Subscribe Past Issues Translate View this email CQQRS Are Aussies in your browser RagChew Edition 34/2025 Stronger than Germans? Post Morsum How ChatGPT and Machine Learning are Re-Shaping Ham Radio Another Easy Open-Wire Feeder Method. Latest from the Dalyellup Antenna Vertical Yagi Head Copy Practice - WITW Range - A Two-Element v RSS e Creating Your Own e QRZ? e Practice Tracks PLS? Reluctant e Morse e Progress e The Code Roy VK6RR SIG RPT AGN e The Morse Morse Code Code Training Report on the QRS Mysteries of an SSB e Universal Coordinated e Readable Five e There’s No Such Thing e Prosign of the Month e | hear tell... e Di-dah-di-dah-dit e About the CQ QRS Help-Seeker Net International Receiver Flight Contest Revealed Time Group Here we are - another Friday evening finishing the RagChew This week Elizabeth and | had to head to Canberra newsletter! unexpectedly on Wednesday - so everything had to move to the right again. One day I'll work out how to get it all done in a single day.... one day! However, with the help of the fantastic editorial team, and 38 contributors, | think we’ve built yet another bumper edition for your reading pleasure. On behalf of the team - thank you all. So this week, you'll read about a whole lot of good things - including Artificial Intelligence and Amateur Radio from Nigel G4RWI, building your own open-wire feeder from Phil VK6GX, test range of Richard VK6PZT, another way of and from the antenna another novel antenna trial; simple end-fed antenna design from a few weeks Richard’s back sure has been popular. And what about Tuesday’s net | hear you wondering? This week we had at least 66 stations reported by 44 of our team family members Tuesday CQQRS Slow CW Practice QSO net; outstanding! on our Conditions were somewhat variable - some reported the bands on fire, others said the bands were dead! Isn’t electromagnetic propagation interesting? Great to hear Ross MONNK on air using Mike DL3YZ’s station by remote control you'll enjoy his fun article. venturing around Also good to hear Chris G7BED back home after France for a few weeks. And as one of our family members told me during the week - one of the great things about our net is that it’s well past critical mass - you can just about be assured that if you bother to have a listen or call CQ, you're almost guaranteed to hook up with someone you'll enjoy chatting to - you might have one QSO or a dozen - who knows? And - it doesn’t matter whether you’re ready for 3 or 5 words per minute or 10 - there’s a bunch of people out there who have been in your shoes (some not too long ago either) who'd love to either just exchange the basics.... or chew the rag with you. Really really not ready to transmit, or just not in the mood? There’s always lots of different interesting conversations to listen-in to - but if you do, please donate to the cause buy sending an SWL report via our web-form see below for the link. Masthead Image Thanks this week for the masthead members, image to one of our founding family Richard VK6PZT at Dalyellup near Bunbury. Richard outlines his temporary two-element 20m Yagi below. Reports After next Tuesday’s Group, please send me a list of who you worked and / or who you heard using our web form here: bit.ly/COORSNET Please help attract new and old team your report each week. members to have a go by submitting Submissions close 1300 (Eastern Australian time) on Thursday. Website lf you'd like to find out a bit about our net, or would to others about our Tuesday get-togethers, like to pass information here’s the link to our website. bit. ly/CQQRSWebsite Cheers, mb Mark Bosma VK2KI / VK6QI Beautiful South Bowning mark.bosma@icloud.com NSW non impediti ratione cogitationis Reports & Comments Here’s this week’s Last Tuesday’s Group Here’s the 66 stations heard by 44 members CQUKS Team Member co Qso 1 Qso 2 DL/MONNK | Workea20m | VK3DRG | VK2IOW | G7BED Heard on air VKIWA Heard on air reports. of our team on Tuesday: Qso 3 Qso4 aso 5 VK4PN VK2KI VK7TO aso 6 Qso7 Qso 8 VK2A0 Heard on air Worked 40m Worked 40m Worked 40m Worked 20m Worked 20m Heard 20m Tried 20m Heard 40m Worked 80m Heard 80m Heard 40m Worked 40m Worked 40m Heard 40m Worked 20m Heard 20m Worked 40m Heard 40m Worked 40m Heard 40m Worked 80m Worked 40m Heard 40m Heard on air Worked 40m Heard 40m Worked 80m Worked 40m Heard 40m Heard on air Worked 40m Worked 80m Heard 80m Heard on air Worked 20m Worked 40m Worked 80m Worked 40m Heard on air Heard 20m Worked 40m Heard 40m Worked 80m Heard on air Heard on air Heard on air Worked 40m Worked 40m Heard 40m Worked 80m Heard 80m Worked 40m Heard 40m Worked 40m Heard 40m Worked 80m Heard 80m Worked 40m Heard 40m Worked 40m Heard 40m Tried 40m Heard 20m Worked 40m Heard 40m Worked 80m Heard 80m Heard 20m Worked 40m Heard 40m Tried 40m Worked 40m Heard 40m Worked 40m Heard 40m Worked 80m Worked 40m Heard 40m Heard 40m DL/MONNK ZL3NB VK3JFR ZL3TK VK6FN VK6KD G7BED VK6PZT VK6NQL G3NKQ VK3ECH VK7JZ Tried 40m Worked 40m Worked 80m Worked 40m Worked 80m Heard on air Worked 20m Tried 20m Worked 40m Heard 40m Heard 40m Heard 40m Worked 80m The spreadsheets above show the known stations on last Tuesday’s Group; the comments in the team members’ reports (submitted via our webform bit.ly/CQOORSNET ) follow: Comments: This week’s comments from our webform us by Patrick VK2IOW; From [20m] Ross DL/MONNK reports have been compiled for thanks again Patrick. at Exeter, UK / Stuttgart, Germany Another very interesting and entertaining session on the DXpedition. From Martin VK3FG at Mt Waverley [40m] Nice pace thanks all. From Jordan VK3ACU at Meredith [40m] Just a few contacts tonight 5watts QRP. to the swing of QRS night next week. From Wayne VK6NW at Bridgetown [40m] Good conditions on 40m From John VK5ET at Hope Valley Hoping to get back in Catch you all soon. [40m] Both bands quiet after 11:00 Z From Richard VK6PZT at Bunbury | [40m] 40m was on fire. Got two contacts in VK7, very happy. From David VK6KD at Ballajura WA [40m] | was experiencing a lot of QSB. May have been due to the heavy rain fronts coming through the Perth area. [80m] QSB also experienced on 80m. Worse than usual. Could be the rain. From Stan ZL3TK at Waitarere Beach [20m] DL/MONNK RSN 112, could pick out only the occasional letter. BBtiil. QSO with VK4PN short and sweet, just long enough to tell him where to find DL/MONNK 13 on Doras ON 20m then his signal all but disappeared. Maybe it should be clarified that when a DX station's operating range is given as 2 kHz wide, in this case 14.051 ~ 14.053 MHz, it defaults to the center frequency. [40m] Terrific conditions on 40 m. information with VK7s, From Tony VK3CTM Was able at last to exchange meaningful station meanwhile VK6s were coming in like locals. at Bendigo [160m] | called slowly and carefully on 160 meters but received no 'bites'. | had my 80/160 meter dipole connected for 'top band' as | had stayed up late to work that band during the period 1 AM till 5:59 AM local time during the RD Contest. As always | learnt much and had fun. | note that several members have worked From Clive Brumby ZL1CJB at Whenuapai, Auckland, Kumeu Very few working CW on 20m. TANm! Mike, K1OV. New Zealand Rangitoto ETT) [tui ' Conditions not good. A lot of QSB.suggested we get others’ opinions too. you think? but So what do cqqrsnet@gmail.com Nic also suggested this as an interesting reference manual. So, this week let’s go with : Zl » an ic. caniaay sworn ABSORBINGLY INTERESTING Character: ! Prosign: ga oe [Suggestion - put it on a sticky note near your key as a reminder for Tuesday. Tell us how you went!] | Hear You e Who never know Tell... who’s listening! reported dropping signals on 20m... until he discovered that he'd forgotten that he’s turned his Yagi away? e And, who had to double away to clean the house.... before the cleaner arrived? e And how many of our family get so relaxed during QRS CW that they completely forget what they’re sending sometimes mid-word? mid-sentence - and Ok, perhaps we should ask, who doesn’t? e And - who accused whom of signal reports? of sending bananas across the world instead [lf you have some intel about other team members... or even yourself... that’s worth sharing, please let me know cqqrsnet@gmail.com / Di-dah-di-dah-dit Here we So back to the CQQRS Next Tuesday’s Slow CW QSO go. practice net. Net Our CQQRS Group will be on as always on Tuesday from around 0700z until about 1300z; see https://bit.ly/COORSWebsite and navigate to the Net Details page for details. Doesn't matter whether you’re brand new and want to try just exchanging callsigns and RST reports, or you’re ready for a good old rag chew. We'll have fun. There's usually people around until after 1300z - so keep calling in the segment of the band designated someone. in the table below until you catch | should be on as usual from home in NSW or via the Remote at Bedfordale WA, and I'll also be watching the proceedings using the VK6QS and Tecsun SDRs in WA and NSW Reports respectively. Hope to hear you there. Please let us know via our Reports form bit.ly/COORSNET who you work or hear on Tuesday’s Group. The report form closes at lunchtime (Eastern Australian time) on Thursday. And by the way, a reminder; if you send me any information by email, our report form or WhatsApp - unless you specifically state that material is not to be published, I'll assume that you're happy to see your thoughts in the RagChew Post newsletter. Morsum Richard VK6HRC will run our phone Post Morsum on the South West AllStar net (via repeaters and hotspots all over WA) from 0600 WA time, then from 0700 WA time on 80m (3605 LSB). See https://bit.ly/COORSWebsite and navigate to the Net Details page for details of how you can connect via Echolink or even possibly via your local FM repeater. Articles The newsletter is interesting to readers because of the material contributed by so many people - be it the reports each week or the various articles. Could you write a short article or articles for RagChew? Writing not your strong point? much You bet! Don’t worry, I'm very happy to help as or as little as needed. Here’s a thought - although our readers will much perhaps have a go at using a Large Language tool such as ChatGPT, prefer your own writing, Model Artificial Intelligence Microsoft Copilot or Google Gemini to check your writing or even to actually draft the whole article in a relaxed easy-to-read manner! You can find out more about how to do that on the Newsletter page on our website bit.lv/COORSWebsite. suitable prompt (the command Our website also includes a you feed to the Al to make it do what you want). Please remember though - you must fact-check anything that an Al tool drafts for you because Als ‘hallucinate’ - ie if an Al can’t find what you're looking for, it will make up an answer and present it as a fact! This is one of the dangers of using Als - it’s quite probable that the tool will create a very readable and convincing draft that is 100% wrong! submitter are responsible for fact-checking. You as the But it’s a learning experience - please let us know how you went if you had a go with this new generation of tool. And by the way - | am very concerned about our future in a world of Al - but I’m pleased to see that school and university curriculums now focus on understanding the risks - for instance, kids are now learning critical thinking something that used to be taught mostly at post-graduate level. When the typewriter was invented, handwriting; when the word people predicted the downfall of processor was invented, the art of writing was thought to be on the way out - ditto for the spreadsheet and arithmetic, AM, SSB and FT-8 for amateur radio etc. We can ignore Al and hope that it just goes away... or we can learn to handle it through experimentation and use. Anyway, back to you writing something for RagChew. there to help encourage Our net is primarily new operators to have a go on air with CW ina Safe relaxed environment. Well guess what, the RagChew different - it could be an opportunity for YOU newsletter is no to have a go at penning something that others might enjoy or find interesting.... unlike a real magazine, where you may feel reluctant because you're not an experienced writer, you might make a mistake that others might judge you by, it’s all too hard to assemble your thoughts into something others will pay to read, etc etc. Well.... this might be an opportunity to have a go; I’m standing by to help. For more guidance on writing for the RagChew newsletter (including help with using an Al), head to our website bit.ly/COORSWebsite then click the menu on the top right and then click RagChew Newsletter. Teamwork Thank you so much to our team of 38 contributors: DL/MONNK, G4RWI, VK2ASB, VK2DLF, VK2GAS, VK2IOW, VK2KJJ, VK2RU, VK2TIG, VK3ACU, VK3CTM, VK3DRQ, VK3WOW, VK3ECH, VK3FG, VK3JFP, VK3KEV, VK3KLE, VK3QB, VK4PN, VK5A0O, VK5ET, VK6GX, VK6HRC, VK6KD, VK6KHZ, VK6NQL, VK6NW, VK6PZT, VKORR, VKOWE, VK7JZ, VK7TA, VK7TO, ZLICJB, ZL3TK, ZL4CTS and 4X1DA. Nigel G4RWI And a special thank you to our editorial team, (head software wrangler), Patrick VK2IOW (reports coordinator), John VK2RU (researcher and head-copy guru) and Richard VK6HRC great work all! (Post Morsition); €U CW on Tuesday, mb Mark Bosma VK2KI / VK6QI Beautiful South Bowning NSW mark.bosma@icloud.com non impediti ratione cogitationis L. nans waders 17 Ss in [eH ee ! Sa =~ aa eo arta sah re - ak tf ilies I hn 5 6 : aaa used onveying Ary 13 S1enselling; c now tne i LG >. é en . = ACUNTED OLNVerlics. hese me ia cular ¢ircunmstance CEG Upon aS i ENnIe! The most accurate way + bY ut Ws es First Deans Of TH gejie ] “Manual ma an oF£ OTcerly J the CQ Here’s where For the current schedule and li | DPE ‘ é oan in na 3 e ey 7 Si >» | apte 2a De ig Carrying i i, About % transmitting Teste etiAan Instruction fo 0 Omm tion na none or wt of = intelligenc arranged ne & A Y Army intelligence ie Written YS ss = a Dessage. @3 ere] line" olgnailinzg’, 1 1 BARD CH! One o., QRS Net you'll find the details. more information » > about the CQORS net, please go the the Net Details page on our website: elle https://bit.ly/CQQRSWebsite The opinions expressed in the RagChew newsletter are those of the individual contributors. The opinions do not necessarily reflect that of the editor or of the CQ QRS Group members. Any material and images received from members by the editor or published on the CQQRS WhatsApp groups may be published in this newsletter unless specifically requested otherwise. The values, doctrine and guidelines for the Group and for the newsletter are published on the Principles page of the group’s website https://bit.ly/COORSWebsite Copyright (C) 2025 CQ QRS. All rights reserved. Our mailing address Is: Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences eh mailchimp or unsubscribe