by kb9vbr | Oct 1, 2025 | Activation Log
Long time viewers of the channel know that my morse code journey is long and convoluted. I needed to learn the code to get beyond the Technician license back in 1999, and since then, reacquainting myself with it has gone in fits and spurts. That’s why when...
by kb9vbr | Sep 24, 2025 | Activation Log
I’ve always been a big fan of 40 meters. I love the regional aspect of its coverage and it offers DX opportunities when the conditions are right. Putting a good 40 meter antenna on the air also isn’t overwhelmingly difficult. Back last year when I bought...
by kb9vbr | Sep 15, 2025 | Activation Log
I’ve always been a fan of vertical HF antennas. They set up quickly and offer surprisingly good performance. They also are more forgiving when it comes deploying them in a tight location. Over the Labor Day weekend we were camping at Wildcat Mountain State Park...
by kb9vbr | Sep 5, 2025 | Activation Log
We’ve probably all heard the term “Shack in a Box.” It’s used to refer to a portable amateur station where all the components are built into a large case. Typically these are 4U rack cases or roto-molded Pelican style boxes. Big items that hold...
by kb9vbr | Aug 29, 2025 | Activation Log
Signal reports are a little better than worthless. That’s how back in 1934 Arthur Braaten W2BSR described the method used by amateur radio operators for reporting and describing the quality of signal over the air. Terminology was inconsistent and the values had little...
by kb9vbr | Aug 20, 2025 | Activation Log
It came as no surprise to me that any list of my five favorite antennas would be heavy weighted towards verticals. As much as I love the satisfaction of throwing a line and getting it high up in a tree, I also don’t like to mess around and the quicker I can set...
by kb9vbr | Aug 1, 2025 | Activation Log
This week’s video takes us on a rove of three different parks in Southwestern Wisconsin, using three different antennas. It’s also a race against time as I try to activate these parks in advance of an impending rainstorm. You can watch this week’s...
by kb9vbr | Jul 28, 2025 | Activation Log
The Radioddity HF-009 is a very capable compact vertical HF antenna. I’ve had it on the air more than a few times and have made a couple of videos featuring it. What I like about the antenna is that it sets up relatively quick and its compact size and all in one...
by kb9vbr | Jul 4, 2025 | Activation Log
I’ve deployed a whole lot of different antennas in the 25 years that I’ve been an active participant of ARRL Field Day. Some have been utter duds and others have worked great. Some antennas seemingly should have worked well, but where the wrong choice for...
by kb9vbr | Jun 27, 2025 | Activation Log
As a family we’ve vacationed up on Madeline island in Lake Superior’s Apostle Islands just about every summer for the last 25 years. The island in far northern Wisconsin has been a draw for us for as long I can remember and the place has made many fond...
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