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  • What I’d Buy Instead of the Chameleon MPAS 2.0

    A modular HF portable antenna kit that beats the $625 Chameleon MPAS 2.0 on both performance and price, built around the CaHR Hydra and a Spooltenna EFHW.

  • Choosing a Backpack for a Portable HF Setup

    A backpack is easy to overlook when you’re planning a portable HF setup, most of the attention goes to the radio, the antenna, the battery. But the wrong pack turns a good kit into an awkward, uncomfortable carry, and the right one disappears into the background of a successful activation. Weight distribution matters more than…

  • Getting Your Ham Radio License: Technician, General, and Extra Explained

    Three exams stand between you and the entire radio spectrum. Here is what each one actually covers, and why the climb is more approachable than it sounds.

  • Icom IC-2730A Review: The Dual-Band Mobile I Regret Selling

    Part of our New Ham? This Is Where You Should Spend Your Money guide. I ran an Icom IC-2730A in the shack, in my Jeep, and in my truck, all at the same time, for years. I don’t say that to brag about owning three radios. I say it because that’s exactly the kind of…

  • Hex Beams and Cubical Quads: Compact Gain Antennas Compared

    A full-size multi-band Yagi delivers serious gain, but it also demands a serious tower and a lot of real estate. Hex beams and cubical quads exist for hams who want real directional gain without going that far. The hex beam’s folded-wire approach A hex beam uses folded wire elements strung between spreader arms in roughly…

  • Setting Up APRS on the Kenwood TH-D75A

    The TH-D75A is the easiest APRS setup in my whole lineup, and it is not close. Built-in GPS, a dedicated APRS mode button, dual-band RX so you can watch a data frequency and talk on another, and a real screen to read packets on. No Digirig, no laptop, no companion app required. Here is how…

  • Choosing Feedline Length to Avoid Common-Mode Problems

    There’s a persistent myth that feedline length needs to be some magic multiple of a wavelength to work correctly. It doesn’t, for a properly matched coax feedline, but feedline length does interact with common-mode current problems in ways worth understanding before you run a cable. Coax length and SWR: mostly a non-issue If your antenna…

  • Meshtastic vs. AREDN vs. APRS: Which Mesh Tool for Which Job

    Three different technologies all get lumped together as ham radio mesh. They’re not interchangeable. Here’s what each one is actually built to do.

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