by Michael Martens | Oct 20, 2013 | ARES/RACES
Anyone that has read my blog for any length of time will know that i’m pretty involved with ARES/RACES, emergency communications, and public service communications. Everyone tends to pick a niche within the wide scope that the Amateur Radio Service covers, and...
by Michael Martens | Oct 11, 2013 | LPFM
We’ve all seen youtube videos. I know I’m in awe of those specular Christmas displays with the synchronised lights and music. Well if you want to create a synchronised holiday light display you’ll need a little imagination, a lot of hard work, and of...
by Michael Martens | Sep 30, 2013 | Antennas, News
These blog posts are usually the result of questions I frequently get asked via email. Of course I love answering questions, but when I repeatedly get similar questions, I find it easier to make a blog post so I can explore the answers in more detail. A popular...
by Michael Martens | Sep 23, 2013 | LPFM, News
The early days of radio was a pretty wild time of experimentation. Back in the early teens, most stations were informally licensed, the Federal Government was granting experimental licenses at the time and didn’t start licensing commercial stations under after...
by Michael Martens | Sep 11, 2013 | News
The steamship SS Badger, a car ferry that runs from Manitowoc, WI to Ludington, MI, is set to sail this weekend carrying several amateur radio operators and equipment for the W8S special event station. Built in 1952 and first set sail in 1953, the Badger has provided...
by Michael Martens | Sep 4, 2013 | ARES/RACES, emcomm
Are you ready for the SET? Is your ARES/RACES team prepared for this annual event? Coming up the first weekend in October, the Simulated Emergency Test (SET) is a drill for ARES/RACES teams to practice deployment and communications effectiveness. Most SET drills can...
by Michael Martens | Aug 21, 2013 | GMRS
I receive quite a few email messages a day not only inquiring about my antennas, but also general radio operation as well. One question I get over and over again is: “I purchased a set of radios that advertised 30 miles of range, but in our situation we are only...
by Michael Martens | Aug 13, 2013 | Amateur Radio
The SS Badger steamship is an auto carrier ferry that runs between Manitowoc, WI and Ludington, MI. Built in 1952 and launched in 1953, the S.S. Badger has provided ferry service across Lake Michigan for 60 years. The Kankakee Amateur Radio Club will activate special...
by Michael Martens | Aug 5, 2013 | Scanner
A recent weekend excursion took us to the far northwestern corner of the state of Wisconsin to visit the city of Superior. Superior, WI is nestled on the western edge of Lake Superior and shares one of the busiest shipping ports on the Great Lakes with its neighbor...
by Michael Martens | Jul 28, 2013 | Antennas
Antenna mounting can be a tough subject. We want multiple radios on the air monitoring different frequencies and bands, yet we are limited by the amount of space available to place antennas. A common question I receive is how close can I mount this antenna to my other...
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