How I
I occasionally make things work. Here’s how.
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20m Comparisons : A look at antenna systems
So, all that follows here is because I had my Windows laptop repaired and I can model antennas again. That, and a cedar-fever head cold that kept me out of the park all weekend converted my schedule into deep-diving into… Continue reading
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DIY Feedlines: Comparing Amazon vs. Quality Coax
We’ve all had or sat in on conversations about procuring material for our stations. It’s like a weeping sore, always needing care in the form of feed lines and adapters. If we’re the slightest bit “crafty” we need wires and… Continue reading
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Feeling A Little Dipolar
So, in every antenna conversation I have in my mind, there’s an old guy in the back who keeps interrupting with, “Use a dipole!” To me, that juice just ain’t worth the squeeze for a portable guy. Getting it up to… Continue reading
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Just Choke it! – Using the NanoVNA
W5DRT and I bought NanoVNAs and I don’t know about Dave, but I’ve been testing everything that doesn’t bite or slap. So playing with this little gadget, I’ve profiled SRW through several transformer into a known resistive load. More fun, I’ve… Continue reading
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Navigating The Parks
My YouTube buddy Ed W4EMB just released a video on Tools To Find And Get To Your Park. He did a great job, you should check it out. He’s inspired me to share what I’ve learned about this topic. I don’t want to drop… Continue reading
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Challenge Accepted!
As a portable operator, my antenna system and the accoutrements necessary to get it deployed are at the core of my decision making processes. If you watch my videos or read these posts, you know I love putting a wire in… Continue reading
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Wires and Antenna Models
I’ve been playing at modeling antennas. It’s an on-and-off again thing where every time I play with the software I get a little closer to understanding it. I use MMANA-GAL to model. It’s free. It’s also fairly simple if you… Continue reading
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CW – The Long Game
Don’t give up – it’s a long game. I took two CW courses offered by my club, a beginner’s and an intermediate level course. The first course, the beginner course, was well attended. Started with about a dozen folks and… Continue reading
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Portable Vertical Antenna
Wishing a speedy recovery to the essential employee at Wolf River Coil, but in the meantime… Their antenna systems breaks down to five essential elements. Lets look at each and find some alternatives. The Loading CoilFirst, let’s talk about the… Continue reading
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IC-706MK IIG
Mike – Tips, tricks, and what I learned about your rig are below. The rest of you can move along… unless you have and IC-706. Auto Repeater pg 32 and 53This is a function that sets repeater shift automatically. You… Continue reading
DitWit Portable Radio 