More Breaking News about the ARRL CSI

Some have asked why the Brouhaha about the Clean Signal Initiative being touted by the ARRL. That is a genuine question that needs a full investigation. 

One current argument: this is no big deal as it only affects commercial equipment. What are you smoking as in time this opens the door to ALL equipment including kits and home-grown radios. 

There is no such thing as compartments and so it is a big deal. It also suggests that in the future the only compliance will be SDR based radios with pre-distortion algorithms. Read a significant incremental cost to appliance boxes driven not by the FCC but by the ARRL Laboratory.

The ARRL is a business, and businesses must survive to stay in business. This survival always causes a shift in the internal Mission Statement versus that which is the openly suggested Mission Statement.

From Copilot...

🎯 Official ARRL Mission Statement

“To advance the art, science, and enjoyment of Amateur Radio.”

This is the long‑standing, formally published mission statement used across ARRL sections and official documents.

🆕 Updated Mission Language (2024 Board Discussion)

ARRL leadership recently highlighted a refined version emphasizing youth and future growth:

“ARRL’s mission is to promote and protect the art, science, and enjoyment of amateur radio, and to develop the next generation of radio amateurs.”

This updated phrasing appears in ARRL Board communications and reflects strategic priorities but does not replace the classic mission statement in all official materials.

Now the problem is just how does one execute that; well, we certainly know the demonstration of emphasizing youth and future growth: From no license to no class Extra Class in 45 minutes. No technical expertise required which seems to violate the original Mission Statement about advancing the art and science of the hobby.

The ARRL is a business, and you have to make it viable and that comes from revenue generation. At the current dues rate, all you routinely get is a digital copy of QST, and that likely is a negative impact to the revenue stream. The primary source of revenue has to be the advertising base.

From the ARRL Executive Committee Meeting Minutes of November 5, 2025, the official membership is:

🟦 1. ARRL’s Official Public Figure

• “More than 160,000 members”

This is the number published on ARRL’s own website and membership pages. This is the figure ARRL uses for public-facing materials.

At 160,000 members the dues would be about $9.44M and at 130,240 members that number is $7.68M and that folks equate to about a 19% drop in membership revenue. Ouch... no wonder they are trying to give away licenses

If this is true, there is about a 30,000 member disconnect from the published to the internal executive committee report and at say dues of $59 a year that would suggest a $1.8M decline in revenue. The Far East Radio Manufacturers certainly must have their hair on fire as that also represent 19% less readers fondling the pages of QST in search of a radio they don't need. 

So, from a business perspective you have to sell more advertising to offset those who have dumped the ARRL. [That number will likely decline further in 2026 as more members dump the ARRL as $59 is a couple of days groceries.]

So how to generate the shortfall differential. Advertisers is the likely place. So, if the ARRL Lab creates a new transmit standard where all the Far East Manufacturers would have to participate... The one hand washes the other with the manufacturers paying more for the adverts BUT can charge more for the product so they can have the sticker. This also is a boon for the manufacturers who might not spend the R&D for CSI now have an excuse to charge more and actually do it. No matter how you slice it just like the Trump Tariffs... you pay for it.

Yes, this is a brain fart conspiracy theory but no different than a plan to invade Greenland and Cuba. It is just business and mathematics. You don't have to believe me but certainly what is theorized has a certain charm to it. It is all about a Lab Grade SDR in every ham shack as that must be the ARRL View with CSI.

 Them that know, survive.

73's

Pete N6QW

Prepper #2 ~ The Antenna

OK Preppers, The Most Critical Piece = The Antenna! Tattoo that on a significant part of your anatomy. Your radio no matter how expensive has to have a good antenna for maximum performance.

Think about it as you are trying to get on the air where ostensibly there is no power, the world is in turmoil, the regular antenna systems are on the ground, and the 5th Horseman of the Apocalypse is here. [The Four Horseman of the Apocalypse are from the Bible. The Fifth Horseman is suggested as the Orange Horse and represents a person simultaneously declaring Marshall Law and President for Life.]

