What did the Duke of Wellington do for Ham Radio?

The great Irish soldier Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington, who defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 was famous for his boots. He wore magnificent long shiny leather boots. His legacy lives on in the form of "Wellington Boots" which are rather inelegant rubber boots worn by gardeners. I am sure he … Continue reading What did the Duke of Wellington do for Ham Radio? →

Why a Battery Weighs More When It’s Charged

It's the middle of December as I write this. My backpack radio kit hasn't had a good workout since I last took it out in the field for a Parks On The Air (POTA) session a couple of months ago. But, we got lucky with the weather one day this past week. The temperature got … Continue reading Why a Battery Weighs More When It’s Charged →

Keep Your Rig in the Freezer

Sounds like a ridiculous idea doesn't it? But why do so many hams do it anyway? Of course, I don't mean the freezer in your kitchen, or the one in the garage, basement or wherever else you store the meat from your hunting trip last fall. You really wouldn't want to get bits of food … Continue reading Keep Your Rig in the Freezer →

An Easy T2LT Portable Antenna

Let's start by explaining what T2LT means. I visited several sites online that use the term without explaining it. T2LT or TTLT is an abbreviation of Tuned Transmission Line Trap. It sounds complicated but it really couldn't be simpler to build, erect and use. It can be compared to a regular dipole in that it … Continue reading An Easy T2LT Portable Antenna →

Six Weeks to Live

"Hush … did you hear that?"Josh froze in silence as he summoned the others in the room to do the same."I heard a truck stop right outside our door" he said in a low conspiratorial tone. They all knew the enemy Radio Direction Finding trucks were patrolling the area looking for allied spies and their … Continue reading Six Weeks to Live →

A Portable Vertical Antenna

I needed an antenna that would fit entirely within my backpack, along with radio, tuner, coax, battery, headphones and key. In other words, one pack with a complete portable station on my back. In the past I had always carried a second pack with poles, guy lines and tent pegs to support a vertical antenna … Continue reading A Portable Vertical Antenna →

What did 18th Century Ontario Lt.Gov. John Graves Simcoe Do for Ham Radio?

John Graves Simcoe was the first Lieutenant Governor General of what was then called Upper Canada (now Ontario) from 1791 to 1796. Among his many achievements was the founding of the City of Toronto. Back in those days the city was called York and was named after the cathedral city with the same name in … Continue reading What did 18th Century Ontario Lt.Gov. John Graves Simcoe Do for Ham Radio? →

What did Beethoven do for Ham Radio?

You may not be a classical music fan but you're probably familiar with the opening bar of his 5th symphony: "dididit dah". Let that go around in your head a few times. There, now you know the letter V in Morse Code! Now add the simplest letter of them all, E. It's just a "dit" … Continue reading What did Beethoven do for Ham Radio? →

“The Other Half”

I have a real problem with using vertical antennas when operating field portable. And I mean quarter-wave vertical antennas. You see they need "the other half"; a ground plane, radials, or counterpoise and without "the other half" they just aren't going to work. So here's the rub (as Shakespeare would undoubtedly have commented had he … Continue reading “The Other Half” →

Build A Better Antenna Winder

Not So Fast Pilgrim!Don't you just hate it when you're out on a field trip and you want to quickly put up a long wire antenna but, when you pull it out of your backpack, the wire is all tangled? Usually happens when you just coil the wire around your fingers or use the old … Continue reading Build A Better Antenna Winder →