I’ve got a few antenna projects in the pipeline, but before construction starts, a few things about buying radios and radio parts online from AliExpress. Unless you live near an electronic parts store, you’ll probably be buying parts online, like I do. The cheapest place I found to buy most consumer-type radio parts is AliExpress. … Read more
We are out here in the US desert southwest, where there are some hills, but it’s mostly flat. Since VHF/UHF radio transmission is primarily line of sight, this can work in a radio operator’s favor, especially if the target radio or repeater is in the hills. I’m set up with a Quansheng UV-K6 with F4HWN … Read more
In this post, I will describe basic radio antenna tuning using an SWR meter. For best transmission and reception, antennas must be “tuned” to the frequencies of the radio. When you tune a radio antenna, you are adjusting the length of the antenna so the radio transmits most efficiently. Even though this is the Ham … Read more
The quickest way to increase the range of a ham radio is by using a more efficient antenna. A popular ham radio antenna, especially in non-permenant mounting situations, is a Slim Jim antenna. The Slim Jim we will use is a portable end fed folded half wave dipole and quarter wave J configuration for our … Read more
In this post, we will make a simple and inexpensive radio mount for a pickup truck with bed rails. When I’m out and about, I spend a lot of time in the camper shell of my pickup truck and needed a way to mount my ham radio. The only way to do that without drilling … Read more
This post will show how to get started with ham radio the cheap and easy way. Why should you listen to me? Because there is nothing for sale and there are no ads. I have no affiliation with any of the companies mentioned here. I purchased all the items just like you would. My years … Read more
If you are interested in getting a ham radio license, the process is straightforward if you follow a few easy steps. You will have to know some basic electronics and do a little studying, but it’s not that difficult. To get started, head to the ARRL website. You can navigate through the ARRL website or … Read more
KK7DTK is on the air. I’ve wanted to get a ham radio license ever since I was a kid who couldn’t afford to buy a radio. Since then, I’ve worked as an electronics technician in the Marines and with UAVs as well as civilian tech companies. I was always using somebody else’s radios and never … Read more