The dipole is one of the most popular antennas, especially in the low HF bands. The formula for a half-wave dipole is 468 divided by the frequency. Here is a dipole length chart. Frequency — Quarter Wavelength (ft) — Total Length (ft) 1.9 — 123.1 — 246.2 3.75 — 62.4 — 124.8 5.36 — 43.7 — 87.4 […]
08 Jan
Posted by RD Bentley as Amateur Radio, Geeky Tips, Product Reviews
Yes, there is a way to improve audio quality with the Behringer Xenyx 802 Premium 8-Input 2-Bus Mixer with Xenyx Mic Preamps and British EQs. The Behringer mixer is a cost effective way to enhance the sound coming from your iPod, computer, radio, etc. Mine arrived in the mail just a few days ago. Right […]
So you want to hear your HF station online and live? Seriously. It is quite possible to hear yourself transmitting in real-time. No, this isn’t some half-baked online receiver, where nothing works right. This is the real deal. Go to this website — w4ax —. This is just absolutely killer! I’m listening to amateur radio […]
US Amateur Radio Frequency Allocations (Phone) 160 Meters 1.800 – 2.000 MHz General, Advanced, Amateur Extra 80 Meters 3.600 – 4.000 MHz 60 Meters 5330.5, 5346.5, 5357.0, 5371.5, 5403.5 USB Channels 1-5 General, Advanced, Amateur Extra 40 Meters 7.125 -7.300 MHz 30 Meters 10.100 -10.150 MHz CW, RTTY, Data General, Advanced, Amateur Extra 20 Meters […]
The Hilberling amateur radio is now in the USA. Price: Euro 13.290 — PT-8000A HF/VHF-Transceiver • 200W • incl. Power Supply and Microphone T9 (black) RAL7016 Anthracite gray RAL5007 Brilliant blue RAL6031 Bronze green RAL4004 Claret violet RAL7045 Tele grey1 For more information, click on the Hilberling link.
In my quest of learning electronics, I try to understand radio propagation. All of the numbers, terminology, and charts can be somewhat overwhelming. Is there a simple, quick reference to better understand the HF progation numbers? 1. K-Index — 0-9. Overall, low is better. Some VHF operators like to see an increasing K Index, because aurora […]
24 Sep
Posted by RD Bentley as Amateur Radio, Science Sightings
The equinox (around March 20 and September 22) brings us better DX propagation, especially the upper bands. The ten meter band (28000 to 29700 kHz) tends to be at its best near the spring or fall equinox. In fact, the equinoxes are when geomagnetic storms are the strongest. These strong geomagnetic storms can actually be very disruptive to the […]
Have you ever tried to build a fan dipole? I’ve had one up for more than a year, which utilizes two bands — 40 meter and 80 meter. Will the fan dipole tune up properly using two different bands? The answer is… it works quite well. I used 12 gauge solid copper wire. For the […]
Relatively being a newbie when it comes to the HF universe, I had never tried my hand with the magic 20 meter delta loop. I had established a 40 meter dipole and was happy with the results. Now it was time to move forward and put up a delta loop for the higher bands. I had browsed a few […]
Global Email System By Radio Is it possible to send email messages via HF radio? They’ve had the technology available for over a decade. Wherever you go you can keep in touch with friends by email, even if you do not have access to a telephone or the internet. This is a blessing for ham operators […]