HAM Radio 101

ham radio presentation to a club
HAM Radio 101

Get with the Program & Get More Out of Amateur Radio Club Meetings

We’ve been fortunate to have a hard-working program chair in charge of arranging our club presentations. Even when he’s wintering in Florida, he makes sure everything is ready for the […]

young ham radio operator at the controls in a station
HAM Radio 101

So You Got Your Ham License? Here’s How to Start Enjoying Amateur Radio. (Video)

It’s a sad truth: Many people in the ham radio community never explore the opportunities afforded to them by their Technician license. You pored over the ham radio study guide, […]

Picture of sun behind trees
HAM Radio 101

Ham Radio 101: The Basics of Sun and Signal—A Few Useful Resources

As a service to new hams, we’ve compiled a few resources to give you a better basic understanding of the sun and the role it plays in enabling you to […]

N8DXE radio Repeater Antenna atop a large tower
HAM Radio 101

Ham Radio 101: Understanding Repeater Speak

New hams often wonder what they’ll do or say over the radio after they get their license. All that jargon that hams use can seem like a foreign language to […]

ACOM 1000 HF + 6 Meter Linear Amplifier aom-1000_it_xl
HAM Radio 101

Ham Radio 101: Do I Really Need an Amplifier?

Everyone wants to improve their signal quality, work more DX stations, make more QSOs, and earn higher contest scores. Should you buy an amplifier or beef up your antenna system? […]

ARRL Band Plan for 60 meter band
HAM Radio 101

Ham Radio 101: What is the 60 Meter Band?

First introduced in 2002, the 60 meter, or 5 MHz, band was originally only available in a few countries: United States, United Kingdom, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Ireland, and Iceland. Over […]

wspr radio propagation display map
HAM Radio 101

Ham Radio 101: What is WSPR?

Let’s start with the basics: If you’ve wondered if a band is open, WSPR can tell you. As noted by Joe Taylor, K1JT, and Bruce Walker, W1BW, in their November […]

HAM Radio 101

Signal Reporting | Ham Radio 101

This weekend I was on SSB for a few activities. While scrolling through the frequencies, I heard this conversation after a CQ. I am going to call Ham 1 AB8XXX […]

HAM Radio 101

A Brief Look at Amateur Radio in Space | Ham Radio 101

There’s an impressive history of amateur radio operators who have stood on the leading edge of space activities. Examples include the amateur radio moonbounce, or Earth-Moon-Earth (EME), by W4AO and […]

HAM Radio 101

What’s a Vanity Call Sign and How Do You Get One?

Have you thought about changing your current call sign? Maybe you’ve upgraded your license, moved to a new call area, decided you want a shorter call, or have a real […]