July 2021 QST Had Some Interesting Technical Content

Image courtesy of ARRL

I was pleasantly surprised by the July, 2021 issue (Volume 105, Issue 7) of ARRL's magazine QST. It was a welcome change to see some content with some technical relevance (circa 2021), such as:

• Page 9 - Second Century - EmComm: It's In Our Purpose by ARRL CEO David Minster NA2AA. I don't agree with him about the relevance of Amateur Radio for Emergency Communications in the 2020s and beyond (basically, we're not). However, it's interesting to see the ARRL's perspective on the tenets of US Amateur Radio in the CEO's own words.
• Page 21, 26, 27 - FlexRadio full page ads. I'm a fan of FlexRadio because they're the only "all in on Software Defined Radio technology" manufacturer in the Amateur Radio industry (in the same way that Tesla is all in on battery electric vehicles). I particularly like FlexRadio's approach to linking their various units - Ethernet.
• Page 38-42 - Review - Icom IC-R30 Portable Communications Receiver Mark Wilson K1RO. K1RO did a nice review, and I learned several things about the IC-R30, such as:
  • The IC-R30 has a Li-Ion battery pack which can be charged the USB connector,
  • The IC-R30 antenna connector is SMA (easily adapted to external antennas),
  • The IC-R30 can be programmed (like a scanner or portable transceiver), either with a .csv file, or Icom's IOS or Android app,
  • The IC-R30 has an onboard GPS receiver
  • The IC-R30 has a microSD card that can store frequency memories and received audio files,
  • The IC-R30 can be controlled via the IOS or Android App via Bluetooth
  • The IC-R30's audio output can be routed to a Bluetooth audio device
  • The IC-R30's list price is $600.
• Page 47-49 - Review - Garmin inReach Mini Satellite Communications Device by Bruce Prior N7RR (yay - a fellow Pacific Northwester). Some of the things I learened about the InReach from this review:
  • It's tiny - 3.9" x 2.04" x 1.03" and 3.5 ounces!
  • It uses the Iridium Low Earth Orbit satellite system (thus works anywhere you have a view of the sky),
  • Has a built-in GPS, and position data is included in any messages sent from the InReach
  • The InReach can be used standalone or paired with a smartphone via Bluetooth,
  • Canned messages can be pre-defined for easy recall and transmission,
  • The price of the InReach is $350, plus varying expense for subscription packages (required, not optional).
  • No, there's no Amateur Radio overlap with this device, other than N7RR includes it with his lightweight Amateur Radio equipment that he takes on hikes.
• Page 54-55 -  Microwavelengths - Understanding Feed Horns for Parabolic Dishes by Paul Wade W1GHZ. He explains the physics of parabolic dishes in an approachable way.
• Page 56 - Eclectic Technology - The Rise of LoRa by Steve Ford WB8IMY. He gives a decent summary of LoRa technology. W8IMY observes "... you're unlikely to be passing voice video data through a LoRa network." At a maximum data rate of 22 - 50 kbps, that's correct, but that's a (potentially) significant improvement over typical packet radio data rates. It's an interesting crossover between license-exempt operation and Amateur Radio operation that's possible with LoRa. In my memory, this is the very first mention of LoRa technology in QST.
• Page 60-61 - AREDN at the US Marine Corps Marathon by Mark Braunstein WA4KFZ. This was the real shocker of QST content. This was a good overview of the tactical (as opposed to infrastructure) use of AREDN systems to support the popular, and large US Marine Corps Marathon in the Washington DC area. Again, in my memory, this is the very first mention of AREDN in QST. 
• Page 103 - A full-page Icom advertisement, but Amateur Radio isn't mentioned. The four Icom radios mentioned are (portable) IC-SAT100 Satellite radio (operates on the Iridium Low Earth Orbit [LEO] satellite network), the IP501H Portable LTE radio, the IP501M Mobile LTE Radio, and the VE-PG4 RoIP (Radio over Internet Protocol) Gateway.

All in all, this issue is definitely a keeper!

Unfortunately, if you're not an ARRL member (most US Amateur Radio Operators aren't members) you'll likely never see these articles unless a friend who is an ARRL member chooses to share them with you (or passes along the entire issue). If you're not an ARRL member, and able to view QST, there's always the entire run of 73 Magazine that's completely accessible online to everyone.

Thanks for reading!
Steve Stroh N8GNJ
Bellingham, Washington, USA
Portions Copyright © 2021 by Steven K. Stroh