not have relays in the signal path that might introduce noise or loss.

These devices can be used directly in most receive applications and may be used to build a sequencer-controlled receive-transmit relay system for two-way VHF or UHF communications. They’re built with high-quality components including low-loss FR4 copper-clad PCBs and environmentally safe tri-chrome high-conductivity passivated aluminum chassis. Choose from five models offering various frequency ranges, gains, and noise factors.

Mast-Mount Low-Noise Preamplifiers

These models offer high gain amplification with excellent noise figures in VHF and UHF amateur band optimized devices for casual operation or contest-grade directional antenna systems.

Built for long-term tower-top use, two high-power SPDT coaxial relays are used to protect the internal, band-specific I0JXX LNA using low-loss and high-isolation interconnections. These components are housed in a specialized weather- and UV-resistant polyamide black case with a drip edge surrounding two downward facing Type N female connectors mounted on a rugged, 12-gauge aluminum panel.

A separate female BNC is for DC power and control voltage, intended to be sent from the required sequencer via coaxial cable. Extraordinary receive-transmit-receive changeover performance is achieved by these compact 12VDC mast mounted units.

The post Manufacturer Spotlight: New and Tried-and-True Products from I0JXX appeared first on OnAllBands.

A few weeks ago, I hit the road as a rover for the Ohio State Parks On The Air (OSPOTA) Contest. This would be only the second time I’ve roved for OSPOTA.

OSPOTA had its beginnings in 2008 as a new activity for the then-fledgling Portage County Amateur Radio Service (PCARS). You can read more about OSPOTA on our website at ospota.org or in this recent OnAllBands article about the 19th Annual Ohio State Parks On The Air Contest.

I joined OSPOTA around 2013 as a board member to help with the tech side of things. What began as a simple website maintenance gig has grown to include log-checking. Personally, I’ve always enjoyed portable Field Day-type operating, and OSPOTA seemed to scratch that itch for me.

This year marked my 17th season participating in OSPOTA. I’ve operated from a number of parks over the years. For most of the past eight years, my go-to park has been Mount Gilead State Park in Morrow County. But this year, my plans to drag the camper over to Mount Gilead fell apart due to recovering from some surgeries. Plan B was to instead be a rover.

In case you’re wondering, a rover is a contest participant who lights up not one but several locations over the course of a contest. In the State QSO Parties, rovers will activate multiple counties. It’s the same in OSPOTA, but instead of counties, we light up Ohio state parks.

My plan was simple enough: begin at Quail Hollow Park, head north to Wingfoot Lake State Park, then northeast to West Branch State Park. After West Branch, I’d backtrack and hit them all again. On the return trip, I planned to break out the 80 meter antenna for more contacts. Unfortunately, that didn’t quite go as planned.

Quail Hollow was my first stop, and it has an interesting past of its own. Long before anyone showed up with a radio and an antenna, the property was farmland. It later became the country estate of railroad executive Harry Bartlett Stewart. Fifty years ago the Stewart family sold more than 700 acres and the estate to the State of Ohio for about half its appraised value, creating Stark County’s first state park. In 2016, the state transferred management of the park to Stark Parks, the Stark County park system. It still counts, though, as a state park in the eyes of OSPOTA and other programs.

Quail Hollow is one of two parks that I consider my “Home Park.” When I get tired of radio, there are plenty of other things to do. I’ve hiked part of the Buckeye Trail that passes through Quail Hollow. There are also bike trails and horse trails that get quite a bit of use.

The weather this year was not bad when I was there, but the radar picture told me that it wouldn’t last. After setting up the station in the cab of the truck, I was about 30 minutes late for the start of the contest, so I got to work making up for lost time.

By the time I needed to move on to the next park, I had a good start on the log. Several contacts were in other Ohio state parks. Conditions were great on 40 meters, and I was optimistic about a good score. The next park would be Wingfoot Lake State Park in Suffield.

My earliest memories of Wingfoot Lake were from the time it was a company park for the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. I believe my family attended some reunions there during my childhood. My most vivid memory, though, was attending the Goodyear Hamfest there in the late 1970s. It was one of the best hamfests.

Goodyear’s connection with Wingfoot Lake goes back much further. The company purchased 720 acres there in 1916 for its growing airship operations. The lake was named for Goodyear’s familiar winged-foot logo, and a hangar, workshops, hydrogen plant, and landing field were constructed along its south shore. During World War I Goodyear even built blimps there for the U.S. Navy.

The north shore was later developed as a recreation area for Goodyear employees and their families. By the 1980s, more than 100,000 people were visiting the company park each year. Goodyear closed the park in 2006, and it became part of the Ohio state park system in 2009.

As I arrived at Wingfoot Lake, the rain was just beginning, and it didn’t improve during my brief visit. This doesn’t bother most rovers since we can usually operate from our cars. However, I didn’t feel like heading out in the rain to swap antennas. So, 40 and 20 meters were the order of the day at Wingfoot.

Before leaving the park, 21 stations wound up in my log. Modes were mixed between SSB and CW. I also worked several other Ohio state park stations. I would have loved to work more, but I needed to grab some lunch and head to my next stop: West Branch State Park.

West Branch Reservoir was created by damming the West Branch of the Mahoning River, and the state park opened in 1966. Beneath the waters of the reservoir lies part of the landscape that once surrounded the small community of Campbellsport, along with old roads, farms, and the original course of the West Branch of the Mahoning River.

