Tag Archives: ham radio

Communicating is a critical element of preparedness

Posted on March 23, 2011 by

See very cool article on Mormon ham radio operators connecting members, wards, and stakes at this Church News link. And a tip of the hat to Eric Smith, WAØUAV, for bringing this to my attention.

Posted in Ham Radio blog entries | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Communicating is a critical element of preparedness

Ham Radio Power Supplies: The 12-volt Question

Posted on March 21, 2011 by

See also the Ask Dave 17 video, which discusses power for amateur radio stations. HF radio power supplies. Why so many options? There are lots of ways to power your HF transceiver. But first, why can’t we just plug the … Continue reading →

Posted in Ham Radio blog entries | Tagged , , , | 69 Comments

Ham Radio: How much does it cost?

Posted on March 17, 2011 by

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE! VIEW THE VIDEO ADDED 17 FEB 2016: I’m often asked a simple question: how much does it cost to become a ham? The answer, of course, is “it depends.” But there’s a pretty basic path that most … Continue reading →

Posted in Ham Radio blog entries, Product Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

Wouxun KG-UV3D: Inexpensive Dual Band Handheld

Posted on March 17, 2011 by

I recently purchased the very inexpensive ($119.95) new Chinese-made Wouxun (pronounced OH-shing) KG-UV3D radio and am quite delighted with it. However the user interface is drastically different from the Japanese equivalents. I put this presentation together for the Montrose Amateur … Continue reading →

Posted in Computer Tips, Ham Radio blog entries, Product Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Trebuchet for Punkin’ Chuckin’—Royce’s Piecemaker

Posted on February 28, 2011 by

I took the video on October 16th. This is what hams do in their spare time! Royce Seymore, AAØJD, joins with Jim Landon, KBØEMJ, and Terry Tippie, NØXMI, for a little punkin’ chuckin’ fun! (Note: the video can be viewed … Continue reading →

Posted in Ham Radio blog entries, Montrose County | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Trebuchet for Punkin’ Chuckin’—Royce’s Piecemaker

ICOM 9100—New HF/VHF/UHF Radio

Posted on February 26, 2011 by

Icom has added the ICOM 9100 to its lineup. Physically, it looks very much like the new ICOM 7410, but has added capabilities at VHF and UHF (and with an optional extra, 1.2 GHz). The radio is clearly intended for … Continue reading →

Posted in Ham Radio blog entries | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Kenwood’s Ham Radio HF Rig Lineup

Posted on February 21, 2011 by

Today’s summary is of the rather small Kenwood family of HF transceivers, a couple of which are of interest to new hams. Kenwood seems to be in the same place that Yaesu was back in the mid-1980s, with only three … Continue reading →

Posted in Ham Radio blog entries | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Yaesu’s Ham Radio HF Rig Lineup

Posted on February 20, 2011 by

Yesterday I provided a summary of ICOM’s HF rigs. Today’s post is about Yaesu’s lineup. I’ll admit I’m partial to Yaesu because I’ve had two of their HF radios, an FT-201 and an FT-747 (I still have the latter—it’s my … Continue reading →

Posted in Ham Radio blog entries | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Icom’s Ham Radio HF Rig Lineup

Posted on February 19, 2011 by

(Updated: 26 Feb 2011 to include ICOM 9100) I’m continuing a series of posts for hams who’ve just received their General Class license (the middle grade—see here). For new Generals, I recommend that the first antenna be a 40m dipole … Continue reading →

Posted in Ham Radio blog entries | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Ham radio 40-meter dipole: your first antenna

Posted on February 17, 2011 by

Okay, as I noted before, my first antenna wasn’t a dipole. But I’ve worked with lots of new hams, and a dipole is cheap, quick, and easy to construct. But, you say, dipoles are only single-band. Yep, and I recommend … Continue reading →

Posted in Ham Radio blog entries | Tagged , , , | 41 Comments