NVIS works very well… except when it doesn’t
Near Vertical Incident Skywave (NVIS) propagation works wonders when the bands cooperate, but can slam the door shut at any moment.
Diamond NR770HBNMO vs. Comet M-24M
The Diamond Antenna NR770HBNMO paired with their K515S insulated luggage rack mount provides measurable and observable upgrade for my 2015 Subaru Forester 2m/440 mobile.
Radials mitigate feedline and mast currents, tests reveal
Antenna patterns from a Diamond X50NA reveal how radials of proper size mitigate current running down the feedline and mounting structure.
Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico and how hams helped
Compare and contrast conflicting accounts of the amateur radio response to Hurricane Maria featuring what worked well, what didn’t and why resourceful hams combat nature and management.
J antenna and variations thereof
There are many ways to morph the basic J antenna into useful forms.
Sunspots and HF propagation
QSO data from a state QSO party reveal trends in HF usage correlating with sunspot numbers.
Virginia Packet Fund Raiser
The organizers of the Virginia Packet Network are asking for a few bucks to expand service outside of Virginia.
J Antenna Design Patent Grant
USD798847S1 showcases one more incremental step towards a J antenna that works with masts and feedlines.
Passing ARRL Field Day messages the easy way with packet radio
Here is a video of a Virginia amateur radio group passing field day bonus point messages off site using packet radio.
Mast Mountable Antenna Patent Application
The “mast mountable antenna” patent application is now available to review and critique.
N9TAX 2m Slim Jim Antenna Review
Erroneous specs aside, the N9TAX VHF SlimJim antenna is an exemplary dipole.
The limits of aluminum antenna tubing
Aluminum comes in varying grades and the Diamond Antenna CP22E demonstrates why not all aluminum is created equal.
KG3V Ham Radio Blog
Real experience with real experiments yield a wealth of information valuable to hams far and wide.
Low profile 2m/440 mobile installation
Video showcases a nice, clean, professional installation of a 2m/440 transceiver into Hyundai sedan.
Runt radials
Antennas shipping with ineffective antenna decoupling are on the rise as manufacturers daringly advocate 1/12 wave radials work.
Diamond CP22E Antenna Review
Despite some antenna gain hype, the Diamond Antenna CP22E 2m base station antenna is a remarkable design achieving 5 dBi directivity in a slim low-profile design.
Decibel hell & the reign of antenna gain pain
A short history of antenna gain terminology and some guidance to muddle your way through some of the nefarious alternative facts you may encounter.
Displacement Currents
Displacement current explains why the ends of dipole antennas have something more than zero current.
Of fields and feedpoints
Understanding how feed position along the half-wave dipole antenna affects the electric and magnetic fields around it.
Exciting times in soft modem development
The active and exciting development of the sound card soft-modem terminal node controller modulators/demodulators will help us continue to raise the throughput of our AX.25 connections as new releases arrive.
The need for 9600 bps AX.25
Despite its age AX.25 can compete with the slick newer digital technologies. Let’s see where packet fits into the digital landscape.
APRS AT Golden Packet 2016 NoVA Report
Using modest gear, station #6 of the Appalachian Trail Golden Packet exercise confirms 9600 bps works well for passing packets north and south.
Antenna pattern plots: Good intentions vs. good data
In the 21st century should we believe antenna graphical gain data based on hope and hearsay? J-pole antenna gain drawings are a common bad example.
SlimJIM and Antenna Gainflation
Understanding why SlimJIM antenna aficionados hype the gain in their marketing and discussions.