Nothing can ruin a restoration project faster than broken knobs. Sure, that old “boat anchor”...

I've decided to make the 4States QRP Group 4S-Tuner the official tuner of the W2LJ QMX Portable Ops bag. So I ordered another one for the shack for when I use the HW-8.  This way, I don't have to keep transferring the one I have back and forth between car and shack.

I really, really like the function of the two LEDs.  Great design feature by David Wayne Cripe NM0S!

When the red one is bright and the green one is out, the SWR is too high. When the two LEDs are of equal brightness, you have a 2:1 SWR. When the green LED is at max brightness, and the red LED is at minimum brightness or out altogether, your SWR is around 1:1.

This is a T-Match Tuner and I find it a bit easier to use, having the inductor in the circuit. Nothing against the ZM-2 as it is a wonderful little unit and will stay in the KX3 bag, should the autotuner fail for whatever reason. But sometimes, I just have a bit of trouble getting that single red LED to dim. I guess it's range is just a little narrower than the 4S-Tuner.

I already know it works well with my KM4CFT EFRW antenna. This weekend, time and weather permitting, I'd like to see how it handles the AX1 from our patio tabletop - a simulated POTA activation. Have to practice, just like the astronauts did! HI HI !

Onto another subject, with all the CMEs and solar flares that have been occurring the past few weeks, I saw this photo on Facebook, taken just yesterday, from the 1,000 Islands region in Upstate NY.

Marianne and I are heading up there soon for some away time for our Anniversary - I know I've mentioned that before. Will this finally be a good chance for me to see the Northern Lights? I hope so! If I'm lucky enough, I'll try to get some photos.

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On Friday afternoon (August 16, 2024), after dropping off one daughter at her volunteer job and the other at Shakespeare class, my wife and I had about 90 minutes of free time before the next scheduled activity. We opted to visit the Sycamore Flats Picnic Area in Pisgah National Forest (US-4510) so that I could … Continue reading KH1 to the Rescue! A postcard field report from Pisgah National Forest. →

Many thanks to Mike Serio who notes: Hi Thomas, Just a note to let you know that digikey has a supply of Ham Radio Workbench DC Power Strips in stock, 43 at the time I reviewed. Product number is HRWB101. Thought you might want to let your audience know. These are neat little kits, I […]

My buddy Jonathan (KM4CFT) made a big announcement this morning. He’s been working tirelessly since the start of the year, designing and testing a brand-new field-portable CW transceiver he’s dubbed the CFT1. As of this morning, you can purchase the transceiver kit on HamGadgets.com. A little backstory Jonathan first mentioned his plans to design a … Continue reading Introducing the New CFT1 Five Band Portable CW Transceiver Kit! →

Yesterday, I met up with Jonathan (KM4CFT) who happens to be in town visiting family over the holiday weekend. Before our POTA activation, he mentioned that he is now selling a 3D-printed paddle kit for $34.95 on eBay: https://ebay.us/GhLOYz (note: this is an eBay partnership link) Jonathan told me that he’s using the kit as … Continue reading New 3D-Printed Paddle Kit from KM4CFT →

On Thursday, June 6, 2024, I had two missions: To help fellow volunteers at the Asheville Radio Museum assemble shelving. To fit in a POTA activation over lunch. I started out the day pretty early at the QTH sorting out a few chores, then I made my way to the museum around 9:30. The Asheville … Continue reading On a POTA Mission with the RGO One! →

On Tuesday, June 18, 2024, I needed to make a morning trip to Hickory, NC, to take care of some family business and visit my father. I started my day early because I also wanted to be back in the Asheville area by noon. Some quick calculations over morning coffee and I decided I had … Continue reading Xiegu X6200 SSB Field Test: A Morning POTA Activation at Lake James →

The Retevis Ailunce HD1 GPS, rated IP67 for dust and water resistance, surpassed expectations in extreme weather testing at -30°C, showing no signs of battery, LCD, or condensation issues after being left outside for three days. The robust HD1 performed admirably, suggesting it's a serious contender in rugged radio options.

Retevis, a renowned radio brand, has introduced budget-friendly and feature-rich dual-band HTs, the Retevis RA89 and the RA79. The RA89 is IP68 waterproof and dustproof, boasts a USB-C charging port with an optional dock, and provides clean clear audio. The RA79 offers wide reception from 50Mhz to 600Mhz and a unique functionality to swap batteries without powering down the radio due to its USB port placement on the radio case. These radios are on sale during the Retevis's Black Friday event ending on 24 November.

A radio chest pack harness for your dual-band VHF/UHF HT, ATAK tablet Computer, and capable of voice and data communications.

Homestead Update I sit here in the very snowy Eola Hills of Yamhill County, Oregon watching the snow continuously pile up for the last 24 hours. I know that those of you who live in colder climes are probably laughing at me, but we’ve received about a foot of snow up here, which is a… Read More Putting Down Roots

After testing a modular HF radio go kit concept last May, I wonder why we don’t see more modularity in the ham radio community. Hello [...]

This design offers a practical solution for HF/low-VHF amplifier output filters, handles 600W and is designed to cover all amateur bands form 160m to 4m. It is a necessary accessory for the 600W HF/VHF LDMOS linear amplifier in order to remove any harmonic products and make the amplifier legal to use on the air. Challenges For […]

The post F600 – a 600W low-pass filter board for 1.8-72MHz first appeared on QRPblog.

Update: this project is evolving. See this page for the latest version. Kits are available in the shop area. The announcement of the MRF300 and MRF101 transistors by NXP in 2018 has generated quite a spark of interest in the amateur radio community and as soon as I learned about them I wanted to get some […]

The post A 600W broadband HF amplifier using affordable LDMOS devices first appeared on QRPblog.