Field expedient antennas differ from home-based, permanent antennas. At a home QTH there is often plenty of room to install a larger, higher antenna. In the home shack, the radio is often capable of putting out a much more powerful signal than a field radio. Out in the field, for example at a campsite, space … Continue reading How to Design and Build a Field Expedient End-Fed Half-Wave Antenna for 20m, 40m and 80m
Tag: CW
3 Days, 3 Activations, 2 Parks
It is getting near the end of camping season for 2022. We have one more trip planned for the beginning of October before we winterize the trailer and prepare to hunker down for the long, cold winter. It won't be long before I'll be switching to local park activations in the snow using my radio … Continue reading 3 Days, 3 Activations, 2 Parks
A Thousand Screaming Demons
I guess I must be some kind of masochist. Picture me sitting under the hot Sun, CW paddle strapped to my right knee, logging pad balanced on the other knee, swatting at all the winged, man-eating pestilences that infest every Ontario summer, while sweat pours down my face and drips onto my logging pad. Yes, … Continue reading A Thousand Screaming Demons
DX with 1 Nanowatt?
A nanowatt is one billionth of a watt; yes, one billionth! On that scale a QRP transmitter puts out five billion nanowatts and a standard ham rig puts out 100 billion nanowatts. But is a nanowatt enough to work DX? Yes. But, of course, manufacturers don't make radios that only put out a nanowatt and … Continue reading DX with 1 Nanowatt?
VE3KOT meets VA3KOT
The Ontario QSO party was in full swing and I was having a ball logging lots of CW QSOs, mostly US stations hunting for VE3s and VA3s. Then I heard another Ontario station calling and I thought to myself "I just gotta bag this one!" So I called him back and then the frequency fell … Continue reading VE3KOT meets VA3KOT
First POTA Activation of 2022
Friday 29th April was a mild, sunny day in southern Ontario and I was eager to get outside and play radio. My wife suggested one of our favourite places, Black Creek Provincial Park in Northern Bruce Peninsula and I readily agreed. Most Ontario Provincial Parks are well signposted to make them easy to find. But … Continue reading First POTA Activation of 2022
Random Wire Revelations
Back to QRP I was inspired to dig my old Hendricks PFR3 QRP rig out of the closet recently. I wanted a super lightweight rig with an easy to deploy, but efficient, antenna that I could grab and go without any advance planning. VA3KOT's Hendricks PFR3 QRP/CW radio The antenna I chose was a random … Continue reading Random Wire Revelations
A Backpack Radio Lap Desk
It isn't always easy to find a picnic bench just where you need one for outdoor radio operations. Quite often a compromise is necessary. That is where my lap comes in handy. Somewhere convenient to put the logging notepad, writing instrument, CW paddles and a small clock for logging the time when contacts are made. … Continue reading A Backpack Radio Lap Desk
A DIY Clone of the Yaesu FH-2 Remote Control Keypad
The biggest disadvantage to using a Yaesu FT-891 transceiver for field operations may be that its small form factor means most features have to be accessed from the menu system. Fortunately, some of the most used features can be easily assigned to the front panel "A", "B" and "C" keys. That's great, but in the … Continue reading A DIY Clone of the Yaesu FH-2 Remote Control Keypad
Radio Sled First Outing – On the Beach on February 1st!
The first day of February has been very mild with temperatures creeping just above freezing. There is a decent covering of snow, with lots more due over the next couple of days - ideal conditions to give the new radio sled its first tryout. I chose a nearby beach looking out over Georgian Bay which … Continue reading Radio Sled First Outing – On the Beach on February 1st!
Ham Radio Outside the Box 