Students from the Caribbean and South America attended the 30th United States Telecommunications Training Institute (USTTI) Amateur Radio Administration Course (ARAC) September 30-October 4 at ARRL Headquarters. ARRL Chief Technology Officer Brennan Price, N4QX, coordinated the session and administered the course, designed government officials in developing countries who regulate and manage Ama…
American Radio Relay League | Ham Radio Association and Resources
I start this series by introducing some basics about antennas, antenna tuners, antenna analyzers and noise / interference / QRM / QRN. Equipment used / menti…
The 13th USA Amateur Radio Direction Finding (ARDF) Championships of on-foot hidden transmitter hunting gets underway in North Carolina October 8-13. Backwoods Orienteering Klub (BOK) will host the event. This year’s USA Championships are being combined with the Seventh ARDF Championships of International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) Region 2 (the Americas). An e-mail reflector is available for Q…
American Radio Relay League | Ham Radio Association and Resources
The White House has recognized Matt Brisbois, KI6RBS, of Newport Beach, California, as part of its Champions of Change program. The Newport Beach Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program coordinator “has trained and mentored more than 1000 residents, business and community leaders, and educators, resulting in the highest per-capita volunteer-to-resident ratio for CERT programs in all of…
American Radio Relay League | Ham Radio Association and Resources
About five dozen Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) volunteers have deployed in and around flood-stricken counties of Colorado, providing critical communication for Red Cross shelters and state and local emergency operation centers. Recent heavy rains have caused veritable mountainside tsunamis that have caused rivers and streams to overflow their banks, ravaged roads and property and displ…
American Radio Relay League | Ham Radio Association and Resources
Radio amateur Jonathan Trappe, KJ4GQV, of Raleigh, North Carolina is trying to cross the Atlantic in a cluster balloon. He took off September 12 at 1200 UTC from Caribou, Maine. According to a reporton AMSAT-UK, Trappe is carrying Amateur Radio beacons on 14.0956 MHz and 144.390 MHz APRS.
The 14.0956 MHz beacon is just above the WSPR frequency (approximately 1880 Hz in the waterfall display), ru…
American Radio Relay League | Ham Radio Association and Resources
The Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers (SARA) is seeking papers for its 2014 Western Regional Conference. The event takes place March 22-23, 2014, in Bishop, California, and at the Owens Valley Radio Observatory.
The first day of the conference will be spent at Cal Tech’s Owens Valley Radio Observatory, with presentations by OVRO staff and SARA members and supporters followed by a tour of the …
American Radio Relay League | Ham Radio Association and Resources
Jagjeet Singh Virdee, 5Z4GB, died August 29 after he and his 70-year-old mother were shot and killed outside their residence in Kericho County, Kenya, by five men armed with automatic weapons. He was 50. The attackers got away with a wallet and a pistol, according to one local news account. Singh Virdee, who also held the call sign 5H3JS in Tanzania, was reported to be a prominent Asian busines…
American Radio Relay League | Ham Radio Association and Resources
Dual Band VHF-UHF Amateur Radio mobile Transceiver.
* 50W VHF, 45W UHF, (with selectable 20W, 10W & 5W settings).
* Xmit 144-148Mhz & 430-450Mhz. Receives 108-520Mhz & 700-999Mhz (except cellular band).
* Features AlphaNemeric Display, 1000 channels, lighted microphone w/ direct freq entry.
* Includes 12Vdc power cord & mounting bracket.
* Requires suitable optional Dual Band Amateur antenna.
Can be used as a Base staton with an Optional 14A or higher 13.8Vdc regula
List Price: $ 450.99
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Speaking in late July at the 28th annual National Conference of Volunteer Examiner Coordinators (NCVEC) meeting, Bill Cross, W3TN, of the FCC’s Mobility Division within the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (WTB), assured attendees that pending proposals to modify the Amateur Service Part 97 rules are not on the back burner but still under review. FCC personnel addressing the teleconference we…
American Radio Relay League | Ham Radio Association and Resources
Just a quick tour of my humble Amateur Radio station.
