Category Archives: Radio
WT8WV “Colossus” Air Cannon Antenna Launcher
Posted by swgraham2

These are the basic parts to make my “WT8WV Colossus” antenna launcher.
Folks, this has been a fun and hilarious winter project. Yesterday, when I built this air cannon antenna launcher it was -4 degrees outside and this was a perfect evening project to put together. For years, me and my two ham radio buddies (WR8S Bill Shultz and WV8TG Tom Graf), have enjoyed ARRL Field Day activities and usually used a slingshot and a 3/4 ounce fishing sinker weight and an old Zebco fishing reel (with 20 pound test line) to shoot and suspend our doublet dipole antennas high into the trees. Certainly, the slingshot worked pretty much flawlessly… but… boys will be boys, and the idea of an air cannon / spud launcher / potato gun type system seemed to be a new desire. (Most people, our wives included, wouldn’t trust our 3-man team with a slingshot, let alone a potato gun! But I digress.) Actually, our local ham radio club (Monongalia Wireless Association) had a version of a potato gun antenna launcher, so we decided we needed one of our own… and to make some design modifications in the interest of… “science”… plus our own sadistic pleasures. (Make sure you read below WV8TG’s initial “pressure test” experience.) The following pictures hopefully provide the basic concept and parts we used. Tom and I split the cost of the parts needed to make launchers and each built our own version, but they both are the same basic design with only length dimensions of the air chamber and barrel being the difference.
All parts where sourced from our local Lowes store in their plumbing department, except the Schrader valve which can be purchased at an automotive store. Total cost about $40 but you could make a couple of them as a joint project with a friend and reduce that cost per launcher a bit. I got a small rubber gasket for the outside nipple of the Schrade valve to act as another seal on the exterior of the air chamber. You will need to drill holes for Schrader valve, barrel slug stop and projectile slug caps to attach the screw eyes to attach the fishing line. I used 3 inch PVC for air chamber, 1.25 inch PVC for the barrel and short sections to mate the air chamber, trigger valve and threaded barrel. The projectile slugs were made from 3/4 inch PVC and caps and I filed off the nubs on the caps with a Dremel tool for a smooth fit into the barrel. I used PVC Prep on each joint before applying the glue. When gluing joints together, insert the sections together and twist a quarter turn for a solid adhesion. Let all glue set up for 24 hours before testing air pressure chamber. I will pressurize the chamber inside and let it sit overnight to see if it loses any pressure. It’s too cold right now to take outside in -4 degree temperatures to test, but I will use a bicycle pump with a pressure reading valve, and start at 40 psi… then 50 psi… and then 60 psi for test shots to see how it functions and check for any air pressure leaks. We use 60 psi for our club launcher.
WV8TG (Tom) charged his air chamber (barrel not attached) and let it set overnight to test for chamber air leakage. When he opened the trigger value… there was NO leakage… but there was a sudden LOUD release of 60 psi air gush out of a 30 inch long, 3 inch wide fully charged air chamber. He indicated the compressed air release was… impressive. However, his wife was not impressed… nor was she aware of the scientific test that was taking place. #surprise! #WHOOOOOOOSH #loudwifeexpressions I have no reason to doubt Tom will find his projectile slugs in the next county using his design. The club chamber was 12 inches long versus his 30 inch air chamber. #overkill? I designed my air chamber for 14 inches and will conduct all tests… outside. #potentialmeanwife
Posted in Amateur Radio, Antennas, Digital Modes, DX, Education & Learning, Field Day, Ham Radio, Ham Radio Articles, HF Band, Homebrewing & Kits, Projects, QRP, Radio, Radio Operations, Safety, Station Accessories, Transmitter, Uncategorized
Tags: air cannon, air launcher, antenna launcher, Antennas, ARES, ARRL, ARRL Field Day, Bill Shultz, Contesting, dipole antenna, dipole antenna launcher, dipole launcher, ECOMMS, Emergency Preparedness, Field Day, Ham Radio, JOTA, KA8LJO, KB8FIR, Monongalia Wireless Association, NPOTA, potato gun, Projects, QRP, SOTA, Spencer Graham, Spencer W. Graham, Spencer W. Graham II, Tom Graf, W8MWA, Wiring, WR8S, WT8WV, WV8TG
Perfect CW / Morse Code Trainer
Posted by swgraham2
This program G4FON Koch CW Trainer has been a joy to play with and learn from. I am wanting to increase my Morse Code speed skills and this is a perfect way to do that! I am wanting to get back into CW but have gotten rusty from not practicing for years. I seem to be stuck at copying about 7 words per minute. My goal is 20+ words per minute so I can help rack up more points at Field Day events! The key, I have now found, is to HEAR letters at 25 words per minute… but at a longer spacing between them when received, and then begin shortening that spacing time over a period of practice sessions.
I have it set to send the individual letters at 25 words per minute (wpm). I am starting at the time between those letters at 10 wpm. I started with two letters and would copy just those two for a few minutes in one minute drills. Once I get to 90-100% copy, I add another letter! I practice about 15 minutes each night, if I can. I am halfway through the alphabet now and having a ball. It is easy to download and configure… you’ll be instantly surprised at how much fun it is!
Posted in Amateur Radio, CW, Digital Modes, DX, Education & Learning, Field Day, Ham Radio, Ham Software, Keyers, Morse Code, QRP, Radio, Reviews, Software, Transmitter, Uncategorized
Tags: Amateur Radio, Contesting, CW, DX, Field Day, Ham Radio, HF, KA8LJO, KB8FIR, Monongalia Wireless Association, Morse Code, Operating Practices, QRP, Spence Graham, Spencer Graham, Spencer W. Graham, Spencer W. Graham II, Station accessories, W8MWA, WR8S, WT8WV, WVUSWG
You Need Your Own QSL CARD
Posted by swgraham2
I know, I know… we have QRZ and eQSL and LOTW (Logbook of the World) and Ham Radio Deluxe (HRD) and Netlogger and N1MM and… blah, blah, blah. An old fashioned paper QSL card is still sweet to hold in your hand and to enjoy the real memory of a fun contact. Especially if it’s a DX station from a far away land toward DXCC or the last state you needed for WAS.
They aren’t as expensive as you think. For simple black and white cards you can buy 100 cards for about $12… my color card above cost about $30 for 100 of them. I got mine from Cheap QSL’s on the internet and they sent the proofs the same day and shipped them out the same day! Most folks are migrating toward electronic QSL’s these days. I predominately use Ham Radio Deluxe (HRD) Logbook for my main logging software but also upload my logbook to eQSL, QRZ and LOTW every couple days of logging, however if someone requests a paper card I will oblige. Sooooooooo… if I do that once in a while I’ll have about 65 cents in the effort by the time I add postage. Below is a Special Events Station I worked and got this electronic QSL a few days later…
Posted in Amateur Radio, ARRL, Call Sign, Contesting, CW, Digital Modes, DX, eQSL, Ham Radio, Ham Radio Deluxe, Ham Radio License, ham radio vanity call sign, HRD, Logbook of The World, Logging, Logging Software, LOTW, N1MM, Radio, Radio Operations, Receiver, Software, Station Accessories, Transmitter, Uncategorized, vanity call sign
Tags: Amateur Radio, ARRL, ARRL.ORG, Contesting, CW, DX, Ham Radio, HF, KA8LJO, KB8FIR, Monongalia Wireless Association, Morse Code, OfficialSWLChannel, Operating Practices, QRZ.com, QSL, Spence Graham, Spencer Graham, Spencer W. Graham, Spencer W. Graham II, Station accessories, TQSL, W8MWA, WT8WV, WVUSWG
Merle Taylor: Maven of Morse Code
Posted by swgraham2

When this Manitoba farm girl joined the Royal Canadian Air Force, she proved to be such a whiz at Morse Code that she was assigned to instruct the air crews. Now almost ninety-three, Merle still practices her dots and dashes every day, claiming that Morse Code keeps her mind sharp.
Merle Taylor of Lochaber, Nova Scotia, wrote to me after reading my column in The Senior Paper, a newspaper widely distributed to seniors across Canada. (If you haven’t seen a copy yet, email me for more information).
