Articles written by: Troy Blair, KE8DRR

DX Engineering wire antenna winder on table
Products & Product Reviews

New Ham Radio Product Review: Assembling and Testing the DX Engineering Dipole Winder Kit

So simple, it just works…and it’s a fun way to teach basic soldering, antenna-building, and antenna theory to new hams. I used to love going to visit my great-grandmother. She […]

Yaesu FT-991 ham radio transceiver, front
Technical Articles

Five Mistakes New Ham Operators Make (Bonus Article, Part 6): Searching for the Magic Bullet

Our society seems obsessed with the “all-in-one” concept. Last Father’s Day we purchased a pen that had 22 functions. I have a jump box in my Jeep with nine functions. […]

HAM Radio 101

Five Mistakes New Hams Make (Part 5): Not Immersing Yourself in the Culture

I have been very blessed to do medical mission work throughout Central America since I was 13 years old. After the first week of my first trip, I was having […]

HAM Radio 101

Five Mistakes I Made as a New Ham (Part 4): Having Unrealistic Expectations of My Abilities and Gear

I have always been the guy with big dreams and high hopes. Because of this, I also have high expectations. This is true of anything I have been involved in, […]

HAM Radio 101

Five Mistakes I Made as a New Ham (Part 3): Skimping on Quality Equipment

There is an old tale that states the origin of stranded copper wire resulted from two hams fighting over a penny found on the ground at a hamfest. I totally […]

HAM Radio 101

Five Mistakes I Made as a New Ham, Part 2: Having a Lack of Focus

Editor’s Note: Troy Blair, KE8DRR, DX Engineering customer/technical support specialist, enjoys sharing personal stories about his involvement in amateur radio so others can learn from his experiences in the true spirit […]

HAM Radio 101

Five Mistakes I Made as a New Ham, Part 1: Going it Alone

Editor’s Note: Troy Blair, KE8DRR, DX Engineering customer/technical support specialist, enjoys sharing personal stories about his involvement in amateur radio so others can learn from his experiences in the true spirit […]

mobile ham radio backpack kit
Technical Articles

QRP Operation: How Low Can You Go?

This game could go on forever. In my previous articles I talked about portable operations. We looked at things like Field Day, International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend, Parks on the […]

man operating a field day ham radio station at a lighthouse
Events

Operating from a Lighthouse on International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend, August 2022

Editor’s Note: Troy Blair, KE8DRR, DX Engineering customer/technical support specialist, enjoys sharing personal stories about his involvement in amateur radio so others can learn from his experiences in the true spirit […]

yaesu mobile ham radio
Products & Product Reviews

Lightening Your Go-Kit

Editor’s Note: Troy Blair, KE8DRR, DX Engineering customer/technical support specialist, enjoys sharing personal stories about his involvement in amateur radio so others can learn from his experiences in the true spirit […]