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...
by kb9vbr | Jun 20, 2025 | Activation Log
One ham radio activity that I enjoy is chasing special events. Special events are when a station goes on the air to celebrate a historical or public event. You may find them on the air for a festival, commemorating some thing or some one, or even marking a moment in...
by kb9vbr | Jun 12, 2025 | Activation Log
Operating from the USS Cobia, a WWII Gato class submarine has been a bucket list item for me. The Cobia is docked at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum in Manitowoc, WI and I’ve long known that there is an active group of hams that put the sub on the air for the...
by kb9vbr | Jun 10, 2025 | Activation Log
This week we put the Radioddity HF-009 Vertical Antenna on the air. The HF-009 is a portable, center loaded, antenna that is ideal for POTA and SOTA activations. Frequency range is variable between 5 and 50 Mhz and power handling capability is 150 watts sideband and...
by kb9vbr | May 30, 2025 | Activation Log
We put on a lot of miles getting to Hamvention and back. Over 1,500 to be exact. While that’s certainly not the longest distance anyone has traveled to the world’s largest ham radio gathering, it does offer plenty of road tripping opportunities. This...
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