Ham Radio Archives - Page 28 of 117 - Above Average Terrain

Troubleshooting a Radio Interference Problem

14 April 2020 by Bob K0NR

I recently encountered a problem when using my Yaesu FT-950. Sometime during the CQ WW WPX Contest, I noticed an annoying tone (“a birdie”) in my receiver. I’ve had this radio for many years, used it quite a bit and this was the first time I encountered this problem. It struck me as very odd … Read more

Aiwa Six-Band Radio Flashback

11 April 2020 by Bob K0NR

Normally, I avoid posting items of a nostalgic nature, preferring to keep moving forward and not getting stuck in the past. I am going to make an exception today because I stumbled across some photos of my first radio receiver that went beyond the standard AM/FM broadcast bands. Aiwa AR-158 Radio As a kid, I … Read more

Don’t Mess With The Field Day Rules

6 April 2020 by Bob K0NR

Given the Chinese/Wuhan/COVID virus situation, many hams are anticipating a change to their ARRL Field Day operation. I’ve also seen a number of proposals to modify the FD rules to allow for a different kind of operation. I appreciate that kind of thinking outside the box but I think it is misguided. One of the … Read more

Your First (and Second) Ham Transceiver

22 March 202021 March 2020 by Bob K0NR

We recently completed a Technician License class that produced a herd of new ham radio licensees. This always leads to a discussion of what radio should I get? Often, this is centered on the idea of getting a handheld VHF/UHF radio to get started. That is a good first move. However, for many new hams … Read more

Mobile DC Power: One Fuse or Two?

9 March 20207 March 2020 by Bob K0NR

[My apologies. I fumble-fingered WordPress and published a draft version of this article that was incomplete. This is the corrected version. ] Sometime during the 20th Century, I learned that fuses (or circuit breakers) are used in electrical circuits to prevent catastrophic failure. Fuses open in response to an electrical fault that causes excessive current … Read more

What About the Yaesu FT-4XR?

6 March 20205 March 2020 by Bob K0NR

The Baofeng UV-5R established a new price point for an entry-level handheld transceiver and quickly became the “easy choice” for a newly licensed Technician. It is a very impressive piece of technology for the money (about $30). However, it is well known that the UV-5R struggles to meet the FCC Part 97 emission requirements. The … Read more