Category: Winter

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 →

Escaping from the shack between snowstorms

HamClock - or Open Ham Clock? It was recently announced that the popular HamClock program will cease to function in June 2026 due to the death of its creator. HamClock has been running on an Inovato mini computer in my shack for a long time now. It has given instant access to a wealth of … Continue reading Escaping from the shack between snowstorms →

Engineering challenges of the completed QRP EFHW coupler

Kudos to Kits and Parts, the United States Postal Service and the Canada Post dog sled teams who fearlessly fought their way through blizzards on the frozen barren tundra into the wild white yonder to safely deliver my package of toroid cores. But, as soon as I had unpacked the goodies I realized I may … Continue reading Engineering challenges of the completed QRP EFHW coupler →

A 20-minute QRP End-Fed Half-Wave antenna coupler

It was almost time to make lunch but I had an idea that just wouldn't wait. I figured I had 20 minutes to zip down to the basement shack/development lab and throw a simple circuit together on the workbench. I had been re-reading (for the 1000th time) AA5TB's website about using a parallel tuned circuit … Continue reading A 20-minute QRP End-Fed Half-Wave antenna coupler →

What really determines the efficiency of an antenna?

Is it Standing Wave Ratio (SWR)? It is common knowledge that when an antenna has high SWR some of our transmitted power is wasted instead of being transmitted. But is this really true? The trouble with "common knowledge" is that it spreads without further scrutiny. "It must be true because that's what everybody thinks". But … Continue reading What really determines the efficiency of an antenna? →

POTA PERformer radials – can we make a compromise?

There has only been one light snowfall in southern Ontario so far this season - just a few centimeters that melted away within a couple of days. In anticipation of upcoming heavier snowfalls and a semi-permanent white blanket that will last until spring, I bravely shrugged off the chilly outside air and set up my … Continue reading POTA PERformer radials – can we make a compromise? →

A simple outside the box fix for a broken telescopic whip

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it" Or conversely, if it is "broke" you have two choices. Order a replacement from the other side of the planet, and wait for the slow boat from China to navigate thousand of nautical miles across the stormy waters of international seas. Or, alternatively, and my preferred solution, is … Continue reading A simple outside the box fix for a broken telescopic whip →

A Quick and Easy QRP Emergency Field Antenna

I once drove to a park about 45 minutes away from home to do a POTA activation then realized I had left my antenna at home. <<Panic>>. I improvised by digging a 33ft wire out of my pack, cutting it in half and hastily erecting a V-dipole with its ends only about 10ft above the … Continue reading A Quick and Easy QRP Emergency Field Antenna →

A Universal Unun? Not so fast!

I have been reading a lot from the "Ban all End-Feds" brigade lately. The animosity towards feeding a wire antenna at one of its ends approaches supernova intensity at times. Some of the opinions expressed are perfectly valid, true and backed up with sound science and math. But some of the denizens of end-fed doom … Continue reading A Universal Unun? Not so fast! →