I do a review of the main features of the Tecsun PL-398MP. It can be found here: http://astore.amazon.com/m0711-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=1 This is portable rad…
Video Rating: 4 / 5
Seventeen Meter band (18Mhz) Amateur Ham band mobile ham stick type 3/8-24 antenna. Approx 4ft Loaded Black Fiberglass section topped with 4ft Stainless Steel whip, about 8ft overall.
List Price: $ 22.99
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Find More Ham Antenna Products
The Baltic nation of Lithuania is hoping that its first two satellites will be launched later this year from the International Space Station (ISS). The nanosatellites carrying Amateur Radio payloads could be among the CubeSats sent by payload handler NanoRacks LLC to the ISS on the SpaceX CRS-3 mission in November 2013. The Kaunas University of Technology is developing LituanicaSAT-1, while the…
American Radio Relay League | Ham Radio Association and Resources
The infamous Nino IT9RYH up to his old tricks again. This time on the CW portion of 40m calling CQ and shouting obscenities at people asking him to QSY. Like…
Video Rating: 5 / 5
By Gary Hoffman, KB0H
ARRL Contributing Editor
It was a nasty night, with heavy rain and howling wind. I was down in my shack, overseeing three Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) nets: our weekly voice net, a short net in which we practice receiving formal traffic and a packet net. I’m the manager for all of them.
After I wrapped up the nets, I went upstairs to start doing the paperwork. My wi…
American Radio Relay League | Ham Radio Association and Resources
By Gary Hoffman, KB0H
Contributing Editor
Some years ago, my wife Nancy and I dabbled at putting together electronic kits. Our efforts weren’t entirely successful, so we drifted on to other interests. In the back of my mind, I always had the notion that we would return to kit-building, but we never did. Recently, however, an opportunity presented itself, and once again I found myself squinting at…
American Radio Relay League | Ham Radio Association and Resources
Amateur Radio on eBay:
[wprebay kw=”amateur+radio” num=”0″ ebcat=”-1″]
Amateur Radio eBay auctions you should keep an eye on:
[wprebay kw=”amateur+radio” num=”0″ ebcat=”-1″]
The American Legion Amateur Radio Club (TALARC) held their 2nd annual special event March 15-16, 2013 to commemorate the 94th birthday of The American Legion.
On April 1, Idaho Governor C. L. “Butch” Otter (R) signed Senate Bill 1065 into law. This new law is amendment to a current Idaho law regarding guyed towers, which states that guyed towers “shall be lighted, marked and painted or otherwise constructed to be visible in clear air during daylight hours from a distance of not less than 2000 feet.” With the passage of SB 1065, both guyed Amateur Rad…
American Radio Relay League | Ham Radio Association and Resources
The Dayton Hamvention Awards Committee announced on April 7 that it would be withdrawing its Amateur of the Year Award for 2013. According to Dayton Hamvention General Chairman Charles Kaiser, KD8JZR, the committee had received “conflicting information from credible sources regarding the accuracy of the winning nomination.”
After verifying these reports, Kaiser made the decision to withdraw the …
American Radio Relay League | Ham Radio Association and Resources
This year marks the 88th anniversary of the founding of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU). To mark this occasion, the IARU and its more than 160 Member Societies will celebrate World Amateur Radio Day on April 18. For many years, the IARU Administrative Council has declared a theme for each World Amateur Radio Day. The theme for 2013 is Amateur Radio: Entering Its Second Century of D…
American Radio Relay League | Ham Radio Association and Resources
#UVS300
Base Antenna
VHF 144-148 MHz 8.3dB Gain
UHF 435-450 MHz 11.7dB Gain
3 Section Fiberglass
200 Watts
50 Ohms
5/8 Wave
VHF 144-148 MHz: 8.3dB Gain
UHF 430-450 MHz: 11.7dB Gain
UHF is tunable for either 430 – 440 MHz or 440 – 450 MHz
3 Section Fiberglass Radiator
3 – 5/8 Wave c-load elements on 2m
8 – 5/8 Wave c-load elements on 70cm
20.5″ Stainless Steel Radials
17′ Overall Height
Die Cast Aluminum Mounting hardware for 1-3/16″ to 2-7/16″ masts
200 W
List Price: $ 129.99
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H. Ward Silver, N0AX
n0ax@arrl.net
Worse than the dreaded “word problem,” this April quiz is full of backward problems where I give the answer and you pick the problem. Or something like that. You’ll figure it out!
