Ham Radio Basics: Deciding How to Operate… What’s Your Flavor of Ham Radio?

This episode of Ham Radio Basics covers deciding how and where you want to operate. Amateur radio has so many options out there, it can be daunting when deciding just how to get started. How do you decide what kind of radio you want to buy? Well, this episode helps get you started.

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Ham Radio Basics: How to Solder PL259 Connector to Coax

When I was first licensed in the mid 1990s I was scared to death of cutting an end off of a cable. As a result, some of my mobile installations were less than ideal. Had I known how to solder a connector on to coax, I could have been much happier and effective with my installations. This is a must have skill for ham radio operators.

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Ham Radio Basics: How to Solder Wires Together

Another episode in the Ham Radio Basics series. This episode expands on our last episode, which can be seen HERE. Today we learn how to effectively solder two wires together. This is a handy skill to have. Perhaps you’ve broken a wire, or need to splice a wire. Whatever the case, you will be able to take care of the problem with confidence after this lesson.

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Ham Radio Basics: Intro to Soldering and Soldering to a PCB Board

Ham Radio Basics is a series for folks who are new to ham radio or people who may have been licensed for a while and just looking for the basics to try something different. Today we take a look at how to solder to a PCB board. Interested in trying to build a kit radio? You’ll need this!

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Parks on the Air: POTA Activation of Holly Springs National Forest K-4496

It was a cold day, but productive one. We activated the Holly Springs National Forest for the POTA program. It was a great activation, and my daughter decided that she was going to upgrade to her general license.

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TID Radio DMR/Analog DP-580 Review

Hamradiomall.com was nice enough to send me one of these units to review. Overall, not a bad little radio… with a few little quirks. Check out the video below.

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Our First Parks on the Air (POTA) Activation at John W. Kyle State Park, K-2540, in North Mississippi

We finally got everything put together and ready to go for our first POTA activation. We have wanted to do this for a while, and finally made it happen. It was a great time with 60 contacts. We had to change our planned activation spot due to severe storm damage in the park from a couple of days ago.

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Retevis RT-72 Analog/DMR Dual Band Radio Review

Retevis was nice enough to send a RT-72 to me to take a look at and see what I thought. It’s a radio that comes in cost-wise at under $100. Think about that for a second. Can you get a decent DMR/Analog dual band radio that is of decent quality for that amount of money? Watch and see for yourself. Click HERE to check out this radio on the Retevis website.

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Radioditty GA-510 Review: Does This 10 Watt Radio Measure Up?

Today we are taking a close look at the Radioddity GA-510 handheld dual band radio. It is a VHF/UHF radio that puts out 10 watts of power. Usually, one would think that a few watts difference in output on a handheld isn’t so important. Well, this little guy stepped up and performed like a champ. Watch the video below to see just how well it did, and how long those batteries last.

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How to Choose Your First Ham Radio

Today we are discussing how to choose your first amateur radio. The decision of what radio you go with as your first is a big one. Whether you are looking to drive your vehicle and chat, talk to distant stations around the world, or want to use ham radio for safety and communication while hiking or spending time in the outdoors, you want to narrow down the choices to get the perfect radio as your first.

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