Microvolt is the official newsletter published by the Utah Amateur Radio Club in Salt Lake City, Utah

Under each newsletter link is the collection of breakout articles from that newsletter issue

Shortcut to the latest published issue

December 2026

Cover story : Blah
Editorial : Blah
Spotlight : Blah
Tech corner : Blah
Silent key : Blah
Strays : Blah
Letters :

November 2026

Cover story : Blah
Editorial : Blah
Spotlight : Blah
Tech corner : Blah
Silent key : Blah
Strays : Blah
Letters :

October 2026

Cover story : Blah
Editorial : Blah
Spotlight : Carl Cowley KØWLY
Tech corner : 40-meter CW transmitter
Silent key : Blah
Strays : Blah
Letters :

September 2026

Cover story : The Art of Reception
Editorial : The art of listening
Spotlight : Jerry Bergosh KK7OXD
Tech corner : RF detector
Silent key : Dan Bishop WV7V
Strays : Gut feel
Letters : ground rods 24 inches apart, dielectric grease, contacting a DXpedition

August 2026

Cover story : Professional Amateur
Editorial : Professional exceptions
Spotlight : Matt Newman KA7VSA
Photos : 2026 Field Day and Steak Fry
Strays : Making money from ham radio
Letters : Baofeng programmed for unlicensed use, why Advanced licensees won't upgrade, no update call sign if move, which dipole side to point

July 2026

Cover story : Education
Editorial : Transfer of knowledge
Spotlight : Rick Allred KI7AIF
Tech corner : Two ultimate HF common-mode chokes
Silent key : Ray Smith KK7LAT
Strays : Know-it-all
Checklist : Ready for Field Day
Letters : why 13.8 volts, feeding antennas with a single coax, regular exam pool rotation, suggested portable HF rigs

June 2026

Cover story : Creating Interest
Editorial : Be agreeable
Spotlight : Craig Gaines K3CDG
Tech corner : How coax is 50 ohms
Strays : Your amateur radio milestones
Letters : length of a dipole element, which first radio to get, can HF radios pick up shortwave

May 2026

Cover story : The Electric World
Editorial : Power supplies
Spotlight : Rulon Swensen K7BTU
Tech corner : Reviewing Ohm's Law
Strays : The electrical grid
Letters : call sign printed on apparel, why end-fed antenna not work for voice, solid or stranded dipole wire, best coax wrap type

April 2026

Cover story : RF (Radio Frequency)
Editorial : Antenna pattern importance
Spotlight : Matthew Barnes KL7KUY
Tech corner : RV pass-through
Strays : Emissions exposure limits
Photos : 2026 Spring Potluck
Letters : why people can't hear me, snow piling on my antenna, tuner fooling my radio

March 2026

Cover story : Repair and Troubleshooting
Editorial : Repair, replace, and consequences
Spotlight : Daland Speirs KC7LNR
Tech corner : Instrumentation
Strays : Repair shops
Letters : dipole from RG-59 coax, why crystals once used and not today, alternatives to HT CPS, meet up at Field Day

February 2026

Cover story : Station Installation
Editorial : Installation qualifications
Spotlight : Tim Julian K7BOM
Tech corner : Multi-cable entry enclosure
Strays : Buyer be aware
Photos : 2026 Winter Field Day
Letters : paper logging, frequency benefits of an Extra upgrade, why hams need computers, why use Baofeng HTs

January 2026

Cover story : Following the Rules
Editorial : Rule, law, or tradition
Spotlight : Amanda Shaw KK7TOF
Photos : 2025 Christmas Dinner
Strays : Rules enforcement
Letters : math anxiety, accidentally lost call sign, steel guy wires

December 2025

Cover story : Activities and Events
Editorial : Teaching ham radio
Spotlight : Lynn Hancock K7LSH
Tech corner : Full-wave horizontal loop antenna
Strays : Special event stations
Letters : what radiator ratio for an OCFD, WARC bands not prohibited in contests, SES can use repeaters, only one US call sign

November 2025

Cover story : Service
Editorial : Giving back
Spotlight : Kris Gainsforth KBØSTG
Photos : 2025 Homebrew Night
Strays : Ham radio for the military
Letters : why get a vanity call sign, what to do after passing exam, why don't HTs come with ear pieces, how to get a confirmation

October 2025

Cover story : Amateur Evolution
Editorial : Avoiding the Geezer complex
Spotlight : Walt Nicholes WA7YPL
Photos : 2025 Fall potluck
Strays : Computers and ham
Letters : so wrong to want an amplifier, GMRS or Technician first, riffraff on 40 meters, why shortwave receivers

September 2025

Cover story : Audio
Editorial : Numerical Signal Reports
Spotlight : Tom Partridge KC7DKR
Tech corner : Using the Northern Utah WebSDR
Strays : I hear you
Letters : unun toroid winding separation, why rig prices so high, where to see listing of fire requencies, when grandfather licensed

August 2025

Cover story : Weather
Editorial : Check the weather
Spotlight : Ron Edwards K7RCZ
Photos : 2025 Field Day and Steak Fry
Strays : Approaching storm checklist
Letters : how to use the calling frequency, radio waves seem to need no medium, what's needed to travel to the US

July 2025

Cover story : Making Contact
Editorial : Nets
Spotlight : Don Rawlins N7YUQ
Tech corner : How to work a satellite
Strays : Logging
Letters : vanity plates, connect multiple rigs to single antenna, get into HF inexpensively, drawbacks to Extra upgrade