1) 9
a. The dB equivalent of a power ratio of 4.
b. The number of wavelengths traveled by a 7 MHz signal in 1.29 µs.
c. Value of SWR if a 337.5 Ω load is connected to 75 Ω coaxial cable….
American Radio Relay League | Ham Radio Association and Resources
By Gary Hoffman, KB0H
ARRL Contributing Editor
Many years ago, my grandfather used to build radio sets and sell them to his neighbors. Somewhat later, just after World War II, he and my father installed radios in cars for Western Auto. They saved up their earnings and eventually started Hoffman Radio-Television Sales and Service, which was the premiere TV shop in Savannah, Georgia for a number of…
American Radio Relay League | Ham Radio Association and Resources
The ARRL will be promoting Amateur Radio at the annual convention of the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) — NAB Show — scheduled for April 6-11 in at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Members of the Las Vegas Radio Amateurs Club (LVRAC) will staff the ARRL booth at NAB, providing attendees with information about Amateur Radio. The booth also serves as a meeting place for radio amateu…
American Radio Relay League | Ham Radio Association and Resources
This is my 2 way portable.
Video Rating: 0 / 5
Demonstration of the new micro-rotor. With the compass bezel there is a digital degree readout. The speed of the turn is amazing. I would love to have one of…
Video Rating: 4 / 5
This is a multi-communications amateur ham radio antenna. This amateur ham radio antenna deployment system was created by Gary Stapleford an amateur ham radio user. My amateur ham radio call sign is N1PB0.
Video Rating: 3 / 5
By H. Ward Silver, N0AX
n0ax@arrl.net
The great tradition of self-learning and mutual education is alive and well at the outset of Amateur Radio’s second century. The success of that tradition leans heavily on the books — and now websites — of amateurs willing to share their radio know-how with others. This month’s quiz touches on publications from yesterday and today, in honor of the many aut…
American Radio Relay League | Ham Radio Association and Resources
Amateur Radio Ladder Tower (ARLT) V.1. Ham Radio Outlet www.hamradio.com X50A Dualband Base/Repeater Antenna www.rfparts.com Special Features: • Fiberglass radome • Stainless steel hardware • Wide band performance • Factory adjusted — no tuning required • High wind rating • DC grounded Specifications: Band: 2m/70cm Gain (dB): 4.5/7.2 Max Power Rating: 200 Wind Rating: 135 MPH (no ice) Height (feet): 5.6 Connector: UHF Element Phasing: 3-1/4l, 3-5/8l
From back cover – Advice on choosing a transceiver and power supply; Practical information to help you choose and install economical antennas; Science of how signals travel; Using your voice on the HF bands; Code conversations; Digital Universe; Chasing contacts and awards; FM No static at all; Weak signals and the world above 50 Mhz. (Description by http-mart)
List Price: $ 19.95
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A young lady Ham, some cool radio gear and a great cobbler recipe.
Video Rating: 5 / 5
This is my new 18 m heavy duty radio structures amateur Tower that I purchased from Vinecom.co.uk. I will be putting my three element SteppIR on top and very soon so please check back
Video Rating: 5 / 5
By H. Ward Silver, N0AX
n0ax@arrl.net
If there is a single unit of measurement beyond volts and amps that can be considered nearly ubiquitous in ham radio, it would have to be our friend, the dee-bee or dB. Key to computing values in dB is the logarithm, so this quiz also combines the two — are you ready? If dBs aren’t your cup of tea, the ARRL website contains a tutorial on decibels that may he…
American Radio Relay League | Ham Radio Association and Resources
By Gary Hoffman, KB0H
Contributing Editor
Kerchunk, kerchunk. You know what that noise means, right? That was the sound of me “testing my radio” when I first got my license. Bet you did it, too. Oh? You claim you never did anything so impertinent as to key up and unkey, just to convince yourself that you were transmitting? Okay, if you say so.
That first instance of me beaming radio waves to myse…
American Radio Relay League | Ham Radio Association and Resources
Comet CFX-514 Triplexer allows 3 seperate HF/6M , VHF & UHF inputs into 1 combined output.
Automatic, Low loss High power triplexer.
