Ok, I confess, I'm a bit of a klutz when it comes to sending Morse Code. I started out, many years ago, with straight keys. I never got along with the typical flat knobs, I preferred "Navy Knobs" - the kind with a big round thing on top that you can really get a firm … Continue reading Zero-gravity CW paddles?
Category: QRP
An Outside the Box look at the 48 inch base loaded vertical antenna
It's not the smartest idea really is it? A quarter wavelength vertical whip for the 20 meter band should be around 5 meters (17ft) tall. Why build a vertically challenged whip that is less than a sixteenth of a wavelength long and expect it to work? And ... with a QRP transceiver too! Yes, indeed … Continue reading An Outside the Box look at the 48 inch base loaded vertical antenna
TechTip #3 Radials and counterpoises
TechTips on Ham Radio Outside Outside the Box are occasional short posts on specific technical topics. But beware, along with regular posts here on this blog, the content is not a definitive technical treatise and should not be read as such. I write about my own opinions and experiences; your opinions and experiences may be … Continue reading TechTip #3 Radials and counterpoises
A short 2-band ladder line antenna for portable ops
Introducing the 2B2L antenna Wouldn't it be nice to have a short, fairly efficient, rapidly deployable, low visual impact, vertical antenna that can be operated on both the 20 meter and 40 meter bands? The 2B2L (2 Band Linear Loaded) antenna comes very close to a perfect match for those specifications. The 2B2L is the … Continue reading A short 2-band ladder line antenna for portable ops
A Simple Ladder Line Antenna for Portable Ops
For the last several weeks I have been experimenting with ideas for low impact field antennas that optimize stealth, rapid deployment and small footprint while maintaining efficiency. It's a trade-off between size, portability and efficiency. The antenna that is very small, highly portable and very efficient hasn't been invented yet - and never will be … Continue reading A Simple Ladder Line Antenna for Portable Ops
A road trip with the VP2E antenna … and wolves
My wife and I recently took a short early summer vacation in the Haliburton Highlands area of Ontario. The area is just south-west of Algonquin Park (Ontario's first and by far the largest provincial park, most of which is accessible only by canoe with sometimes very long and challenging portages ... and with a very … Continue reading A road trip with the VP2E antenna … and wolves
What to do when the bands suck?
Solar cycle #25 has reached its peak and is on the decline again. We may still have a few years of good propagation left but I am planning ahead. During the last solar minimum I adapted by ... forgive me ... increasing my transmit power. This time around I hope to keep working QRP, but … Continue reading What to do when the bands suck?
The “tootie-toosie” and the Hiking Antenna
My favorite way of operating is to hike into the woods, find a clearing, set up a quick and easy antenna, make one or more contacts and move on. Well, to be honest, I might pause long enough at a back country waypoint to get out my Aeropress and brew up a refreshing cup of … Continue reading The “tootie-toosie” and the Hiking Antenna
A short and maybe not-so-sweet HF antenna
A lot of information has been posted online recently about very short portable vertical antennas. There must be some magic in how they work, surely, since they appear to disobey the laws of physics. I used to own one called a "Miracle Antenna"; it was manufactured in Quebec, Canada. It comprised a 57-inch telescoping whip … Continue reading A short and maybe not-so-sweet HF antenna
Be gone pesky radials!
One of the biggest bugbears of portable operations in a public space when using a vertical antenna is having to lay out radials - either on the ground, or raised. I have told the story of the dancing lady before on this blog; she performed a little jig when advised to be careful of the … Continue reading Be gone pesky radials!
Ham Radio Outside the Box 