(You may have been directed here from www.ke0og.net) You’ve landed on my ham radio home page. I’m KEØOG, an Extra-Class ham radio operator. I’m active on HF, 2-meters, and 440 MHz. I use this page as an index to ham-radio-related material on this site.
What is ham radio? Watch this video from the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB)
Current Geomagnetic Conditions for HF Bands
This chart shows various geomagnetic indicies and what the sun looks like now. These indicies show what HF propagation is like right now. You can use data like this to help you find a good HF band for operations. You can refresh this page to get the latest data.
Courtesy Paul, N0NBH, www.hamqsl.com
Becoming a ham radio operator
- The three amateur (ham) radio license classes. Some background material on license grades, the difficulty of the test, and the operating privileges.
- Videos to aid your self study for your ham radio Technician Class license: Technician Class Ham License – On-Line Help for Your Self Study, which you can also access directly from
www.ke0og.net/training. The purpose of this series of videos is to talk you through the self study you’ll be doing with the ARRL Ham Radio License Manual. There’s one video for each section of the book, on the theory that it’s easier to study if someone’s given you a little overview. - A similar set of videos for General Class
- A similar set of videos for Amateur Extra Class
- Randy Cassingham’s intro to ham radio
- How much does it cost to become a Technician Class (entry level) ham?
- How much does it cost to upgrade to General or Extra Class and get on HF radio?
- What do I do once I become a ham?
- Wouxun KG-UV3D: Inexpensive Dual Band HT
- BaoFeng UV-5R+ ham radio — incredibly inexpensive dual-band handheld
- Programming the Wouxun KG-UV3D and the Baofeng UV-5R+
How I do it (which will be different from the way you do it, but it’s sometimes nice to have something to compare to)
- Using a rubber stamp to turn a spiral-bound notebook into a logbook.
- My new Yaesu FTdx3000. I review my new FTdx3000. Great radio!
- New addition to my shack: Oak Hills Research OHR100A 5-watt (QRP) CW 20-meter-only transceiver. See my notes and review here.
- Ten-Tec Jupiter: My 2001 review
- Ten-Tec Jupiter: what I think of it after ten years
- The 12 vdc system at KEØOG
- Hy-gain 14-AVQ—My First Amateur Radio HF Antenna
- The MFJ-993B IntelliTuner
- HF Antenna Repairs
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Getting the 80-meter Loop Back in Shape
- Creating antenna masts using chain link fence top rail
- My single point ground
Getting on HF with your General Class License – a look at station necessities
- Ham radio 40-meter dipole: your first antenna
- Ham radio power supplies: 12 vdc (or 13.8 vdc)
- ICOM 9100—New HF/VHF/UHF Radio
- Kenwood’s Ham Radio HF Lineup
- Yaesu’s Ham Radio HF Rig Lineup
- Icom’s Ham Radio HF Rig Lineup
- Tuning HF SSB Signals. Tuning HF voice signals (SSB) can be a little daunting the first time around. Here’s a video that shows you how.
Special Techniques
- Packet Radio
- APRS
- APRS (and motorcycling) with pictures of my APRS tracker
- APRS vs handheld GPS location discrepancies
- Using the Wouxun KG-UV3D with TinyTrak4 APRS unit. Provides costs for each item.
- Using the Baofeng UV-5R+ with TinyTrak4 APRS unit
- APRS: Making UI-View and Weatherlink Cooperate
- Interfacing the Byonics TinyTrak4 (TT4) with various handheld radios. Pays special attention to JP8.
- Software-Defined Radio
- A presentation I gave at the Nov, 2013, meeting of the Montrose (Colorado) Amateur Radio Club on software defined radio, specifically the FiFi.
- Fox Hunting (hidden transmitter hunting)
- Byonics PicCon Fox Controller
- Circuit diagram for hidden transmitter hunting (my Fantastic Fox Finder), circuit by Dave Sharpe, KIØHG
- Hidden transmitter hunting links and sites
- HF Digital Modes
- The JT-65 digital mode: my first QSO. (For some background, see this YouTube video in which Joe Taylor, Nobel Laureate, discusses his invention of JT-65, JT-9, and other digital modes.)
- Information on DSTAR at dstarinfo.com.
Computer Issues
Miscellany
- Cool QSL cards from www.hamtoons.net. Jim is a cartoonist and can make colorful custom QSLs just for you. Here’s the one he sent me. He’s got a cool website worth looking at.
N2EST is a cartoonist and makes custom QSL cards. This is the card he sent me.
- App to create azimuthal maps based on where you live. Reader Rob, M6KOT, provides this link for those who want to make an azimuthal map based on your location. An azimuthal map shows the direction (azimuth) from your station to any place on earth and is handy if you want to know where to point your beam.
- Logging and QSLing for the Radio Amateur in the Electronic Age (narrated slide show). I gave this presentation on 20 Feb 2015 at a meeting of the Montrose Amateur Radio Club held in Olathe, Colorado. I added a narration to cover the main points and put it on YouTube.
- A list of things to bring next year for Field Day!
- Chronology of ham radio history, used for a presentation given at the Montrose Amateur Radio Club.
- Radio Frequency Interference in your Ham Shack: A Case Study
- A close-up view of an Electro-Bug Jr., apparently made in 1927
- ACP 131 lists all Q and Z signals. This is my old copy from when I was in the Air Force. I’ve put high-quality scanned, text-selectable pages here.
- An SET is a Simulated Emergency Test. I tried one out for the first time, and here are my notes to myself. They may help you be prepared too!