We exchanged copies of our books – I sent her my wartime novel, Bird’s Eye View; and she sent me a copy of her memoirs, Until the Cows Come Home.
When my husband and I travelled to the Maritimes recently, I was determined to meet Merle in person. We found her still living on the farm she operated with her husband Fred since 1946, about thirty kilometres south of Antigonish.
After serving lunch to us, Merle took me on a farm tour in her electric golf cart. I loved hearing her stories of life in the air force, and in the decades since then.
Posted in Amateur Radio, CW, Digital Modes, Ham Radio, Keyers, Radio, Radio Operations, Receiver, Transmitter, Tube Radios, Uncategorized
Tags: Amateur Radio, CW, DX, Ham Radio, HF, KA8LJO, KB8FIR, Monongalia Wireless Association, Morse Code, Operating Practices, Spence Graham, Spencer Graham, Spencer W. Graham, Spencer W. Graham II, W8MWA, WT8WV, WVUSWG
Programming Your New Ham Radio… the Easy Way!
Posted by swgraham2
I recently took a deeper dive into digital ham radio and picked up a Yaesu FTM-100 mobile System Fusion rig. VHF and UHF… 500 Channels on each band! Holy Crap, Batman… I’ll wear my aged, stubby, fat fingers to the nubs tryin’ to poke all that individual channel info into those 1,000 spots using those little buttons! Plus, I have to look up all that info… somewhere… on EVERY channel I want to add to my line-up. Ain’t no-body gotz time for dat! (I also had to do that with my Baofeng UV-5RV2+ portable HT a couple years ago.)
What to do? Path of least resistance! Did a little research and found a computer program that does it all for me. (I actually used the free CHIRP software to program my HT a couple years ago.) RT Systems software makes the programming easy! You simply pick out your software version based upon what radio you want to program, download the software, (Hopefully your radio came with the right interface cable to hook your radio to your computer to make the download of freq’s to your rig.), grab the repeater frequencies from some site like RFinder World Wide Repeater Directory and in 20 minutes you can load up your rig with more frequencies than you will ever use. (While CHIRP is freeware, RT Systems and RFinder software platforms are paid versions. I can honestly say that the software is very reasonably priced for both and you might only need to use it once in a while but it saves you HOURS of manual poking and prodding your radio buttons.)
(Click link below to see the typical instructions)
Radio Programming Software for the Yaesu FTM-100
(See the videos below…)
You can easily marry RT Systems software to RFinder software and quickly create a sort routine that grabs the EXACT frequencies you want and transfer it to your radio. You can sort by town, state, zip code, ham bands, NOAA frequencies, etc.
It makes short work of all of it! You’ll spend more time convincing yourself to not pull in frequencies you will never use than the download takes!
Once you set up your channel database you want to use for your radio, you simply hook your radio to your computer with the cable… poke a couple drop-down menus… and then the magic happens! UPLOAD COMPLETE.
I programmed about 75 VHF and 75 UHF Channels into my radio, start sort to finish sort to upload compete in under 20 minutes. You might export your databases to your laptop or website to store for the future.
One thing I did that sort of brought sanity to my programming strategy and thinking was that I added the freq’s in sort of “banks” of channels so I could visually sense what channels I needed to tune to depending on my car’s location as I traveled. For the first 10-15 channels, I loaded repeater data for the local area repeaters within about 75 miles of my home QTH. I live just below the Mason-Dixon Line… and yes, I consider myself a southerner but I can be in Pennsylvania within 10 minutes; in fact, I can be at the Pittsburgh International Airport in under 90 minutes! So, since I travel a good bit for work, I can bounce to various repeaters as I drive in any direction!
In the next grouping of channels I might add just the Pittsburgh area repeaters. In another group of channels I added the Dayton, OH repeater freq’s since my daughter and son-in-law live and work next to Wright-Patterson AFB and I also usually attend the Dayton Hamvention each year. Another group of channels I include are the NOAA Weather Channels. Other groupings include various regions of West Virginia since I also hunt, fish, camp and hike all over the place.
Posted in 2 meters, Amateur Radio, APRS, Cables, CHIRP, Dayton Hamvention, Digital Modes, Dual Bander, Ham Radio, Ham Software, Ham Videos, HF Band, Home Network, HRD, HT, QRZ, Radio, Radio Operations, Receiver, Repeaters, Reviews, Station Accessories, Transmitter, UHF Band, Uncategorized, VHF Band, Yaesu System Fusion
Tags: Amateur Radio, Cables, CHIRP, CHIRP software, Contesting, Field Day, Ham Radio, HF, KA8LJO, KB8FIR, Monongalia Wireless Association, Operating Practices, radio programming, RFinder, RT Systems, Spence Graham, Spencer Graham, Spencer W. Graham, Spencer W. Graham II, Station accessories, System Fusion, W8MWA, WT8WV, WVUSWG, Yaesu, Yaesu System Fusion
Intro to Kit Building for Radio Amateurs by K7QO (Chuck Adams)
Posted by swgraham2
Chuck Adams (K7QO) makes a club presentation on Kit Building basics. He highlights what every ham radio operator needs on his workbench to build kits or make repairs.
Posted in Amateur Radio, Antennas, Audio, Batteries, Cables, Coax, Crystal Radios, CW, Education & Learning, Electronic Theory, Field Day, Ham Radio, Ham Videos, Homebrewing & Kits, Keyers, kits, Projects, QRP, Radio, Radio Operations, Safety, Schematic, Station Accessories, Tube Radios, Uncategorized, Vintage, Wiring Diagrams
Tags: Amateur Radio, antenna, Antennas, Cables, CW, Electronic Theory, Field Day, Ham Radio, Homebrewing, KA8LJO, KB8FIR, Kit building, Kits, Monongalia Wireless Association, Operating Practices, Oscilloscope, QRP, Spence Graham, Spencer Graham, Spencer W. Graham, Spencer W. Graham II, Station accessories, W8MWA, WT8WV, WVUSWG
Make your own Dipole Antenna
Posted by swgraham2
Randy does such a good job of explaining how to make your own 10 Meter Dipole. Get on the air… 10 meters is a fun band when the sun cooperates!
Posted in Amateur Radio, Antennas, Cables, Coax, Contesting, CW, DX, Education & Learning, Electronic Theory, Emergency Preparedness, Field Day, Ham Radio, Ham Videos, HF Band, Homebrewing & Kits, Projects, Propagation, QRP, Radio, Radio Operations, Receiver, SSB, Station Accessories, Transmitter, Tube Radios, Uncategorized, Wiring Diagrams
Tags: Amateur Radio, antenna, Antennas, Contesting, CW, dipole, dipole antenna, DX, Electronic Theory, Field Day, Ham Radio, HF, Homebrewing, K7AGE, KA8LJO, KB8FIR, Monongalia Wireless Association, OfficialSWLChannel, Operating Practices, PSK31, QRP, Spence Graham, Spencer Graham, Spencer W. Graham, Spencer W. Graham II, Station accessories, W8MWA, WT8WV, WVUSWG
Magnetic Loop Antenna
Posted by swgraham2
I always wondered if this type of magnetic loop antenna would “get out” to the world and how it worked. This video shows both!
Posted in Amateur Radio, Antennas, Coax, Contesting, CW, DX, Education & Learning, Electronic Theory, Field Day, Ham Videos, Propagation, QRP, Radio, Radio Operations, Station Accessories, Uncategorized
Tags: Amateur Radio, antenna, Antennas, Electronic Theory, Field Day, Ham Radio, Homebrewing, KA8LJO, KB8FIR, loop antenna, magnetic loop antenna, MFJ-1786, Monongalia Wireless Association, Operating Practices, Spence Graham, Spencer Graham, Spencer W. Graham, Spencer W. Graham II, Station accessories, W8MWA, WT8WV, WVUSWG
What is a Ham Radio Repeater?
Posted by swgraham2
Excellent introduction and explanation of “What is a Ham Radio Repeater?”
