In the log this week
* CQ WPX CW Contest This Weekend (May 24-25)
* Dayton Hamvention Recap
* QRP ARCI Four Days in May Recap
* Yaesu Demonstrates and Begins Sales of FTX-1 Radio at Hamvention
* MVARC Breakfast and Meeting on 5/31/2025 (NOT This Saturday)
* MVARC Nets on the Air
* What's happening with DX?
* Solar Activity Update
* Upcoming Contests
* Interesting Online Radio Content
CQ WPX CW Contest This Weekend (May 24-25)
This weekend brings one of the biggest contests of the year: the CQ World Wide WPX Contest on CW. This is another contest where you can work a ton of DX, but what makes this one special is everyone can work everyone. The WPX part of it is referring to an interesting component of the contest where different call sign prefixes are the multipliers. So for me, the prefix would be "N2", so if you worked me you'd get a multiplier. But "W2" would be another, as would "K2", throw a different number in there and then you get still more, so the points escalate quickly and almost all contacts are "good contacts".
The contest starts at 0000 UTC on Saturday, May 24 (8 PM ET Friday Night), and ends on 2359 UTC on Sunday (7:59 PM ET Sunday). During that period of time a single operator can work 36 of the 48 hours and any off-times must be a minimum of an hour with no contacts logged. Bands allowed for the contest include 160m/80m/40m/20m/15m/and 10m. The exchange is RST plus a serial number, so "599 52" if you're someone's 52nd contact. Make sure you get the serial number, as it is required to match for the QSO to count. The final score is the QSO Points x Number of Prefixes Worked. QSO Points are 3 for contacts on different continents on 10m/15m/20m and 6 points on 40m/80m/160m. On the same continent but different countries points are 1 point on 10m/15m/20m and 2 points on 40m/80m/160m. Finally contacts in the same country are 1 point on all bands. The Prefix multipliers are applied only once, regardless of band or frequency of operation. Prefixes are the combination of the letters and numbers on the first half of the call, so N4, W4, WA4, S51, LY1000, are all separate prefixes to be counted. For entry, single operator categories include High Power (not exceeding 1500 Watts), Low Power (not exceeding 100 Watts), QRP (not exceeding 5 Watts). There are also a bunch of overlay categories that can be entered alongside your main category like Tribander, Rookie, Classic, and Youth. Check the rules for details on these. There are also Multi-Operator categories including Multi-One, Multi-Two, Multi-Unlimited, and Muti-Distributed. Again check the rules for full details. Rules and more information can be found at https://www.cqwpx.com/.
With us being near the top of Solar Cycle 25, this will be a great opportunity to work the world. Have fun and good luck!
Dayton Hamvention Recap
Inside one of the buildings at Hamvention 2025
Last weekend your author had the pleasure of attending Dayton Hamvention in Xenia, Ohio for the third year in a row. As always, a great time was had and there were lots of old friends to see, and plenty of new ones to meet. The fairgrounds were packed with vendors and amateurs. Some international vendors like Begali Keys and QRP Labs reportedly brought lower stock this year due to concerns with tariffs, with Begali reportedly selling out their stock on Saturday.
Lots of new gear was announced and displayed at Hamvention this year including the new FTX-1 radios from Yaesu (more on that later). Also announced was a new power management system from Buddipole called the PowerPro, slated for release in mid-July that incorporates backup power management and charging with an integrated MPPT solar charging controller.
As usual, there was an absolutely massive flea market with lots of gear on sale. Even with it being a three day event, seeing everything is definitely a challenge.
The Long Island CW Club's Forum on the Renaissance of CW
There was also an extensive list of forums to attend covering wide ranging topics from POTA and SOTA to using digital technology for shack automation, Antennas, Balloon Communications, Amateur Radio on the International Space Station, Contesting, and my favorite, CW. The Long Island CW Club held a great panel presentation about the club and the renaissance of CW that I thoroughly enjoyed. The forums were livestreamed this year, and you can check them out at https://www.youtube.com/@DARAHamvention.
All in all, it was a great weekend and I look forward to next year.
