FDIM 2026 Tentative Speaker Lineup Announced

Harold Smith A Homebrewer's Journey -- How I got to where I am.

A QRP Ham's History. Where I started, how I learned what I learned.  The ups and the downs. Learning from building more stuff that didn't work the way I wanted than stuff that did.
Anthony Luscre Getting On The Air- Life is NOT Too Short for QRP Operating, If You Know a Few Tricks Unlike other areas of Amateur Radio, QRPers often spend a significant amount of time building their own transceivers. Many create wonderful projects, while others assemble kits; however, getting on the air with our creations is often secondary. This session will focus on QRP operating and making contacts. We will examine tips and tricks for success.
Jonathan Kayne KM4CFT The CFT1; the design philosophy and lessons in good user interface Jonathan Kayne is a 2021 graduate of Virginia Tech with a degree in Electrical Engineering, and is an avid POTA and SOTA activator. His presentation recounts the process and thoughts behind his newly popular QRP radio, the CFT1.
Jerry Weisskohl Learn CW like a boss My goal is to provide a proven method for rapid improvement in CW, focusing on a methodology that I have developed and successfully applied to become proficient in CW. The methodology is geared toward any CW operator with a working knowledge of the CW characters, with operating speed not being a critical factor for starting this program.
Thomas Witherspoon When the Grid Fails: A QRPer's Experience Post-Hurricane Helene When Hurricane Helene tore through western North Carolina in the fall of 2024, the damage was swift, unexpected, and widespread. In this photo-rich presentation, Thomas Witherspoon, K4SWL, will share his firsthand account of the storm’s aftermath and how amateur radio played a crucial role in staying connected when everything else failed. He will also offer practical advice for operators—no matter where they live—on how to prepare for natural disasters, build resilient communication setups, and foster stronger local networks. Even if you think you’re “out of harm’s way,” consider this your wake-up call to be ready.
Stewart Bryant Vibe(AI) Coding for the Radio Amateur Software is the new soldering iron and AI enables those less skilled in software to write working code. Examples are given of simple web apps, controlling relays and DDS systems, but at the end I give a few more advanced examples such as GNURadio and 3D modelling.
Jack Purdum Remote Magnetic Loop Antenna Tuner Magnetic loop antennas have numerous advantages in terms of size, but tuning them is tricky because the Q of a mag loop is very high, meaning a very narrow bandwidth. Many loops are tuned by listening to the audio level produced as the variable capacitor is varied. Body capacitance creeps in as you tune, causing some people to do a military crawl to sneak up on the loop as they tune it. This paper builds a remote tuner with SWR readout that takes the guesswork out of tuning. This inexpensive tuner also records the frequency/capacitor count so it can “learn” how to tune faster the more you use it.
Ross Ballantyne The development and construction of automatic antenna tuners for 640m, 2200m and 8900Hz operations Operating on the low bands of 630m, 2200m, Grimeton, 8900Hz and even the Schumann Resonance is quite difficult due to the enormous sizes of the antennas, inductors and capacitors required. This talk is the result of how to achieve the right components and make manual prototypes automated.
 
Additionally, we have scheduled Ashhar Farhan for a special presentation session at 7:00 PM Thursday, and Hans Summers for a special presentation session at 7:00 PM Friday. These evening sessions will be held in the Auditorium across from the Ballroom, and will be included in the Zoom Webinar package. Both Ashhar and Hans will have major announcements to make at these sessions, and you will NOT want to miss these!

FDIM 2026 Transmitter Challenge

 Among the many virtues which are embodied in the QRP radio hobby is that of economy. While the specific definition of QRP is operation at 5 watts or less, there is an unstated aesthetic which prefers the QRP radio do so with a certain minimalism in design, using as few components in its construction as possible, to be as economical as possible, and to operate with the highest efficiency possible.

While we have in past Design Challenges explored designs which have maximized power out from a few inexpensive amplifier devices, for 2026, we turn our attention to operating efficiency. We announce the 2026 FDIM QRP Transmitter Efficiency Challenge!

 1. The transmitter is to be operated from a fixed 12.0v power supply, and must demonstrate delivery of between 4.0 and 6.0 watts RF in the 40M band into a 50 ohm load.

2. The transmitter is to employ a 40M crystal as the frequency source.

3. A regulated 12.0 volt supply, 40M low-pass filter, dummy load, and power meter will be provided at the event.

 4. All circuit power is to be obtained from the 12.0v supply. No other power sources or energy storage may be used. Any cooling fans or other auxiliary circuits are to operate from this same 12v source, and their power consumption factored into overall efficiency.

 5. Output power from the 12.0v power supply will be calculated, and power into the dummy load measured. DC-to-RF efficiency will be calculated as the ratio of these two power numbers. The duration of the operational test will only be long enough to record power readings.

 6. There are no restrictions on the type of circuits, quantity or type of components, or class of amplifier that may be used, as long as the 40M crystal is the frequency source.

 7. Entries are to be checked in at the FDIM contest table by 8:30 PM on Friday May 15th during Club Night during the Four Days in May event.

 8. The circuit with the highest calculated DC-to-RF power efficiency will be declared the winner! Winners will be recognized at the FDIM Awards Dinner on May 16th.

 9. A schematic of the design is to be made available for review, and possible publication in QRP Quarterly magazine.

 

Good luck, happy designing, and see you in May!

73/72 Dave Cripe NM0S