I just realized how long ago Field Day was, and how long it’s been since I’ve posted! Safe to say I’m overdue here, but I wanted to do a quick shout-out to all of those who attended field day and did so much to make it happen. I’m sure I’ll miss someone in my call…
Blog
The J-Pole Antenna Unmasked
At the June Zoom meeting of the Chelsea Amateur Radio Club , Wesley Cardone (N8QM) will give a simplified presentation of the J-Pole antenna. Club meetings occur on the 2nd Tuesday of each month. The premise of this presentation is to explain in simplified and down-to-earth fashion the electromagnetics of antennas while “tuning” the presentation…
What is characteristic impedance, anyhow?
What distinguishes “impedance” from “characteristic” impedance? A 1 foot length of RG-8X coax has a characteristic impedance of 50 Ohms. But does that cable present a 50 Ohm resistance to DC current flow? Can you describe the current flow that exists on such a coax cable if the end is open? When you understand characteristic…
Preparedness
Being PreparedBy Tim Bair, WD8PMDEmergency Coordinator, Jackson County MichiganJan, 2022 Prepare they say ….. This begs the question, have you? As amateur radio operators, some of us tend to think along the lines of preparedness and public service in whatever form that may take. Here in Michigan, we are very lucky in that most natural…
Coax Prep Made Easy
At the January 2022 meeting of the Cascades Amateur Radio Society, Wesley Cardone (N8QM) gave a presentation on the DX Engineering DXE-UT-KIT4 cable prep kit. Wes could not say how it typically is for the rest of the members in attendance at the January meeting but for his case, he only finds himself doing coax…
A Thermocouple Calibration
Some years ago, I developed a protocol to implement an improved characterization of the SPICE diode. In time I intend to publish this protocol but to do so I need to be able to make lab measurements of a diode’s forward voltage drop as a function of its current at three named ambient temperatures. In…
NVIS Antenna for ARES/RACES
NVIS Antenna / ECOMM CommunicationsECOMM Notes: Tim, WD8PMD, Oct-2021 Why choose an NVIS antenna system? In the world of ECOMM we need a method that offers a quick solution to our regional communication needs. I’m speaking of communications that cover the range of a few miles to a few hundred miles. While UHF / VHF…
Rudimentary (and cheap) RF Signal Generator
I recently purchased a very inexpensive RF Signal Generator from the Amazon website. Although the price shown here is $40, I paid $29 a couple of weeks ago for it. For the price, it is probably a worthwhile device to have on your bench. However, I don’t recommend purchasing this unit since for a few…
How Do You Calibrate Your HF Rig’s S-meter?
Few people realize this but S-meters on most transceivers are not calibrated to reflect accurate readings. But did you know that most rig’s S-meters are easily adjusted for an accurate calibration. But even if you for whatever reason don’t wish to monkey around with your rig, you can at least find out what your S-meter…