QRP ARCI Four Days in May Recap
Hans Summers G0UPL speaks at Four Days in May
On Thursday, May 15, 2025 the QRP Amateur Radio Club International held their annual conference, Four Days in May. The conference is one of the premier events in Amateur Radio, with a great lineup of speakers going into technical subjects of interest to the low power operator. This year Jack Purdum W8TEE and Al Peter AC8GY gave an update on the T41-EP radio project seven years later. Ashhar Farhan VU2ESE of HF Signals presented a messaging system based on FT8 for more reliable QRP communications via his "HF Messenger". Nick Kennedy WA5BDU gave the crowd an introduction into LTSpice for digital circuit analysis, a very useful tool for the hombrew builder. That was followed by Dan Koellen AI6XG who showed us a vacuum tube based CW transmitter for SOTA (yes, you heard that right) that incorporated technology from each decade in the last 100 years. Bill Kelsey N8ET gave a history of FDIM with proceedings from the past and memories of the people who made it possible. Jason Mildrum NT7S took at look at a potential replacement for the SA612 mixer chip that has been a mainstay of homebrew projects that has left active production complete with a proof of concept and a good amount of analysis. Hans Summers G0UPL of QRP Labs gave a fascinating talk about how he was ab le to bring SSB to the QMX radios via a firmware update. It was an amazing technical feat and allows the QMX to be one of the most effective and inexpensive multi-band and all-mode radios on the market. And finally we were treated to globe-trotting Ross Ballantyne VK1UN's presentation where he showed us how he was able to operate from hotels in some of the most remote and challenging places on Earth making WSPR transmissions on all bands, including 2,200 meters and 630 meters using incredibly clever impedance matching networks of his own design and simple wire antennas. He also talked about plans to run tests on the unlicensed 8.9 kHz VLF band in the very near future. Videos of the presentations can be found at https://www.youtube.com/@QRP_ARCI.
It was a fascinating set of talks with a completely filled auditorium. That evening brought Vendor Night where QRP radio and accessory makers of all sizes showed off and sold their coolest gear. Your author picked up parts from QRPme, a few kits from QRP Labs, and some paddles from Adam K6ARK, Vince VE6LK, and Ara N6ARA. Saturday night brought the banquet with a few new inductees into the QRP Hall of Fame and a whole lot of prizes being given away from donors. As always, the event was a high point of the trip to Dayton.
Yaesu Demonstrates and Begins Sales of FTX-1 Radio at Hamvention
The Yaesu FTX-1 Field
After all the hype and excitement surrounding the announcement of the FTX-1 radio and pre-sales being opened there was a lot of speculation about whether we would see them sold at Hamvention. On Friday, the speculation was able to be laid to rest. Yaesu had several of the radios available for hands-on inspection. If there was one refrain that I heard over and over at the show, it was that the radio was larger than anyone had expected. It certainly took me by surprise. The radio is about the width you would expect from a full size HF rig. In its Field configuration (the QRP unit) it does not go nearly as deep as a full size radio. That said, with the Optima 100 W amplifier unit it resembles a full-size HF radio
The Yaesu FTX-1 Optima
There were a limited number of FTX-1 Field radios for sale at Hamvention at Ham Radio Outlet's booth. This spurred some controversy as they were being fulfilled before the pre-orders on their site. There were some upset folks on the internet and some even went so far as to cancel their pre-orders in protest. With vendors now having stock, it seems likely that pre-orders will ship soon from the usual sources.
MVARC Breakfast and Meeting on 5/31/2025 (NOT This Saturday)
Due to the Memorial Day holiday this three day weekend MVARC will NOT be holding our breakfast and in-person meeting on Saturday. Instead we will shift both to Saturday the 31st to better accommodate everyone's schedules. We look forward to seeing you next week.