Posted in 2 meters, Amateur Radio, Digital Modes, Dual Bander, Education & Learning, Electronic Theory, Ham Videos, HT, Radio, Radio Operations, Receiver, Repeaters, Station Accessories, Transmitter, UHF Band, Uncategorized, VHF Band
Tags: Amateur Radio, amateur radio repeaters, Dual Band, Electronic Theory, Ham Radio, ham radio repeaters, HT, KA8LJO, KB8FIR, Monongalia Wireless Association, Operating Practices, Repeaters, Spence Graham, Spencer Graham, Spencer W. Graham, Spencer W. Graham II, Station accessories, UHF radio, VHF radio, W8MWA, WT8WV, WVUSWG
Comparing the Yaesu System Fusion FT1Dr and FT2DR
Posted by swgraham2
Yaesu FT1DR Review
Yaesu FT2DR Review
Posted in 2 meters, Amateur Radio, APRS, CHIRP, Digital Modes, Dual Bander, Education & Learning, Ham Radio, Ham Radio Articles, Ham Videos, HT, Radio, Radio Operations, Receiver, Repeaters, Reviews, Station Accessories, Transmitter, UHF Band, Uncategorized, VHF Band
Tags: Amateur Radio, FT1DR, FT2DR, Ham Radio, KA8LJO, KB8FIR, Monongalia Wireless Association, Operating Practices, Spence Graham, Spencer Graham, Spencer W. Graham, Spencer W. Graham II, Station accessories, System Fusion, W8MWA, WT8WV, WVUSWG, Yaesu System Fusion
Yaesu System Fusion Introduction
Posted by swgraham2
This is a good introduction video for anyone curious about Yaesu’s efforts in digital communications at the local repeater level. It also sets aside some fears and misunderstandings about amateur radio operators making the decision to add or upgrade to digital from analog… you can do both!
Posted in 2 meters, Amateur Radio, Antennas, APRS, ARRL, Audio, Dayton Hamvention, Digital Modes, Dual Bander, Education & Learning, Emergency Preparedness, Ham Radio, Ham Videos, Homebrewing & Kits, HT, Projects, Radio, Radio Operations, Receiver, Repeaters, Reviews, Transmitter, UHF Band, Uncategorized, VHF Band
Tags: Amateur Radio, amateur radio repeaters, C4FM, Ham Radio, ham radio repeaters, KB8FIR, Monongalia Wireless Association, Operating Practices, Repeaters, Spence Graham, Spencer Graham, Spencer W. Graham, Spencer W. Graham II, Station accessories, System Fusion, W8MWA, WT8WV, WVUSWG, Yaesu System Fusion
2016 Dayton Hamvention Post-Mortem
Posted by swgraham2
Well… another Hamvention is in the books and it was the usual great time of fun and friendship. WR8S (Bill Shultz) and WV8TG (Tom Graf) and I enjoyed three fun-filled days scouring the Flea Market and also inside Hara Arena for all sorts of treasures and trinkets. Tom scored a pristine 1959 Hammerlund HQ-One Forty Five short-wave radio and several other vintage radios to restore. (The Hammerlund was the first serious short-wave radio Tom bought and it eventually led him on the journey to get his Amateur Extra Class license!) Bill and I invested in a couple Yaesu FTM100-DR System Fusion digital mobile radios so that we can explore the Monongalia Wireless Association’s new System Fusion repeaters here in the Morgantown, West Virginia area. Below is a video recap of our annual trek to the Dayton Hamvention. If you have never attended a Dayton Hamvention… GET THERE! Enjoy!
Posted in 2 meters, Amateur Radio, Amateur Radio License, Antennas, APRS, ARRL, CHIRP, Dayton Hamvention, Digital Modes, Dual Bander, Education & Learning, Electronic Theory, Emergency Preparedness, Field Day, Ham Radio, Ham Radio License, Ham Videos, HF Band, Homebrewing & Kits, HT, Projects, Radio, Radio Operations, Receiver, Repeaters, Station Accessories, Transmitter, Tube Radios, UHF Band, Uncategorized, VHF Band, Vintage
Tags: Amateur Radio, antenna, Antennas, ARRL, ARRL.ORG, Bob Heil, Dayton, Dayton Hamvention, DX, Field Day, Gordon West, Ham Nation, Ham Radio, Hammerlund, Hammerlund HQ-One Forty Five, Hamvention, Heil Sound, Homebrewing, KA8LJO, KB8FIR, KD8WQK, Kit building, Kits, Monongalia Wireless Association, Morse Code, OfficialSWLChannel, Operating Practices, Spence Graham, Spencer Graham, Spencer W. Graham, Spencer W. Graham II, Station accessories, W8MWA, WR8S, WT8WV, WV8TG, WVUSWG
Aluminum Soldering Demonstration at the 2016 Dayton Hamvention
Posted by swgraham2
I have seen this presentation several times over the years while attending the Dayton Hamvention. Don Wilke does a great job demonstrating the process of bonding various metals at a low temperature using this special material. I finally purchased a pack of these rods in May 2016. As many things as I can mess up around the house and garden, I am sure it will come in handy soon. I decided to film it for my blog and then sent the video to Don for him to use.
Posted in Amateur Radio, Antennas, ARRL, Dayton Hamvention, Education & Learning, Electronic Theory, Emergency Preparedness, Field Day, Ham Radio, Ham Videos, Homebrewing & Kits, Projects, Radio, Radio Operations, Repeaters, Reviews, Solar Power, Station Accessories, Tower, Uncategorized, Vintage
Tags: aluminum solder, aluminum soldering, Amateur Radio, antenna, ARRL, bonding metal, brazing, brazing metal, Don Wilke, EZ Products, Field Day, Ham Radio, Homebrewing, KA8LJO, KB8FIR, Kit building, Kits, Monongalia Wireless Association, Operating Practices, solder, soldering, Spence Graham, Spencer Graham, Spencer W. Graham, Spencer W. Graham II, Station accessories, W8MWA, WT8WV, WVUSWG
APRS… from the inventor, Bob Bruninga WB4APR
Posted by swgraham2
I would venture to say you can’t do better than hearing it from the inventor himself!
Automatic Packet Reporting System overview by its inventor, Bob WB4APR given at the HACDC Amateur Radio Club. For more information about APRS, go to http://www.aprs.org For more information about HACDC Amateur Radio Club go to http://www.w3hac.org
Posted in 2 meters, Amateur Radio, Antennas, APRS, ARRL, Dayton Hamvention, Digital Modes, Education & Learning, Electronic Theory, Emergency Preparedness, Ham Radio, Ham Software, Ham Videos, Projects, Propagation, Radio, Radio Operations, Receiver, Repeaters, Satellites, Station Accessories, Transmitter, UHF Band, Uncategorized, VHF Band
Tags: Amateur Radio, APRS, aprs.org, Automatic Packet Reporting System, balloon chasing, HACDC Amateur Radio Club, Ham Radio, Homebrewing, KB8FIR, Monongalia Wireless Association, Spence Graham, Spencer Graham, Spencer W. Graham, Spencer W. Graham II, w3hac.org, W8MWA, WT8WV, WVUSWG
Complete Overview of MESH for Amateur Radio (2014) by VA3BCO
Posted by swgraham2
MESH communications in Ham Radio is another area where Amateur Radio pushes the edge of the envelope and va3bco has put a tremendous amount of work into this slideshare that goes from A to Z on how to run a MESH! (Click on his website for more!)
Originally published on Nov 6, 2014
This is a comprehensive introduction to MESH for amateur radio enthusiasts. It is particularly useful for anyone new to MESH but will also include some nuggets sure to be helpful to the experienced operator. Topics include:
1. HSMM MESH vs. traditional digital modes
2. Router review & comparison
3. Firmware selection & configuration
4. Antenna considerations
5. Application scenarios for ARES and experimentation
6. Updates on local efforts & recent software announcements
Visit VA3BCO.COM for more details.
