CQ Amateur Radio

CQ is the magazine for active hams, with a focus on the practical. Every article is clearly written and aimed at involving you, the reader...whether it's a story of operating from some exotic location, an article to deepen your understanding of ham radio science and technology, or a fun-to-build project that will have practical use in your ham shack. Join us on our monthly journey through the broad and varied landscape of the world's most fascinating hobby!

ham radio news

CQ Amateur Radio

announcements

news bytes • Audrey McElroy, KM4BUN, Named Newsline Young Ham of the Year

zero bias: a cq editorial • How Old is Young?

news bytes • ARDC Nearly Doubles ARRL Foundation Scholarship “Pot”

YOTA Camp 2022 — An Amazing Experience • From kit-building and balloon launches to satellite contacts and foxhunts, the 2022 Youth on the Air Camp gave participants an introduction to a many different aspects of amateur radio, along with new friends and radio mentors. Two participants share some highlights.

A Boy and His Radio: A 21st Century War Story • How the international ham radio community came together to help a Ukrainian amateur and his family displaced by the war with a new home, a new start, and even a new callsign. It all started with a portable radio receiver for a 12-year-old.

Another Boy, Another Radio (Same War) • Motivated by his dad’s interest in shortwave radio reports on the war in Ukraine and tornado reports closer to home, 9-year-old Silas Kriner of Jonesboro, Arkansas, not only studied for and earned his ham license earlier this year, but worked his way up to Amateur Extra in just a little over two months. His dad, Eric, KF5KVE, shared the story with CQ.

Results of the 2022 CQ World Wide 160-Meter Contest • Contesting Before World Turmoil

PLAQUE WINNERS AND DONORS

Announcing: 2022 CQ World Wide DX Contest • Join nearly 40,000 participants from over 200 DX entities and all 40 CQ Zones in the world’s largest DX contest.

Z6: Last New Country from the Heart of Europe • Whenever a new country has come on the air in the past 50 years, there’s a good chance that Martti Laine, OH2BH, has had something to do with it. Here is his story of the rebirth of amateur radio in Europe’s newest country, the Republic of Kosovo.

Commentary: Kosovo’s Pending DXCC Status

Meet Some of My Kosovar Friends

Collective Antenna Building: A Different Kind of Antenna Party • Most antenna parties involve a group of hams coming to the home of a fellow ham to help install a new antenna. Most club kit-building activities involve building a new radio or accessory. Ohio’s Delaware County Amateur Radio Association blended the two, organizing a group build for new antennas! W8ERD shows us how it went.

what’s new

A Simple RF Radiation Detector • Here’s a quick and easy project to satisfy the FCC’s new RF radiation exposure rules1 while operating QRP.

800 MHz QRP: Globe-Spanning Ham Radio QSOs from Anywhere • Wouldn’t it be great to be able to have a tiny handheld transceiver that contained an Android app that could access your home router from anywhere in the world and allow you to chat with hams around the world using DMR, System Fusion, or D-STAR? That transceiver can be your 800-MHz one-watt Android cell phone.

Korean War MARS Operations • Taking a break from his favorite topic of pedestrian mobile operating, WØRW spends some time reminiscing with us about running phone patches from Korea as an Army MARS member during the Korean War.

A Shocking Experience • Here’s a cautionary tale for those of you who love restoring tube radios — even a “pro” can get knocked off his feet by the high voltages present in these vintage radios.

CQ Book Review: QSL: How I Traveled the World and Never Left...