List Price: $ 63.00
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By Gary Hoffman, KB0H
ARRL Contributing Editor
Got an Amateur Radio item on the list you wrote to Santa this year? Of course you have. But if you’re like me, you don’t really expect to get it. First, what we want (well, what I want, anyway) is way too expensive. Second, it’s probably too heavy for Santa’s sleigh (or for Mrs Santa to carry out to the SUV). And third, Santa can’t just go to the ma…
American Radio Relay League | Ham Radio Association and Resources
A quick review of the new, new amateur radio from ICOM the IC-7100. If you have any additional information please leave a comment or email me. If you enjoyed this video, please click on the Like button. Thanks for watching, Tom
Video Rating: 5 / 5
From my radio room in San Francisco, a little DXing with the SX-88. Starting with 9700khz-Radio Bulgaria out of Bulgaria, rapidly crossed over 9690khz-CRI out of Beijing..9680khz-Radio Taiwan out of Florida on relay, and land on 9660khz- Radio Australia, the 10000 watter out of Brandon, Australia. There is where I did a little comparo between old tech and new…my ear says old tech sounds much better..at least here in the room. The 1954 SX-88 vs. the 2008 Icom IC-R75. How about you?
Video Rating: 5 / 5
On Tuesday, November 20, the FCC released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ET Docket No. 12-338) that proposes to amend Parts 1, 2, 74, 78, 87, 90 and 97 of the Commission’s rules. Part 97 governs the Amateur Radio Service. These changes will implement allocation decisions from the 2007 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-07) that concern those portions of the radio frequency spectrum betw…
American Radio Relay League | Ham Radio Association and Resources
All the information you need to design your own complete antenna system.
Since the first edition in September 1939, radio amateurs and professional engineers have turned to The ARRL Antenna Book as THE source of current antenna theory and a wealth of practical how-to construction projects. Use this book to discover even the most basic antenna designs– wire and loop antennas, verticals, and Yagis–and for advanced antenna theory and applications. Many of the antennas in this edition benef
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More Ham Antenna Products
AE6YB – amateur radio station. Please visit ae6yb.jigsy.com 73 and good DX.
Video Rating: 5 / 5
By Gary Hoffman, KB0H
ARRL Contributing Editor
I was sitting in my shack, fuming over my latest failure. I was a computer professional for more than 40 years and I still couldn’t penetrate digital modes. Or understand the menus on modern transceivers. Or figure out why the heck my newest radio beeped at random times. I guess it’s because I’m an old fossil who never owned an X-this or i-that.
I kn…
American Radio Relay League | Ham Radio Association and Resources
Earlier this month, the FCC released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) — WT Docket No. 12-283 — proposing to amend the Part 97 rules governing the Amateur Radio Service. On October 24, a summary of the NPRM was published in the Federal Register and the FCC is seeking comments on it.
Specifically, the Commission is proposing to modify the Amateur Radio Service rules to grant examination cr…
American Radio Relay League | Ham Radio Association and Resources
By H. Ward Silver, N0AX
noax@arrl.net
Part 97.1 points out five bases and purposes of the Amateur Radio Service. The third principle — encouragement and improvement of the Amateur Service through rules which provide for advancing skills in both the communication and technical phases of the art — has been a hallmark of the Amateur Radio Service from the beginning. This quiz lists a few of those …
American Radio Relay League | Ham Radio Association and Resources
On October 2, the FCC released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in WT Docket No. 12-121 that seeks to change the Amateur Radio licensing rules, especially as they concern former licensees. Acting upon an April 2011 Petition for Rulemaking filed by the Anchorage VEC to give permanent credit to radio amateurs for examination elements they have successfully passed, the FCC proposes to revise…
American Radio Relay League | Ham Radio Association and Resources
Ethiopian Amateur Radio Society (EARS) Chairman Sid T. May, ET3SID/G4CTQ/AB3OZ, passed away September 25. In 1993, May established ET3AA, the first Amateur Radio club in Ethiopia. According to Hailemelekot Negussie, AB3OX, of EARS, May has taught Amateur Radio licensing classes in Ethiopia for more than 15 years. EARS is Ethiopia’s IARU Member-Society.