But your very 1st problem is getting on the air and determining a "how bad is it" status. That act requires having an antenna in place. The very first question regarding an antenna should be who the contact matrix is. Local communications likely would have greater import over some inane (stupid) ARRL QSO or DX party. 

Some antennas like the NVIS (Near Vertical Incident Skywave) ones are quite good for local communications out to 200 to 400 miles. The Linear Loaded Dipole is another option. But structures to support dipoles simply are not there and a NVIS may be a problem. Whereas a Vertical Antenna mounted on a camera tripod with an elevated ground plane, opens the range up with low angle radiation. Simplicity, and ease of deployment by a single person rank high on the desirability list.

For the long-haul communications, an elevated Vertical delivers the low angle radiation. The antenna shown below is a folding manpack antenna 285 CM (9.35 Feet) and folds into sections no longer than 12 Inches.

About $45 at Bozos

My Vertical setup includes a tapped base loading coil that on one end mounts on short camera tripod and the whip connects to the other end of the coil. Three wires each 32 feet long connect to the ground side of the coax and form a counterpoise. A "T Match" antenna tuner at the radio perks up the system. BTW the interface to the Tripod was the Jeep Wrangler Bumper Mount I fabricated on my Milling Machine. It has the 3-24 Fitting built in.

Going back to the NVIS, there are telescoping masts that would offset the lack of vertical structures, but these can be expensive. See the 46' DX Engineering pole.

 DXE-TFK46-HD ($300)

There are of course many other possibilities such a loading a rain gutter. But as I explained to a brand-new Extra recently who couldn't load his rain gutter... It has to be a metal gutter not plastic. That is what happens when there is only 45 Minutes between no license and an Extra Class.

Them that know, survive.

73's

Pete N6QW

We Interrupt this program for Breaking News

The Original intent of today's post was to cover Prepper Antennas. You will see that in a couple of days.

The Breaking News is about your ARRL (I am not a member, and the following is more evidence of why not.). The Nerds of Newington have come up with a new bent straight from the bowels of the ARRL Lab. It is called the Clean Signal Initiative 

The thrust of this effort is for transmitters (likely require all) to have a "clean" signal output.  I put this effort in the realm of the SAVE Act. The object of that act is not a clean vote but to suppress the vote of the non-MAGA voters. C'mon Donald, all of us are not blind!

And so should you be not blind about the impact of the ARRL Proposal. 

Open your eyes, for any new built ham transmitter to be legally sold in the USA it must be type accepted by the FCC. Kits for now slip under the radar as do homebrew transceivers/transmitters and boat anchors from the past. So why is the ARRL Lab taking on the job of the FCC?

Even the ARRL got a dose of their own medicine when they reissued the Tuna Tin Two project as the original design did not meet today's spectral purity standards.

But the biggest impact is to your wallet! The Far East Radio manufacturers will jump on this like a horny blonde. Their radio offerings will see a sale price increase to comply with the ARRL CSI rating, and you pay for it. 

In truth these manufacturers likely will affix a sticker to the back of the radio stating CSI compliant and do nothing more and the price goes up by $100. Since all the Far East Radio Manufactures will do it, the relative price points do not change except an increase for all of us to bear just like The Trump Tariffs.

We previously mentioned the Apache Labs SDR Radio and they have already been addressing this with their pre-distortion approach. An Apache Labs radio median price = $4500

From Copilot

Apache Labs’ ANAN series is best known for one signature capability: PureSignal adaptive predistortion, a real‑time linearization system that dramatically cleans up your transmitted SSB signal by reducing IMD products by 20–40 dB. If you care about clean transmit audio, driving an external amp, or operating in crowded bands, Apache Labs radios are in a class of their own. Here’s a clear, structured breakdown of what they offer and why they matter.
📡 What “Predistortion” Means in Apache Labs Radios
PureSignal (developed by Warren Pratt, NR0V) is an adaptive predistortion system built into the OpenHPSDR/Thetis ecosystem.
🔍 What it does

