Simple Ham Radio Antennas

Here's part two of a 2015 Field Day video by "Survivalist2008." He spent the day near Summerfield, North Carolina operating as 1B Battery NC.  His equipment was pretty basic, but highly effective, considering what he brought with him.  The rig was the dependable ICOM-706MKIIG.  He used a LDG antenna tuner to tame the SWR on an inverted V dipole antenna with the apex only 20-feet/6.09 meters above ground.  His power supply was a 750 MCA deep cycle marine battery.  He had lots of fun, and I hope you enjoyed your field day station.  For the latest Amateur Radio news and events, please check out the blog sidebars.  These news feeds are updated daily.  You can follow our blog community with a free e-mail subscription or by tapping into the blog RSS feed.  Aloha es 73 de Russ (KH6JRM). Related articles How to tune a 10 meter dipole The July Edition of Digital QST is Now Available! Villages Amateur Radio Club tests abilities in annual Fie...

Excellent, elegant, and simple Field Day 2015 set up from "Survivalist2008." He ran as Class 1B Battery NC. His portable station was located ear Summerford, North Carolina. His equipment included: An 80 meter Inverted V dipole with the apex of the antenna about 20-feet/6.09 meters above ground; an ICOM-706 MKIIG HF transceiver; a LDG portable antenna tuner; and a 750 MCA deep cycle marine battery for power.  In part two, we'll see how this arrangement performed during the ARRL Field Day weekend. For the latest Amateur Radio news and events, please check out the blog sidebars.  These news feeds are updated daily.  You can follow our blog community with a free e-mail subscription or by tapping into the blog RSS feed.  Thanks for joining us today!  Aloha es 73 de Russ (KH6JRM).

An important video from"TimTools99" about the importance of tower grounding for amateur radio operators. Tim says the key to protecting your ham radio equipment against lightning damage is connection to a SINGLE, low impedance grounding point. Tim adds that the goal of grounding an antenna tower is to drain off static electricity buildup so that lightning isn't attracted to your tower or nearby home.  It's also a good idea to disconnect your radio equipment when you are done for the day.  For the latest Amateur Radio news and events, please check out the blog sidebars. These news feeds are updated daily.  You can follow our blog community with a free e-mail subscription or by tapping into the blog RSS feed. Thanks for joining us today!  Aloha es 73 de Russ (KH6JRM). Related articles Home Land Security has co-opted Amateur Radio. Not long after Home Land Security was created they started giving out Grants to Amateur Radio Clubs and Organization. Global H...

Excellent introduction to the 40 meter Amateur Radio band. If you have trouble viewing this video, please enter the following URL into your web browser: https://youtu.be/aqQCW4tR7Fk. This well-produced video covers the Amateur Radio activity permitted in the 7.000 MHz to 7.300 MHz frequency range. The 40 meter band can be used in the daylight hours for local and regional contacts, while the band really "opens up" at night with international contacts possible. A variety of modes can be used here, ranging from Single Sideband (LSB) to CW and digital modes.  A dedicated AM phone group sometimes meets on 7.290 MHz to discuss older rigs, antennas, and AM technical topics. A simple dipole antenna mounted as high as you can get it will get you many contacts at powers below 100 watts.  Many QRP CW operators hang out around 7.060 MHz.  One of the reasons I got my Extra Class License was to go below 7.025 MHz for the often exotic DX that can be found there. Of course, that piec...

I discovered this helpful, well-presented video while I was searching for a FM receive antenna  for my rural Hawaii Island QTH. FM radio reception is marginal where I live, so I was looking for an easy to build FM antenna that wouldn't cost "an arm and a leg" to design, install, and maintain. The antenna construction is fairly straightforward and involves some coaxial cable and lamp cord.  The performance on the FM broadcast band is quite good.  I also built one to monitor the repeaters serving the east side of Hawaii Island,  While these antennas are for receive purposes only, you could design a similar antenna for transmitting as well.  This is an excellent weekend project, especially for those of us in marginal FM broadcast reception areas. Related articles New community radio station will put antenna on top of Phinney Ridge's Norse Home

If you have trouble viewing this video, please insert this URL into your browser search box:  https://youtu.be/ImCM1notTfg.  A well organized and presented video tutorial, review, and demonstration of the MFJ -939 automatic antenna tuner by HamRadioConcepts.  The author shows you some of the "cool" features of this fairly new "tuner", describes what comes with the device, and demonstrates some of its capabilities on his own HF transceiver.  The MFJ-939 is available from http://www.gigaparts.com for $159.95.  This looks like a good piece of equipment for a fair price.  For the latest Amateur Radio news and events, please check out the blog sidebars.  These news feeds are updated daily.  You can follow our blog community with a free em-mail subscription or by tapping into the blog RSS feed.  Thanks for joining us today!  Aloha es 73 de Russ (KH6JRM). Related articles ARRL Field Day 2015 - a medium wave and long wave demonstrati...

I hope you had an enjoyable Field Day experience. I found this interesting 2015 Field Day Clip from the Blackstone Valley Amateur Radio Club (W1DDD).  I sure the lantern helped with logging chores and probably attracted a bunch of insects to this state of Maine location.  I enjoyed my brief time with the Big Island Amateur Radio Club in Hilo, Hawaii, as club members ran an old Yaesu-857D in class 1A.  For the latest Amateur Radio news and events, please check out the blog sidebars.  These news feeds are updated daily.  You can follow our blog community with a free e-mail subscription or by tapping into the blog RSS feed.  If you have trouble viewing this short video, please insert this URL into your browser search box:  https://youtu.be/kY-1S4y8Lj8.  Thanks for joining us today!  Aloha es 73 de Russ (KH6JRM).