Hello Radio Enthusiasts! The latest 120-page issue of the SARC Communicator is live, and it’s one of our most diverse editions yet. Whether you are a history buff, a dedicated tinkerer, or a DX adventurer, there is something in here for you. Inside this issue: Historical Deep Dives: From the electrical empire of Werner von Siemens to the high-stakes drama of the Alexanderson kidnapping, and a special event station commemoration of the Titanic disaster. Bench Projects: Learn how to make Homebrew PCBs with a 3D printer and copper tape, or peek at the elegant KD5ZZU Z-match tuner build. DX & Field Ops: Travel back to the 1994 Peter I Island DXpedition or get the latest on the North Fraser Club’s 925 MHz Balloon Project. And... a spotless Sun! Radio Secrets: Unlock the hidden "superpowers" of the Icom IC-7300, 7610 and 9700 and explore the "IPS Buffet" antenna mix-and-match review. Opinion: Radio is the same as in 1920... Really? We also take a moment to look at the "Lighter Side" with tales of Field Day chickens, what is a "Wouff Hong?", and we offer a dose of rational optimism regarding the vibrant future of our hobby. https://tinyurl.com/SARC26Mar-Apr Table of Contents: Siemens built an electrical empire that still exists today 4 Trials & Errors: G.E. and the Alexanderson Kidnapping 8 Homebrew PCBs with a 3D Printer and Copper Tape 12 Amateur Radio’s Most Sacred Symbol of Discipline 13 Radio Ramblings: Chameleon Project - Digital Radio 16 KA3DRR: The Compass Lied. The Ionosphere Didn’t 26 String a horizontal loop 30 Hidden features in the Icom IC-7300 transceiver: 34 Activating LZ9X Bulgaria 38 High Above the Noise: Charlie and the Field Day Chicken 42 The IPS Buffet Antenna: A Mix-and-Match Field Review 46 Add Digital Television to Your ARES Tool Kit 48 Fun with Arduino and Semaphore Signaling 52 The North Fraser Club: High‑Altitude Amateur Radio at 925 MHz 54 Club in Focus: The Orca DX and Contest Club 56 ‘Probing’ Around Inside an Old Receiver 60 From a ‘Rocket’ radio to an ‘almost’ real one… and beyond 62 When an app outlives its creator 64 A ‘Barn Find’ Radio 66 RAC Amateur of the Year Award 2025 68 Closure of the Weatherradio Service in Canada 69 Outside the Box: KD5ZZU’s elegant build of a Z-match tuner 70 Advantages and Disadvantages of the Z-Match 72 The ultimate rebuild of an ancient Yaesu FT-817 73 Rational Optimism About the Future of Amateur Radio 76 Foundations of Amateur Radio: Transmitting into a dummy load… for a year… on purpose 84 To Honour Titanic’s Legacy and the Heroes of the Airwaves 87 Twelve Safety Laws for Amateur Radio Operators 90 Profiles of SARC members: Andy Carr VE7SNF 94 BC QSO Party and ARRL DX Contest (CW) 99 Friends Remembered: “Walt” Bond VE7WDB/VE6MW 101 SARC General Meeting minutes 105 Spotless! 110 QRT: “Radio is the same as in 1920…” Really? 114 Ham Leftovers 117
Most intresting to me was the QUANSHENG UV-K5 modification, for to have a low-cost SSB entry. Firmware update can be done with Linux using CHIRP. A solution I found on a quick search in the net.
