21Aug
21Aug
What is a VHF Marine radio?
A VHF Marine Radio uses Very High Frequency transmission to broadcast voice for communication between a vessel and a transceiver, which could be another boat, a handheld VHF receiver, or a station on land.VHF Radio uses 'Channels' that allow simple broadcast frequencies to be used...
21Aug
Mocking FT8
Not that long ago, Joe Taylor, K1JT, a Nobel prize physicist, had created a new digital mode. The co-assistant in the project was Franke, K9AN so the mode is officially known as "Franke-Taylor design, 8-FSK modulation, FT8".In essence, the FT8 enables decoding of signals 10dB...
21Aug
Are you an “accessory” ham guy?
According to my research, 70% of amateurs are only interested in the main transceiver, showing a complete disinterest in accompanying accessories. Matching desk microphones, external speakers, antenna tuners, matching amplifiers - they couldn't care less. The radio room is filled to the roof with every...
21Aug
This is just so much fun
This morning, I decided to have some fun on CB. CB stands for Citizen Band - no license to transmit required!The radio of choice: a handheld ICOM IC-41PRO, 5 Watts 80 channels UHF transceiver. One for myself, one for Andrew.The plan was to see what...
21Aug
W5ZG: The vintage radio collector.
On the weekend, as the 160m band was 'following' the grey line, I was called by John, W5ZG.It's always nice to make it to Midwest USA on topband.After the QSO, I went to check him out on QRZ.com.WOW. A true vintage radio collector with rooms...
21Aug
It’s worth it!
Over the past couple of weeks, a number of subscribers reached out asking: how can I get an amateur radio license? Before I can answer that question directly, a bit of an intro.Amateur radio is all about wireless communications - essentially, receiving and transmitting radio...
21Aug
160m band is bloody hard work!
Where do we start? An acre block? A tall tower? Countless radials? More room for beverages?And worst of all - if that wasn't enough - in the Southern Hemisphere, the top band season is summer.Welcome to the world of noise fighters, QRN aficionados and insomniacs.Commonly...
21Aug
Selling the dream
In 1967, Hallicrafters released a new receiver, the SX-122A. A sophisticated piece of equipment, to be sold to a sophisticated customer. While the radio offered plenty to brag about, the advertisement appearing in radio magazines depicted a young listener, in front of a map of...
21Aug