This is not an operating award in the most traditional sense. No contacts need be made to achieve it. But it does require radio reception and a certain skill called CW copying. For some time now the ability to accurately copy Morse Code has been removed as a requirement to obtain an Amateur Radio license […]
The old saying that timing is everything applies to many facets of life. Sports, comedy, etc. But it also plays a critical role in Amateur Radio. We all know about the use of UTC to avoid issues of time zones for Hams spread around the world. But precise timing is critical for some of the […]
The International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) sponsors the Worked All Continents award and it’s an easy early step into DX award chasing for many Hams. Making things a bit easier is the fact that the continent of Antarctica is ignored for this award. Note the southernmost continent’s glaring absence from the world map on the […]
I just received a new operating award, Grupo DX Cuba’s the Diploma Caribe. To earn the award contacts must be made with a number of Amateur Radio stations around the Caribbean Sea. There are several classes of award, each requiring contacts with a number of unique countries. The different classes provide an easier and quicker […]
The University of Texas Amateur Radio Club (W5EHM at the time) set up a portable operation on the University of Texas at Austin campus in 1986 for Field Day in 1986. This was a short distance from its Ham Shack at the time.
I’ve been using Remote Ham Radio for my serious DX’ing for some time now. Until recently this was limited to SSB and using the built in microphone on a Macbook Pro. I wanted to give FT8 a try since that would open up additional DXing opportunities. I came across some good documentation from RHR on […]
I just managed to finish off my second ARRL Amateur Radio logbook today while making some contacts in the RAC Winter Contest. The reason this sticks out for me is the date range of the QSOs contained in that logbook. August 1993 through December 2018. That’s 25 years between the first and last contact. I […]
CQ Magazine issues the WPX award for Amateur Radio operators who confirm contacts with a given number of unique callsign prefixes (KA5, GM0, 6Y5, etc.). The basic award is available for those who can confirm contacts with stations featuring 300 unique prefixes (400 for the Mixed certificate). Endorsements are available for each additional 50 new […]
The University of Texas ARC effort in 1998 earned a 5th place spot in the Collegiate Championship for Phone and contributed to an overall 3rd place finish in the combined category. It was one of the top 5 Phone Sweepstakes efforts in school history.
Photos from the University of Texas ARC effort in CW Sweepstakes, 1998. Not confident in my CW proficiency, I opted to serve as official club photographer.