Posted in Amateur Radio, Digital Modes, Education & Learning, Electronic Theory, Emergency Preparedness, Field Day, Ham Radio, Ham Radio Articles, Ham Software, Projects, Propagation, Radio, Radio Operations, Receiver, Repeaters, Station Accessories, Transmitter, Uncategorized
Tags: Amateur Radio, ARES, Digital Modes, Ham Radio, Homebrewing, HSMM MESH, KB8FIR, MESH, Monongalia Wireless Association, Operating Practices, Routers, Spence Graham, Spencer Graham, Spencer W. Graham, Spencer W. Graham II, VA3BCO, VA3BCO.COM, W8MWA, WT8WV, WVUSWG
APRS… Automatic Packet Reporting System
Posted by swgraham2
The thing I absolutely LOVE in this wonderful hobby of Amateur Radio is that there are so many diverse niches to explore! Everything from building your own radio, working through satellites in orbit, transmitting your own slow or fast scan TV signals, Morse Code working over 300 countries in the world on less than a half of a watt of power, emergency response, tons of digital modes, bouncing signals off of the moon, ricocheting your signals off of an excited aurora… basically, if you have an idea on getting a signal transmitted or received to someone you can invent your own technology!
Automatic Packet Reporting System (APRS) combines ham radios, GPS and tiny computers to report your location, regardless if you are standing on a street corner, in a moving car on the highway, camping, hiking, boating, balloon tracking, airplanes or even in space! Believe it or not, your own cellphone can serve as the computer part, software and GPS . Check out this slideshare from Gayan Sameera on the nuts and bolts of this fun segment of ham radio. (Click on his name above and check out his other presentations!)
Posted in 2 meters, Amateur Radio, APRS, Digital Modes, Education & Learning, Electronic Theory, Ham Radio, Ham Software, Homebrewing & Kits, kits, Projects, Radio, Radio Operations, Receiver, Repeaters, Transmitter, UHF Band, Uncategorized, VHF Band
Tags: Amateur Radio, APRS, Gayan Sameera, Ham Radio, KB8FIR, Monongalia Wireless Association, Operating Practices, Spence Graham, Spencer Graham, Spencer W. Graham, Spencer W. Graham II, W8MWA, WT8WV, WVUSWG
Ham Radio… Do they still DO that?
Posted by swgraham2
This is a great slideshare from KB6NU Dan Romanchik,who unequivocally answers, “Oh HECK yes!” After more than 45 years of having a blast using my ham radios and talking all over the world using all sorts of cool technologies, I echo Dan’s message here. Thank you, Dan! If you want to find a great hobby that you will enjoy for a lifetime… drop me a note… I’ll hook ya up!
Posted in Amateur Radio, Amateur Radio License, ARRL, Call Sign, Crystal Radios, Dayton Hamvention, Education & Learning, Electronic Theory, Field Day, Ham Radio, Ham Radio Articles, Ham Radio License, ham radio vanity call sign, Radio, Radio Operations, Receiver, Repeaters, Reviews, Study Guides, Uncategorized
Tags: Amateur Radio, Amateur Radio License, Dan Romanchik, Field Day, Ham Radio, Ham Radio License, KB6NU, KB8FIR, Monongalia Wireless Association, Operating Practices, slideshare, Spence Graham, Spencer Graham, Spencer W. Graham, Spencer W. Graham II, W8MWA, WVUSWG
REVIEW: Yaesu Fusion FT2DR dual-band digital portable radio
Posted by swgraham2
This is a solid review by Don Trynor from VA3XPR from July 2015 of the Yaesu FT2DR dual-bander HT. (They have a very nice website!)
Our local ham radio club, Monongalia Wireless Association, recently bought 2 of the Yaesu Fusion repeaters and I am doing my own research into being able to enjoy a new type of technology. I am looking at my options and hope to find something to get my hands on at the 2016 Dayton Hamvention! I would think that prices would be moderating downward by now as others adopt the new radio and there may be some rebates floating around or “Specials” by some of the dealers. (Read Don’s full review here… Review: Yaesu Fusion FT2DR dual-band digitl portable radio )
The FT2DR is a good choice for anyone looking for a full-featured dual-band portable radio that is compatible with Yaesu’s Fusion line of digital radios. While this radio has some innovations, we think that they may not justify the $550 USD price point of this unit. In addition, we feel that Yaesu could improve upon future radios like this one, especially as it relates to the overall user experience. In this day and age when a good user experience for touch screen devices is the norm, such as with smartphones and computers, we think devices like this have room for improvement. All in all, if users can live without the touch screen display and louder audio, they might want to consider a cheaper alternative in the Yaesu FT1DR, which retails for $300 USD.
- By Don Trynor, www.va3xpr.net
- View Original
- July 18th, 2015
Posted in 2 meters, Amateur Radio, Audio, Dayton Hamvention, Digital Modes, Dual Bander, Electronic Theory, Ham Radio, Ham Radio Articles, HT, Projects, Radio, Radio Operations, Receiver, Repeaters, Reviews, Station Accessories, Transmitter, UHF Band, Uncategorized, VHF Band
Tags: Amateur Radio, Don Trynor, Ham Radio, KB8FIR, Monongalia Wireless Association, Operating Practices, Spence Graham, Spencer Graham, Spencer W. Graham, Spencer W. Graham II, VA3XPR, W8MWA, WT8WV, WVUSWG, Yaesu, Yaesu System Fusion
Amateur Radio Licensing in the UK
Posted by swgraham2
Ever wonder how folks in the United Kingdom get their Amateur Radio licenses? It’s different… but also similar to how we go about things here in the United States. Let’s take a look at the YouTube video from Essex Ham
Posted in Amateur Radio, Amateur Radio License, Call Sign, Electronic Theory, Ham Radio, Ham Radio Articles, Ham Radio License, Ham Videos, Radio, Radio Operations, Uncategorized
Tags: Amateur Radio, Essex Ham, Ham Radio, KB8FIR, Monongalia Wireless Association, Operating Practices, Spence Graham, Spencer Graham, Spencer W. Graham, Spencer W. Graham II, UK, United Kingdom, W8MWA, WT8WV, WVUSWG
WinLink… What is it?
Posted by swgraham2
K4REF tells us from his YouTube Channel the basics of this interesting technology that we can use as Amateur Radio Operators. It is most likely very similar to a technology we use daily… away from our radios!
Posted in Amateur Radio, Digital Modes, Electronic Theory, Emergency Preparedness, Ham Radio, Ham Radio Articles, Ham Software, Ham Videos, Homebrewing & Kits, Projects, Radio, Radio Operations, Reviews, Station Accessories, Transmitter, Uncategorized
Tags: Amateur Radio, Field Day, Ham Radio, K4REF, KB8FIR, Monongalia Wireless Association, Operating Practices, Spence Graham, Spencer Graham, Spencer W. Graham, Spencer W. Graham II, W8MWA, WinLink, WT8WV, WVUSWG
Amateur Radio Go-Box and Go-Bags Examples
Posted by swgraham2
Ham Radio Operators need to be ready to roll out to a crisis quickly if it requires communication support. Are you ready to “grab and go”? How quickly could you have a functional ham radio station on-the-air ready to support an emergency situation? Could you support your local authorities efforts, and for how long? Can you personally sustain yourself with food and water for 3 days of support, without being a burden on the emergency relief efforts? Constructing your own version of a “Ham Radio Go-Box” and a “Go-Bag” might be a great addition to your preparedness efforts. Below are some pictures of potential Go-Boxes to stir your imagination and creativity. You might even have some of the items laying around that could be put into the effort to BE PREPARED.
GO-BOX IDEAS
GO-BAG IDEAS
Posted in 2 meters, Amateur Radio, Antennas, Batteries, CW, Digital Modes, Dual Bander, Electronic Theory, Emergency Preparedness, Field Day, Ham Radio, Homebrewing & Kits, HT, kits, Microphones, Projects, QRP, Radio, Radio Operations, Receiver, Safety, Solar Power, Station Accessories, Transmitter, UHF Band, Uncategorized, VHF Band, Wiring Diagrams
Tags: Amateur Radio, Field Day, Go Bag, Go-Box, GoBag, GoBox, Ham Radio, Homebrewing, KB8FIR, Monongalia Wireless Association, Operating Practices, QRP, Spence Graham, Spencer Graham, Spencer W. Graham, Spencer W. Graham II, W8MWA, WT8WV, WVUSWG
How Does a Crystal Radio Set Actually Work?
