by Michael Martens | Nov 3, 2016 | Antennas
At the young age of 9, Bob W9BVX, visited an ARRL Field Day site with his dad and saw the most amazing thing; an HF antenna lifted into the air by a helium balloon. Ever since that day, his life’s dream was to do the same. Fast forward almost 70 years and that...
by Michael Martens | Oct 27, 2016 | ARES/RACES
Every year in October, dedicated ARES/RACES members and emergency communicators meet for the annual Wisconsin ARES/RACES conference. This event, in it’s 18th year, was held at the McMillan Public Library in Wisconsin Rapids. For those that took time out of their day...
by Michael Martens | Oct 13, 2016 | Product Focus
Small, lightweight, and inexpensive, the Luiton LT-898UV fills a niche for the ham radio operator looking for a mobile/base radio but not wanting to invest in a higher priced 50+ watt model. In this video found on my Youtube channel, I take a look at the Luiton...
by Michael Martens | Aug 22, 2016 | Operating Events
Taking the radio out of the shack and operating in the field can be a great learning experience. Our home stations tend to be optimized for the location, with reliable power, working antennas, and a comfortable environment. But go outdoors and all bets can be off....
by Michael Martens | Jul 28, 2016 | Ham Radio Q and A
A common question I receive is how is the best way to put an antenna up in a tree. Trees may not seem to be an obvious choice for supporting a vertical antenna, but offer a few advantages, like being readily available and they give you the ability to hide your antenna...
by Michael Martens | Jul 15, 2016 | Ham Radio Q and A
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. Today we’re talking about the phonetic alphabet If you ever spent time on the HF bands, you’ve surely heard stations using words to spell out their callsigns or other pieces of information. This phonetic alphabet is one way amateur radio...
by Michael Martens | Jun 8, 2016 | broadcast
It was a rainy Saturday morning. I knew a whole lot wouldn’t get accomplished today, so when I was the posting from Wisconsin Public Radio reminding me about their open house that afternoon, it became the perfect opportunity to jump into the car and take a road trip....
by Michael Martens | May 14, 2016 | Ham Radio Q and A
As an active person that enjoys the outdoors one of the concerns I always have is changing weather conditions. Nowadays we can receive text alerts on our phones or carry a weather radar with us. But if we are outside of phone coverage or in a situation where...
by Michael Martens | Mar 17, 2016 | Ham Radio Q and A
Alright, you just got your amateur radio license and you’re itching to get on the air. But first you need a radio. What type should you get? As a volunteer examiner, I’ve been asked this question scores of times. It’s a common question of the new ham, and one that...
by Michael Martens | Mar 14, 2016 | Operating Events
Living in the upper Midwest, it is very seldom that I get to be the DX station or have the ability to run a pile-up. But one such event give me that opportunity, the annual Wisconsin QSO Party. For the 2nd Sunday in March the airwaves come alive with ham looking to...
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