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Review of Yaesu FT-2900R 75-Watt 2 Meter Radio
For 18 months, my only radios have been Ht's from Yaesu and Baofeng. I had been wanting a more substantial radio for quite some time. I finally got around to getting one -- the Yaesu FT-2900R. It's a beefy radio, and I have no question about it's longevity. When I first got the radio, I discovered a few potential . . . . . . . . . . . . read the rest by clicking here
Mounting And Using My 2 Meter Antennas (Part 2)
Note: This post will be about my three 2 meter slim jim antennas, two I built myself, one I purchased from N9TAX. My home brewed slim jim antennas have a slightly better SWR reading (nearly 1.1:1) than the N9TAX antenna (1.2:1), but really, they all perform very well for the size, cost, and mobility of the units. Read on for details.
Building And Using Slim Jim Antennas
Nearly a year after mounting my 2 meter j-pole antenna, I had the opportunity to attend an antenna workshop. It was planned . . . . . . . . . . . . read the rest by clicking here
Mounting And Using My 2 Meter Antennas (Part 1)
Not including my not-so spectacular rubber duck antennas, I have two antenna types I use for 2 meter operation: j-pole made from copper pipe, and slim jim made from 450 ohm ladder line. I have two j-pole (both from KB9VBR) antennas, and 3 slim jim antennas (1 bought from N9TAX, and 2 I built myself). This post will deal with the j-pole antennas. For the slim jim antennas, see part 2 (coming soon).
After becoming licensed in the first half of 2013, I wanted to get a big mamba jomba antenna that . . . . . . . . . . . . read the rest by clicking here
A Curmudgeon’s Comeback
I have previously written about ham radio curmudgeons, and have come across a few more grumps here and there since I wrote my original post. This last week, I went camping with my family and took along my 2 meter radio.
Once we established camp and the kids and my wife were picking huckleberries, I turned the knob on my radio and let out a test transmission for a nearby repeater, "This is W7KBX, testing." A grump responded with his call sign and told me I was full-quieting (meaning my signal was . . . . . . . . . . . . read the rest by clicking here
My First Home Brew Antenna
I've heard other hams talk about home made antennas, but I never had much interest in investigating the projects, mostly because I'm sight impaired and knew most of the projects required soldering, which is out of the realm of capabilities for me. I can safely build things from scratch out of lumber, like dining tables, stools, chairs, desks, shelves, etc and I enjoy doing that and using the power tools, but soldering requires eyesight.
I then realized I have two nephews, one of which is licensed, . . . . . . . . . . . . read the rest by clicking here
Extra! Extra!
For those that are parents, isn't it lovely when your kids use your own words against you?
After my daughter became licensed, she almost immediately asked when I was going to get my extra class license. My wife and I encourage our kids to avoid coming up with excuses, but rather roll up their sleeves and accomplish worthy goals. Kids can spot hypocrisy faster than beans give me gas. I forgot this when my daughter asked me about becoming an extra.
"I got a lot on my plate now, maybe later . . . . . . . . . . . . read the rest by clicking here
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Ham Radio Spreading In The Family And To Others
When I first became licensed in late April of 2013, my oldest child immediately wanted to follow my footsteps. I was all for it. My wife was fine with it too, but wanted my daughter to wait until she was 9 years old.
From that moment, until she was 9, she needed little encouragement to learn. WIth just a few exceptions, whenever I participated in a net, had a lengthy QSO, or strung coax cable through my walls, my daughter was right next to me, asking questions, and observing. She learned . . . . . . . . . . . . read the rest by clicking here
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Being A Ham Radio Elmber
Other than WA0TDA via pre-recorded audio lectures, I had no one to help me become a licensed ham radio operator, and after I became licensed, I had no one to help me set up a radio and its antenna system. I tried to ask around to find someone who was a ham, but didn't find anyone. Oh, how I longed for an elmer.
The worrisome task of entering the ham radio world largely without guidance was daunting for me, so I vowed to help anyone who wanted to get into ham radio, as my time would permit.
That . . . . . . . . . . . . read the rest by clicking here
Simplex Operation When Repeaters Fail
I use ham radio repeaters nearly everyday, mainly to chew the rag, but also to check in to ham radio nets. Repeaters are great, but I'm still perplexed as to why so many repeaters go unused, but are still up and operational. Regardless, I always wondered what would happen if a repeater goes down and how local hams are to communicate with each other. Simplex is the obvious answer, but I wondered as to how well it would work.
Well, I found out. A repeater that is used every Wednesday for an emergency . . . . . . . . . . . . read the rest by clicking here