• Samples your actual RF output via a sampler or coupler

• Measures distortion products (IMD)

• Applies an inverse polynomial correction in real time

• Produces an extremely linear transmit signal

🧭 Why it matters

• Cleaner SSB, AM, and digital modes

• Dramatically reduced splatter on adjacent frequencies

• Ideal for driving solid‑state amps, which are more IMD‑sensitive

• Makes your signal look “lab‑grade” on panadapters

This is why Apache Labs radios are beloved by operators who care about signal purity, especially in competitive or crowded HF environments.
🏆 Apache Labs Models That Support PureSignal Predistortion
Below are the major models known for PureSignal capability, with notes from the search results.
ANAN‑10E

• Proven PureSignal performer

• Frequently used in demonstrations of predistortion effectiveness

• Example setup: ANAN‑10E + HF Packer Amp + Ameritron AL‑811 using PureSignal sampling

ANAN‑G1 (100W HF/6m SDR)

• Modern successor platform

• 16‑bit ADC, 100+ dB dynamic range

• Thetis‑compatible

• Designed for high‑performance TX/RX with PureSignal support

• Pre‑order model from Apache Labs

ANAN‑G2 / G2‑1K (800–1500W HF/6m SDR)

• Next‑generation architecture with massive FPGA horsepower

• Designed for extreme linearity and high‑power operation

• Ideal for PureSignal with built‑in sampling ports on some amps

• Pre‑order deposit model from ML&S

🧪 How PureSignal Works in Real Stations
A real‑world example from WA6NUT shows:

• ANAN‑10E running PureSignal

• Output sampled via directional coupler

• Amplified chain (HF Packer → AL‑811)

• Before/after panadapter images show dramatic IMD reduction

This is exactly why Apache Labs radios are favored by operators who run external amplifiers—PureSignal keeps the entire chain clean.
🧰 Why Apache Labs + PureSignal Is UniqueApache Labs radios are essentially lab‑grade SDRs with amateur‑radio‑friendly interfaces.

Apache Labs radios reward operators who appreciate:

• Clean transmit audio

• High dynamic range

• Open‑architecture SDR

• Ability to integrate external amps cleanly

• Experimentation with DSP and waveform shaping

Apache Labs has set the standard and now the ARRL wants it to be the standard for all radios. There will be the scope creep, and kits and home grown in time will be affected. Once MAGA fades, hams with Red Hats will join the ranks of the SDR Police to simply carry out the ARRL CSI mandate.

Remember it was the ARRL who instigated the incentive licensing initiative, today's current no class Extra Class and now CSI.  CSI will hit your wallet big time. 

The CSI rating will likely impact home grown rigs and then the ARRL's unstated goal of 100% operating and contests will be achieved. The ARRL argument boils down to a Lab Grade SDR in every ham shack.

Them that know, survive.

73's
Pete N6QW

Prepper #1 ~ Powering your Prepper 20W SSB Transceiver

So, you have in hand the Prepper 20 Watt SSB/CW transceiver and 12V, 10 Amp LiPo battery. Now you need a charging system for the battery. I turned to Copilot and specified a location and typical operation.

When sizing a charging system you have to know stuff. So, before you simply rush in and flash the plastic first flash the brain. Things you have to know include the load (20 Watts PEP with a 50% duty cycle), how much you will operate on a daily basis (1 hour per day) and your location. 

The location is a key factor like Yuma; AZ has 4000 hours of sunlight a year which is more than 10 hours a day every day. Port Townsend in WA, I swore had 4000 hours of rain a year. Location also plays a part in the tilt angle that you set the panels to garner the most energy generation. Solar panels are terribly inefficient like maybe 20% so every bit counts. Panel direction is also paramount. Find your old Cub Scout Compass and face the panels SOUTH.

In a apocalyptic scenario operating times may be limited but you also want the system sized so you get more than 15 minutes per day. You also must figure in the charging of phones and laptops.

