Pointers and considerations when deciding to change your callsign. What’s involved, how to research a new callsign, and what are the costs associated with it.

John will be available after the presentation to display and answer questions about his Enigma replica.

CW sent via HF radio played a major role in World War II. However, intercepted messages were of little use unless they could be decoded. To understand that process, we must look beyond the radio itself and look at what happened after those signals were captured from the airwaves. This presentation focuses on the German military Enigma cipher machine and the critical network used to compromise them. Topics include the design and mechanics of the machine, an overview of how the German military utilized them, and an overview of the Allied interception and cryptanalysis efforts. We will touch on at the historic work done by Bletchley Park and the Y Service (or Y Stations)—the top-secret network of wireless intercept operators who spent hours scanning the HF bands to log every single click of enemy Morse code, providing the vital raw data that the Cryptanalysts needed to crack the Enigma.. An electronic, kit-built replica Enigma machine will be on display. At the conclusion of the presentation, attendees will receive a challenge to decode a simulated Enigma message at home using online resources. Successful decoders will be awarded a Certificate of Cryptographic Achievement.

Pat Wintheiser is the author of Nec2Go Antenna Modeling program. As such there are many different designs that can be discussed depending on participant input.

We will talk about how to study for a license, modes of operation such as fm, ssb, digital, meshtastic, public service, drones and types of radios. It can be a lifetime hobby full of related hobbies. And shameless promotion of the Richfield Amateur Radio Club. w0rrc.org

The ICS Field Observer (FOBS) Essentials program—developed jointly by Minnesota VOAD and Minnesota ARES—addresses one of the most persistent gaps identified in After‑Action Reports across Minnesota: the need for timely, accurate, and actionable field intelligence. As noted in the article, “responders need accurate, timely information to make decisions during floods, storms, and other incidents,” and trained observers fill this critical role by delivering structured, ground‑truth reporting directly to incident command. The course provides a practical, scenario‑driven pathway to operational readiness. Participants learn how the Field Observer role integrates into the Incident Command System, how to observe and document conditions using standardized ICS forms—including the ICS 213, 213RR, 214, and the modified ICS 309 CAN‑P—and how to communicate clearly using radio and message‑confirmation protocols. As emphasized in the training materials, these skills “ensure accountability and effective incident planning” while supporting accurate data flow from the field to the planning process. Safety and situational awareness form a core component of the curriculum. Observers are trained to recognize hazards, maintain awareness in dynamic environments, and apply structured checklists to reduce risk. This is essential in Minnesota, where “weather can change quickly and conditions can become dangerous.” The program also strengthens mapping and location‑accuracy capabilities, teaching USNG, GPS correlation, and structure‑side designations—competencies that emergency managers increasingly rely on during fast‑moving incidents. As described in the Future‑Proofing ARES document, modern response environments demand “verified, structured, and actionable information from the field,” and volunteers trained in FOBS skills are uniquely positioned to meet that need. Ultimately, the FOBS Essentials course builds more than technical skill—it builds capacity. It equips volunteers to serve as force multipliers, improves coordination between VOAD, ARES, and public safety partners, and strengthens Minnesota’s resilience “one trained observer at a time.”

Wayne will discuss the role of the state POTA mapping representative, how parks are added, and sometimes deactivated. Wayne will discuss how this is important to the integrity of the POTA program. This is a great opportunity to ask Wayne your questions about how different park entities qualify for inclusion in the POTA program.

DXing from a Highrise shares N0UK’s experiences of tackling the challenges of operating from an urban apartment residence and proving it is possible to be successful in working other stations around the world. After getting his feet wet for a couple of years on HF, he focused the next 34 years playing on the weak-signal end of the VHF and UHF bands, both in his native UK and adopted homeland in Minnesota. Upon moving from a typical family house to an Uptown Minneapolis apartment, the challenge of effectively working HF with albeit limited antennas semed like a interesting experiment. The results were both pleasing and definitely unexpected!

A review of the past year in Em Comm and Events. We supported probably 20 events and exercises this past year. We will cover best practices and lessons learned.

Microwave signals are easily attenuated by terrain and foliage. Operators interested in microwaves frequently have to operate portably with clear horizons. Flat farm fields over soybeans (not corn) work. Microwave signals propagate beyond line-of-sight, usually by scattering phenomena. From 3 GHz to 24 GHz, water droplets in rain (or snow) are helpful as a scattering mechanism. When rain is in vertical development, like in thunderstorms, the scattering now occurs from a figurative tower 20,000 to 50,000 feet tall. With a well-placed thunderstorm, contacts of 600-800 miles are possible and with strong signals. This presentation explains the rainscatter process. Existing software that assists is introduced. The complication of Doppler shifting is addressed. Lastly, video examples of CW, SSB, and FM contacts are displayed.