The rain had let up by the time I got to West Branch, but a couple of brief listens to 80 meters told me that it wasn’t going to be the money band I’d hoped for. Depending on conditions, 40 meters can either run long or short. If it runs long, then 80 meters is where all the park-to-park contacts happen, with 40 and 20 meters good for contacts farther out.

But when 40 runs short as it did that day, it’s great for working other Ohio state parks. The band was also quite active with stations participating in the New Jersey QSO Party (NJQP). The Colorado QSO Party (COQP) was also running that weekend, but those stations were mostly heard on 20 meters. Several of the NJQP and COQP stations got in the logs. Since their contest exchanges are similar to ours, they lend themselves to this style of operating.

With 80 meters apparently out of the picture, there wasn’t much reason to backtrack through the same three parks. It was time to make another plan. Instead of turning around, I pointed the truck toward Lake Milton State Park and decided to keep going.

Once arriving at Lake Milton State Park (US-3515), I chose a new operating location on Route 18, not too far from the town of Lake Milton. Route 18 was once the main road between Akron and Youngstown. Passing through the town on the way to the state park spoke to better days before the interstate came through. There are lots of small businesses and older buildings from back in the day.

There are plenty of small parking lots on the causeway approaching Lake Milton. I found a very relaxing spot where I could activate the park and enjoy the view. After setting up the rig, it was now mid-afternoon and the number of Ohio state park stations had declined a bit. So, it was time to head to 40 meters and get to work!

For an OSPOTA rover, the magic numbers are ten and four. That is, for an activation to be valid at any park, the activator must make at least ten contacts, including no fewer than four different Ohio state parks, not including the park the activator is operating from. That’s why my first priority at each park was to get four other parks in the log. After that, it’s time to have some fun! In my case, that fun lasted about 20 minutes—about the time it took to get 14 contacts in the log.

The next stop was to be Guilford Lake State Park in Columbiana County. Guilford Lake has an interesting history of its own. The lake was originally built in the 1830s as a feeder reservoir for the ill-fated Sandy & Beaver Canal. When the canal era ended, farmers breached the dam, drained the lake, and farmed the fertile lakebed. The dam was eventually rebuilt, the lake returned, and Guilford Lake became part of Ohio’s state park system in 1949.

Ironically, when I arrived for OSPOTA, much of the lake was gone again. The water has been drawn down for a major rehabilitation of the aging dam, including replacement of the spillway and improvements to the embankment and drainage system. Work is expected to be completed around the end of 2026, with the lake beginning to refill in the spring of 2027.

This was the final stop in my OSPOTA journey this year. I already knew of at least one group that was going to be activating the park as well. This was my home club, the Alliance Amateur Radio Club, which was running W8LKY for the day. So I made sure to stop by for some cold pizza.

While I was there, the conversation turned to Briar Island, located just offshore from their operating location. With the lake drawn down, someone came up with the idea of walking out and activating the island for the US Islands On The Air program. One of the guys had already tried it but quickly discovered that a drained lake doesn’t necessarily mean a dry lake. The exposed lakebed was still pretty gooey, and he wisely abandoned the attempt.

Briar Island would have to wait for another day, so I headed up the shore to finish out my rove. Conditions were beginning to wind down for the afternoon. Some stations in other Ohio state parks seemed to have packed up early. Since it was almost dinnertime, I admit to wanting to head for home as well. So once my minimum contacts were made, I packed up and left. I guess the pizza didn’t do much to quiet my hunger pangs.

It had been a great day with 96 miles driven and about 2.25 hours behind the wheel. I made 113 contacts and put 25 Ohio state parks in the log.

That’s it for this month. It was, as I said, a Perfect Ham Radio Day! How about you? What is your Perfect Ham Radio Day? Get out there and find out!

73 DE WG8X

The post The Perfect Ham Radio Day—Roving Five Ohio State Parks appeared first on OnAllBands.

You recognize the voices. You know who is likely to check in early, who is always running five minutes late, and someone who manages to turn a simple signal report into a 20-minute story about the weather, antennas, or the time he repaired a transmitter using parts that probably belonged in a toaster.

The word “net”comes from network. But in this case, it’s a human network of ham radio operators connected by a common frequency.

The Magic of a Ham Radio Net

A net is simply an organized gathering of amateur radio operators on a particular frequency. There may be a net control operator who keeps things moving, calls for check-ins, handles traffic, and makes sure everyone gets a chance to speak. Some nets are highly structured. Others are relaxed enough that they feel more like a group of friends sitting around a virtual coffee table.

The equipment may be sophisticated like a full-blown DX station or extremely simple like a handheld transceiver. The participants might be separated by a few miles or several states. Yet for the duration of the net, they share the same invisible meeting place. And unlike a coffee shop, nobody has to worry about who is going to pick up the check.

More Than a Roll Call

One of the simplest types of nets is the regular check-in net. The net control operator announces that the net is beginning and invites stations to check in. Operators respond with their call signs, and sometimes a name, location, or short comment. It sounds simple—and it is. But this routine has a surprisingly important purpose.

A regular net gives people a reason to get on the air. Without a net, an operator might turn on the radio, listen for a few minutes, hear nothing interesting, and turn it off. With a net scheduled for 7 pm every Tuesday, however, there is somewhere to go. The regular appointment creates consistency.

After a while, operators begin planning around it. They know that Tuesday evening means the net. They may even find themselves looking forward to participating. The radio has quietly become social media without the scrolling, advertising, algorithms, or arguments about politics.