Realistically I invoked the Chu Lai standard: MRE's, no lights at night and warm beer. Thus a 10 Amp battery was OK. You might think about building a crystal set as no power is required and you can run that 24/7 without batteries.

In my system I have included a small inverter to intermittently power devices that need 115V AC but no more than 70 watts. The inverter is good for 150 watts and has a single outlet and a USB charging port... get an adapter for USB B to USB C.

The answer was astonishing and the price was less than $50.

Solar Powered Charging System

🌄 Best Specific Model for POTA/SOTA

Topsolar 30W 12V/24V Monocrystalline Solar Panel Kit

Why this is the right choice for portable ham ops:

🏕️ Field‑Ready for POTA/SOTA

• 30W panel is the ideal size for backpack/portable ops — enough to recharge your 12 V 10 Ah LiPo after a day of SSB activity without being bulky.

• Lightweight and compact, easy to strap to a pack or deploy on a summit.

• Weather‑resistant for coastal or mountain environments.

🔋 Perfect Match for Your Load

Your 20 W SSB radio uses:

• 4A peak, 50% duty, 1 hour/day → 2Ah/day (≈24Wh/day)

A 30W panel in SoCal coastal sun produces:

Even derated, that’s 5–6× your daily consumption, giving:

• Fast battery recovery

• Margin for fog, shade, or short winter days

• Ability to operate longer if needed

⚡ Controller Included

• Comes with a charge controller suitable for 12 V LiFePO₄/LiPo systems.

• Protects your pack from overcharge and keeps things simple in the field.

🧰 Practical Advantages

• Works great with Powerpole adapters or ring terminals.

• Easy to mount on a tripod, lean against a rock, or lash to a pack.

• Affordable and widely used by portable operators.

10 Amp Battery and Inverter

For my location I point it South and set the tilt angle to 35 Degrees.

My actual radio is a KX3 @ 15 watts so the system will be loafing along. 

This brings up another key point and that is the radio power output level. The siren's song is the $250 Xiegu or a Usdx. That is like the blonde with fake boobs. Nice looking but still not full bodied. The minimum power is 15 watts with 20 watts a better choice. Likely in the apocalyptic scenario the hex beam didn't survive the negative peak air overpressure, and you have a wire in a stump. You will need a bit more than 5 watts to be heard with a wimp of an antenna.

Them that know... survive.

73's

Pete N6QW

It is time to get into the Prepper Mode!

A story to illustrate a point. In 1980 I left McDonnell Douglas as I had a boss who was simply ignorant. He resisted new ways of thinking and doing things. I had an MBA and some of the organizational problems we had were well studied and had remedies. He simply was risk averse to changing anything and so I left.

Late in 1981, out of the blue, I was contacted by McDonnell Douglas with a job offer to come to work in St Louis. The person making the call apologized and said we should have never let you leave. It was my electronics background, and facilities experience that was key. They wanted me to be the project manager to build a microelectronics fab. Also, key was 10 years at McDonnell Douglas, as I intimately knew the work processes. The bag of money was big enough and in January of 1982 I moved to St. Louis. That meant snow, ice and dangerous driving.

The 1st day on the job I was introduced to a staff assistant whose job was to help me get up to speed. My 1st question was about the weather and driving conditions as I lived in the county some 35 miles from the plant. The staff assistant said don't worry when it is really bad, I will call you and let you know. I didn't think anything more about it and come April, we had a terrible snowstorm. At 3 AM the phone rings and it is the staff assistant, and he says just wanted to let you know... It is really bad.

[The following is hypothetical but does start to respond to the what if scenario. We are a divided nation, the economy sucks, there is a war going on, a major election in 7 months and it is a worldwide issue.] 

So here is your 3 AM call... It is bad. The world situation is tenuous, so this is a good time to get prepared. Call up your favorite AI program and ask about the Trump 2.0 Iran War and what it's doing to stability in the world. It is headed past its 3rd week, and we have already spent Billions on the war.  As it is now, this is not a one and done event. Any plan that existed is now on some new course. As we can see on TV, the Straits of Hormuz does need a big cork to stop the flow of liquid gold. 

