QMX set at a comfortable angle for viewing screen Talentcell 3000mAh LiIon battery gently secured between two aluminum plates behind QMX I don't like to waste time setting up my equipment out in the Big Blue Sky Shack. It makes sense to configure everything ready to unpack and get on the air as quickly as … Continue reading QMX Ready to Go Pack – Lightweight and Secure for Outdoor Operating
Category: Builder Projects
A 24ft Snake in my Back Yard – all lies and jest?
A snake in the grass! When singer/songwriter Paul Simon penned the lyrics to "The Boxer" in 1970 he may have anticipated my recent experiments with a particularly weird, unbelievable and incomprehensible antenna called "The Snake". A ham hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest The snake I wrestled for a couple of … Continue reading A 24ft Snake in my Back Yard – all lies and jest?
The Best Reasons to Build a Go-Box
Those of us who like to operate our radios out in the Big Blue Sky Shack will understand two basic rules: 1. Don't leave home without something important 2. Time is of the essence Rule number 1 is obvious I suppose, but I learned it the hard way. On one occasion I drove nearly an … Continue reading The Best Reasons to Build a Go-Box
Cutting My Losses
I experienced a very rare event this past weekend. I had set up my QRP field portable station at a very busy Lake Huron beach on a hot, sunny July afternoon. The scene was idyllic; blue sky, calm water, thousands of happy people. Deep beneath our feet lay the huge underground caverns of the world's … Continue reading Cutting My Losses
Magically transform a single band ground plane into a multiband antenna – instantly
I call it "electromagnetrickery". You can learn a lot by building your own antennas, much more than if you buy commercial ones. But beware, it becomes addictive - I have a drawer full of empty wire spools to prove it. Sometimes the behaviour of those pesky electromagnetic wavicles delivers unexpected surprises. Here is the story … Continue reading Magically transform a single band ground plane into a multiband antenna – instantly
Backpacking with the QMX, a Pocket and a Pole
The QRP Labs QMX transceiver is a miracle of miniaturization. Sure, other rigs have achieved a similar form factor, but not with so many outstanding features built into such a tiny package. At this point I should acknowledge a very worthy exception to the rule - the Elecraft KH1. I don't own a KH1 and … Continue reading Backpacking with the QMX, a Pocket and a Pole
The Sinatra Method for DIY Ham Radio Projects
I recently watched G0UPL Hans Summer's presentation at Hamvention 2024 on YouTube. Hans talked about 10 of his junk box projects. As you probably know, Hans is the owner of QRP Labs, a small company that makes excellent QRP radios and accessories and sells them for an unbelievably low price. I really enjoyed the presentation, … Continue reading The Sinatra Method for DIY Ham Radio Projects
Improving a Ground Tuning Unit – using binary coded inductance and capacitance
There are 10 types of people in this world; those who understand binary notation and those who don't. Some years ago I experimented with using a Ground Tuning Unit (GTU a.k.a. Artificial Ground) to replace radials/counterpoises on my field expedient vertical antennas. A GTU is simply a series L-C tuned circuit with a current sensor … Continue reading Improving a Ground Tuning Unit – using binary coded inductance and capacitance
Venturing Outside the Box with the End-Fed Half-Wave Antenna
So many words have been written about the popular End-Fed Half-Wave antenna that you would think it would be "settled science" by now. For several years I have been building EFHWs according to accepted wisdom, but my inquisitive mind always seeks to question why they are built that way and could they be improved? You … Continue reading Venturing Outside the Box with the End-Fed Half-Wave Antenna
Antennas: a Riddle Wrapped in a Mystery Inside an Enigma
I owe the title of this post to Sir Winston Churchill who once used it to describe a country that is prominently in the news at the present time. It seemed an appropriate description for ham antennas too because the more I know about antennas, the more I realize how much I don't know. Maybe … Continue reading Antennas: a Riddle Wrapped in a Mystery Inside an Enigma
Ham Radio Outside the Box 