An accredited ARRL Volunteer Examiner (VE),…
American Radio Relay League | Ham Radio Association and Resources
By Gary Hoffman, KB0H
Contributing Editor
“Who did you say you were again?” the receptionist asked. “Gary Hoffman,” I said. “I’m with the Amateur Radio Emergency Service. I’m supposed to run a test on your Amateur Radio equipment.”
I was patient, even though I knew that the SET (Simulated Emergency Test) was supposed to start right at that very moment. They had kept me at the reception desk of the…
American Radio Relay League | Ham Radio Association and Resources
My antenna system,40 meters to 1.3 GHz, passing as an HDTV antenna
Video Rating: 5 / 5
By H. Ward Silver, N0AX
n0ax@arrl.net
The fall and winter months are packed with contests for every taste: DX, domestic, single-band and specialty events of every stripe. Shake off a little rust with this quiz and get ready to put some QSOs in the log. Remember, too, if you’re not a contest aficionado, most major contests use only one mode and 12, 17 and 30 meters bands are entirely contest-free …
American Radio Relay League | Ham Radio Association and Resources
On August 20 — in response to a Spring 2012 Congressional directive — the Federal Communications Commission released its findings on the Uses and Capabilities of Amateur Radio Service Communications in Emergencies and Disaster Relief: Report to Congress Pursuant to Section 6414 of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012.
This report contains the FCC’s “ review of the importanc…
American Radio Relay League | Ham Radio Association and Resources
If you enjoy the technical side of Amateur Radio and being on the cutting edge, you might want to take a look at the microwave bands. The weekends of August 18-19 and September 15-16 give you a perfect chance to explore this portion of the radio spectrum with the 2012 ARRL 10 GHz and Up Contest.
The contest period for both weekends starts at 6 AM local time on Saturday and runs until midnight lo…
American Radio Relay League | Ham Radio Association and Resources
Join The Alexandria Radio Club, W4HFH, for 2012 Field Day from Armistead Boothe Park in Alexandria, VA. This year, the club ran as 7A adding a PSK31 station to the mix and splitting the 40m and 80m phone stations. This year, the 15m stations was completed powered via solar panels and battery using Goal Zero Boulder 30 Solar Panels and a Goal Zero Yeti Solar Generator. Special thanks to the City of Alexandria for coordination of the park facilities.
These are videos of some of the 2010 Field Day locations that ARRL MDC Section Manager Jim Cross, WI3N, and ARRL MDC Assistant Section Manager Al Brown, KZ3AB, visited on June 26 and June 27, 2010. Video by: E Allen Brown, KZ3AB
Video Rating: 5 / 5
By H. Ward Silver, N0AX
n0ax@arrl.net
Once the homebuilding bug bites, you’ll be using a whole new set of jargon: acronyms, color codes, numbering conventions, parameters, measurements and more. Here are some questions about the many interesting methods — and short-cuts — we use to describe our electronic components.
1) Which sequence represents the resistor color code?
a) OBAFGKM
b) BBROYGBVGW
c…
American Radio Relay League | Ham Radio Association and Resources
On July 6, 2012, the White House released an Executive Order that addresses National Security and Emergency Preparedness (NS/EP) communications functions of the federal government. Contrary to some concerns raised in a few Amateur Radio circles, the Order does not appear to contain any threat to the Amateur Service or its ability to continue support communications during times of emergency or d…
American Radio Relay League | Ham Radio Association and Resources
By H. Ward Silver, N0AX
n0ax@arrl.net
You’ll have to work extra hard on this quiz because it’s not a “multiple guess.” Some answers may require a little calculation, some may require exercising the memory banks — and all will require a little head scratching.
1. Where would you tune for a signal that has the same numeric value of frequency in MHz and wavelength in meters?
2. In Hawaii, KH6, to whi…
American Radio Relay League | Ham Radio Association and Resources
By ARRL Youth Editor Sterling Coffey, N0SSC
n0ssc@arrl.net
As I wrote about in last month’s column, everyone finds his or her own niche in Amateur Radio. It can be as simple as having an mobile rig in the car that you might turn on every once in a while, doing nothing but listen to numbers stations or regularly working the Amateur Radio satellites, or “birds.” For me, I find fun in everything!
Som…
American Radio Relay League | Ham Radio Association and Resources