The Army Military Auxiliary Radio system will host the 2022 Armed Forces Day (AFD) Cross-Band Test on May 14, 2022. A list of participating stations, modes, frequencies, and times was published April 1, 2022 on the DOD MARS – Armed Forces Day page. Please try to participate if you can. Detailed information may be found…
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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…
Hybrid/Zoom Meetings
There has been some discussion among the members about the notion of including an online component to our in-person club meetings. I for one think this would be an excellent idea and would open us to some opportunities for both members and prospective members as well as including some potential outside speakers/presenters. There are however…
Powerpole Chelsea Presentation PDF Handout
On March 8, 2022, Wes Cardone (N8QM) gave a 30 minute presentation to the Chelsea Amateur Radio Club (WD8IEL) on the Anderson Powerpole. The PDF handout from that presentation is shown below.
A Month with The Yaesu FT5D
Just about a month ago, I pulled the trigger on the Yaesu FT5D. As a satisfied user of the VX-6 (my first ham radio of any kind), the FT2D and the FT3D, I figured I couldn’t go wrong. I ordered it from Ham Radio Outlet, who had it in stock at a slight discount off…
Chelsea Presentation: Anderson Powerpoles and You
Club Meeting Date: March 8th, 2022Meeting Time: 7PM ESTMeeting Mode: Zoom (see links at the bottom of this post) The Anderson Powerpole has taken the amateur radio community by storm with its adaptability and usefulness at field day events and extending your friendliness with your own amateur mobility. Yet most amateurs know only sketchy information…
A Youth on VE Day
In Ann Arbor today (February 12, 2022) we had a large crowd of candidates for amateur radio Technician class licenses. Among the crowd was a 10 year-old south-paw (like me) taking the exam! I was incredibly awe-struck and impressed to see a youth with such determination and raw guts take the test. Sadly, his heart…
Big VE Test Day in Ann Arbor
It was a big day in Ann Arbor today (February 12, 2022) for Amateur Radio License testing. I don’t have the exact count at this moment but it was on the order of two dozen Technician and upgrade candidates. A large crowd for amateur radio testing may seem like a “so what” thing to the…
Contesting… What is it?
Cascades Amateur Radio Society’s own Dale Cole (K8TS), and champion blogger, has written up a description of amateur radio contesting and what it is.
Quick Review of the Anytone D878UVII Plus
Our friends at Anytone have made long model name even longer by adding ‘Plus’ or ‘+’ to the Anytone D878UVII. The ‘Plus’ adds additional on-board memory for DMR radio IDs, which are loaded from RadioID.Net. The current DMR database is approximately 218,000 entries as of this writing. If that seems like a lot, it is….