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  • What to Expect at Your First Hamfest

    A hamfest is part flea market, part club gathering, part testing session, and the combination can feel a little chaotic the first time you walk in. Knowing roughly what to expect makes the whole experience a lot more useful. What’s actually there Most hamfests center around a flea market of tables set up by individual…

  • What Is JS8Call?

    JS8Call takes the weak-signal power of FT8 and turns it into real keyboard-to-keyboard conversation and messaging. Here is what it does.

  • NanoVNA: The Budget Antenna Analyzer That Punches Above Its Price

    A real vector network analyzer used to mean a serious piece of lab equipment costing thousands. The NanoVNA put most of that capability in your hand for under 100 dollars. Here is what it actually gets you.

  • Choosing Coax for HF: Efficiency, Length, and Cost

    Coax is not just a wire that connects your radio to your antenna. The type and length you choose affects efficiency, cost, and your whole operating experience. Here is how to think about it.

  • GMRS Is Great for Family Comms, But It Won’t Save You When SHTF

    GMRS gets recommended constantly in prepping and family communication circles, and for good reason. But it’s not a complete emergency communications plan by itself.

  • M17: The Open-Source Alternative to DMR, D-STAR, and YSF

    Every digital voice mode I’ve covered in the Evolution of Amateur Radio series, D-STAR, DMR, System Fusion, shares one thing in common: they all rely on the proprietary AMBE voice codec, a patented chip that every manufacturer has to license. M17 exists specifically to get away from that dependency. A protocol built to be genuinely…

  • Building Your First QRP Kit: What to Expect

    There is a specific kind of satisfaction in making a contact with a radio you soldered together yourself. Building a QRP kit is one of the most approachable ways into homebrewing, even with zero electronics background.

  • GMRS Repeater Etiquette: Courtesy Tones, Timeouts, and Not Being That Guy

    No exam means no built-in etiquette lesson. Here’s the unwritten rulebook for using GMRS repeaters well, from courtesy tones to knowing when to yield.

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