📌 Pinned
-
The Yaesu FTX-1: The Complete Guide
Every FTX-1 post on QSO Journey in one place: the overview, setup guides, field ops, digital modes, operating skills, and maintenance.
-
Packing an FTX-1 Go-Bag: What I Actually Carry
My grab-and-go FTX-1 bag, built for showing up ready whether that’s an EmComm callout or a last-minute activation.
-
What’s Wrong With Amateur Radio Clubs in 2026
Amateur radio sits at the intersection of electronics, software, emergency communications, and pure experimentation. So why do so many local clubs feel like they’re actively working to drive newcomers away?
-
Weekly Nets Are Stuck in the Past, and They’re Not Preparing Anyone for SHTF
Most weekly nets have become a comfortable check-in ritual that teaches nothing and tests nothing. Here’s why that’s a problem for preparedness-minded hams.
All Posts
-
Beverage and K9AY Receive Antennas for Low-Band DX
On 80 and 160 meters, the noise floor is often the real limiting factor in working DX, not your transmit power. A dedicated receive antenna, separate from whatever you’re transmitting on, can pull weak low-band signals out of noise your main antenna simply can’t filter out. The Beverage: brute-force directivity A Beverage antenna is about…
-
Ham Radio Cheat Sheet: Q Codes, Band Plan, Phonetics & Antenna Lengths
Every ham radio cheat sheet you need in one place: Q codes, the ARRL band plan for Technician, General, and Extra, the phonetic alphabet, and EFHW and random wire antenna lengths for HF.
-
Troubleshooting IC-7300 Mark II Digital Mode Audio Issues
The digital mode audio problems that come up most with the IC-7300 Mark II, and the order I actually check things in to fix them fast.
-
NOAA Weather Radio: The Cheapest, Most Overlooked Piece of a Comms Plan
A NOAA weather radio does a different job than your GMRS or ham gear. Here’s why it still belongs in your kit.
-
Building a Faraday Cage for Your Backup Radios
You don’t need to buy a purpose-built product. Here’s what a Faraday cage actually protects against and how to build one.
-
Building a 49:1 Transformer for a 40m End-Fed Half-Wave Antenna
The end-fed half-wave presents a nasty impedance to match. Here’s how to wind the 49:1 transformer that tames it, and build the 40m wire to go with it.
-
CHIRP: Free Programming Software for Your Handheld Radio
Programming a handheld one channel at a time on its tiny keypad is genuinely miserable. CHIRP is the free tool nearly everyone switches to instead, and it works across a huge range of radios.