Posted by swgraham2
Here is an excellent YouTube video from RimstarOrg that breaks down the concept of how crystal radios actually DO their magic! Yes, MAGIC. Radio signals are all around us 24 hours a day. Invisible! You can’t really touch them. You can’t smell them. You can’t hear them without assistance. We don’t really feel them bombarding us. We don’t sense those signals without some mechanical help… but they strike us with many different frequencies constantly… so let’s explore the range of frequencies we can decipher with a homemade crystal radio set!
Posted in Amateur Radio, Antennas, Audio, Crystal Radios, CW, Electronic Theory, Emergency Preparedness, Field Day, Ham Radio, Ham Radio License, Ham Videos, Headsets, HF Band, Homebrewing & Kits, kits, Projects, Propagation, Radio, Radio Operations, Receiver, Schematic, Station Accessories, Transmitter, Tube Radios, Uncategorized, Vintage, Wiring Diagrams
Tags: Amateur Radio, Ham Radio, KB8FIR, Monongalia Wireless Association, QRP, RimstarOrg, Spence Graham, Spencer Graham, Spencer W. Graham, Spencer W. Graham II, W8MWA, WT8WV, WVUSWG
Crystal Radios. A blast from the past!
Posted by swgraham2
Many of us have looked at, or even built a crystal radio set at some point in our lives. Maybe it was in our Scouting days, youth group, science class, science fair… or just to DO IT! The circuit itself is relatively simple to wire-up. A long piece of wire acts like an antenna. Some configuration of earphones or speaker will let you listen to signals. And believe it or not, the signals are all around you! The local AM radio station should be easy to hear. You can even build a simple pre-amp (pre-amplifier) circuit to boost the incoming signal to add extra volume and signal strength to the fun.
Let’s understand WHY a crystal radio set is sooooooo cool! SIMPLE CIRCUIT DESIGN. EVEN KIDS CAN DO IT! EASY TO GET PARTS. NO EXTERNAL POWER REQUIRED. INTERCEPTING INVISIBLE RADIO WAVES THAT ARE ALL AROUND US. Plus, it’s just a pile of fun!
Here is a YouTube video from WonderstruckHow who teaches us to build a very rudimentary crystal radio set with parts that are easy enough to scrounge up.
After you watch the video check out the picture gallery of all sorts of crystal radio sets that can be built in just a short time. They are great for kids working on a science fair project (and sure beats out a terrarium!) Some of us “Seasoned Citizens” might actually remember the paper towel tubes or Quaker Oat cardboard cans we wound the magnet wire around and even some of the commercial kits sitting under our Christmas tree!
Posted in Amateur Radio, Antennas, Batteries, Crystal Radios, CW, Dayton Hamvention, DX, Electronic Theory, Emergency Preparedness, Field Day, Ham Radio, Headsets, HF Band, Homebrewing & Kits, kits, Projects, Propagation, Radio, Radio Operations, Receiver, Schematic, Station Accessories, Tube Radios, Uncategorized, Vintage, Wiring Diagrams
Tags: Amateur Radio, Audio, Ham Radio, Homebrewing, KB8FIR, Monongalia Wireless Association, Operating Practices, Spence Graham, Spencer Graham, Spencer W. Graham, Spencer W. Graham II, W8MWA, WonderstruckHow, WT8WV, WVUSWG
Straight Key Night… FUN!
Posted by swgraham2
Every January 1st there is a fun filled evening of laid back, “no pressure” CW (Morse Code) operating using a simple “Straight Key” to key your transmitter without the aid of added electronics to perform the speed and spacing of your sent letters and numbers. This isn’t a contest! It is designed for fun sending CW the “old fashioned” way. The object is to simply enjoy sending and reading Morse Code. There are numerous configurations and sizes of straight keys and a jaunt down any ham radio flea market aisle will often give you quite a few options for a great purchase!
Here is a video example of the annual Straight Key Night experience. MIKROWAVE1 explains and actually makes CW contacts with other amateur radio operators enjoying the annual event. (Below the video, look for some pictures of several types of straight keys you might find as a bargain to add to your own ham radio station!
Here are some pictures of various CW (Morse Code) keyers. You can grab several to use for contesting or just simple rag-chewing. Some hams actually collect various types of keys!
Posted in Amateur Radio, ARRL, Contesting, CW, Digital Modes, Electronic Theory, Emergency Preparedness, Field Day, Ham Radio, Ham Videos, HF Band, Homebrewing & Kits, Keyers, kits, N1MM, Projects, QRP, Radio, Radio Operations, Station Accessories, Transmitter, Tube Radios, Uncategorized
Tags: Amateur Radio, Contesting, CW, CW Keyer, Field Day, Ham Radio, Homebrewing, KB8FIR, mikrowave1, Monongalia Wireless Association, Morse Code, morse code keyer, Operating Practices, QRP, Spence Graham, Spencer Graham, Spencer W. Graham, Spencer W. Graham II, straight key, straight key night, W8MWA, WT8WV, WVUSWG
Famous Ham Radio Operators and their Callsigns
Posted by swgraham2
I love learning who shared our favorite hobby… and the list is very long! It was so interesting to see not only WHO they were but also WHAT they did to be famous. Literally from every corner of the globe (try and find a corner on a globe).
I found this on the DX-QSL website and somehow the Bedworth Lions Club apparently had something to do with the creation of the list. I am quite fond of the good work The Lions do and I belong to a couple fraternal organizations (Masonic Lodge and Woodmen of the World) myself, so I am sure there is a story about The Lions being connected to this list. The list is long, so grab a refreshment and enjoy! Be prepared to be surprised!
Click the link below…
World Famous Ham Radio Operators
Posted in Amateur Radio, Call Sign, Ham Radio, Ham Radio Articles, ham radio vanity call sign, Radio, Radio Operations, Uncategorized, vanity call sign, Vintage
Tags: Amateur Radio, Bedworth Lions Club, DX-QSL, famous amateur radio operators, famous ham radio operators, Ham Radio, KB8FIR, Monongalia Wireless Association, Spence Graham, Spencer Graham, Spencer W. Graham, Spencer W. Graham II, stamp collecting, W8MWA, WT8WV, WVUSWG
What Is D-Star All About?
Posted by swgraham2
Yaesu has System Fusion… guess who has this thing called, D-Star? You can probably guess pretty quickly, if you don’t already have an idea.
Discover D-STAR from Icom
Posted in 2 meters, Amateur Radio, APRS, Digital Modes, Dual Bander, Electronic Theory, Ham Radio, Ham Radio Articles, Ham Videos, HT, Radio, Radio Operations, Receiver, Reviews, Station Accessories, Transmitter, UHF Band, Uncategorized
Tags: Amateur Radio, Audio, D-Star, Ham Radio, Icom, KB8FIR, Monongalia Wireless Association, Operating Practices, Spence Graham, Spencer Graham, Spencer W. Graham, Spencer W. Graham II, System Fusion, W8MWA, WT8WV, WVUSWG, Yaesu
Yaesu System Fusion Introduction
Posted by swgraham2
Cory Sickles (WA3UVV) is active in our local ham club, Monongalia Wireless Association, and he has been guiding us in installing a new Yaesu System Fusion repeater system up on Chestnut Ridge. Are you wondering what Yaesu System Fusion is? What is C4FM? What is the difference between Fusion, D-Star, P25 and DMR? Well… here are a couple videos that might give you some insight into primarily Fusion… but the second video looks at some comparison. (Spoiler alert… it gets territorial quickly.) Hats off to HamRadioOutlet and HamRadioNow for spending the time on these cool systems!
Posted in 2 meters, Amateur Radio, APRS, Audio, Digital Modes, Dual Bander, Electronic Theory, Emergency Preparedness, Ham Radio, Ham Radio Articles, Ham Videos, Radio, Radio Operations, Receiver, Transmitter, UHF Band, Uncategorized
Tags: Amateur Radio, Audio, C4FM, Fusion Radio, Ham Radio, Ham Radio Now, Ham Radio Outlet, KA8LJO, KB8FIR, Monongalia Wireless Association, Operating Practices, Spence Graham, Spencer Graham, Spencer W. Graham, Spencer W. Graham II, W8MWA, WA3UVV, WT8WV, WVUSWG, Yaesu, Yaesu System Fusion
Near Vertical Incidence Skywave (NVIS)
Posted by swgraham2
I love DX. I love chatting to interesting people all over the world and making new friends. For short range chatting I use our Monongalia Wireless Association W8MWA Repeater on the 144/440 frequencies. Sometimes it’s more difficult to talk short distances than it is to talk half way around the world. Let’s consider Near Vertical Incidence Skywave (NVIS) antennas with our HF radios.
