Ham Radio Tech and History Book Reviews: A Top Ten Desert Island List
When I was asked to write this blog entry, the suggestion was made, “…like a desert island list.” Well, that’s just a perfect idea! Since most such lists include ten […]
An Amateur Radio Blog by DX Engineering Articles written by: Ward Silver, N0AX
Products & Product Reviews
Antenna Tech / Technical Articles
Wire Antennas—Beyond the Dipole
The oldest radio antenna is—guess what—a dipole. In fact, a dipole was used by Professor Hertz to discover electromagnetic waves in 1886. How did he decide to use a dipole? […]
Technical Articles
How to Build Your First HF Station
First of all, congratulations on starting your first HF station! You will be joining a long tradition of Hams with roots in the spark era all the way through to […]
Technical Articles
Spring Station Inspection Tips
As I am writing (March 23, 2020) more and more of us are staying home and maybe spending time in our Ham stations. We are fortunate to have amateur radio […]
Technical Articles
Why Upgrade to Extra?
So you’re a Technician class license holder? Congratulations on passing that exam! You can be proud—the public is almost completely unaware that Hams have to take an exam and are […]
Technical Articles
Baluns vs. Impedance Transformers
There is a lot of confusion about baluns—where you need to use one, what the balun is supposed to accomplish, and even what a balun really is! The term “balun” […]
Technical Articles
Guide to Low-Band DXing– When and Where
Most Hams start out DXing on the HF “high bands” of 20 through 10 meters. There are lots of stations active, the antennas are manageable in size and effective height, […]
Products & Product Reviews / Technical Articles
Choosing and Installing Fuses
All non-product graphics are used courtesy of the American Radio Relay League from the 2020 Edition of the ARRL Handbook and the referenced QST articles. Fuses are components that “just […]
Technical Articles
Station Improvements: Inside During the Winter
Station repairs and upgrades can take place all year round, inside and out. That said, Hams who live where the chilly winds blow and the snow flies during the winter […]
Technical Articles
Choosing a CW Key or Paddle: Understanding What’s Available
Learning Morse code for CW operation has many similarities to learning how to play a musical instrument. Modulating the musician’s maxim about achieving success, “How do you get to the […]
