by Michael Martens | Mar 11, 2013 | Amateur Radio
One of my favorite operating events is the Wisconsin QSO Party. I’m a pretty casual operator, so a contest that falls on a Sunday afternoon in late winter is perfect for me. Always the second Sunday in March, this event is when the state of Wisconsin comes alive...
by Michael Martens | Mar 8, 2013 | Antennas
Here in the northern climes, the days are getting warmer and the snow is rapidly disappearing. But as warmer weather returns across the country, hams are getting ready to do their annual spring check and maintenance of their antenna systems. Winter can be hard on...
by Michael Martens | Feb 24, 2013 | Antennas, Scanner, weather
Severe weather can strike at any time, day or night. You may not be listening to broadcast radio or watching television when a weather alert is issued. But you can keep informed of changing weather conditions by keeping a NOAA all hazards weather radio in your house....
by Michael Martens | Feb 21, 2013 | Amateur Radio, ARES/RACES, emcomm
Preparing for the next generation of emergency communications, the Red Cross is in the process of decommissioning their Emergency Communication Response Vehicles (ECRV) and replacing them with a more flexible and mobile emergency communications go kit. According to a...
by Michael Martens | Feb 10, 2013 | emcomm
Do you have a backup or spare antenna that you can deploy in the field or use during an emergency? As amateur radio operators, we put a lot of time an effort into our antenna systems so that they work at optimal performance. Constantly tweaking and tuning, we work...
by Michael Martens | Jan 25, 2013 | Antennas, Scanner
Radio Scanning has come a long way since the old ‘Rock Boxes’ of the 1970’s. This article explores how to get the best performance out of your analog or digital radio scanner. Radio scanning is a great hobby. Not only do you stay informed with...
by Michael Martens | Jan 20, 2013 | Amateur Radio, emcomm, Reviews
The Kenwood TM-V71A is a great dual band radio. With easy to use features and full duplex operation on VHF and UHF, this rig is destined to be a favorite in both mobile and base station operation. But there aren’t very many online reviews of this rig, so Rory...
by Michael Martens | Jan 12, 2013 | Amateur Radio, Antennas, UHF, VHF
A common question that I receive is what type of coax cable should I use for my J-Pole antenna. This is a great question, as the coax you select can make a dramatic difference on the performance and range of your antenna system. There is a wide variety and choices of...
by Michael Martens | Jan 4, 2013 | Amateur Radio, Reviews
Thank you Justin for creating this unsolicited independent review and field test of the 2 meter J-Pole antenna. It’s greatly appreciated. If you are looking for mounting ideas for the antenna, Justin used a J-mount that screws into the roof with four large lag...
by Michael Martens | Jan 1, 2013 | Amateur Radio, Antennas, News
While we are busily ushering in the new year, I took a bit of time to reflect on the blog on my site. What I found while going through the website statistics are the top 10 articles that people are viewing on this blog. I put quite a bit of information out here, so...
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