HamSci is an organization that bands together hams and scientists to learn about the ionosphere and radio propagation. It has been covered in QST, but what does it mean. We will learn how the HamSci network monitors propagation parameters, including magnetic disturbances and time-of-flight signals. Changes in these indicate that the ionosphere is active and moving. How does this affect ham radio bands.

Amateur radio is entwined with a lot of geospatial data: countries, states, grid squares, positions, parks, and more. In some cases, the map you want to see may already be available. However, in others, the map you are looking for doesn’t exist yet. This session will cover foundational spatial data concepts and how to go about making your own maps, working with open-source geospatial tools such as QGIS and PostGIS.

This presentation gives you a good overview of the World Radiosport Championship and what it takes to be among the top contesters who qualify to participate in the WRTC. It will also cover what it takes to put on such an event while giving you insight into the competition itself.

Amongst all available wire-antenna options, the vertical full-wave loop (vFWL) has established itself as an excellent performer in terms of efficiency, gain, and take-off angle (TOA). However, full realization of these considerable advantages are accompanied by size, geometry, and height requirements that become increasingly daunting as we progress to lower frequencies. Accordingly, in hopes of extending the vFWL concept to 160-meters, we consider a loaded-loop design (vFWLL) of a size amenable to a standard suburban or even city lot deployment. As will be seen, this antenna has proven a quite effective DX performer.

The described antenna is a culmination of some four years of work involving a series of loop antenna designs that have proven both compact and DX-capable. My work with electrically ‘large’ loops began at 20m and progressed incrementally to longer wavelengths; 30m, 40m, and 60m, all without need for loading-coils or resonators of any type. These antennas were very effective, resulting in several DXCC awards, all of which were obtained while running 50 Watts or less. However, at the point I envisioned extending these results to 80-meters or even 160meters, it was immediately apparent I simply didn’t have the real estate. This is what has motivated consideration of so-called ‘loaded-loop’ designs.

In this presentation, we consider application of inductive loading to a specific full-wave loop structure, and in doing so, we discover degrees of freedom enabling design trade-offs whereby efficiency and gain may be exchanged for a DX-favorable TOA. A previous design for 80m has already proven quite effective, resulting in successful completion of DXCC and well beyond. Here, we push the concept to a substantially more difficult objective – design, simulation, and test of a vFWLL design for 160-meters. Despite a reduced efficiency due to what is essentially a 1/16-sized physical footprint, we discover this antenna to be quite DX-capable. We then take a close look at the less-than-obvious roles of polarization cancellation and ground-reflection in realization of what is an extraordinary performance level for a reduced-size antenna.

This manufacturer lead class will teach users (new or experienced) about Yaesu System Fusion. Beginning at the start of Yaesu System Fusion in 2013 through the current product line today users will learn all about C4FM?FDMA. This class is also a hands on class where students will learn while doing the functions and operations of Fusion.

This class will run from 9am – 1pm.

Class size is limited to this session, and a separate registration will be sent out prior to the convention to sign up for this class.

We spend countless hours comparing radios, antennas, coax, tuners, and accessories. But how much attention do we give to the one thing that makes all of it work: power?

Your radio may say 100 watts on the box, but is your power system actually allowing it to deliver 100 watts? In this session, we’ll explore the often-overlooked role power plays in station performance. We’ll look at power supplies, batteries, voltage drop, wire sizing, connectors, current requirements, and what really happens to your radio as voltage falls under load.

Determining what kind of POTA equipment to use can be challenging. In this session, several kinds of POTA operations will be covered, and what kind of gear can be found to help in the operation and assist operators in getting started or in finding new tools for their setups! Great for everyone from newcomers to POTA veterans.

Come and learn about Wavelog, the next generation of logging software for amateur radio that can be hosted in the cloud and give access anywhere!

As technology has become more and more a part of our lives and hobbies, more and more devices are being used to log radio contacts. Exporting, importing, massaging data, syncing, it can all get very tedious. Enter Wavelog – the next generation cloud logging software. Packed full of useful features for every type of operator from casual to major DXer or contester, find out what this amazing software is capable of and take your logging to the next level!

Kylee will be present on the involvement of youth in ham radio and her recent involvement with a YOTA camp.

This presentation will cover the VarAC digital mode for ham radio. We will explore how it combines the VARA modem for effective communication, even in poor conditions, with a modern keyboard-to-keyboard interface. Learn the features in VarAC, proper hardware configuration, and how to make your first contacts. Whether you are a digital mode veteran or brand new to data, come see how VarAC is modernizing the ham radio digital modes.