Let this microprocessor controlled MFJ Contest Voice KeyerTM call CQ, send your call and do contest exchanges for you in your own natural voice!

This week, we’ve pulled together a few items that touch on the practical side of our hobby, from keeping current with what’s happening globally to some foundational receiver theory. There’s a look at a couple of long-standing amateur radio publications, including Japan’s CQ Ham Radio and Germany’s Funkamateur, which offer a different perspective on the state of the art. We also revisit the direct conversion receiver, a topology that’s seen a resurgence, particularly for portable and QRP work, given modern component availability. For those running Linux, there’s a useful DX cluster client, GDX, that simplifies spotting, and a specialized cluster tool for DXLog.net Cluster users. Always good to see what others are doing, and sometimes a fresh look at older concepts yields new insights for our own stations, whether fixed or mobile.