Everyone Has a Place

One of the strengths of a good net is that it can bring together operators with very different levels of experience. The newly licensed ham may be nervous about getting on the air. A net provides a relatively stress-free environment for making that first contact.

The experienced operator, meanwhile, has an opportunity to help. He or she can explain procedures, answer questions, and offer advice without making the new operator feel as though they have accidentally wandered into an advanced physics class.

This is particularly important because amateur radio can sometimes seem intimidating from the outside. There are antennas, radios, power supplies, SWR meters, coaxial cables, digital modes, propagation charts, regulations, and enough abbreviations to make the hobby look like a secret society. A friendly net cuts through all of that. You don’t have to know everything. You simply have to know your call sign and how to say, “Good evening.”

Nets Build Familiarity

A funny thing happens when you hear the same people regularly. You begin recognizing voices before you hear call signs. “Oh, there’s Mary. I’ll bet she’s going to mention the weather again.”

Eventually, you know where people live, what radios they use, what antennas they have, and which ones are currently undergoing the traditional ham radio maintenance procedure known as waiting for the parts to arrive.

You also learn about people’s lives. Someone may mention a new grandchild. Another operator may talk about a camping trip built around a POTA activation. One may have just completed a challenging antenna project. These little details turn operators into people rather than simply call signs. That is when a frequency becomes a community.

The Net Control Operator (NCO)

Every good net needs someone to keep things organized. Enter the net control operator. The NCO is part traffic cop, part host, and part referee. The job may involve calling the net to order, taking check-ins, recognizing stations, handling announcements, and keeping conversations from wandering completely off into the weeds.

And keeping a ham radio conversation from wandering into the weeds can be a difficult undertaking. A simple question such as, “How is everyone doing tonight?” can sometimes lead to a detailed discussion of antennas, lawn tractors, solar panels, boat anchors, and the weather forecast for the next seven days.

A good net control operator doesn’t necessarily shut down conversation. Instead, the operator keeps it moving while allowing people enough room to enjoy themselves. The best net control operators are organized without being authoritarian and friendly without allowing the net to become an audio free-for-all.

Nets Serve a Purpose

Not every net is simply social. Some are designed for emergency and public service communications. Others handle traffic—formal messages passed from one operator to another. There are nets devoted to specific radio activities such as chasing DX, working all states awards, technical discussions, equipment, clubs, or contesting.

Weather nets can become especially important during severe storms. Think of the Skywarn nets taking reports during severe weather. When normal communications are disrupted, amateur radio operators may provide information from locations that are otherwise difficult to reach. A trained net can collect reports, pass them to emergency organizations, and help maintain communication when conventional systems are overloaded or unavailable.

This is one reason regular participation matters. You don’t become effective during an emergency by reading the “NWS Field Spotter’s Guide” five minutes after the tornado warning appears. Regular nets provide training and practice. Operators learn procedures, learn how to communicate clearly, and learn how to work as a team.

Keeping a Net Healthy

A net can be technically perfect and still fail. The secret is participation.

Net control operators should make it easy for people to join. Long, complicated procedures can discourage newcomers. Excessive formality can make a friendly net sound like a congressional hearing. A good net should have enough structure to prevent chaos but enough flexibility to remain enjoyable. It also helps to give people a reason to check in.

Our local net poses a weekly question that can generate conversation, such as:

• What was your first ham radio?
• What’s your favorite antenna?
• What one thing would you take to a deserted island?
• What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever heard on the radio?

That last question could require several net sessions. The important thing is to create opportunities for participation rather than simply gathering a list of call signs.

Participation may also include general announcements—ones about upcoming club events, meetings, hamfests, news, and classes. Got something for sale?  Here’s a good opportunity to let a group of potential buyers know about the FT-818, in immaculate condition, that you’re willing to part with. Need some operators to help out with the 4^th of July parade? This is the place to enlist some volunteers.

The Importance of Listening

Participating in a net doesn’t always mean talking. Listening is valuable, too. New operators can learn a tremendous amount simply by hearing how experienced operators conduct themselves. They learn when to transmit, how to identify themselves, how to keep transmissions concise, and how to handle interference.

They also learn something that can’t easily be taught from a book or YouTube video: radio etiquette. You discover that being heard isn’t nearly as important as being polite. You’ll learn that nobody really needs to hear your complete life story every time you key the microphone. And eventually, you may even discover that your microphone has an uncanny ability to make you forget your own call sign.

A Community without Walls

Perhaps the most remarkable thing about a ham radio net is that it creates community without requiring everyone to be in the same physical place. The operator in the next neighborhood may be there. So may someone 20 miles away. Depending on the band and conditions, the group might stretch much farther. Yet everyone gathers at the same time and shares the same frequency.

There are no physical walls, no parking problems, and no requirement that everyone live in the same neighborhood. The only real requirement is that everyone can get a signal into the meeting. Sometimes that signal is strong and clear. Sometimes it arrives with static, fading, and enough noise to make everyone wonder if they’re standing near a food processor.

More Than Radio

A good ham radio net is ultimately about people. The radios are simply the devices that make the gathering possible. The frequency is the meeting room. The net control operator is the host. The operators are the neighbors. Conversations are the reason everyone keeps coming back.

And over time, something changes. A frequency that once meant nothing becomes familiar. You hear a call sign and know the person behind it. You notice when someone doesn’t check in. You hear a familiar voice after a long absence, realizing that you missed it. That is when amateur radio becomes much more than just a technical hobby.