June 2025

Cover story : It's About Time
Editorial : Keeping time
Spotlight : Wade Shearer KK7RRW
Tech corner : Field Day 2024 highlights
Strays : Then and now
Letters : teaching a third-grader, where to insert an SWR meter, donation contact

May 2025

Cover story : The People of Amateur Radio
Editorial : Exceptions to the rule
Spotlight : Adam Stribling KK7NJJ
Tech corner : The Utah Band Plan
Strays : You, the leader
Letters : Heathkit amplifer inspection, advantages of more expensive rigs, GMRS rules

April 2025

Cover story : Amateur radio in space
Editorial : Atmospheric effects
Spotlight : Greg Gibson KI7VWJ
Tech corner : NanoVNA Saver
Strays : Geomagnetic indices
Letters : how to become a VE, three events that have changed good-ole boys clubs, new Intertie link is up

March 2025

Cover story : A Diverse Craft
Editorial : Your favorite radio mode
Spotlight : Ken Ainge W7PKA
Tech corner : RTL-SDR waterfall
Strays : RMS
Letters : use 17 meters to avoid contests, answering the CQ, ARRL not addressing declining membership, people can't hear me

February 2025

Cover story : Grounding
Editorial : Ground types
Announcement : Utah DCC 2025
Spotlight : Fui Taotua K7FUI
Tech corner : Your station ground
Silent key : Morris Farmer AD7SR
Strays : Lightning protection
Letters : using a ham call sign on maritime radio, height of 20-meter dipole, Advanced licenses still valid, announcing "mobile" legal

January 2025

Cover story : Transmission Lines
Editorial : Feed line variety
Announcement : Utah DCC 2025
Spotlight : Dan Lundwall N7XDL
Tech corner : Coax continuity tester
Silent key : Cindi Vega KJ7ZLJ
Strays : Artificially low SWR
Letters : how to route coax around a corner, 2024 Field Day results, what good is an HT, law requiring phonetics, list of published bad words

December 2024

Cover story : Power
Editorial : More power to you
Spotlight : Noji Ratzlaff KNØJI
Tech corner : Dummy load
Silent key : Chris Price W7CHP
Strays : Solar power
Letters : N connectors better, purpose of spectrum analyzer, whether kit-building is truly DIY, how much to study for Extra

November 2024

Cover story : Doing It Yourself
Editorial : Hobby or utility?
Spotlight : Sabra Ewing AI7UG
Tech corner : AM crystal radio
Strays : Tinkering
Letters : J-poles any good, kinds of cleaning solvents, how closely install two antennas, manual or automatic tuner

October 2024

Cover story : Working DX
Editorial : Operating with SSB
Spotlight : Doryl Lish KC7XP
Tech corner : Band conditions
Silent key : Ron Speirs K7RLS
Strays : Sunspots
Letters : ok to answer CQDX if not DX, what people win in contests, why join the ARRL, must turn off music

September 2024

Cover story : Repeaters
Editorial : Repeater operation terms
Special announcement : Proposed bylaws changes
Spotlight : Russ Long KK7QQO
Tech corner : Portable repeater
Strays : Repeater fundamentals
Letters : why 50 ohms, which rig for POTA, which coax is best

August 2024

Cover story : Exploring Emergecy Communication
Editorial : Working an emergency
Spotlight : Carl Pockrus WE7OMG
Tech corner : Disaster station setup
Strays : Steps to take in an actual emergency
Letters : ok to contact China, paint affect antenna, radio affect pacemaker, why upgrade if can use in emergency

July 2024

Cover story : Going Portable
Editorial : X On the Air
Announcement : HamCon: Zion
Spotlight : Ray Smith KK7LAT
Tech corner : Cookie sheet antenna
Silent key : John Hays K7VE
Strays : Spare fuses
Letters : improve radio speech, special ham day, 2 meters day vs. night, stand by

June 2024

Cover story : Best Practices
Editorial : Bandwidth
Announcement : HamCon: Zion
Spotlight : Don Rawlinson K7DHR
Tech corner : Your own PCBs, Part 3 (PCB Assembly)
Silent key : Dan Reid KB6UNC
Strays : Field Day participation
Letters : when bring back code requirement, how sunspots affect radio, talk over repeater ID, deadly radiation

May 2024

Cover story : Antenna Time
Editorial : Better antenna and coax
Announcement : HamCon: Zion
Spotlight : Chuck Johnson WA7JOS
Tech corner : Your own PCBs, Part 2 (PCB Creation)
Strays : Why an HF antenna needs a tuner
Letters : PL tones, why nobody answers on the '62, radio legal when drunk, precipitation affect antenna

April 2024

Cover story : Ham Radio Pioneers
Editorial : How to elmer
Announcement : HamCon: Zion
Spotlight : Stan Sjol WØKP
Tech corner : Your own PCBs, Part 1 (Microphone Mixer)
Silent key : Dave Deelstra N7ISH
Strays : Your QRZ page
Letters : handling a kerchunker, ham radio plates on RVs, ham radio stores, how close to the mic

March 2024

Cover story : The Digital Age
Editorial : The disruptive mode of FT8
Announcement : HamCon: Zion
Spotlight : Robert Gunnell KI7FUJ
Tech corner : Maidenhead grid squares
Silent key : Don Blanchard WA7GTU
Strays : An unusual bunch
Letters : ionospheric layers, why ham radio, Ted's apology, third-grader, partial call signs

February 2024

Cover story : Field Day 2024
Editorial : Only a Technician
Announcement : Utah DCC 2024
Spotlight : Doug Bosen W7GPD
Tech corner : Decibels
Silent key : Mickey Applebaum KE7NZA
Strays : Benefit of the doubt