Tag: hf

  • Why HF Radio Matters Most When the Grid Goes Down

    Why HF radio is critical when the grid goes down: NVIS keeps you connected to your region, and HF DX lets you poll other states and continents for news.

  • Your Repeater Is Not a Plan: Why HF NVIS Matters Just as Much

    Without the repeater, VHF/UHF is line of sight. Here’s why HF NVIS matters as much, and how I’d layer both into a real SHTF comms plan.

  • My Yaesu FTX-1 Go-Box: 100 Watts, HF Through UHF, in One Watertight Case

    My FTX-1 Optima go-box: a watertight hard case holding the radio, the SPA-1 amp, and antennas for HF and VHF/UHF. 16.5 lbs, 12 x 12 x 7 inches.

  • What Is an HF NVIS Regional Net?

    What an HF NVIS regional net is, why it beats a repeater net as a regional comms test, plus modes, antennas, radios, and four station builds.

  • Two-Radio Diversity Receive: Reducing QRM Without a Second Antenna

    Part of our Getting On The Air guide. Diversity receive is a technique borrowed from serious contest and DX stations, using a second antenna and receiver simultaneously to fight noise and interference in a way a single antenna simply cannot. The Core Idea Local noise and interference often affect two physically separated antennas differently, since…

  • Yaesu FT-857D vs FT-891, G90, FTX-1 Field, FTX-1 Optima, IC-7300 Mark II, and FT-817: Where Each One Actually Wins

    Part of our The Yaesu FT-857D: The Complete Guide. I get asked constantly how the FT-857D stacks up against the rest of the radios in my shack and go-bags, so here’s the honest rundown of where each one wins and where it doesn’t. Quick disclosure up front: I own and regularly use the FT-891, the…

  • Yaesu FT-857D Review: A Great All-Bander Held Back by Its Own Menu

    Part of our The Yaesu FT-857D: The Complete Guide. Still a Legit All-Bander I picked up the FT-857D for a great price and ran it in both the shack and the field kit, though it never rode in the Jeep. The reputation holds up. It’s a full HF/VHF/UHF all-mode radio, SSB, FM, and the data…

  • The Yaesu FT-857D: The Complete Guide

    The FT-857D is the radio I point people to when they want one box that covers HF, VHF, and UHF without carrying a second radio. It’s not the newest or the friendliest to program, but it earns its keep. This page rounds up everything I’ve written about it. Start Here Yaesu FT-857D Review: A Great…

  • I Bought a Yaesu FT-857D for a Great Price. Here’s Why I Sold It

    I picked up a used FT-857D for a great price, ran it for a while, and decided it wasn’t for me. Here’s what’s genuinely good about it and why I sold it and went back to the FTX-1.

  • Winter Field Day: A Dedicated Guide

    Part of our Getting On The Air guide. Winter Field Day gets treated as a footnote to the June ARRL Field Day, and I think that undersells it. It is run by the Winter Field Day Association rather than ARRL, it happens on the last full weekend of January, and cold weather changes enough about…

  • Vertical vs Yagi vs Wire for DX: A Decision Framework

    Part of our Building Your First Ham Radio Station guide. Every antenna thread on every ham radio forum eventually turns into an argument about which is best for DX, and the honest answer is that all three of these can work DX, and all three have real tradeoffs. I want to walk through how I…

  • Best HF Radios Under $1,000: A Buyer’s Comparison

    Part of our Where to Spend Your Money guide. I get asked some version of “what HF radio should I buy” constantly, and the honest answer depends heavily on budget. Under $1,000 is a real, well-served category with genuinely capable radios, not just compromises. I own three of the radios I am about to talk…

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