MVARC Nets on the Air
* 2 Meter FM Net: Tuesdays at 7 PM [146.655/- MHz (141.3 Hz PL Tone) ]
* 2 Meter Digital Net: Immediately Follows 2 Meter FM Net [146.655/- MHz C4FM]
* MVARC Slow Speed CW Roundtable: Saturday and Sunday at 7:30 AM [3.565 MHz CW]
* MVARC Cherry Tree Net: Saturday and Sunday at 8:30 AM [3.920 MHz LSB]
What's Happening with DX
As is customary on the weekend of a major contest, there will be a lot of DX on the air due to CQ WPX CW. Stations on the air include the US Virgin Islands (KP2B), Sao Miguel Island (CR2M), Cabo Verde (D4DX, D44TWO, D44ZZI), Barbados (8P5A), Niue Island (E6RS), Chatham Islands (ZL7IO), Aruba (P44W), Martinique (TO3E), Koror Island Palau (T88SG), Bonaire Island (PJ4M), Falkland Islands (VP8DPD), Majuro Atoll Marshall Islands (V73MT), Marcus Island Minami Tori Shima Islands (JG8NQJ/JD1), and Antarctica (DP0GVN).
A calendar of DXpeditions can be found at https://dxnews.com/calendar/
Solar Activity Update
As we go to press the Solar Flux Index (SFI) was 120 and the estimated sunspot number was 99. Over the last week the SFI has decreased. Solar activity has been at low levels in the last day with 8 numbered sunspot regions visible here on Earth. The Kp index is expected to briefly reach 4 today and no G1 geomagnetic storm conditions are likely in the near term. The chance of solar radiation storms at the S1 or greater level is low at 1%. R1 to R2 radio blackouts are possible with a predicted probability of 25%. R3 or greater blackouts are unlikely with a 5% chance predicted. There is a chance of 6 meter propagation so keep an eye on the band and spotting clusters to be ready for the next time the magic band does its thing. HF conditions have been favorable overall. It remains a fantastic time for amateurs of all license classes to get on the air and work the world.
Good sources of real-time solar information include https://www.spaceweatherlive.com/ and https://solarham.com/. A good overview of conditions can be found at https://dx.qsl.net/propagation/. To see D-layer absorption data and associated radio blackouts, visit https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/d-region-absorption-predictions-d-rap. To see real-time Maximum Usable Frequency (MUF) and Critical Frequency (foF2) information from radiosonde data, visit https://prop.kc2g.com/.
Upcoming Contests
As mentioned before, the CQ World Wide WPX Contest on CW will be on the air all weekend. The QRP ARCI will have its Hootowl Sprint. Aside from that there will not be much else this weekend on the contest front. As always the K1USN SSTs, MSTs, and CWTs will also be on the air.
The full contest calendar with events and exchanges can be found at https://www.contestcalendar.com/weeklycont.php
Interesting Online Radio Content
Matt M0DQW takes a look at the iRadio UV98 Plus -
Mike K8MRD shows his Hamvention Haul -
Not Just a Hobby Spotlights Tim K5OHY and CW -
Matt M0DQW builds a UHF Low Pass Filter -
Kevan 2E0WMG kayaks to salt marsh QRP fun -
Hayden VK7HH takes a look at a big LiFePO4 battery -
Josh KI6NAZ takes a look at the Buddipole Power Pro at Hamvention -
Matt M0DQW upgrades the Si4732 Firmware -
Jeff KF0MYB installs a GPS antenna at his shop -
Steve KM9G does an antenna shootout -
Sean W9FFF takes a look at the Goozeezoo 80-10m EFHW -
Matt M0DWQ uses a 23 cm Yagi for DATV -
Dugbo KD7DUG activates POTA on the Santa Rosa Plateau -
Ara N6ARA shows the fascinating engineering process of his TinyGawant antenna -
Ara N6ARA gets ready for FDIM and Hamvention -
Kevan 2E0WMG experiments with parasitic antenna arrays -
Mike K8MRD muses on failure as an opportunity to learn -
Save it for Parts tries to make a satellite Az/El rotator -
Hayden VK7HH takes a look at the Retevis MA1 -
Matt M0DQW has his first QSO on his homebrew SDR -
Mike K8MRD makes a linked dipole -
That's it for this week.
Best 73,
Ed
N2EC
