A Poor Ham’s Panadapter

I like to think of them as ham radio fish finders - those neat little waterfall displays on many modern radios. No tuning around listening for signals like in the "good old days", just click on a signal on the waterfall display, throw out your callsign and ya got 'em hooked. I live very close … Continue reading A Poor Ham’s Panadapter →

Random Wire Antennas – A Challenge to Common Knowledge

A random wire antenna's feedpoint impedance is 450 Ohms: True or False? It must be written on a stone tablet somewhere that an end-fed random wire antenna should be fed through a 9:1 impedance transformer. Common knowledge says a 9:1 transformer, in conjunction with a tuner will bring the impedance of a random wire antenna … Continue reading Random Wire Antennas – A Challenge to Common Knowledge →

Major QMX Operator Flaw Exposed

QMX non culpa, mea culpa! I thought I was smart. I have a physics degree; college taught us 1970s long-haired layabouts 3 ways to build an atomic bomb. But half a century later I make simple errors with my ham radio equipment. The fault is mine and not QRP Labs brilliant little QMX transceiver. In … Continue reading Major QMX Operator Flaw Exposed →

David (QMX) versus Goliath (IC-705) – Let Battle Begin!

A fellow club member is the proud owner of an Icom IC-705 QRP transceiver. I am the proud owner of a QRP Labs QMX QRP transceiver. He spent CDN$2000 to buy his radio. I spent CDN$200 to buy my QMX (including factory assembly charge and shipping from Turkey). That's a 10:1 cost ratio! I challenged … Continue reading David (QMX) versus Goliath (IC-705) – Let Battle Begin! →

How Does the Speaker Wire “No Counterpoise Antenna” Work?

Fellow blogger Craig WB3GCK recently posted an account of his build of the speaker wire "No Counterpoise Antenna" and I was immediately intrigued. In fact I rushed out to the store and bought myself a couple of 50ft rolls of 18AWG speaker wire to experiment. After a couple of days of intense backyard wire whispering … Continue reading How Does the Speaker Wire “No Counterpoise Antenna” Work? →

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 →

A Radio Road Trip with the QRP Labs QMX – lessons learned!

The XYL and I took a short break from routine and drove up to Ontario's Muskoka region for 4 days of recreation and radio activity. I packed my QRP Labs QMX transceiver and a selection of antennas hoping to complete a couple of POTA activations. Tour boats moored at Gravenhurst wharf on Lake Muskoka Muskoka … Continue reading A Radio Road Trip with the QRP Labs QMX – lessons learned! →

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 →

Surviving the Great Solar Storm of May 2024

We just can't win when it comes to propagation conditions. When the Sun is quiet during the bottom of the 11-year solar cycle, HF propagation conditions are challenging. So we all look forward to the days when the Sun is active and the bands are open again. But when we hit the top of the … Continue reading Surviving the Great Solar Storm of May 2024 →