Tag: beginner
-
Baofeng UV-5R Review: Why I No Longer Recommend It
Part of our Handheld Radios (HTs) guide. I don’t own a UV-5R anymore, and at this point I don’t recommend picking one up. It’s still the radio that got more people licensed and on the air than almost anything else over the last decade, and that matters even with a mediocre receiver. But the market…
-
My Recommended First Ham Radio Station: Budget and Mid-Tier Builds for New Hams
Two complete station recommendations for new hams, one budget and one mid-tier, covering radios, antennas, and power supplies for VHF/UHF and HF.
-
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.
-
Getting Kids and Teens Licensed: Programs, Camps, and What Actually Works
The average ham’s age keeps climbing, and the hobby’s long-term health depends on getting more kids and teens licensed. Here’s what actually gets young people through the exam and, more importantly, on the air afterward.
-
What Is PSK Reporter?
PSK Reporter is a free website that shows you, on a live map, exactly where your signal is being heard around the world. Here is how it works.
-
Repeater Offsets and Duplex, Explained Simply
Part of our Getting On The Air: Modes, Operations, and Making Contacts guide. Offset and duplex are two of the settings that confuse new hams the most when programming a radio for the first time, mostly because the terminology is used loosely and the concepts get blurred together. They are actually simple once you separate…
-
Finding a VE Test Session Near You (and What to Bring)
The whole question pool is public and the studying is on you. The last piece is finding an actual test session and showing up with the right paperwork. Here is how.
-
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.