As amateur radio operators we typically look at any input impedance specification and think 50 Ohms. But what is 50 Ohms? Buried within the whole topic of input impedance is a “characteristic impedance.” At this point we typically lose amateurs thinking we are moving into rocket science. But this stuff is really simple as you…
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Special Event Station W8J at the Jackson County Fair
At the Jackson County Fair of 2021 at about 5 PM, the Cascades Amateur Radio Society had a booth and was displaying amateur excellence to the public at large. In the first photo you can see both Dave (W3IGT) and Bill (KD8AAD) in the near field actively working the special event station that the club…
How Much Do You Really Know…? (by Dale [K8TS])
How Much Do You Really Know…? By Dale Cole (K8TS) When you were in school, did you pass from grade to grade because of what information you knew, or were you booted up a level because the teacher did not want you in her class a second time? It happens, we all know that. The…
My 160m Dipole Antenna Fell Out of the Tree!
Because of poor planning on my part, the feed-point of my Buckmaster 160-meter off-center fed dipole fell from the tree yesterday to the ground. Let’s talk about what the original configuration was why it failed what I did to mitigate the circumstances and its return to operability. WHAT WAS THE ORIGINAL CONFIGURATION? The photo shown…
Weekday Morning Roundtable Net Social Event 145.150 Washtenaw
On weekday mornings there is an inorganic roundtable net that meets at 8 AM on the Washtenaw 145.150 MHz repeater for a 30-minute daily kick-start. It is a fun net to which the amateur community is not only invited but warmly encouraged to attend. Because the repeater reaches not only the whole of Washtenaw County…
Transmission Line Analytics Applied to a Mag Mount Antenna
Amateur radio operators often forget that a feedline or transmission line has an effect on the vector impedance of the antenna it serves. If the antenna is resonant (50 + j0 Ohms) for the input frequency, then any length of coax is irrelevant. But if the antenna vector impedance is something else (which it ALWAYS…
Mag Mount Antenna Optimization & Feedline Analytics
The mag mount antenna may possibly be categorized as a commodity in both amateur radio and all hobbyist communications. Its installation is pretty much plug-and-chug except for a slight positioning of the transmitting element by means of a set screw. The user of the mag mount antenna typically uses an SWR meter to position the…
A Dipole Antenna Build
The dipole antenna is the mainstay of amateur radio. It is simple and easy to understand, yet absolutely full of nuances to be aware of. For the July meeting of the Chelsea Amateur Radio Club (see: WD8IEL.com) our own vice-president, Wes Cardone (N8QM) is giving a presentation on an actual build of a dipole antenna….
A Dipole Feedpoint Distance From Ground and Impedance
It is well known that the input impedance of a dipole antenna is largely dependent upon the height of its feed point above the ground plane. In this blog post, we will quantify the dipole input impedance with respect to its height above the ground plane. A dipole antenna is affected by the height of…
Receiver Performance by Bob Sherwood
Our own Dale Cole (K8TS) suggested that we put this video up for club members to view. Here is an interesting YouTube presentation from Bob Sherwood. Bob, if you are not aware, is the leading expert on receiver performance, and especially his results can be used in deciding what radio to buy or consider, depending…