A net can turn a collection of strangers into friends, a group of operators into a team, and a number on the dial into a place where people belong. In a hobby built around invisible signals traveling through the air, it’s one of the most human connections amateur radio can make.

Looking for a Net?

Listening on local repeaters or the HF bands can be a good starting point. Here are a couple online sources that can help you connect with a net:

• netfinder.radio (Find a group on the air you can call home.)
• arrl.org/arrl-net-directory-search (The ARRL Online Net Directory helps you find registered nets through their database.)
• w0xz.com/v/hfnets/ (The HF nets SDR tuner. Subject to band conditions and net schedules.)

The post Nothing But Net—When a Frequency Becomes a Community! Learn the Basics of Enjoying Ham Radio Nets appeared first on OnAllBands.

OnAllBands is excited to present articles from experienced portable DXer, author, and popular YouTuber Walt Hudson, K4OGO, known to hams everywhere as Salty Walt. Look for more posts and plenty of good operating advice from K4OGO in the days to come.

***

Currently one of the most popular activities in amateur radio is portable operations, and the biggest part of that trend is portable HF activations. With the amazing growth of Parks on the Air® (POTA), the idea of getting outside and operating is taking the hobby by storm and is also contributing to a wonderful growth cycle in the ham community.

POTA is great, but there are many other reasons to get out and activate portable. Those reasons range from emergency communications to the necessity of having to get out of a restricted homeowners association to enjoy the hobby. For me, the reason I prefer to operate portable on the HF bands is to take advantage of a location that will increase my ability to make long-distance contacts. Living by the ocean, that location is at the beach beside saltwater, which greatly enhances my signals on both transmit and receive.

Yes, I’m fortunate to live on the coast, but no matter where you’re located there is a place nearby that is optimal for improving your operational situation, whether it’s an elevated summit or just an open park free of power lines, people, and noise. Getting outside portable can improve your experience and is also a great way to experiment with different equipment and antennas. It’s a place to learn and grow as a ham radio operator.

After hundreds of portable HF activations, the one thing I have learned the hard way is to be prepared. Thinking out an activation and setup is key to having a great time and experiencing a good activation. Going over every detail before packing up and setting off can make or break an activation. Trust me, I’ve made all the mistakes, including making a 100-mile trek out to the middle of nowhere only to find that my PL-259 coax connectors won’t work with the BNC connectors on the transceiver I brought along because I forgot to pack a simple adapter.

With that said, let’s go over the steps of preparing for a successful portable HF activation.

Let’s start with the question, “What’s your mission?” Here’s what I mean by that. Are you going out with the plan to make 100 POTA contacts in an hour and fill up the logbook or are you trying to make long-distance contacts? Are you going out for an hour or two or is this an all-day “Field Day” type of activation? Are you practicing for an emergency situation? All these things matter very much when it comes to band selection, equipment selection, antenna selection and, most of all, location selection. Carefully take all these into consideration when planning a portable outing.

After we have determined our goal or mission, the most important step to think out is antenna selection. Throwing the trusty end-fed halfwave antenna over a tree and hooking it up might be great for a quick, casual POTA activation but not ideal for a DXing day atop a summit or on the beach. In the same manner, that 5/8-wave vertical you built for portable DXing isn’t the antenna for practicing and preparing for emergency comms. In that situation it might be best to investigate and build a Near Vertical Incidence Skywave (NVIS) antenna to concentrate your signal in a regional geographic area. You can have the best equipment money can buy, but without the right antenna it really doesn’t matter.

Another key ingredient for a successful HF portable outing is band selection and having a good idea which band you’re going to use before even setting out. Checking, understanding, and preparing to use a certain HF band or bands is extremely important in antenna selection and setup. Simply said, we’re not going to do much DXing at 3 pm in the afternoon on the 40 meter band, but we might make a great number of regional POTA contacts using that band.

On the other hand, at that time of day if band conditions are good, we might make some incredible DX contacts around the world on the 15, 12 or 10 meter bands if they are open, as well as some great contacts on 20 meters around the country with some DX sprinkled in. Understanding the characteristics of the HF bands and when to use them is key to planning and having an enjoyable experience.

Then comes the part of the setup that gets all the glory—the transceiver. Choosing and using a good transceiver that fits your needs is kind of like choosing the type of automobile you drive. Some prefer, or are loyal to, a certain brand while others just want something that’s affordable and works. Regardless of where you stand, having the right transceiver is another crucial part of the HF portable equation.

Are you pulling up to a park and operating in or beside your vehicle? Then maybe that big 100-watt rig with all the latest features is your thing. Are you climbing up a summit or walking over a dune and across sand for 200 meters? Then maybe that lightweight 20-watt or QRP rig is the answer. Do you need a rig with an internal antenna tuner (ATU) in order to use non-resonant multiband antennas? Putting some thought into it and having the transceiver that suits your needs is extremely important.

Last, but definitely not least, are all the supporting items to finish off your setup or go-bag:

• The proper battery or power source to power everything
• Selecting the right coax and thinking it out as far as coax type, length, and connector types to match your antenna and transceiver
• Do you need a choke for your antenna feedline?
• Do you need an antenna tuner?
• How will you deploy your antenna? Do you need a telescoping pole?
• How will you deploy the pole?

It goes on and on. But thinking out all the details ahead of time is the key to having that day out portable you will never forget.

Take it from someone who has had hundreds of unforgettable days out HF portable but has also driven home disappointed because he forgot something simple or didn’t plan accordingly. Really thinking it out and even making a checklist and going over it several times are the most important parts of your portable activation.

