General

Update: Summer sporadic-E season on 6M

August 4, 2021

Long weeks of poor conditions from the Pacific Northwest still left room for a few great openings to Europe and Japan. As the 2021 Es season winds down, we recap how it all went.

Anticipation abounds: 2021 6M sporadic-E season

May 5, 2021

Early indications are that 6M will have a good summer this year. For those new or getting back to 6M activity, here’s the current state of affairs.

Recap: FT4 DX and NAQP RTTY February

March 2, 2021

The final weekend of February brought three pretty active contests — CQ 160M SSB, FT4 DX contest, and the NAQP RTTY.

Recap: 2021 ARRL DX CW worst-ever outing

February 22, 2021

From the outset, Aurora levels were elevated and the K-index was bobbing around 3 or 4, forcing the A-index into the 20s. Want to hear signals on 20M with aurora? Listen in…

Recap: 2021 WPX RTTY

February 16, 2021

Brief European opening on 20M and a hopping 80M band were highlights of WPX RTTY this year.

Recap: BCQP and EU DX contests

February 8, 2021

The weekend of February 6 and 7 presented its share of challenges and opportunities for making contacts. Too many options may have worked against any one contest.

Hearing through the noise on the low bands

January 22, 2021

To improve the signal-to-noise ratio on 160M and 80M, many radio contesters and DXers use separate low-noise receive antennas. This alone can make the difference between “working them” and not even hearing them.

Real-time competition: online scoreboards

November 1, 2020

For the active contester, seeing your performance moment-by-moment ranked against the performance of other participants can be a real motivator. Welcome to online scoreboards!

When the aurora light up

October 27, 2020

A quick word on the Northern Lights, when to look up (what conditions create them), and how to enjoy these awesome night sky displays with a radio or a camera.

FT8/FT4 from a contester’s perspective

October 25, 2020

Why do I compete in the growing number of WSJT-X-friendly contest offerings? Because they are there, and even more important, a LOT of people who are new to contesting have been drawn to radiosport because they enjoy FT8 and FT4 modes.

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