 

Some of the things that should be done are easy and involve very simple process changes.

Maybe you might remember the Odd Even gas days of the 1970's. We are so dependent on our autos and so the 1st simple change is to keep your gas tanks full and battery charged. Keep in mind that an EMP can wipe out the use of automobiles and EV's.

Find, build or buy a 20-Watt HF SSB radio so you can communicate when all the cell towers go toes up. A 10 Amp LiPo Battery with a solar charger will keep you on the air and connected for any communications from the government. Xiegu, Elecraft, Yaesu and others have these radios. Get a small inverter (about $15) so you can charge your cell phone from the battery should there still be cell service. 

Collect two changes of clothing including a warm jacket and Boonie Hat. Pack it away for emergency use only. (So, you don't routinely touch it.) Ditch the flip flops and invest in a quality pair of hiking boots. Put a Space Blanket in the pack and purchase a cheap plastic poncho to keep dry.

Name me one person who is not on Meds... Oh, that is right they don't live in the USA. You should always try to have a two-week stash of critical medications. A First Aid Kit is another item.

Cash will be king. Have several hundred dollars in smaller bills and stash these inside your underwear. A check with any lap dancer can tell you the how it is done.

A small bag of tools could be on the critical path. Six in one screw drivers, multi-tools sold by Gerber and others plus add in a solid knife with a 4-inch blade. A WWII Kabar is perfect. (I have one I carried in Vietnam.) Include flashlights and spare batteries. Fire Starters, signal mirrors and flares round out the tools. If you can find some para cord and fishing hooks throw that in the kit. 

Weapons is a big question and when it comes down to it may be more dangerous to have one as not. That said you may want to consider purchasing the AR-7 Survival Rifle for hunting small game and warding off wild animals. This rifle comes apart and the receiver and barrel plus magazines fit inside the waterproof stock. It shoots 22 Cal LR. Henry Arms now makes the AR-7. (About $400. Check Bass Pro Shops / Cabella's)


Critical documents that you will need should be amassed and secured such as passports, birth certificates, naturalization documents, drivers licenses, property ownership and marriage certificates. For veterans, your DD214 is the E Ticket. A waterproof pouch is a must to contain these documents. It might be a good idea to get fingerprinted and have your prints in the pouch. Also prepare a contact list with phone numbers, email addresses etc. Get with your family and have a prearranged contact plan for when there is an emergency there is a communications central. 

 

AR-7 Survival Rifle

Become familiar with your local area (maps, guides, etc.) and locate a safe area that can be accessed on foot. If you are going to run away from home, you better have a place to run to in an emergency.

Last but not least is food. Purchase a stock of 20 MRE's per person (2 meals for 10 days). They are packed with calories and easily cooked in the field. In lieu of extensive water storage, have water purification kits. 

This is a lot to absorb but it is the reality and not a perception. Hope for the best but be prepared for the worst.

This was a hypothetical brain dump, but you might want to find and watch the following three movies: Red Dawn, The Day After and Independence Day. Cheesy, yes but they all have a common theme... it can't happen here. But it did and for the most part they were unprepared. A critical solution in Independence Day was the use of Morse Code. Oh yeah, no longer a ham license requirement.

Them that know... survive. This is your 3 AM wake up call.

73's

Pete N6QW

A Who Done It Mystery

When I am home growing a new rig I like to first "noodle" the expected result. When I use one of the standard FOAM modules (Filter Oscillator Amplifier Mixer), in advance I have a calibration that a properly operating IRF510 RF Final should produce more than 100 milliwatts on 40M. This process works pretty well for non-SDR radios. Throw that out the door when you add a single board computer to the hardware set.

From time to time, I drag out my home grown 20M SDR transceiver. There was such an event yesterday. The main SDR board can be interfaced with a variety of SBC's including an RPi3, 4 and 5 as well as a Windows 11 machine and the ASUS Tinker Board. All of these computers are running QUISK from N2ADR. This is where the mystery starts.