The post Ham Radio Operating Insights from Salty Walt: Portable HF Activations—Preparing for Success appeared first on OnAllBands.

PhotoQSLs, a company that has been providing high-quality QSL cards to the amateur radio community since 2007, now offers a series of QSL cards featuring images of popular DX Engineering branded equipment. Choose from four options: the RT4500 Heavy Duty Rotator, RR8B Remote Antenna Switch and Control Console Package, Reversible Beverage Antenna System, and NCC-2 Receive Antenna Phasing System.

Cards will be customized with your call sign, desired personal information, choice of style for the back of the card, and other options. Order your DX Engineering QSL cards at the PhotoQSLs website.

Earn Rewards Points

Purchase a minimum of 50 DX Engineering QSL cards from PhotoQSLs to earn 1,000 QSO points (the equivalent of $20 in DX Bucks) in the DX Engineering Rewards Program. These points are good toward future purchases at DX Engineering.

This QSO points offer is good for one purchase per year of DX Engineering QSL cards from PhotoQSLs. Customers will need to present an invoice for proof of purchase to DX Engineering to receive the QSO points. The promotion is subject to change, and DX Engineering reserves the right to adjust the terms and conditions without prior notice.

About the DX Engineering Rewards Program

The DX Engineering Rewards Program makes it simple to earn points—called QSO Points—and convert those into DX Bucks which can be used toward the purchase of more than 30,000 products at DX Engineering, including transceivers, antennas, CW keys, audio equipment, and apparel.

Enrollees earn QSO Points on eligible items ordered via DXEngineering.com, by phone, or through special promotions like this offer from PhotoQSLs.

For every 250 QSO Points you accumulate, $5 in DX Bucks will be awarded to your account. DX Bucks can be used to pay for orders placed on the website, by phone, or in one of our Retail Stores. DX Bucks earned from QSO Points are valid for 60 days after they are awarded.

• If you’re already enrolled in the DX Engineering Rewards Program, the 1,000 QSO points from your PhotoQSLs purchase will be added to your account.
• If not enrolled, DX Engineering will contact you with information to see if you’d like to join the Rewards Program. It’s free to enroll. Click here for complete details about the program.

Interested in other options from PhotoQSLs? Visit their website for details on creating your fully customized card using your uploaded photos.

The post Earn DX Engineering Rewards When You Buy Special QSL Cards from PhotoQSLs appeared first on OnAllBands.

Group operating can mean different things to different folks. To some, it conjures ideas of a bunch of friends getting together in a rented pavilion, making a day of it. For others, perhaps it’s picking up a friend and heading out to some new-to-you park for a morning of radio fun.

Sure, it’s fun to get outdoors to do a Parks On The Air® (POTA) activation, but it doesn’t have to be a solo activity. POTA offers great opportunities to get out with friends, enjoy the outdoors, and share knowledge and experience.

A group activation can be a completely different experience, combining operating, teaching, experimenting and plain old socializing. That teaching and mentoring aspect is what amateurs have traditionally called Elmering.

The group activations that I’ve done normally fit into one of these examples:

A Two- or Three-Person Activation might involve a couple of friends heading to a new location and sharing one station. We normally pass the microphone back and forth so each operator genuinely participates in making contacts. Simply being present at an activation isn’t the same as operating; proximity is not participation.

Another option is meeting a friend at a POTA reference. He might run SSB while I operate CW. Running multiple stations in close proximity makes you think hard about various challenges, such as what steps to take to avoid interference between the stations. These can include keeping some distance between the stations, running lower power, and using bandpass filters.

Club Outings: I’ve done several group outings with my local radio club—the Portage County Amateur Radio Service (PCARS). We’ll rent a park pavilion and operate POTA for the day. As per custom, food is involved. No one ever leaves hungry from one of these group outings. These normally occur on a Support Your Parks (SYP) Weekend, but they can pop up at any time. Simply put the word out that you will be at such and such park at this time and invite other members to come out to operate. It’s as easy as that.

By the way, Support Your Parks Weekends are seasonal POTA activities held four times each year (the next one is Oct. 17-18). Other portable programs hold similar activity events, but SYP gives POTA operators a particularly good excuse to organize a club outing. Our club gets out for each one, even in January. You need to be either dedicated or crazy to set up outdoors in Northeast Ohio in January!

POTA Get-Together or Meetup: These are always fun, but it’s usually more about socializing and comparing equipment than about how many contacts we can make. Most of the get-togethers and meetups seem to be a state or regional thing.

A successful group activation doesn’t need to be complicated, but it does benefit from a little planning. Regardless of how many people participate, it helps to decide what you want the activation to accomplish.

There’s the Social Outing, where radios are almost secondary; everyone gets together to have fun and socialize. These are great and are sometimes unplanned.

For instance, do you camp? Next time you camp at a state park, take a walk around the campground and see how many fellow hams you meet.

The New-Operator event is great. Invite someone to come out activating with you. Maybe a new ham, a non-ham, or even a seasoned ham who might be looking for something new to become addicted to. In other words, give someone who has never activated POTA a chance to get on the air.

Technical/Experimental Day: I know a few hams who are constantly experimenting with their POTA setups. Maybe they’re tweaking go-kits, antennas, or power systems. Or perhaps you are messing with a new mode or band for POTA. The Technical/Experimental Day concept is great for this because you get to see what your friends are working on and compare notes in the field.

