Practical Wireless Magazine

8 April 2025

The June 2025 issue of Practical Wireless is now available. Here are some of the highlights: Keylines: Don discusses Visalia, the RSGB and more. Review, The Uniden UBCD160DN Digital Scanner: Georg Wiessala gets his hands on a new scanner from Uniden, courtesy of PW advertiser Moonraker. One Antenna and many Receivers: Dr Samuel Ritchie EI9FZB completes his look at ways of distributing signals around the shack. HF Highlights: Steve Telenius-Lowe G4JVG has a full column, starting with news of the recent operation from Mt Athos. Amateur Radio on a Budget: Daimon Tilley G4USI offers an easy-to-build CW transmitter that will give hours of fun. Visalia 2025: Your editor was at this year’s International DX Convention at Visalia, California, and brings this report. Data Modes: Mike Richards G4WNC updates readers on the latest enhancements to two popular data modes packages. UMPP- ASK CW key review: Daimon Tilley G4USI gets excited by a new miniature straight Morse key from GM0EUL. A Lab Tutorial: Natalie struggles with phasors until Jeff carefully explains them. What Next: Colin Redwood G6MXL’s theme this month is home construction. Antennas: Keith Rawlings G4MIU continues with the series on VNA’s, particularly the NanoVNA and its variants. This month he starts to look at some of the real-world measurements that can be undertaken with these cheap but versatile instruments. Chaotic Oscillators: Mark Foreman G7LSZ / SA6BID offers an unusual look at oscillators. The 42nd Annual Practical Wireless 144MHz QRP Contest: Colin Redwood G6MXL, our QRP Contest adjudicator, introduces the 2025 event, which takes place on Sunday 15 June 2025. The World of VHF: Tim Kirby GW4VXE has a packed column, starting with a rather unusual experiment. 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 audio equipment. The series highlighting broadcasting events from exactly 100 years ago looks at June 1925. The saga charting the rise and fall of BBC 198kHz transmissions focuses on test transmissions at Westerglen in Scotland. Coverage detailing 60 years of BBC-2 gives an account of the unplanned first programme. They also continue their series about the development of Swiss Radio and Television since 1922. The Morse Mode: Roger Cooke G3LDI starts his column with a report on some public demonstrations of Morse code. Fault-finding Tektronix Oscilloscopes 465/465B/475 (pt 2): Michael Jones GW7BBY/GB2MOP completes his look at these useful oscilloscopes. Readers’ Letters: This month’s Letters cover Selhurst and WhatsApp communities.