Author Archive
September, 2014 – QSL Card Giveaway Winner Announcement
September 18th, 2014 | 
Author: And the winner of 500 free full-color QSL cards is…
Peter VK6IS
Australia
Congratulations to Peter and thank you to everyone who entered. Keep a lookout for more great giveaways! As always, thank you to KB3IFH QSL Cards for generously sponsoring this contest. Don’t forget to check out Randy’s website the next time you need new QSL cards!
73 Matt W1MST
FEMA Director Craig Fugate, KK4INZ to Emergency Managers: “What’s your backup?”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLOJXvkBbkg
FEMA Director Craig Fugate, KK4INZ, debunks the argument that Amateur Radio is no longer relevant in our hyper-connected smartphone, tablet, satellite phone, networked radio system world:
“If you really want to short-circuit your local or state emergency manager who says that Amateur Radio isn’t really viable anymore… ask them this,” said Fugate. “Can you communicate across your jurisdiction or across your state without touching the public switched network?”
Win 500 Full-Color QSL Cards
AmateurRadio.com is offering a free prize drawing!
With the help of our generous sponsor, KB3IFH QSL Cards,
we’re holding a giveaway for 500 free full-color photo QSL cards.
This is a US$75 value and open to all licensed hams worldwide!
Why the XiOne SDR receiver is different (in a good way!)
We’ve talked a lot about the various Software Defined Radio (SDR) USB dongles that have popped up over the last couple of years. I own several and have often played around with them. They suffer a bit of a flaw in the fact that they connect directly to the computer via USB which isn’t ideal because my computer room isn’t the ideal RF environment.
The advantage of the XiOne is that it has the capability of connecting to your home network allowing you to use a computer/tablet/phone that network to operate it. You can locate it away from RF interference sources and either use the XiOne’s Wi-Fi or run ethernet to connect it back to your router. Very cool. That’s why I think the XiOne’s Indigogo campaign from a German company called XiVero is worth looking at.
As of this writing, they still have 35 out of 100 of their specially priced (US$139) slots left. If you’re interested, might be worth a look. If they can get enough funding momentum, this looks to possibly be a very popular little receiver.
QRZCQ Launches Premium Version of Their Callsign Database
Daniel DO7FOX and Gregor DO5SSB have released a premium version of their QRZCQ callsign database. Attached below is the press release they sent.
If you’ve tried it out, I’d like to hear your thoughts. Will you be switching to it or are you happy with what you have now?
We are happy to tell you, that the QRZCQ Premium is now available!
| Features: | Standard | Premium |
| Supporting our work and effort | NO | YES |
| Unlimited own callsigns | YES | YES |
| Add unlimited amount of your additional callsigns, for example portable, mobile, maritim mobile, qrp, foreign countries, dxpedition, etc. | ||
| Managed callsigns | YES | YES |
| Manage club callsigns or those of your friends, dxpeditions, clubs, etc. | ||
| DX Cluster | YES | YES |
| Incredible DX Cluster, with advanced filtering and telnet access | ||
| Propagation | YES | YES |
| Resources | YES | YES |
| Email [callsign]@qrzcq.com | YES | YES |
| Standard use | YES | YES |
| Full featured online log | NO | YES |
| Our awesome full featured online log, click here for more info and here for a tour. You have never seen an online log like this one! | ||
| XML API access | NO | YES |
| XML API access for automated lookup, curently we are supported by UcxLog, Winlog32, Logger32 and MacLoggerDX, more pending | ||
| Visitors counter | NO | YES |
| Permanent visitor flag counters down on your page, grouped by country | ||
| Sell on Swapmeet | NO | YES |
| Sell your stuff on the swapmeet, VERIFIED status additionally required | ||
| DX notifications | NO | YES |
| Email notifications when new ones are on air, accesible from the online log | ||
| More images on your page | NO | YES |
| Additional 12 images on your page | ||
| Write articles on page | NO | YES |
| Write news on page | NO | YES |
| More extended search | NO | YES |
| Search the entire database and all archives | ||
| Manage dates in calendar | NO | YES |
| Create events, hamfests, contests etc. in calendar | ||
| Add videos with description | NO | YES |
| Extended propagation | NO | YES |
| Extended use | NO | YES |
There is already a widely compatible XML API. This XML API serves for the purpose of looking up call data for logbook programs. We’d like to invite all developers to implement the API in their code. The technical documentation is available at the XML API documentation page. If you have any futher quesions contact us at [email protected].
Some sizes and numbers of the site:
– Calls in database: 3.037.674
– Page views: 30.153.394
– Call views: 18.161.873
– Logbook QSOs: 27.899.334
– All time QSOs processed: 293.502.458
– Monthly visits: 1.400.000
– Video views: 240.834
– Users with picture: 21.748
– DX-Cluster spots via web interface: 151.324
– Max users on DX-Cluster via web interface: 176
– XML lookups: 404.215
– DX-Cluster spots in database: 12.613.267
We are about 75.600 users now and still growing fast! There is no advertising, no blink blink, no junk. Only ham radio put in a nutshell. A big THANK YOU to everyone who made our progress possible! Without your support, trust and goodwill throughout the years, QRZCQ would not be the same.
Visit us at QRZCQ.com, we look forward to see you there!
73 de Gregor, DO5SSB and Daniel, DO7FOX
A New 3.5 GHz CB Radio Band?
[gview file=”https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/15763538/Bennett_Kobb_HOPE2014.pdf”]
Is a new “CB” allocation of 100-200 MHz in the 3.5 GHz microwave band just around the corner? Possibly, according to Bennett Kobb, AK4AV. Not “Citizens Band” but “Citizens Broadband Radio Service.” Scroll through the embedded presentation above. Quite interesting.
Source: Hackaday