Emergency/Public Service Training: Speaking with a representative from the Fulton County Radio Club here in Ohio today, I heard a great idea for group operating. Their approach is an interesting one: They purposely seek out some of the most godforsaken areas they can find to operate from. The idea is to practice setting up and operating under less-than-ideal conditions, building skills and experience that could prove invaluable during an actual emergency.

Contesting: Maybe you would like to try to rack up a serious bunch of contacts? Try setting up multiple stations, use multiple bands/modes, and see how many QSOs you can make from a park! Better yet, do this for the weekend of your state’s QSO Party. You can amass a serious number of QSOs while trying to beat last year’s score. Lots of states now have State Parks On The Air contests as well.

Though not affiliated directly with POTA, the contacts made from a state park can be uploaded to your POTA account as long as your park has a POTA number.

Here in Ohio, the Ohio State Parks On The Air Contest tends to be a big deal. You can read more about it in the recent OnAllBands article, “Get Ready for the 19th Annual Ohio State Parks On The Air Contest.”

Lastly, some folks set up a group activation as a Club Promotion/Public Demonstration (Think Field Day). What a great way to introduce visitors to both amateur radio and POTA.

Choosing the Right Park

Choosing a location for a group activation is pretty simple. All you need for a solo or two-, three-person activation is a way to get there and a minimum number of services. You can even get by without trees to hang your antennas from.

A group activation is a bit of a different animal. Since you are planning for a larger group, there are a few more things to consider.

• Is parking adequate?
• Are there restrooms?
• Are there picnic shelters/tables to operate from?
• Is there room to erect and spread out antennas?
• Is there cell coverage? (It isn’t a must-have, but it is nice for spotting purposes.)
• Is the park open?
• Is there food nearby, or should we bring our own?
• Are reservations or permits needed?
• Will this be a day activation or a weekend camping/socializing get-together?

Remember, a park that’s perfect for one or two people may be terrible for 12. Someone needs to coordinate things, but it doesn’t have to become Field Day.

We’ve had great luck just renting a shelter and advising everyone to run what you brung. Having one person be a central point of contact is great. This ensures that you won’t have five rolls of coax but no radios. Or worse yet, five bowls of potato salad and no main course. It’s great if everyone can do low power to minimize interference between the stations.

Keeping the Stations Happy

Anytime more than one station is on the air, the possibility exists for inter-station interference. Whenever you are setting up in a group environment, here are some things to look at to ensure “happy stations.”

Antenna Separation: Whenever possible, try to keep your antennas as far apart as possible. Aligning your horizontal antennas at right angles to each other isn’t a bad idea if you can do it.

Operating on Different Bands: Keeping all stations from operating on the same bands is a great idea. Even if you are on 40M CW and your buddy is on 40M SSB, the possibility for interference exists.

QRP or Reduced Power: Reducing the station power will help to reduce interference between stations. The less power, the better, but I try to stay at 30W or less.

Bandpass Filters: If you are planning to do group activations often, a set of bandpass filters can be a good investment. Mark them plainly and make sure they are used on the bands they are designed for. Transmitting on 40M with a 20M filter in line won’t do your signal much good, nor will it help the life of the filter.

Coordinating Bands and Frequency Changes: We like to do a quick poll of the other stations before changing bands during a group activation. There’s nothing more frustrating than changing bands only to find another station from your group already there.

Testing the Arrangement Before a Larger Event Such as Field Day: Testing this stuff during a group activation will put you a step ahead when it’s time for Field Day.

Logging and Callsigns

At our group activations, we like to keep things simple. Some folks will operate under the club callsign, while others will use their own. There’s no right or wrong way to do this. It’s whatever works well for you and your group.

I’ll share a note on spotting here. If there are several stations sharing one callsign but operating on different bands, spotting can get confusing. The best way to deal with this is to add a suffix to the callsign when you spot yourself.

POTA’s documentation recommends identifiers such as K8BF/R01, K8BF/R02 and so on. You may see other suffixes being used, and we’ve used band identifiers such as K8BF/20 and K8BF/40 ourselves in the past. However, going forward, I’ll be sticking with POTA’s recommended /R01 convention. Remember that these suffixes distinguish the spots only; the station still transmits and logs the club callsign as K8BF.

Perfect for Beginners

Another plus to group activations is that it gives the new operator a chance to learn in a low-pressure environment. They can make their first HF contact, try new modes, learn about logging, and so much more! I think a huge takeaway for a group activation is that the new operator realizes that portable HF doesn’t require a truckload of equipment. They can learn and ask questions while having fun!

Remember, sometimes sitting under the pavilion talking with friends is the activity. So, invite your non-ham friends out as well.

But, even with all the fun to be had, don’t forget safety!

Be aware of hazards in the area (or above). Amateur radio operators have been killed when their antennas contacted overhead power lines.

Also, be aware of hazards you could be creating during setup. Make sure your stations and antennas are well laid out and marked properly. Watch for those trip hazards!

For more safety tips, have a look at “POTA Safety: Planning for a Safe and Successful Ham Radio Activation.”

If all goes well, this could easily become a regular activity for your club. If all doesn’t go well, take time to figure out why. Obviously, you can’t change some things, like the weather. But you can definitely change how you prepare for it.

And mix it up a bit. Try holding themed activations: QRP Day, CW Day, Antenna Experiment Day, Support Your Parks, etc. You can combine POTA with a picnic or club meeting and invite neighboring clubs. This could become a great entry point for members who don’t normally attend traditional club activities.

