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This post will show you how to make a simple, low-cost, well functioning antenna using very few parts. This antenna is something that nearly anyone should be able to make.

When calculating the length of an antenna, it is important to remember to account for the fact that radio waves travel slower through solid materials than they do through space.

While it is fun to operate HF while mobile, there are a few things about it that make it a bit less fun than I had originally hoped. At the same time, however, there are a few benefits to being mobile versus having a base station set up at home.

I was having problems with both of the antennas connected to my Yaesu FT-857D and after some troubleshooting have determined that all problems do not lie entirely with the radio itself. Hopefully, redoing the end on the coax for the dual-band antenna will make the problems with that one go away.

After a lot of waiting and more time spent installing than I had planned, I finally have the radios installed in my Blazer. While everything is not perfect yet, I am excited to finally have them installed.

In applying my “Things To Overestimate When Planning A Project” post to my current project of installing radios in my Blazer, I find that I did one thing right, one completely wrong, and one was somewhere in the middle.

A dummy load acts as a fake antenna for testing and adjusting radios. It may not be necessary for everyone to have, but it might be a good idea to have one. Dummy loads can also be useful for ruling out antenna issues when troubleshooting a problem.

A multimeter is one piece of test equipment that everyone should have. Functions of a multimeter include measuring voltage, resistance, and current and multimeters can be used for much more than just ham radio related projects.

Test equipment is something that is often overlooked by people who are becoming interested in the hobby of ham radio. While this is fine and test equipment is not necessary, most people will likely want to get some eventually.

I apologize for not having anything relating to ham radio posted for awhile, but I do have a project in the works that will provide material for at least 3 if not more posts.