Tag: hf
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Beverage and K9AY Receive Antennas for Low-Band DX
On 80 and 160 meters, the noise floor is often the real limiting factor in working DX, not your transmit power. A dedicated receive antenna, separate from whatever you’re transmitting on, can pull weak low-band signals out of noise your main antenna simply can’t filter out. The Beverage: brute-force directivity A Beverage antenna is about…
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Ham Radio Cheat Sheet: Q Codes, Band Plan, Phonetics & Antenna Lengths
Every ham radio cheat sheet you need in one place: Q codes, the ARRL band plan for Technician, General, and Extra, the phonetic alphabet, and EFHW and random wire antenna lengths for HF.
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Troubleshooting IC-7300 Mark II Digital Mode Audio Issues
The digital mode audio problems that come up most with the IC-7300 Mark II, and the order I actually check things in to fix them fast.
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Building a 49:1 Transformer for a 40m End-Fed Half-Wave Antenna
The end-fed half-wave presents a nasty impedance to match. Here’s how to wind the 49:1 transformer that tames it, and build the 40m wire to go with it.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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What Is a Digirig, and Why Do Some Radios Need One?
A Digirig is a tiny interface that connects your radio to your computer for digital modes. Here is what it does and why some radios need one while others do not.
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FT-891 CAT Control Setup with Ham Radio Deluxe
Getting the FT-891 talking to Ham Radio Deluxe over CAT control through the Digirig DR-891, including driver and port settings that actually work.