Recent Posts

a series of coaxial ferrite insulators
Clifton Labs

Data on Ferrite Transformers

(Editor’s Note: The following article is from the archives of experimenter, inventor, friend of the Ham Radio community, and founder of Clifton Laboratories, Jack Smith, K8ZOA (SK).) In working on a […]

HAM Radio 101

What is the World Castles Award (WCAgroup.org)?

For many Hams, being an amateur operator is about more than simply getting on the air and logging QSOs. It’s about solving problems, conquering challenges, and, above all, learning new […]

jamboree on the air BSA Logo 2019
Events / HAM Radio 101

What is Jamboree-on-the-Air (Jota)

Teaching youth how to respond to emergencies has always been at the core of the Scouting program. Today, along with learning skills such as CPR and first aid, Scouts worldwide […]

group of ham radio operators working inside
Events

Scouts Worldwide Prepare for Jamboree-on-the-Air 2019

In a few weeks, boys and girls from around the world will be celebrating a Ham Radio event that has captured the imaginations of countless youth for 61 years—Jamboree-on-the-Air (JOTA). […]

HAM Radio 101

Word of the Day: Lockout

A means of preventing two transmitters from keying or transmitting simultaneously. A hardware lockout accomplishes this task by inhibiting the transmit/key line on the different radios with a lockout circuit. […]

homemade ferrite core transformer
Clifton Labs

Designing an Easy Broadband RF Transformer

(Editor’s Note: The following article is from the archives of experimenter, inventor, friend of the Ham Radio community, and founder of Clifton Laboratories, Jack Smith, K8ZOA (SK).) In working on an […]

DX Engineering’s Color-Coded Ferrite Toroids
Products & Product Reviews

DX Engineering’s Color-Coded Ferrite Toroids

If you purchase ferrite components from most manufacturers, you’ll find that they all look pretty much alike: dark grey beads and toroids and rods without markings or other identification. This […]

a pair of mobile ham radios set on a desk
Technical Articles

Energize! Power Options for Portable Ops

No matter where you operate, you’re going to need electricity. Some portable scenarios will allow you to use commercial power, of course, but for most situations, this means a battery. […]

HAM Radio 101

Sporadic-E…and How to Make Sporadic-E QSOs

Propagation that utilizes the E layer of the ionosphere. Since this layer is inconsistently ionized and is lower than the F layers that support more reliable HF propagation, such propagation […]

HAM Radio 101

What is “RBN?”

Reverse Beacon Network is an internet-based network of dedicated wide band receivers around the world which decode CW signals in real time and generate “spots” which contain frequency, signal strength, […]