- Bob Schaeffer, KJØG, recalls early history of Montrose Amateur Radio Club
- Communicating is a critical element of preparedness (link to news article)
- Trebuchet for Punkin’ Chunkin’—Royce Seymour’s (AAØJD) 2010 PieceMaker at the Olathe (Colorado) Punkin Chunkin event
- And here’s Royce’s 2011 entry at the Olathe (Colorado) Punkin Chunkin event!
- Emergency Communications: Alternatives to Ham Radio
- NVIS Links from Dave Coombs, KØEUS
- Ham4Ham, a site set up by John Borchers, KC3ASE, for those interested in software development for ham radio.
On-the-air Activities on the Colorado Western Slope
- VHF/UHF Repeaters (voice)
- Standard packet radio, as found on 145.01 MHz
- APRS (Amateur Packet Reporting System), as found on 144.39 MHz
- HF NVIS
- The Montrose Amateur Radio Club (direct link to club website)
- 2010 Field Day with the Montrose Amateur Radio Club (photographs)
- 2010 Montrose Amateur Radio Club Field Day (video)
- A Montrose Amateur Radio Club antenna repair party. We repaired and upgraded the antennas for Field Day use.
- 2014 Field Day with the Montrose Amateur Radio Club (video).
- Near Real Time F2 Layer Critical Frequency (useful for NVIS propagation prediction—if the freq shown on the website is a bit more than the NVIS frequency you want to use, you’re in business. If less, well, try a lower frequency.
LDS (Mormon) Church ham-related activites
- Our monthly “First Sunday” net (anyone can join) Net more or less permanently in hiatus
Hi my name is Ethan Harwad. I am new to cb and I am am trying to put new channels in to my BTECH uv-25×2 radio and I can’t figure it out. I was wondering if you could help me out?
Hi Dave
I git my novice license in 1982. (KB4BIH)
I worked a lot of cw. I also listened to nets and people talking on other frequencies.
I was then inactive for quite some time. In the 90s I found my intrest agan and helped my wife get licensed.
I was wondering about 20m. Back in the day 20m was refered to as 2 gallon alley. I have
searched on the internet and haven’t found anything referencing 20m to this. Just wondering if you had any thoughts on this.
73
Greg. N4IA
Excellent videos and info. Thank you very much! From Pittsburgh Pa/ the home of the worlds first commercial radio station- KDKA 1020khz.
I don’t know enough about that rig to really say. It’s designed to have two separate antennas. You can check in the manual to see if there’s a menu item to just use one antenna jack.
Yes, you need radials. It sounds like you’re referring to the HF6V antenna by Butternut, now DXEngineering. If the base is elevated, then you need two radials for each band, each tuned to 1/4 electical wavelength. The antenna will not work without radials.
Richard, I replied separately. Right now I’m not taking speaking engagements. Maybe later this year.
Good afternoon Dave,
I am the hamfest chair in Longmont, CO. Would you like to speak at a short forum on
April 2nd? We would love to hear from you, subject, your choice!
Dick Paige
KE0VT
Kj4fef Rich Hi Dave I would be lost with out your website. I have a Yaesu ft991a and would like to hook it up to my mfj uhf,vhf,hf vertical antenna I see duplexers out there but would this be the proper way too hook up the radio. I also have heard that you should use a diplexer the only ones i can find are for cable TV. 73’s Rich kj4fef@hotmail.com
Dave really like your videos thank you. I have a question. I now have same antenna you mention you have, Butternut HV 6 Vertical about 40 feet at top / at base abt 20 feet, with Kenwood TS 590 and 100 watts. This time I installed the counter poise on this antenna without the 4 radials comes with antenna. It is mounted on a metal post beside my drive way back yard and into my station on 2nd floor my home apron 30 feet apart.
In my earlier years ( Novice in West Virginia 1978) I had earlier versions same antenna mounted on top our house up abt same as now did very well got WAS and WAC as novice with CW. With a 100 watt Tempo One rig. But using the 4 wire radials came with antenna.
Now I am General class, in Toledo Ohio wondering which is better the counter poise or the radials ? Can use radials and counter poise ? I seem remember better results when I was Novice – is it just current conditions air waves. Id like work DX again but dont hear a lot even out Canada and were very close. Heard a station from South Africa last week evening but couldnt get through pile up and obviously worked Africa before getting my WAC I have everything well grounded and measurements good SWRs.
A little frustrated, I just purchased the ZS6BKW/G5RV dipole thinking putting it up in spring.
Can you give some insight / feedback
Thanks. Gary Swann KA8AUJ
Look at the ARRL book on Grounding and Bonding. https://www.arrl.org/shop/Grounding-and-Bonding-for-the-Radio-Amateur-2nd-Edition/.
David,
Just listened to your Learn About SWL video on YouTube. Great job! Im just. Getting into ham radio after a quarter century and am playing catch. Although I knew everything you taught, I was impressed with style and content.
To your continued success in Elmering.
73
Henry
N7JVJ
Dave, I have a question regarding grounding. I have listened to several of your videos regarding the subject of grounding. However, I have read that an additional grounding rod attached to your radio equipment is a no ,no. I have the ground that is attached to all electical outlets in the house. Their point was that an additional grounding rod attached to your equipment was against National Electrical Codes. Is this true? If so why? I thank you in advance for your comment.
Dave, they are available now on the ARRL website at learn.ARRL.org. Look under the “On the Air section. You must be a member of ARRL to get to these. The page on my website at http://www.ke0og.net/general has updated links to take you to the right place, but you need to login to learn.ARRL.org first.