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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.
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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.
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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?
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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.
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Organizing Your Ham Shack: Cable Management and Desk Layout
A tangle of coax, power cables, and USB leads behind the desk is how most shacks start out. Here is how mine actually got organized, and stayed that way.
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The Xiegu G90: The Complete Guide
The Xiegu G90 is the radio I hand to people who ask me where to start with portable HF and don’t want to spend FT-891 or FTX-1 money to find out if they like it. It’s a 20 watt QRP transceiver with a genuinely useful built-in antenna tuner, and it’s small enough that it changes…
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Setting Up a Peltor ComTac Headset with Your Radio for a Tactical Kit
How I wired my Retevis/Ailunce HD2 into a Peltor ComTac V headset for my tactical kit, and how to adapt the same four-piece chain to whatever radio you’re running.
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ARES vs RACES: How Emergency Communications Are Actually Organized
Nearly every EmComm post on this blog assumes a general familiarity with how volunteer emergency communications are organized. ARES and RACES are the two structures actually behind most of it, and they are not the same thing.
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RigExpert Stick Pro Review: Why I Love It, Plus How It Compares to the Rest of the Lineup
My honest take on the RigExpert Stick Pro after putting it to work on antenna projects, and a breakdown of how it stacks up against the rest of RigExpert’s analyzer lineup.
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EchoLink and IRLP: Linking Repeaters Over the Internet
Before DMR and Fusion linked repeaters digitally over dedicated networks, EchoLink and IRLP were already connecting hams worldwide over the ordinary internet. Both are still very much alive.