NVIS is something every Ham needs to learn about. The antenna system is not difficult to construct and can serve an important function for shorter range communications, especially in time of an emergency when normal local / regional communication systems are down for some reason. (i.e. cell towers, cellphones, landlines, etc.) Hams may be called into service quickly.
Here is what Wikipedia says about NVIS communications…
Near vertical incidence skywave, or NVIS, is a skywave radio-wave propagation path that provides usable signals in the range between groundwave and conventional skywave distances—usually 30–400 miles (50–650 km). It is used for military and paramilitarycommunications, broadcasting,[1] especially in the tropics, and by radio amateurs. The radio waves travel near-vertically upwards into the ionosphere, where they are refracted back down and can be received within a circular region up to 650 km from the transmitter.[2] If the frequency is too high (that is, above the critical frequency of the ionospheric F layer), refraction fails to occur and if it is too low, absorption in the ionospheric D layer may reduce the signal strength.
The most reliable frequencies for NVIS communications are between 1.8 MHz and 8 MHz. Above 8 MHz, the probability of success begins to decrease, dropping to near zero at 30 MHz. Usable frequencies are dictated by local ionospheric conditions, which have a strong systematic dependence on geographical location. Common bands used in amateur radio at mid-latitudes are 3.5 MHz at night and 7 MHz during daylight, with experimental use of 5 MHz (60-meter) frequencies. Broadcasting uses the tropical broadcast bands between 2.3 and 5.06 MHz, and the international broadcast bands between 3.9 and 6.2 MHz, Military NVIS communications mostly take place on 2-4 MHz at night and on 5-7 MHz during daylight.
Optimum NVIS frequencies tend to be higher towards the tropics and lower towards the arctic regions. They are also higher during high sunspot activity years. The usable frequencies change from day to night, because sunlight causes the lowest layer of the ionosphere, called the D layer, to increase, causing attenuation of low frequencies during the day [3] while the maximum usable frequency (MUF) which is the critical frequency of the F layer rises with greater sunlight.
NVIS is most useful in mountainous areas where line-of-sight propagation at VHF or UHF frequencies is ineffective or when the communication distance is beyond the 50-mile (80 km) range of groundwave, and less than the 300–1500-mile (500–2500 km) range of lower angle sky-wave. Another interesting aspect of NVIS communication is, that direction finding of the sender is more difficult than for ground-wave communication (i.e. VHF or UHF). For broadcasters, NVIS allows coverage of an entire medium-sized country at much lower cost than with VHF (FM), and daytime coverage similar to MW (AM) nighttime coverage at lower cost and often with less interference. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Near_vertical_incidence_skywave
Below are a few very good links to articles for the nuts & bolts of putting together a simple and good NVIS antenna.
http://www.tactical-link.com/field_deployed_nvis.htm
http://www.qsl.net/wb5ude/nvis/index.html
http://www.w0ipl.net/ECom/NVIS/K2GW-NVIS.htm
http://www.w0ipl.net/ECom/NVIS/cbp-nvis.htm
Here is a sample video by NG9D with an 80 Meter End Fed NVIS Field Antenna.
Posted in Amateur Radio, Antennas, CW, Digital Modes, Electronic Theory, Emergency Preparedness, Field Day, Ham Radio, Ham Radio Articles, Ham Videos, HF Band, Homebrewing & Kits, Projects, Propagation, Radio, Radio Operations, Receiver, SSB, Station Accessories, Transmitter, Uncategorized
Tags: 80 Meters, 80 Meters Ham Band, Amateur Radio, antenna, emergency communication, Emergency Preparedness, Ham Radio, Homebrewing, KB8FIR, Monongalia Wireless Association, NG9D, NVIS, nvis antenna, Operating Practices, prepper, Spence Graham, Spencer Graham, Spencer W. Graham, Spencer W. Graham II, W8MWA, Wire, WT8WV, WVUSWG
See How a Schematic Diagram is ACTUALLY Visualized
Posted by swgraham2
“How to read an Electronic Schematic” by Paul Wesley Lewis
Wonderful example of how to visualize and equate the schematic diagram with the actual circuit build out.
Posted in Amateur Radio, Digital Modes, Electronic Theory, Emergency Preparedness, Field Day, Ham Radio, Ham Radio Articles, Home Network, Homebrewing & Kits, kits, Oscilloscope, Projects, Radio, Radio Operations, Receiver, Safety, Schematic, Solar Power, Station Accessories, Transmitter, Tube Radios, UHF Band, Uncategorized, VHF Band, Wiring Diagrams
Tags: Amateur Radio, Field Day, Ham Radio, Homebrewing, KB8FIR, Monongalia Wireless Association, Operating Practices, Oscilloscope, Paul Wesley Lewis, QRP, Spence Graham, Spencer Graham, Spencer W. Graham, Spencer W. Graham II, W8MWA, WT8WV, WVUSWG
How Do I Read a Schematic Diagram?
Posted by swgraham2
How to Read a Schematic by RimstarOrg
If you are going to build a simple crystal radio, a QRP rig or even a 100 Watt HF transceiver, you are going to want to understand how an electronic schematic diagram is read. It’s not that difficult. RimstarOrg has a great video on understanding the basic concept of reading a schematic.
Posted in Amateur Radio, Antennas, APRS, Audio, Batteries, Cables, Coax, Crystal Radios, Digital Modes, Electronic Theory, Emergency Preparedness, Field Day, Ham Radio, Ham Radio Articles, Ham Videos, Headsets, Home Network, Homebrewing & Kits, kits, Microphones, Oscilloscope, Projects, Radio, Radio Operations, Receiver, Safety, Schematic, Solar Power, Station Accessories, Tube Radios, Uncategorized, Wiring Diagrams
Tags: Amateur Radio, Audio, Field Day, Ham Radio, Homebrewing, KB8FIR, Monongalia Wireless Association, Operating Practices, Oscilloscope, RimstarOrg, Schematic, Spence Graham, Spencer Graham, Spencer W. Graham, Spencer W. Graham II, W8MWA, Wiring, Wiring diagram, WT8WV, WVUSWG
Multimeter Tutorial by AfroTechMods
Posted by swgraham2
THE BEST Multimeter Tutorial
The voltmeter… the Volt-Ohm Meter… the Multimeter… digital or analog… continuity… amperage, voltage and ohms… COME ON, MAN! What is it and how hard is it to use in the every day life of a ham radio enthusiast or just someone working in their workshop? Once again, Afrotechmods has an excellent tutorial on his YouTube channel for us to learn from!
Posted in Amateur Radio, Antennas, Audio, Batteries, Cables, Coax, Digital Modes, Electronic Theory, Emergency Preparedness, Field Day, Ham Radio, Ham Radio Articles, Ham Videos, Headsets, Home Network, Homebrewing & Kits, kits, Projects, Radio, Radio Operations, Safety, Solar Power, Station Accessories, Uncategorized, Wiring Diagrams
Tags: Amateur Radio, Audio, Batteries, Battery Power, circuits, Field Day, Ham Radio, Homebrewing, KB8FIR, Monongalia Wireless Association, multimeter, Oscilloscope, Spence Graham, Spencer Graham, Spencer W. Graham, Spencer W. Graham II, volt meter, W8MWA, WT8WV, WVUSWG
What the heck is an Amp-Hour?
Posted by swgraham2
Battery amp-hour, watt-hour and C rating tutorial
Regardless if it’s your flashlight, your 2 Meter hand-held radio, your QRP rig, your Field Day station(s), your APRS setup, your balloon launch radio transmitter, your trolling motor, your emergency preparations or your personal GoBox… understanding how long those batteries that supply operating power will last becomes quite important. It will also assist you in deciding what battery to select for a particular project or product. Afrotechmods has several excellent YouTube videos on his channel that we all can enjoy!
