Practical Wireless

Practical Wireless is aimed at the licensed radio amateur and caters for the amateur radio hobby. Practical Wireless is a ‘doing’ magazine focusing on the practical and constructional side of amateur radio and appeals to all ages. Written by expert authors and contributors, Practical Wireless reflects developments in the technology, participants, activities and licensing framework of the hobby.

Practical Wireless • April 2025 Vol. 101 No. 4

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News desk • Have you got something to tell our readers about? If so, then email practicalwireless@warnersgroup.co.uk

News from Icom

RigExpert’s office destroyed in Russian missile attack

The FX4-CR and a homebrew Go-Box • Daimon Tilley G4USI reviews the FX4-CR QRPO transceiver and builds a go-box to house it along with accessories.

The Anytone AT-6666 Pro • Richard Constantine G3UGF takes a look at a 10m multimode that started life as a CB transceiver.

VHF Power Meter • Geoff Theasby G8BMI returns with a budget solution for VHF power measurement.

News Extra

The Sharing Machine: SDRplay nRSP-ST • Georg Wiessala takes an in-depth look at the new nRSP-ST networked black-box receiver from SDRplay.

Restoring an Icom 290A • Tony Jones G7ETW gets a real ‘oldie’ working again.

Broadcasting history • Keith Hamer and Garry Smith continue the special series looking back at the BBC’s coverage of Coronations since 1937, this time highlighting picture synchronisation problems in 1953. There is also a vintage Coronation advertisement from the archives for home correspondence courses to educate budding radio and television engineers. The series highlighting broadcasting events from exactly 100 years ago features the start of radio in Denmark and the Netherlands, together with the transfer of the BBC 2LO transmitter to the rooftop of a well-known department store. The saga charting the rise and fall of BBC 198kHz transmissions focuses on the ‘Transmitter Hall’ at Westerglen in Scotland. Coverage detailing 60 years of BBC-2 includes the saga of drunken trespassers on a ‘live’ news programme. We also continue our series about the development of Swiss Radio and Television since 1922 with the closure of the Sottens transmitter.

Manners Maketh Man • Roger Cooke G3LDI explains good operating procedures before reporting on the latest Essex Boot Camp.

Six metre firsts • Tim Kirby GW4VXE has a full column, starting with news of the 6m Firsts listing maintained by Peter G8BCG.

Getting Coax into the Shack • Lindsay Pennell GI3KME has a solution to the dilemma of bringing cables into the house without causing damage to the fabric.

The Fortress Gibraltar Antenna • Ken Ruiz ZB2MD offers a portable one-element beam ideal for walled cities, castles etc.

Mt Athos and more • Steve Telenius-Lowe G4JVG reports on a recent activity from rare Mt Athos, before bringing readers lots more HF news.

Going back to my roots with the two-metre band (Pt I) • Richard White G6NFE looks back over his time in the hobby and finds inspiration to try again.

SSB on the VHF and Higher bands • Colin Redwood G6MXL starts by encouraging readers to try SSB on the VHF and UHF bands, focussing on the 2m band, before briefly looking at an update to the UK exam syllabus.

Hammer it with MSHV • Billy McFarland GM6DX explains how to get started with MSHV.

Vector Network Analysers (Pt I) • Keith Rawlings G4MIU starts a teach-in on VNAs and their uses.

VarAC Update • Mike Richards G4WNC has the latest on VarAC as well as news of some free spectrum analyser software.

4m band quad with twin feeder - a universal VHF antenna? • Jonathan Hare G1EXG offers a simple VHF antenna that can be made to work on multiple...