In this episode, we join Martin Butler M1MRB, Chris Howard (M0TCH), Martin Rothwell (M0SGL), Frank Howell (K4FMH), Bill Barnes (WC3B) and Leslie Butterfields (G0CIB) to discuss the latest Amateur / Ham Radio news. Colin Butler (M6BOY) rounds up the news in brief, and the episode's feature is STEM and Ham Radio Works.

We would like to thank our Chris Carini, (GW4RER), Walter Washburn, (KT0D), Constantine Papas (KL0S) and monthly and annual subscription donors for keeping the podcast advert free. To donate, please visit - http://www.icqpodcast.com/donate

• HAMgpt Launches as an AI Assistant Built Around Your Station
• Keeping Teams Connected Where the Network Isn't
• Scientists Building Massive Deep Synoptic Array in Nevada Desert
• FCC Clears Orbital Mirror Satellite Despite Widespread Objections
• aprs.world — A Free, Modern Live APRS Map in 11 Languages
• RSGB Club Finder Back Online After Redevelopment
• Peter the First Island DXpedition Seeks Operators
• Icom RS-BA1 Version 2 (Version 2.81) & RS-R8600 (Version 1.02) Software Updates

Greetings Olivia and digital mode operators,

GREAT NEWS! WEBSITE UPDATE!

Here are the big three new features:

Live spotting is now available!

1. Live Olivia spotting. Just like on POTA and other sites, this is a live show and tell of your activity either by self spotting, or spotting stations you copy. Dedicated live spot page, you can view even on a cell phone.

   We are excited to announce a major new feature now live on OliviaDigitalMode.org: an interactive Live Station Spotting tool designed specifically for our digital HF community. Inspired by popular spotting platforms like DXWatch and POTA.app, this system makes it easier than ever to see who is active on the bands, find open Olivia QSOs, and share your own station reports in real time.

   Come Join the Live Spotting of Olivia Digital Mode

   Whether you are hunting for a contact or tracking band openings across different bandwidths and tone counts, the new spotting tool brings several powerful capabilities straight to your browser:

   • Real-Time Live Feed: The spotting page automatically refreshes every 15 seconds, ensuring you always see the latest on-air activity without needing to manually refresh the page.
   • Smart Spot Grouping: When multiple operators spot the same station, the system automatically groups those reports together into a single clean line. Instead of duplicate entries cluttering your view, you will see the station, frequency, mode, and a list of all operators who spotted them.
   • Timeframe Visual Highlighting: You can easily filter for fresh activity. By selecting a window of 5 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, or 1 hour, brand-new spots are visually highlighted so you can jump on active signals immediately.
   • Flexible Display Options: On the dedicated spotting page, you can choose how many spots to display at once (from 10 up to 250 rows) and toggle between a grouped callsign layout or a detailed chronological log.
   • At-a-Glance Homepage Widget: A lightweight summary widget on the main homepage shows the top 5 to 10 most recent spots the moment you arrive on the site.
   • Fast Performance and Historical Archives: Active spots stay on the main board for 12 hours to keep queries ultra-fast. After 12 hours, spots automatically move to a historical archive where they remain available for band activity research and propagation analysis.

   To keep the spotting board reliable and free of spam, posting new spots will require a simple, free operator account. When you register, you will just need to include a short note for the site administrators to verify your callsign and approve your posting access. Once approved, you can log in anytime and share spots whenever you are on the air.

2. Live Calendar of Olivia Events. I have now put live the active calendar functionality on the site, and seeded it with possible calendar events. I will start planning our upcoming events – which require YOUR input on such things as, monthly sprints, special events that you want to do, and, our quarterly QSO parties.
3. Feedback form. This is a community website. Now, you can leave feedback; what would you like on the website. What should be different? What is not working? What is working? Please leave us feedback.

Come be a part of this conversational digital mode!

Parks On The Air (POTA) has exploded in popularity, with most of the activity on the HF bands. That makes sense — HF gives you the long-distance contacts and the big pileups. But don’t overlook the VHF bands, especially 2m FM. Two meter FM is simple, highly portable, and often an easy way to knock ... Read more

The post VHF for Parks On The Air? appeared first on Above Average Terrain.

 The antenna I have is the Hustler 4BTV, and I have owned it for about four years. I had been noticing that after a couple of days of rain, the SWR on 15 meters would increase.As the weather warmed up, the problem disappeared. My suspicion was that water was making its way into the 15-meter trap and causing the SWR issues.

I waited for a forecast of a few nice, dry days before taking the antenna down for inspection. The first thing I noticed was that I had accidentally covered the drainage slots at the bottom of each trap with electrical tape. If water was getting into the traps, those slots were intended to let it drain out. My first course of action was to remove the tape from all three traps.

Tape removed from drainage slots

I started with the 20-meter trap, then moved on to the troublesome 15-meter trap. As soon as I removed the tape from the 15-meter trap, a small amount of water drained out. I then removed the tape from the 10-meter trap, and like the 20-meter trap, no water came out.

Each trap has a plastic cap at the top that helps keep water out while also insulating the trap tube from the center antenna element. This seemed like the most likely place for water to enter the trap, so I decided to disassemble the 15m trap for a closer inspection.

Before taking anything apart, I carefully marked the position of the tubing so I could reassemble it in nearly the exact same location. My hope was that this would keep the antenna's SWR very close to where they had been. See above drainage pic for position marking in red. 

After removing the 15-meter trap from the antenna, I took off the plastic cap and inspected it closely. I couldn't find any visible damage, but I know that water can find its way through even the smallest of gaps. That alone could have been enough to cause the SWR problems I was seeing.

Outer tubing showing water drops

With the cap removed, I looked inside the trap and found several small water droplets. I then removed the outer trap tubing so I could inspect the trap winding and all of the electrical connections.

Fortunately, everything inside the trap was in excellent condition. The winding and all of the connections looked perfect, which reinforced my belief that moisture—not corrosion or a failed connection—was the source of the problem.

After thoroughly drying all of the parts, I noticed the original bead of silicone that had been applied during manufacturing. When I first tuned the antenna after purchasing it, I had to slide the 15-meter trap's outer tube to adjust its resonant frequency. My guess is that this movement disturbed the original silicone seal. If so, it was probably only a matter of time before water found its way inside. I was actually surprised it took four years for the problem to appear.

15m trap condition

When I reassembled the 15-meter trap, I applied non-acetic, neutral-cure silicone around the plastic trap cap to restore the weather seal. While researching the best product to use, I learned that not all silicone sealants are the same. Silicone that smells like vinegar releases acetic acid while curing, which can promote corrosion on aluminum. I certainly didn't want to solve one problem only to create another.

The product I chose was GE Silicone II, which is a neutral-cure silicone and safe for use on aluminum. I happened to have an older tube on hand, but I noticed the silicone had turned yellow.  I never realized that silicone could age over time so I purchased a new tube of silicone.

With the trap reassembled, it was time to tape the joints where the antenna sections fit together. While I'm not an expert on silicone sealants, I am very familiar with electrical tape after spending my career as an electrician. Not all electrical tapes are created equal. For this project, I chose 3M Scotch Super 33+, a premium tape well known for its excellent UV resistance, flexibility, and long-term outdoor durability. Rather than list all of its specifications here, you can simply click HERE to learn more about it. 

With the antenna back in the air, I went inside to check its performance. The results on 40, 20, and 10 meters were exactly as expected. Unfortunately, I had created an entirely new problem on 15 meters!

I had solved one issue, only to create another. Fortunately, I have almost solved this new problem. In my next post, I'll explain what happened and how I fixed it.