Technical Articles

base of a ham radio tower with radials installed
Antenna Tech / Technical Articles

Tips for Mounting a Vertical Antenna Above Ground

We received a question from a Ham in Oklahoma about mounting a Cushcraft R8. Although our answer was aimed at the Cushcraft R8, the information can be used for other vertical […]

illustration of a morse code straight key
Technical Articles

Why is CW (Continuous Wave) Still Around?

CW stands for Continuous Wave. In CW communications, a continuous carrier is transmitted as long as the key contacts are closed. By making and breaking the contacts into specific patterns, characters […]

RigExpert Antenna analyzer comparison image
Products & Product Reviews / Technical Articles

How to Choose an Antenna Analyzer

This is a question many new (and experienced) amateurs face today. There are many styles and types of antenna analyzers available, and it’s not easy to sort them all out, even for […]

dx engineering cable wraps
Technical Articles

Tips for Tidying Up Cables

A well-equipped ham shack is chock full of transmitters, receivers, (or at least transceivers), antenna tuners, coaxial switches, radio accessories and all manner of electronic equipment. All of these things […]

how to measure turning radius of antenna
Technical Articles

How to Establish the Turning Radius of an Antenna

There is a small bit of homework required to establish the turning radius of an antenna. You have to figure out the hypotenuse of a right triangle. For this exercise we […]

bushcomm wire antenna kit
Antenna Tech / Technical Articles

Antenna Tech: Resonant vs. Non-Resonant Antennas

There Ain’t No Free Lunch OK. The English is bad but the title says it all. So many hams are looking for that “all band, does everything” HF antenna. On […]

single ham radio paddle key
Technical Articles

What is Iambic Keying?

Occasionally, our customers ask: “What is Iambic Keying?” Iambic keying is an advanced CW skill that takes practice and time to master, but once learned reduces operator fatigue and may […]

dx engineering crimp connector kit
Technical Articles

Tech Tip: What dimensions do I use for crimp style PL-259 connectors?

Q. What dimensions do I use for crimp style PL-259 connectors? A. We have a couple of charts that you will find to be very helpful on the types of […]

wire antenna components illustration
Antenna Tech / Technical Articles

How to Choose Your First HF Antenna

DX Engineering receives many questions from new (or new to HF) amateurs, and one of the most common is: “What kind of antenna should I use as my first HF […]

dx engineering paddle pad
Products & Product Reviews / Technical Articles

How to Keep Your CW Paddle in Place

Some hams with nice radio tables find that their CW operations tend to move the paddle around a bit. Chasing the paddle during a contest can be aggravating as all […]