Remember, it’s not just about the activation. Get out and have fun, be available to answer questions, train new operators and, to repeat myself, HAVE FUN!

A club POTA activation can fill the gap between a regular club meeting and Field Day. It’s much easier to organize than Field Day but considerably more interactive than sitting through another club meeting.

Ten contacts may qualify the activation, but the real measure of a successful club POTA outing might be how many people leave wanting to do it again.

So till next time, 73 DE WG8X

The post Ham Radio Portable Insights—Tips on Holding a Successful Group POTA Activation appeared first on OnAllBands.

• ACOM
• OM Power
• Icom IC-PW2
• 4O3A Power Genius XL
• RM Italy

Look for us to cover Palstar in a later post.

Toptek Communications Amplifiers

DX Engineering carries a great selection of feature-rich, well-engineered VHF, UHF, and VHF/UHF power amplifiers from Toptek Communications, a company that has been developing amateur radio solutions since 2003.

Available in models with maximum output power from 80 to 350W, these lightweight and compact units come with a host of ham-friendly features and benefits. Here are just a few (check specific models for exact features):

• Intuitive push-button controls
• Multiple protection circuits
• Large, easy-to-read green backlit screens (PA-350V, PA-150U)
• Front panel power and SWR metering
• Automatic fault for high SWR
• RF sense keying
• PTT input on SSB/CW models
• Selectable input ranges
• Mode switch for automatic SSB delay and peak power metering
• Built-in low-noise receive amplifiers
• Effective cooling from large, thermostatically controlled fans or heat sinks

Choose from these Toptek models at DXEngineering.com:

• TEK-PA-80V-U: 2M/70cm, 5-10W maximum input power, 80W maximum output power (PEP), FM, heat sink cooling

• TEK-PA-80U: 70cm, 5W maximum input power, 80W maximum output power (PEP), FM/SSB/CW, heat sink cooling

• TEK-PA-150U: 7ocm, 2-5W maximum input power, 160W maximum output power (PEP), FM/SSB/CW/Digital, cooling fans

• TEK-PA-85V: 2M, 3-5W maximum input power, 85W maximum output power (PEP), FM/SSB/CW, heat sink cooling

• TEK-PA-180V: 2M, 5W maximum input power, 180W maximum output power (PEP), FM/SSB/CW, cooling fan with shroud

• TEK-PA-350V: 2M, 7.5/15W maximum input power, 350W maximum output power (PEP), FM/SSB/CW/Digital, cooling fans

Also check out the Toptek Power Amplifier Remote Control Panel for the PA-150U and PA-350V. This user interface duplicates the LCD display and push-button keypad operation of the front panel of the connected amplifier. 

The post Guide to Amateur Radio Amplifiers 2026: Part 6, Toptek UHF, VHF, UHF/VHF Power Amplifiers appeared first on OnAllBands.

DX Engineering will serve as a major equipment sponsor for the activation, which spotlights one of the most sought-after IOTA entities (AS-133) and World Wide Flora & Fauna references (XU-0008). The team plans to be active from 160M to 6M (including 60M) on SSB, CW, FT4/FT8, RTTY, and PSK31.

Known for its white-sand beaches and clear turquoise water, Koh Rong Island—population 4,000— should offer excellent propagation to maximize QSO potential, per the XU7X team. At 30 square miles, it is Cambodia’s second-largest island and one of the locations within the Koh Rong Marine National Park. Reality TV fans will note that it was the location for seasons 31 and 32 of the American version of “Survivor.”

DX Engineering Supports XU7X with High-Performance Coax

DX Engineering provided XU7X with its branded coaxial cable (below). It’s the same high-quality cable that’s trusted by operators everywhere, from rag-chewers in your local club to DXpeditioners who have traveled to the world’s rarely activated locales.

• DX Engineering RG-8X PL-259 Low-Loss 50-Ohm Coaxial Cable Assemblies (various lengths)

Does it pay to buy better coax? Here are some thoughts from John, a DX Engineering customer, on his purchase of DX Engineering RG-8X coaxial cable assemblies:

“Wanting to save a few bucks, bought inexpensive coax for my antenna connections. Well, that didn’t work out too well. Interference issues and the cable got stiff after a few months inside my home. So, ordered RG-8X and replaced. Nice difference in my signal. Won’t be going the cheap route anymore.”

Read much more in this OnAllBands article about why DXpeditioners, DX chasers, contesters, and EMcomm specialists prefer DX Engineering coaxial cable.

Also, click this link to view Cambodia QSL cards from the collections of DX Engineering team members who have more than 1,000-plus years of amateur radio experience. It’s one of the reasons DX Engineering adopted the new company motto, Powered by Active Hams. And it’s why you should seriously consider the benefits of having active operators assist you with your cable and equipment purchases at DX Engineering.

Look for much more about XU7X on OnAllBands in the months ahead!

For up-to-date details, visit xu7x.net.

The post DX Engineering Sponsors XU7X Cambodia DXpedition—Its Branded Coaxial Cable to Play Critical Role appeared first on OnAllBands.

The good news is that while it can be difficult to overcome these hurdles, it’s definitely possible—no matter how long you’ve been away from amateur radio.

School and career commitments can make it challenging to stay active in amateur radio. These are frequent causes of hams taking a break from the hobby. There are plenty of ways to combat these conflicts, though. The first and easiest is to include amateur radio (or at least related topics) in your education or career.

For someone attending school, this could mean taking courses in which your amateur radio knowledge could be useful (this really applies to almost every course and subject area!). For someone who already has a job, finding ways to use your amateur radio knowledge for greater success at work can help you get back into the hobby.

