"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
Tag: Morse Code
SSEFHW – Another Shortened End-Fed Half-Wave Antenna for 20m
Peter Waters G3OJV Screen grab from YouTube I was browsing through ham radio videos on YouTube recently as I often do (daily!) when I came across one from Peter Waters G3OJV on the Waters & Stanton video channel. The title of the video immediately caught my attention: "Shortened Vertical Half Wave Antenna". End-fed antennas are … Continue reading SSEFHW – Another Shortened End-Fed Half-Wave Antenna for 20m
Op-Ed: Does Making It Easier to Get Licensed Really Grow Our Hobby?
Many, many years ago ... You have probably seen the statement: "ham radio is dying". Is it really dying or just changing? I am a "baby boomer"; I was introduced to the hobby by my grandfather who presented me with a crystal set when I was 9 years old. I spent many, many years as … Continue reading Op-Ed: Does Making It Easier to Get Licensed Really Grow Our Hobby?
Has QRP Ruined Ham Radio?
No wait! Before you and the boys load up your guns, jump in the truck and come-a-huntin' for me, that's not what I really meant. I love QRP. Well most of the time. Admittedly I had one of those "but it was fun anyway" days yesterday - i.e. I got skunked; no contacts, not a … Continue reading Has QRP Ruined Ham Radio?
5 Tips for Field Expedient Radio Operations in the Big Blue Sky Shack
I first became interested in operating amateur radio in the great outdoors (aka the Big Blue Sky Shack) over 20 years ago and since that time it has become a passion. The passion is partly inspired by the exploits of secret agents behind enemy lines during the Second World War. These people didn't have to … Continue reading 5 Tips for Field Expedient Radio Operations in the Big Blue Sky Shack
RandomGram – Secret Code, or Just CW Fun?
Some time ago I wrote a post on Ham Radio Outside The Box with the title "Six Weeks to Live". It was a fictional story, based on historical fact, about the courageous members of the Allied Special Operations Executive working behind enemy lines on the European mainland during World War 2. Their task was to … Continue reading RandomGram – Secret Code, or Just CW Fun?
Ham Radio? What’s that?
Now we have moved into the summer season I have been getting quite a few folks stopping by while I am operating in a public park. Frankly, I prefer to be left alone to get on with my activation, but if somebody stops and starts to ask questions I feel I really should respond. Who … Continue reading Ham Radio? What’s that?
A Surprise New Field Portable Antenna
My experiments to find a new antenna to use for field portable operations have been taking me in several directions. My neighbors must wonder what I am up to. Almost every day I have been out in my back yard erecting all kinds of strange wires strung up on tall poles or launched into trees … Continue reading A Surprise New Field Portable Antenna
The Hidden Secret in CW’s PARIS Standard
Sending speed in Morse Code (CW) is measured in words per minute, but how long is a "word"? In the English language the simplest word is the indefinite article "A". A contender for the longest word may be the name of a village in Wales called Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. So the word PARIS has been chosen to … Continue reading The Hidden Secret in CW’s PARIS Standard
How to Turn a 20+ Year Old Yaesu FT-817 into a CW Mean Machine
It was my very first HF radio. A Yaesu FT-817; the original vintage before the ND version was introduced. I was very excited; it was the perfect solution to serve my passion for getting outdoors into the Big Blue Sky Shack to play radio. I had a lot of success. My outdoor antenna was a … Continue reading How to Turn a 20+ Year Old Yaesu FT-817 into a CW Mean Machine
Ham Radio Outside the Box 