Tag Archives: ham radio prep

Ham Radio Basics: Station Setup- The Very Basics

Looking to finally get that station set up and on the air? Want that shack to be just right? Check out this video covering the basics of station setup and radio hook up to get you started.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

How to Make First Contact on 2 Meters (Repeater/Simplex/Voice)

So, you’ve got your radio. Now what? It’s time to get on the air…. the question, however, is just how do I do that? This video gives you the basics of how to find someone to talk to for that … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ham Radio Basics: How to Build a Dipole Antenna

This episode covers how to build an inexpensive dipole antenna. Specifically, it is a 40 meter dipole… however the principal is the same for any dipole. Using inexpensive materials, you can get this dipole in the air for very little … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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 … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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 … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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 … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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 … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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 … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment