Articles written by: OnAllBands

a ham radio repeater station atop a mountain
HAM Radio 101

Advice on Ham Radio Repeater Etiquette

Here are a few pieces of advice on repeater etiquette that bear repeating from John Devoldere, ON4UN, and Mark Demeuleneere, ON4WW, who wrote “Ethics and Operating Procedures for the Radio […]

HAM Radio 101

Word of the Day: What is “QRV?”

In today’s Word of the Day entry, we tackle QRV—one of early radio’s Q-Signals. These abbreviations beginning with the letter Q were used by operators to save time and simplify […]

a map of the united states
HAM Radio 101

Word of the Day: WAS (Worked All States)

If you’re fairly new to Ham Radio and want to get involved in long-distance operating (DXing), before you decide to “work the world,” why not try to “work all states” […]

Word of the Day: Fox Hunting
HAM Radio 101

Word of the Day: Fox Hunting

Fox hunting, also known as transmitter hunting, is a fun and challenging part of Amateur Radio that not only gets you out of the shack, but can help you hone […]

a large ham radio transceiver
HAM Radio 101

Word of the Day (Firmware: Firmware–What it Is and Advice on Firmware Upgrades

Computer code that controls a device. The code is generally resident in a chip, and can be updated using whatever communications protocols are set up for this purpose. Many devices […]

small electrical beacon transponder
HAM Radio 101

Word of the Day: Beacon

Fixed, automated transmitters which transmit signals (typically CW) continuously to allow operators to check propagation. These transmitters are located around the globe. On HF they are mostly found on bands […]

dx engineering hexx beam antenna mounted on a chimney
HAM Radio 101

Why Use a Hexagonal Beam Antenna?

Today’s Word of the Day is actually a phrase: Hexagonal Beam Antenna. Yes, they may look a bit out of the ordinary, but these unusually shaped antennas—similar to an inverted […]

video still of two men talking
Interviews

Video Interview: Frank Donovan, W3LPL

Frank Donovan (W3LPL) started in ham radio started in 1922. How can that be? Check out this interview with Donovan at Contest University in 2018 to find out how he […]

video still of a man and woman talking
Interviews

Video Interview: Jeri Ellsworth, AI6TK

Jeri Ellsworth turned a passion for electronics into a successful career assembling and selling computers. She gained fame for creating a complete Commodore 64 system on a chip housed within […]

Ham Radio RACES Emergency Communications logo
HAM Radio 101

Word of the Day: RACES (the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service)

Yesterday we highlighted ARES, the Amateur Radio Emergency Service®. Today, our Word of the Day focuses on another standby volunteer emergency communication organization made up of trained Hams—RACES, the Radio […]