Home Grown SDR

R Pi 5

No contest as the Linux based machines performs much better using QUISK than anything Windows. The only reason I have QUISK on the Windows 11 Machine is that I can now operate the Hermes Lite 2.0 which is 100 feet away from the shop computer with five different software programs including QUISK.

Prior to Python 3, the ASUS boards were better than the R Pi Boards. But I have been unable to update the Tinker Boards with Python 3. The latest versions of QUISK require Python 3. So as a class the R Pi Boards work with Python 3.

Changing nothing with the Analog hardware, the results with the various R Pi's is not predictable and therein lies the mystery. I have always had difficulty with the R Pi 4 to work with QUISK, and my home grown SDR. No problem with the R PI 3 or R PI5. The issue with the R PI 4 is the external USB sound card. Remove that device and it works FB but install it and the spectrum literally bounces all over the screen. 

I thought I might have a faulty R Pi 4 and a 2nd purchase resulted in the same issue. The R Pi 4 and R Pi 5 are running in the 64-Bit Mode. Taking the SD Card out of the R Pi 4 and swapping into an R Pi 5 and it runs without the jumping of the Spectrum. So, the problem must exist with the R Pi 4 system architecture. 

I have two R Pi 5's and swapping the same SD Card between the two results in different performance. The problem du jour is that I see a trace of a recurrent spike on the received spectrum. 

Noise Spikes

Now, I have a desktop machine running Linux Mint 20 and I spotted the same type of spike, even with the machine off. As I found out many of the desktop machines even though off have a Wake on LAN capabilities, so, they are not really off. When I unplugged the Mint 20 machine the spike at that time disappeared as you could hear the spike in an adjacent KWM-2. So, I am suspecting something new in my home is the culprit. I replaced the Mint 20 Computer power supply with a quality low noise unit and that seemed to fix that problem.

[I seem to recall friend N2CQR had a recurrent noise spike issue traced to a new tread mill.]

But using different SD Cards in the R Pi 5 has variability in the presence of the recurrent spike with one SD Card only showing a slight trace and the other is much more apparent. The awful truth just like blondes versus redheads, all SD Cards are not the same. Plus, we all know blondes are "spikey". Likely you really need a premium SD card to exact the best performance overall. It follows there are blondes and there are blondes!

Them that know at times may not know.

73's

Pete N6QW

A Lot Happening in the World Today.

Well, if your son or grandson gets drafted or has to go to war, it is a short distance to who is responsible and it is not Joe Biden.

One surely has to wonder about the decision process to engage in another Mid-east war such as the ongoing one in Iran. I can just visualize a voice in the room that said it will be over in one day and don't worry about the oil supply. It been 17 days and gas prices suck.

Here is what I see as radio with a pedigree for being a top-of-the-line main station radio. This is the first radio for all of those 45 Minute Extra's as nothing differentiates just any old driver from one who drives a Ferrari. I await a You Tube video showing the   YL ham radio newcomer as they unbox this jewel in the crown,

ANAN-G2 Ultra HF & 6M 100W Ultra High Performance SDR

For about $4500 (above) you can have the Apache Labs 100-Watt High Performance SDR that will make you the envy of anyone who can hear you. This radio stands up and barks!

ANAN-G2-1K 1000W+ HF & 6M SDR Transceiver

For those seeking the ne plus ultra meet the Apache Labs ANAN-G2-1K, (above). This is all you will ever need for contests and operating and it can be had for a mere $7500. 

Just think, you can put all that extra cash sitting in your pocket, a gift from Trump 2.0, and finally get a real station. All the money from the booming economy, the tariffs and the dwindling gas supply finally has made you wealthy. Soon AI will give you even more time for contests and operating. 

When you yell CQ POTA you will be heard with one of the world's finest radios. No warmed-over home grown Bitx40 even comes close.

Those of us who know are telling you about the best radio to make you the envy of every ham op worldwide. Order one today! (Yeah right!)

73's

Pete N6QW