Posted in Amateur Radio, APRS, Contesting, Electronic Theory, Field Day, Ham Radio, Ham Radio Articles, Ham Videos, Home Network, Homebrewing & Kits, HT, kits, Projects, QRP, Radio, Radio Operations, Receiver, Solar Power, Station Accessories, Transmitter, Uncategorized, Wiring Diagrams
Tags: Afrotechmods, Amateur Radio, Battery Power, Contesting, CW, Emergency Preparedness, Field Day, Ham Radio, Homebrewing, KB8FIR, Monongalia Wireless Association, Operating Practices, PSK31, QRP, Spence Graham, Spencer Graham, Spencer W. Graham, Spencer W. Graham II, W8MWA, WT8WV, WVUSWG
Battery Technology Comparison by KF7IJZ
Posted by swgraham2
Small AGM vs A123 ALM-12V7 LiFePo4 Battery Module
Posted in Amateur Radio, APRS, Cables, Contesting, Electronic Theory, Field Day, Ham Radio, Ham Radio Articles, Ham Videos, Home Network, Homebrewing & Kits, kits, Projects, QRP, Radio, Radio Operations, Receiver, Solar Power, Station Accessories, Transmitter, Uncategorized, Wiring Diagrams
Tags: Amateur Radio, Battery Power, Contesting, CW, Field Day, Ham Radio, Homebrewing, KB8FIR, KF7IJZ, Monongalia Wireless Association, Operating Practices, Spence Graham, Spencer Graham, Spencer W. Graham, Spencer W. Graham II, W8MWA, WT8WV, WVUSWG
Explaining USB 3.0
Posted by swgraham2
ExplainingComputers YouTube Channel, Christopher Barnatt, explains USB 3.0 and how it compares to USB 1.1 and USB 2.0 and data transfer rates.
Posted in Amateur Radio, APRS, Cables, CHIRP, Digital Modes, Electronic Theory, Field Day, Ham Radio, Ham Radio Articles, Ham Software, Ham Videos, Home Network, Homebrewing & Kits, kits, Logbook of The World, Logging, Logging Software, LOTW, Macros, N1MM, Oscilloscope, Projects, PSK31, Radio, Radio Operations, Receiver, Station Accessories, Transmitter, Uncategorized, Wiring Diagrams
Tags: Amateur Radio, Christopher Barnatt, Data, Data Rates, Field Day, Ham Radio, Homebrewing, KB8FIR, Monongalia Wireless Association, Operating Practices, Spence Graham, Spencer Graham, Spencer W. Graham, Spencer W. Graham II, W8MWA, WT8WV, WVUSWG
Do Volts or Amps Kill You?
Posted by swgraham2
Does Volts or Amps Kill You? Voltage, Current and Resistance
This should be a good lesson for everyone, especially Hams that tinker and homebrew serious radio equipment. You’d be surprised how much is too much! Safety around radio equipment, coaxial cables, power chords, power lines, lightening storms, grounding straps and towers needs to be at the forefront of our mind.
Excellent YouTube video by RimstarOrg.
Posted in Amateur Radio, Antennas, Cables, Coax, Electronic Theory, Field Day, Ham Radio, Ham Radio Articles, Ham Videos, HF Band, Home Network, Homebrewing & Kits, kits, Oscilloscope, Projects, Radio, Radio Operations, Receiver, Safety, Solar Power, Station Accessories, Tower, Transmitter, Tube Radios, UHF Band, Uncategorized, VHF Band, Vintage, Wiring Diagrams
Tags: Amateur Radio, Contesting, Field Day, Ham Radio, Homebrewing, KB8FIR, Monongalia Wireless Association, Operating Practices, Oscilloscope, RimstarOrg, Spence Graham, Spencer Graham, Spencer W. Graham, Spencer W. Graham II, W8MWA, WT8WV, WVUSWG
Portable Battery Box for Kayak… or Ham Radio
Posted by swgraham2
There are a ton of variations of portable battery boxes and unbelievably expensive if you buy they retail. I like building projects at home, so here is another battery box with a very different form profile from some of the other videos on my blog. DIY! Here is a video from Derek Dickey on YouTube of his own kayak fishing GoBox.
Posted in Amateur Radio, Contesting, Electronic Theory, Field Day, Ham Radio, Ham Videos, Home Network, Homebrewing & Kits, kits, Projects, QRP, Radio, Radio Operations, Solar Power, Station Accessories, Transmitter, Uncategorized
Tags: Amateur Radio, Contesting, Derek Dickey, Field Day, Ham Radio, Homebrewing, KB8FIR, Monongalia Wireless Association, Operating Practices, QRP, Solar Power, Spence Graham, Spencer Graham, Spencer W. Graham, Spencer W. Graham II, W8MWA, WT8WV, WVUSWG
Portable Power Box
Posted by swgraham2
Battery Box, Simple Portable Power by KC6TYD
I built a portable battery box years ago out of a used small white lard tub from a Mr. Donut shop here in town to carry 2 small batteries to power “things” on camping and canoe trips. It charged from a flexible solar panel that I laid atop my packed canoe when fishing on the rivers of West Virginia. Then at night I had a string of 12 volt car lamp bulbs that I would string up around the campsite for some excellent lighting. It also had a small LED inside the box that would glow amber all night so that if you needed to get up in the middle of the night you can set the small tub beside the tent flap and push a little button to kick on the rest of the lights. I like this set up from KC6TYD, too!
Posted in Amateur Radio, Contesting, Electronic Theory, Field Day, Ham Radio, Ham Videos, Home Network, Homebrewing & Kits, kits, Projects, QRP, Radio, Radio Operations, Reviews, Solar Power, Station Accessories, Uncategorized
Tags: Amateur Radio, Contesting, Field Day, Ham Radio, Homebrewing, KB8FIR, KC6TYD, Monongalia Wireless Association, Operating Practices, QRP, Solar Power, Spence Graham, Spencer Graham, Spencer W. Graham, Spencer W. Graham II, W8MWA, WT8WV, WVUSWG
Back Up Solar Power for Ham Radio
Posted by swgraham2
Harbor Freight Solar Panel for Ham Radio
I spent a lot of time on a medical mission trip to Mali, West Africa years ago optimizing their solar power system. (Constant dust on the solar panels from the Harmattan winds was a battle for efficiency.) This is an interesting video done by KC6TYD about his first experience with solar power in the ham shack. (This only about the concept, not an endorsement per se of Harbor Freight or the manufacturer.) But I am definitely interested in some solar projects here at home in the future.
Posted in Amateur Radio, Amateur Radio License, Contesting, Electronic Theory, Field Day, Ham Radio, Ham Videos, Home Network, Homebrewing & Kits, Projects, Radio, Radio Operations, Reviews, Solar Power, Station Accessories, Uncategorized
Tags: Amateur Radio, Contesting, Field Day, Ham Radio, Harbor Freight, Homebrewing, KB8FIR, KC6TYD, Monongalia Wireless Association, Operating Practices, QRP, Solar Power, Spence Graham, Spencer Graham, Spencer W. Graham, Spencer W. Graham II, W8MWA, WT8WV, WVUSWG
Analog Oscilloscope bandwidth considerations with W2AEW
Posted by swgraham2
Get the right O-Scope!
Posted in Amateur Radio, Amateur Radio License, CW, Dayton Hamvention, Digital Modes, Electronic Theory, Field Day, Ham Radio, Ham Radio Articles, Ham Radio License, Ham Videos, HF Band, Homebrewing & Kits, kits, Microphones, Oscilloscope, Projects, PSK31, Radio, Radio Operations, Receiver, Station Accessories, Transmitter, Tube Radios, Uncategorized
Tags: Amateur Radio, CW, Ham Radio, Homebrewing, KB8FIR, Monongalia Wireless Association, Operating Practices, Oscilloscope, PSK31, Spence Graham, Spencer Graham, Spencer W. Graham, Spencer W. Graham II, W2AEW, W8MWA, WT8WV, WVUSWG
Monitor your Ham Radio transmitter with an oscilloscope with W2AEW
Posted by swgraham2
More O-Scope training! This guy is so good at teaching it!