For both students and those in the work force, joining a club with regular meetings and activities is a great plan. Most universities have amateur radio clubs. Joining one is not only a great option to get back into amateur radio, but also a way to become a more involved student and add another extracurricular activity to your resume! If you’re no longer in school, there are plenty of local clubs that will welcome hams of any level with open arms.

If you worry that you’ve been away from the hobby for too long, there are solutions for that too. First, you may need to make sure that your license is still valid. You are required to renew your license every ten years. If you exceed the ten-year mark, there is a two-year grace period during which using your callsign on the air is prohibited, but you can still renew your license without having to retake the test. After making sure your license is still valid, you’re ready to get on the air again!

If your license has expired, you’ll need to retest. You may be able to simply take the exam again and pass it, but many people will need to study for the exam again. It’s important to remember that the question pool will probably have changed since you took your first exam. Fortunately, there are many resources to help you study, including online platforms like HamStudy and amateur radio license manuals.

If you’re worried that you’ve lost your skills, start by forming small habits like getting on the air for 15 minutes every day, making at least one contact a day, or just listening on the air without transmitting at all. It can be hard when you feel like you’re starting from square one, but most amateur radio skills are like riding a bike—even when you don’t practice for a while, the skills will come back.

If you feel like you’re too busy, you could start by picking a certain amount of time one day a week reserved for amateur radio. Making this a habit will help you integrate times to enjoy the hobby into your schedule. You’ll probably always feel like you don’t have enough time for amateur radio—at least until you add it in small chunks throughout your schedule. It may also be helpful to schedule this time around a local net or club meeting. This way there is already structure in the times that you’ve set aside for the hobby, and you won’t have to spend extra time thinking about what you want to do.

It will always be at least a little bit challenging to get back into amateur radio (or any hobby) after some time away from it, but it’s possible with a little bit of effort and planning. The key to returning to the hobby is to start the process small—even 15 minutes a day can get you more involved and active. The small routines you create to achieve your goals will compound over time, and before you know it, you’ll be back to enjoying one of the best hobbies in the world!

The post Tips on Getting Back Into Amateur Radio After Periods of Inactivity appeared first on OnAllBands.

I say this jokingly, but it’s a fact: With age we start to lose our senses to one degree or another. And this can be compounded by what we have exposed our senses to over the years.

For years, I ran around the state in either a fire truck, ambulance, or police car with the siren blaring, never giving a thought to hearing protection. And what was one of my main hobbies at that time? Competitive shooting. What could go wrong, being in confined spaces with high-decibel noise for extended periods of time over the course of 30 years?

So, I admit that I have some degree of hearing loss. And it really is affecting my ability to pull out some weak signals over the air. Who wants to be the operator who needs to ask their contacts their call sign 12 times? So, I began exploring options.

I obtained some hearing aids. This helped immensely, but as you know when you amplify the good receive signal, you also amplify the noise. Some of it can be filtered out, but not all of it. I began my quest to lower the signal-to-noise ratio. Let me share a few steps I took to accomplish this.

The first thing I did was to get a good headset. I tried a commercial broadcast headset, which was good, but the cable arrangement was not conducive to my body shape. When I turned my head, it would knock the earpiece from my ear with my shoulder. Then I tried the Heil PRO 7 Headset.

The cable came off the earpiece at an angle avoiding my shoulder. I considered the fact that it stayed on my head a win. Beyond that, it was very lightweight and had plenty of adjustments to make it feel good. It was full stereo with balance control to allow me to listen to both VFOs in my radio simultaneously and adjust which one was louder. And finally, it has a phase reversal switch which is sometimes like magic when digging out a weak signal.

Next, I took a deep dive into the equalizer setting on my Yaesu FTDX-101MP and Yaesu FTDX-10. I watched videos and read information on how to tailor the sound to my hearing ranges. This was a great learning experience and really helped me with the way I hear my transceivers. I highly recommend that everyone who has a rig with equalizer settings do this.

In addition to the equalizer settings, it is vital to learn about the filtering built into your radio. In my mind, more is better, but that only applies to grandma’s biscuits and gravy. If you turn on too much internal filtering, you will distort the sound and filter out good signals. The Radio Today Guides from the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB) have been critical tools for learning about the settings on my rigs. They do a great job of explaining each setting and giving you a starting point.

Next, I decided to install a DX Engineering Receive Short Element Active Vertical Antenna (RSEAV). This is a low-to-ground receive-only antenna. It has a low third order intercept and is useful on 40 kHz to 30 MHz. You do need a means to add a dedicated receive antenna to your transceiver.

I used the DX Engineering NCC-2 Receive Antenna Phasing System to integrate the RSEAV into my setup. This allowed me to phase the RSEAV against my main transmit antenna to null out some of the noise. Plus, it lets me add up to three additional RSEAV antennas in the future if I desire.

DX Engineering offers a variety of audio-enhancing devices from manufacturers including bhi (digital sound processing (DSP) noise-canceling modules and speakers, parametric equalizers); Heil Sound (microphones, parametric receive audio equalizers, speakers, HT headsets); SOTAbeams (WOLFWAVE Advanced Audio Processor); and others.

Don’t make chasing that elusive DX any harder than it already is. 

Until next time, 73 de AC8OW

The post Can You Hear Me Now? Tips and Tools to Help Ham Radio Operators Affected by Hearing Loss appeared first on OnAllBands.