by Michael Martens | May 26, 2012 | 2 meter, Amateur Radio, emcomm
On Thursday May 22 a confirmed tornado was sighted within the city limits of the Wausau, WI area. Fortunately the EF-0 tornado only had a five mile path and caused minimal damage and no injuries as it skipped along the countryside. This weather event could have been...
by Michael Martens | May 19, 2012 | 2 meter, Amateur Radio, Antennas, Scanner, UHF, VHF
A common question I get asked is ‘What is the best VHF/UHF amateur radio antenna?’ There’s no simple answer to that question since there’s countless antennas on the market, but in reality, the best amateur radio antenna is the one that works...
by Michael Martens | May 14, 2012 | Amateur Radio, News
This weekend marks the open of the 2012 Dayton Hamvention. The Hamvention is the world’s largest amateur radio exposition and flea market covering hundreds of acres in and around the six buildings of the Hara Arena in Dayton Ohio. This year’s Hamvention is...
by Michael Martens | May 4, 2012 | Amateur Radio, Antennas, emcomm
A very common question that I receive from people inquiring about my antennas is “Does a J-Pole antenna need to be grounded?” Of course there is a very easy answer: no and yes. J-Pole antennas are half wave antennas by design. Actually they are a half wave...
by Michael Martens | Apr 27, 2012 | Amateur Radio, News
April 27 marks the birthday of Samuel F.B. Morse, the inventor of a single-wire telegraph system and co-creator of Morse Code. Thanks to his efforts, communications systems worldwide increased in speed exponentially. Morse still has a visible mark on today’s...
by Michael Martens | Apr 21, 2012 | Amateur Radio, Antennas, UHF, VHF
Most of the instructions and plans you see online for J-Pole antennas often include the admonition to use a choke balun with the antenna. The purpose of the balun is to limit the amount of RF radiation coming back down the feedline and into the radio. Even though...
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