Practical Wireless Magazine

13 February 2025

The March 2025 issue of Practical Wireless is now available. Here are some of the highlights: -Don covers several topics, including advertisements, books, radio news and more. -Klingenfuss Reviewed: Georg Wiessala checks out the latest publications from Klingenfuss. -Valve & Vintage: Bernard Nock G4BXD gets his hands on a curious relic of WWII. -Paper QSL Cards in Memoriam: Ray Howes G4OWY uncovers some of the early history of QSL cards. -Revisit the Earth Tuner: Colyn Baillie-Searle GD4EIP revisits a circuit from a 1990 issue of PW. -Using an ATX: Tony Jones G7ETW describes how to repurpose an ATX or similar PSU for the shack. -Vintage Television & Radio: Keith Hamer and Garry Smith continue the special series looking back at the BBC’s coverage of Coronations since 1937. There is also a vintage Coronation advertisement from the archives for a ‘Ronette’ crystal microphone. The series highlighting broadcasting events from exactly 100 years ago features the first radio station in Japan and John Logie Baird’s demonstration of his ‘Televisor’. The saga charting the rise and fall of BBC 198kHz transmissions focuses on the original power arrangements at the Westerglen transmitter in Scotland. Coverage detailing 60 years of BBC-2 looks at the first short, ‘warm-up’ programme. They also continue their series about the development of Swiss Radio and Television since 1922 with the festival marking the closure of the Beromünster transmitter. - The BeaconBox: Martin Waller G0PJO builds a unit to visually indicate RBN spots of the NCDXF beacons. - Data Modes: Mike Richards G4WNC starts with the latest release of WSJT before covering the new Windows PC Manager and SDR level measurements. - The Face behind the Call: Roger Dowling G3NKH meets Laurie Margolis G3UML, an amateur with quite a track record of ‘scoops’. - HF Highlights: Steve Telenius-Lowe G4JVG has quite a cornucopia of news. - A Voltage Stabilised VFO: Once again we dip into the PW archive, this time and article by the once ubiquitous F G Rayer G3OGR, dating from March 1965, 60 years ago. - Plug for Power: Billy McFarland GM6DX solves the problem of using a PC power supply for your transceiver without having to deal with high voltages. - Antennas: Keith Rawlings G4MIU creates an indoor doublet as a back-up antenna. - The World of VHF: Tim Kirby GW4VXE has a packed column, starting with news about meteor scatter. - My Tower Saga: Roger Cooke G3LDI narrates the story of his tower collapse and (challenging!) repair. - Adding protection to SMPSUs: Ken Ginn G8NDL describes a suitable protection circuit for general purpose SMPSUs. - Marconi Antenna Modelled, 110 years On: John Rowlands MW1CFN sheds new light on Marconi’s inverted-L antenna. - Readers’ Letters: This month’s Letters cover antennas, nostalgia and conservation. Every monthly issue features: - The latest news - Reviews of the latest radio equipment and ancillaries - Regular practical constructional articles and projects - Features from the UK and around the world - What Next column is aimed at recently-licensed newcomers - Software-defined radio - Satellite operation - Technical, operating and historic interests - DX-ing and DXpeditions - HF (High Frequency), VHF (Very High Frequency) and UHF (Ultra High Frequency) - QRP - Transceivers and Antennas - Rallies and club news