Posted in Amateur Radio, Amateur Radio License, Antennas, CW, Digital Modes, Electronic Theory, Field Day, Ham Radio, Ham Radio Articles, Ham Videos, HF Band, Homebrewing & Kits, kits, Microphones, Oscilloscope, Projects, PSK31, QRP, Radio, Radio Operations, Receiver, Station Accessories, Transmitter, Tube Radios, Uncategorized
Tags: Amateur Radio, Audio, CW, Ham Radio, Homebrewing, KB8FIR, Monongalia Wireless Association, Operating Practices, Oscilloscope, PSK31, QRP, Spence Graham, Spencer Graham, Spencer W. Graham, Spencer W. Graham II, W2AEW, W8MWA, WT8WV, WVUSWG
Analog Oscilloscope Basics: Making a Frequency Measurement with W2AEW
Posted by swgraham2
Bought my first O-Scope at Dayton Hamvention in 2015… here is a good way to learn!
Posted in Amateur Radio, Cables, Coax, CW, Dayton Hamvention, Digital Modes, Electronic Theory, Field Day, Ham Radio, Ham Videos, HF Band, Homebrewing & Kits, kits, Microphones, Oscilloscope, Projects, PSK31, QRP, Radio, Radio Operations, Receiver, RTTY, Station Accessories, Transmitter, Tube Radios, Uncategorized
Tags: Amateur Radio, Field Day, Ham Radio, Homebrewing, KB8FIR, Monongalia Wireless Association, Operating Practices, Oscilloscope, QRP, Spence Graham, Spencer Graham, Spencer W. Graham, Spencer W. Graham II, W2AEW, W8MWA, WT8WV, WVUSWG
Arrow Antenna Bracket by Randy K7AGE
Posted by swgraham2
If you are interested in a relatively easy way to chase “The Easy Birds” (amateur satellites), K7AGE can help you get set up and successful QUICK!
Posted in 2 meters, Amateur Radio, Amateur Radio License, Antennas, Dual Bander, DX, Electronic Theory, Ham Radio, Ham Radio Articles, Ham Radio License, Ham Videos, Homebrewing & Kits, HT, Projects, Radio, Radio Operations, Receiver, Satellites, Station Accessories, Transmitter, UHF Band, Uncategorized, VHF Band
Tags: Amateur Radio, Field Day, Ham Radio, Homebrewing, K7AGE, KB8FIR, Monongalia Wireless Association, Operating Practices, Spence Graham, Spencer Graham, Spencer W. Graham, Spencer W. Graham II, W8MWA, WT8WV, WVUSWG
Ham Radio Satellite Arrow Antenna
Posted by swgraham2
How to track satellites with K7AGE… Randy is great at explaining the how and why!
Posted in 2 meters, Amateur Radio, Amateur Radio License, Dual Bander, DX, Electronic Theory, Ham Radio, Ham Radio Articles, Ham Radio License, Ham Videos, Homebrewing & Kits, HT, Projects, Radio, Receiver, Satellites, Station Accessories, Transmitter, UHF Band, Uncategorized, VHF Band
Tags: Amateur Radio, Field Day, Ham Radio, Homebrewing, KB8FIR, Monongalia Wireless Association, Operating Practices, Spence Graham, Spencer Graham, Spencer W. Graham, Spencer W. Graham II, W8MWA, WT8WV, WVUSWG
Ham Radio AO-51 Satellite with Randy, K7AGE
Posted by swgraham2
Randy K7AGE does a great job explaining how the satellite pass will work with minimal ground station equipment. It is a really cool way to communicate and anyone with a Ham Radio License can do it!!! Think about it… you are shooting signals to and from something the size of a Cantaloupe that is more than 22,000 miles away from the earth… and MOVING at 17,000 miles per hour in a circular orbit… with a $30 handi-talkie!
Posted in 2 meters, Amateur Radio, Amateur Radio License, Antennas, Dual Bander, DX, Electronic Theory, Ham Radio, Ham Videos, Homebrewing & Kits, HT, Logging, LOTW, Projects, Radio, Radio Operations, Satellites, Transmitter, UHF Band, Uncategorized, VHF Band
Tags: Amateur Radio, Ham Radio, Homebrewing, K7AGE, KB8FIR, Operating Practices, Randy, Spencer Graham, Spencer W. Graham, Spencer W. Graham II, WT8WV, WVUSWG
Best Way to Coil Coax and Audio Cables
Posted by swgraham2
Any one who has EVER coiled wire, coaxial cables, audio cables or even a hank of rope knows UNCOILING it has at one time or another created a “rats nest” of tangled mess that will increase your blood pressure, makes you exceedingly cranky and often has caused Tourettes-like symptoms. Fighting an unruly coil of coax or audio cable wastes a lot of time when setting-up a gig, a Field Day site or even coiling a power chord at home! Having spent years working in television studios, control rooms, and other audio gigs on a daily basis, I learned early on from the engineers that there is ONE way to coil cabling… W2AEW shows that in his video! (P.S. Engineers can be especially grouchy if you don’t coil correctly and THEY get to untangle YOUR improperly coiled rats-nest from a previous gig tear-down as they work on an important production. Time is money.)
Posted in Antennas, Cables, Coax, Contesting, Field Day, Home Network, Microphones, Radio
Tags: Amateur Radio, antenna, Antennas, Audio, Audio cable, Cables, Coax, Connectors, Contesting, Dummy Load, Field Day, Ham Radio, KB8FIR, Rope, Spence Graham, Spencer Graham, Spencer W. Graham, W2AEW, WR8S, WT8WV, WVUSWG
10 Meters Ham Band… what can ya hear?
Posted by swgraham2
Posted in CW, DX, Ham Videos, HF Band, Propagation, QRP, Radio, Radio Operations, Receiver, Transmitter
Tags: 10 meters, 28 MHz, CW, DX, KB8FIR, Morse Code, OfficialSWLChannel, RTTY, Spence Graham, Spencer Graham, Spencer W. Graham, Spencer W. Graham II, SSB, WT8WV, WVUSWG
Anderson Power Poles (Part 2)
Posted by swgraham2
Posted in Cables, CW, DX, Electronic Theory, Field Day, Ham Videos, Homebrewing & Kits, Projects, QRP, Radio, Radio Operations, Receiver, Solar Power, Station Accessories, Transmitter
Tags: 12 volts, Anderson Power Poles, Emergency Preparedness, Go Bag, KB8FIR, Musings of a scientist, Power Poles, QRP, Spence Graham, Spencer Graham, Spencer W. Graham, Spencer W. Graham II, WT8WV, WVUSWG
Anderson Power Poles For 12 Volt Ham Radio Connections
Posted by swgraham2
These are very handy for all sorts of your 12 volt ham radio projects!
Will be looking for these at the next hamfest!
Posted in Cables, CW, DX, Electronic Theory, Field Day, Ham Videos, Homebrewing & Kits, Projects, QRP, Radio, Radio Operations, Receiver, Solar Power, Station Accessories, Transmitter
Tags: 12 volt connections, Anderson Power Poles, Emergency Preparedness, Field Day, Go Bag, KB8FIR, Musings of a scientist, QRP, Spence Graham, Spencer Graham, Spencer W. Graham, Spencer W. Graham II, USNERDOC, WT8WV, WVUSWG
Historical Events in Amature Radio… 1894 to 1998
Posted by swgraham2
This is a fun read about our amateur radio hobby from it’s infancy. Well written factoids from The Ham Radio Files website. Click the link below for the article…
Ham Radio Reference Site… RigReference.Com
Posted by swgraham2
I stumbled onto this really cool website called RigReference.Com and was able to find some information on several older pieces of equipment I have in my ham shack. Here is what their website says…
Who we are
RigReference.com is designed for and by Ham Radio enthusiasts. RigReference.com provides information about new and vintage amateur radio equipment (rigs) and allows and encourages members to share their opinions about these rigs.
RigReference.com is always looking for amateur related news, especially new equipment announcements. If you’ve seen or heard anything interesting please don’t hesitate to contact us!
RigReference.com explicitly does not sell ham radio equipment and/or parts.
Twitter… @RigReference