Morse Runner Demo

Morse runner is a contest practice program. It is so realistic that you really think that you are on the air. What you see in this video is totally computer generated. If you are interested in acquiring or improving CW contesting skills, Morse Runner is one of the best if not THE best contest trainer available. Best of all, it's free at http://www.dxatlas.com/MorseRunner/

SOLAR ACTIVITY & HF PROPAGATION

The Sun–Earth Interconnect Since the late 1800s, it was noted solar activity affected telegraphic lines, and later, radio communications. However,
there was no scientific proof for this link. From the 1920s onward, radio amateurs clearly correlated HF propagation and the MUF to the solar cycle. But again, there was no scientific proof. Astronomers and physicists knew there was a sun–earth connection, but without direct observational data, it remained an un proven scientific theory.

The scientific proof did not come until quite recently – basically, the space age – when we got our first look at the sun from outside our protective atmosphere. In the 1970s, the Voyager spacecrafts were the first to confirm the existence of the solar wind. It was not until Skylab that increases in radiation and the solar wind were linked to solar flares, and coronal mass ejections (CME) were first detected. The sun-earth interconnect finally became a scientific fact.

More at http://www.qrparci.org/mambo/pdf/FDIM81.pdf

How to Do It: Basic Soldering

Surface Mount Soldering 101

Spiderbeam - High performance lightweight Antenna

This is a detailed construction howto for the Spiderbeam that is popular on DXpedeitons because of its light weight and ease of assembly and disassembly. There are other construction articles for this antenna. Do a Google search on "spiderbeam" to find them.
http://penbayarc.org/W1PBRnew/hmbrew/spiderbeam_constructionguide_english.pdf

ICOM 706 Trolley System

ARRL Compiles Complete Works of Larson E. Rapp, WIOU

Thanks to the tireless efforts of ARRL volunteer Bob Allison, WB1GCM, the League has assembled the complete known works of noted QST author Larson E. Rapp, WIOU. Rapp's remarkable contributions spanned a period of more than three decades (1941-1962, 1972), primarily during the month of April. Like most visionaries unafraid of pushing technology beyond conventional limitations, Larson at times was controversial among his peers and contemporaries. ARRL Lab Engineer Mike Gruber, W1MG, said, "You can now be the judge of just how well Rapp's theorems and trademark 'radical approach' have withstood the test of time." Rapp himself said that "In assembling this list of my articles and letters over the years, I noticed that QST always chose to publish them in the springtime. This practice was especially meaningful to me as spring has historically been a time of new beginnings and in our radio hobby, a time for new insights into old technical problems. I hope you, too, will be helped and inspired by these writings of an old ham."
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QSL card spotted on Ebay makes a welcome return home

A QSL card sent 55 years ago by Arthur Noakes, G2FTK, now president of the Coventry Amateur Radio Society, was spotted on Ebay by Andy G6ULX, and fellow Society member, Brian G8GMU, successfully bid for the card.

More at http://www.southgatearc.org/news/march2008/g2ftk.htm

Poor HF Conditions - The Truth Comes Out!

HF operators the world over have been very frustrated about the length and depth of the current solar minimum. Never has one been so deep and so prolonged, it seems. Bands above 15 meters have minuscule openings and rarely off the north-south path; 20 meters opens late and closes early. The MUF even drops below 7 MHz at night as the band "goes long" and then closes up shop entirely. Old timers just scratch their heads, trying to think of similar circumstances. The dreaded words "Maunder Minimum" are whispered in the back rows at club meetings, and new hams wonder when the oft-related wonders of 10 meters will ever come to pass -- or if they are just more gauzy reminiscences.

More at
http://www.arrl.org/news/features/2008/04/01/10034/