HAM Radio 101

Ham Radio station portable go-kit
HAM Radio 101

Word of the Day (Go-Kit): What is a Go-Kit for Field Day?

As ARRL Field Day 2019 nears (June 22-23), many in the Ham Radio community are preparing for the serious business of honing their emergency communications skills. Field Day gives Amateur […]

large yagi antenna in the sky
HAM Radio 101

Triplexer Filter Combination Package–How it Can Help on Field Day

While ARRL Field Day is fun, it can be a challenge if you’re not properly prepared. One of the biggest obstacles to a successful Field Day can be setting up […]

Get on the Air ARRL Field Day logo
HAM Radio 101

Word of the Day (GOTA): What Does GOTA Stand For?

GOTA stands for Get On the Air. By setting up a GOTA station during ARRL Field Day, you can give newly licensed Hams as well as curious onlookers the opportunity […]

men erecting a large portable ham radio antenna
HAM Radio 101

What is ARRL Field Day?

Who’s ready for Field Day, June 22-23? For the experienced operators at DX Engineering, it’s one of the highlights of the Ham Radio year. The first ARRL Field Day was […]

chordal hop propagation diagram
HAM Radio 101

What is “Long Path” in Ham Radio?

A situation where HF propagation exists between two stations in the inverse direction of the great circle heading.  “Beaming long path” means pointing your antenna 180 degrees different from the […]

two young ham radio operators at a station
HAM Radio 101

“ARRL Kids Day” (Word of the Day)

On June 15, young people all over the world will get to experience the magic of Ham Radio during ARRL Kids Day—a biannual event designed to get youth excited about […]

ham radio keyer cartoon
HAM Radio 101

Word of the Day: Pileup

Imagine you are one of many reporters at a White House press conference, all simultaneously trying to get called on by the president. A din of voices fills the air […]

an operator at a large home ham radio station
HAM Radio 101

Word of the Day: Politeness–and Why It Matters in Ham Radio

While “politeness” isn’t a word exclusive to Amateur Radio, it’s certainly one worthy of highlighting. It’s important from time to time to remind ourselves that the amateur bands should be […]

a man working at a ham radio station
HAM Radio 101

Word of the Day: Rag-Chewing

There are several aspects of Ham Radio in which brevity is preferred. If you’re in a heated contest where every contact (QSO) matters and the clock is ticking, you won’t […]

ham radio operator at desktop station
HAM Radio 101

Word of the Day (QSO): What Does QSO Mean?

In our last Word of the Day post, we discussed State QSO Parties—a contest in which operators try to work as many stations as possible in a state or group […]